Erich Fellgiebel
Fritz Erich Fellgiebel (4 October 1886 – 4 September 1944) was a German Army general of signals and a resistance fighter, as part of the 20 July plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. In 1929, Fellgiebel became head of the cipher bureau (German: Chiffrierstelle) of the Ministry of the Reichswehr, which would later become the OKW/Chi. He was a signals specialist and was instrumental in introducing a common enciphering machine, the Enigma machine. However, he was unsuccessful in promoting a single cipher agency to coordinate all operations, as was demanded by OKW/Chi and was still blocked by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring until autumn 1943. It was not achieved until General Albert Praun took over the post.
Erich Fellgiebel | |
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Born | Pöpelwitz, Silesia, Prussia, Germany | 4 October 1886
Died | 4 September 1944 57) Plötzensee Prison, Berlin, Nazi Germany | (aged
Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1944) |
Service/ | Army |
Years of service | 1905–44 |
Rank | General der Nachrichtentruppe |
Commands held | Chief of Wehrmacht communications, Chief of Army communications
(German: Chef of Wehrmacht-Nachrichten-Verbindunger) (abbr. Chef WNV), (German: Chef of Heeres-Nachrichten-Wesen) (abbr. Chef HNW) |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Relations | Walther-Peer Fellgiebel (son) |