Description
ORIGINAL 1935 SIGNATURE – FRIEDRICH VON RABENAU
Original signature on letter dated 1943 to publisher E.S. Mittler & Sohn.
“Please accept my heartfelt and sincere thanks for your kind congratulations on the occasion of my appointment as an honorary doctor. Indeed, the book published by your firm—dealing with operational decision-making—has ultimately contributed very significantly to this distinction. Originally, of course, it was the lectures themselves that made the impact, but subsequently, the compilation in print did so as well. Your congratulations, therefore, gave me particular pleasure.
With the highest esteem and with German greetings,”
Friedrich von Rabenau (1884–1945) was a German general, historian, and theologian who became an early opponent of Adolf Hitler and Nazism.
Career:
- Joined the Prussian Army in 1903 and served through First World War, later continuing in the Reichswehr.
- In 1936, he was tasked by Ludwig Beck to establish the German Army’s central archive, where he worked to preserve accurate historical records.
Opposition to Nazism:
- Motivated by strong Christian beliefs, he opposed Nazi ideology and maintained connections with resistance figures such as Carl Friedrich Goerdeler.
- Though not formally part of a resistance group, he acted as an intermediary between key opposition figures.
Later Life & Death:
- Forced into retirement in 1942 and studied Protestant theology, earning a degree in 1943.
- Arrested after the 20 July Plot.
- Executed without trial on 15 April 1945 at Flossenbürg concentration camp on orders from Heinrich Himmler.
