Portrait of Erwin von Witzleben

Birthday profile

Erwin von Witzleben

Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (died 1944)

Born
December 4, 1881
Died
August 8, 1944
Zodiac sign
Sagittarius
Birth year
1881

About Erwin von Witzleben

Job Wilhelm Georg Erwin Erdmann von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German Generalfeldmarschall ('field marshal') in the Wehrmacht and Oberbefehlshaber West ('commander in chief in the west', abbreviated to OB West), during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated to become commander in chief of the Wehrmacht in a post-Nazi regime, had the plot succeeded. After being dishonourably discharged by the Ehrenhof ('court of honour'), he was murdered, after a show trial from the Volksgerichtshof ('people's court'). == Early years == Erwin von Witzleben was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in the Prussian province of Silesia, the son of Job Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Erdmann von Witzleben (1838–1898), a Hauptmann ('captain') in the Prussian Army, and his wife, Therese, née Brandenburg. The Witzleben family was an Uradel family of old nobility and many military officers, originating in Witzleben, Thuringia. Witzleben completed the Prussian Cadet Corps program at Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie in Silesia and in Lichterfelde near Berlin, and on 22 June 1901 joined Grenadier Regiment König Wilhelm I No. 7 in Liegnitz, Silesia (now Legnica, Poland) as a Leutnant ('lieutenant'). In 1910, he was promoted to Oberleutnant ('first lieutenant'). On 21 May 1907, he married Alma Else Margarethe Kleeberg (1885–1942) from Chemnitz, Saxony, with whom he had a son and a daughter. == First World War == At the beginning of the First World War, Witzleben served as brigade adjutant in the 19th Reserve Infantry Brigade before being promoted to Hauptmann and company chief in Reserve Infantry Regiment No.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Erwin von Witzleben was born

Erwin von Witzleben was born in 1881. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlinePresident Garfield assassinated
  • Technology milestoneFirst electric power plant (Godalming, England)
  • World population~1.41B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJames A. Garfield / Chester A. Arthur
  • U.S. population51.0M

1881 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Erwin von Witzleben's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18812026
Population51.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.