Ludwig Beck

German general (1880–1944)

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Writers rank#247
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Lived 1880–1944, aged 64Germany

Germany WritersWriter / Author

Wikipedia
40 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1880–1944
Aged 64
Awards
12
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

A German general who rose to Chief of Staff under Hitler, then turned against him. Beck's disillusionment with Nazi aggression led him to plan the failed 20 July 1944 assassination plot — ending with his execution hours after the bomb went off.

Biography

About

Ludwig Beck was a staff officer in the Reichswehr who became Chief of Staff of the German Army shortly after the Nazi rise to power in 1933. He supported Hitler's rearmament and rejection of the Treaty of Versailles, but believed Germany needed more time before another war. Growing disillusioned with Hitler's aggressive foreign policy, the regime's totalitarianism, and SS encroachment on military affairs, Beck resigned in 1938 after public disagreements over strategy. In retirement he became a leader of military resistance to Nazism, planning the 20 July 1944 plot with Claus von Stauffenberg.…

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