Alfred jodl spouse

General alfred jodl biography pdf

Alfred Jodl was born in Wuerzburg, Germany , on 10th May, He attended cadet school and joined a field military regiment in the German Army. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War Jodl suffered a severe thigh wound. He recovered and saw further action on the Western Front and the Eastern Front. Disillusioned by Germany's defeat he considered leaving the army and becoming a doctor.

Alfred Jodl

Nazi criminal
Date of Birth:
Country: Germany

Content:
  1. Biography of Alfred Jodl
  2. Early Career and Rise in the Military
  3. Role in World War II
  4. Deterioration of Relations with Hitler and Trial
  5. Execution and Legacy

Biography of Alfred Jodl

Alfred Jodl () was a Nazi war criminal and the Chief of the Operations Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command (OKW).

He was born on May 10, , in Würzburg, Germany, into a military family. As a student, Jodl joined the cadet corps and later, in , the 4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment. In , he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Admiral karl doenitz Alfred Jodl c. For his military strategies and orders that led to deaths of enemy troops and civilians throughout Europe, Jodl was arrested in and hanged a year later with several other top Nazis as a war criminal. Sources place Alfred Jodl's date of birth around , and there is little information about his life prior to his military career. Jodl's official public record began with his service during World War I in the Bavarian Army, where he was an artillery expert. At the war's end, imperial Germany was soundly defeated, and the Treaty of Versailles dictated that its armed forces would be limited to , men; the treaty also curtailed Germany's use of heavy artillery, tanks, submarines, and the famed Luftwaffe air force.

During World War I, Jodl fought on the Western and Eastern fronts and was wounded.

Early Career and Rise in the Military

In , Jodl began studying at the illegally established General Staff despite the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in He proved himself to be a "thoughtful, decisive, energetic, physically fit, natural leader, and suitable candidate for senior command positions." In , Jodl was appointed to the management of the army, and in March , he assumed the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW.

In October , he became the commander of the 2nd Mountain Infantry Division. Jodl was promoted to the rank of Major General in

Role in World War II

On August 23, , Jodl once again took up the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW and held this role until the end of World War II. He was involved in the development and planning of many large-scale military operations, including "Case White" - the invasion of Poland, and "Operation Weserübung" - the invasion of Norway.

Jodl was part of Hitler's inner circle and was unquestionably loyal to him.

Deterioration of Relations with Hitler and Trial

After failures on the Eastern Front and Jodl's attempts to intervene on behalf of General Franz Halder and Field Marshal Wilhelm List, his relationship with Hitler deteriorated to the point where Hitler contemplated replacing Jodl with General Friedrich Paulus once he achieved victory in the Battle of Stalingrad.

However, Hitler did not live to see this victory, and Jodl remained in the OKW. Jodl was wounded in the Fuhrer's Headquarters in Rastenburg during the bomb explosion that was part of the July Plot in He stayed in Berlin with Hitler until April before moving to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz's command post.

On May 7, , upon Dönitz's orders, Jodl signed the document of unconditional surrender of Germany to the Western Allies in Reims.

General alfred jodl biography After the war, Jodl was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace , planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression , war crimes , and crimes against humanity at the Allied-organized Nuremberg trials. The principal charges against him related to his signing of the criminal Commando and Commissar Orders. Found guilty on all charges, he was sentenced to death and executed in Nuremberg in Alfred Jodl was educated at a military cadet school in Munich , from which he graduated in Ferdinand Jodl , who also became an army general, was his younger brother.

On May 23, , Jodl was arrested and appeared before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. According to Albert Speer's recollection, "Jodl's exact and restrained defense made a strong impression. It seemed that he was one of the few who managed to rise above the situation." Jodl claimed that soldiers cannot be held responsible for the decisions made by politicians.

He insisted that he faithfully carried out his duty, obeying Hitler, and considered the war a just cause. The tribunal found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Execution and Legacy

On the dawn of October 16, , General Alfred Jodl was hanged as a result of his sentence.

General alfred jodl biography wikipedia As a student, Jodl joined the cadet corps and later, in , the 4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment. In , he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In , Jodl began studying at the illegally established General Staff despite the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in He proved himself to be a "thoughtful, decisive, energetic, physically fit, natural leader, and suitable candidate for senior command positions. In October , he became the commander of the 2nd Mountain Infantry Division.

His body was cremated, and his ashes were secretly taken away and scattered. In one of his letters before his death, Jodl wrote, "He [Hitler] buried himself under the ruins of the Reich and his hopes. Let those who wish, curse him for it, but I cannot."