Joachim von Willisen
Encyclopedia
Joachim Freiherr von Willisen (31 January 1900 – 5 April 1983) was a German
public official and member of the Resistance
against the Nazi régime
.
, West Prussia
, German Empire
(modern Bincze, Poland), he served in the German Army
in World War I
. In 1923 Willisen graduated in forestry and worked in the public forest service.
Willisen became an opponent of the Nazi regime after his uncle Herbert von Bose
was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives
in 1934. In 1938 he was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Economics and was conscripted to the Wehrmacht
Infantry Regiment 9 in Potsdam
in World War II
, where he met future participants of the 20 July plot. Unfit for service after he was wounded twice, he worked in the Reich Forest Office. Influenced by Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
he became department chief at the Mecklenburg
Ministry of State in Schwerin
in 1943.
Willisen was designated as a political commissioner in military district II
(Stettin) after a successful coup against Hitler. Willisen was arrested on 21 July 1944 after the plot had failed but was released from custody some weeks later because the Gestapo
was unable to prove his knowledge about his future role in the plotter's plans. Willisen returned to Schwerin and survived the war.
After World War II Willisen led the forestry office of Reinhausen
near Göttingen
. He retired in 1964 and died in 1983 in Munich.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
public official and member of the Resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against the Nazi régime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Biography
Willisen was born in BärenwaldeBincze
Bińcze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czarne, within Człuchów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately east of Czarne, west of Człuchów, and south-west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
, West Prussia
West Prussia
West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(modern Bincze, Poland), he served in the German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1923 Willisen graduated in forestry and worked in the public forest service.
Willisen became an opponent of the Nazi regime after his uncle Herbert von Bose
Herbert von Bose
Herbert von Bose was head of the press division of the Vice Chancellery in Germany under Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen.- Imperial Germany and Weimar Republic :...
was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
in 1934. In 1938 he was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Economics and was conscripted to the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
Infantry Regiment 9 in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he met future participants of the 20 July plot. Unfit for service after he was wounded twice, he worked in the Reich Forest Office. Influenced by Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
Fritz-Dietlof Graf von der Schulenburg-Tressow was a German government official and a member of the German Resistance in the July 20 Plot against Adolf Hitler.-Personal development:...
he became department chief at the Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
Ministry of State in Schwerin
Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
in 1943.
Willisen was designated as a political commissioner in military district II
Military district (Germany)
During World War II Germany used the system of military districts to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the Field Army...
(Stettin) after a successful coup against Hitler. Willisen was arrested on 21 July 1944 after the plot had failed but was released from custody some weeks later because the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
was unable to prove his knowledge about his future role in the plotter's plans. Willisen returned to Schwerin and survived the war.
After World War II Willisen led the forestry office of Reinhausen
Reinhausen
Reinhausen is the largest village in the municipality Gleichen in the district Göttingen, Germany. It is also the seat of government for the Gleichen. The village has 1,500 residents . The village mayor is Manfred Kuhlmann. The village was settled in the tenth century or earlier...
near Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. He retired in 1964 and died in 1983 in Munich.