German Field Marshal. He joined the army at a young age and attended the Kriegsakademie in 1904. After graduation in 1907, Blomberg entered the General Staff in 1908. He served with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War and was awarded the Pour le Merite. During the 1920s, Blomberg served in various capacities within the Army. In 1933 he was appointed Minister of Defense in Adolf Hitler's government. In this position, Blomberg worked to expand the size and power of the army. In 1934 he encouraged Hitler to crackdown on the SA and its leader Ernst Rohm, whom he believed, posed a serious threat to the army. Blomberg became Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in 1935 and in 1936 became the first General Field Marshal appointed by Hitler. He was forced to resign all of his posts on January 27, 1938 after it was revealed that the woman (Erna Gruhn) he had married earlier in the year, had a criminal record for prostitution (she had posed for pornographic pictures). Both Hermann Goring and Heinrich Himmler, his two biggest rivals, had threatened to make the revelation public if Blomberg didn't resign. His resignation led to a major reorganization of the Wehrmacht. Blomberg spent World War II in obscurity, but was captured by the Allies in 1945. He passed away in 1946 while in detention after he testified at the Nuremberg Trials.
German Field Marshal. He joined the army at a young age and attended the Kriegsakademie in 1904. After graduation in 1907, Blomberg entered the General Staff in 1908. He served with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War and was awarded the Pour le Merite. During the 1920s, Blomberg served in various capacities within the Army. In 1933 he was appointed Minister of Defense in Adolf Hitler's government. In this position, Blomberg worked to expand the size and power of the army. In 1934 he encouraged Hitler to crackdown on the SA and its leader Ernst Rohm, whom he believed, posed a serious threat to the army. Blomberg became Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in 1935 and in 1936 became the first General Field Marshal appointed by Hitler. He was forced to resign all of his posts on January 27, 1938 after it was revealed that the woman (Erna Gruhn) he had married earlier in the year, had a criminal record for prostitution (she had posed for pornographic pictures). Both Hermann Goring and Heinrich Himmler, his two biggest rivals, had threatened to make the revelation public if Blomberg didn't resign. His resignation led to a major reorganization of the Wehrmacht. Blomberg spent World War II in obscurity, but was captured by the Allies in 1945. He passed away in 1946 while in detention after he testified at the Nuremberg Trials.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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See more Von Blomberg memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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