Franz Halder Quotes

Franz Halder was a German general and the chief of the Oberkommando des Heeres staff from 1938 until September 1942, when he was dismissed after frequent disagreements with Adolf Hitler. During the invasion of the Soviet Union Halder insisted on focusing on Moscow, despite Hitler's objections. Until December 1941 Halder's military position corresponded to the old Chief of the General Staff position, which during World War I had been the highest military office in the German Imperial Army. Halder's diary during his time as chief of OKH General Staff has been a source for authors that have written about such subjects as Hitler, World War II, and the Nazi Party. In William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Halder's diary is cited hundreds of times.

✵ 30. June 1884 – 2. April 1972
Franz Halder photo
Franz Halder: 7 quotes0 likes

Famous Franz Halder Quotes

“The Russian colossus…has been underestimated by us…whenever a dozen divisions are destroyed the Russians replace them with another dozen.”

Franz Halder

August 1941, from "The World at War" - Page 129 - by Mark Arnold-Forster - World War, 1939-1945 - 1981
Sourced Encyclopedia of the Third Reich Louis L. Snyder

“The Führer confirms my impressions of yesterday. He would like an understanding with Great Britain. He knows that war with the British will be hard and bloody, and knows also that people everywhere today are averse to bloodshed.”

Franz Halder

July 14, 1940 diary entry, quoted in "Their Finest Hour" - Page 230 - by Winston Churchill - History - 1986.
Sourced Encyclopedia of the Third Reich Louis L. Snyder

“It was a distance about twice as long as this room; then there was a wall, and just beyond it the crematory. When the wind blew in at the south I got smoke in my cell. It was a fat smoke, big flakes of smoke - human smoke.”

Franz Halder

To Leon Goldensohn, April 5, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004
Sourced Encyclopedia of the Third Reich Louis L. Snyder

“Bad weather has grounded the Luftwaffe and now we must stand by and watch countless thousands of the enemy getting away to England under our noses.”

Franz Halder

May 30, 1940 diary entry, quoted in "The Struggle for Europe" - Page 20 - by Chester Wilmot - History - 1972.
Sourced Encyclopedia of the Third Reich Louis L. Snyder

“Whenever I go and see the Führer, I've got a loaded pistol in my pocket.”

Franz Halder

Explaining his fear of Hitler, from "The Guardian," July 11, 2004.
Sourced Encyclopedia of the Third Reich Louis L. Snyder

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