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Adolf Heusinger | |
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![]() Heusinger in Bundeswehr uniform, c. 1960 | |
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee | |
In office December 1961 – 1 April 1964 | |
Preceded by | Charles Paul de Cumont |
Succeeded by | Charles Paul de Cumont |
Inspector General of the Bundeswehr | |
In office 1 June 1957 – 31 March 1961 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Friedrich Foertsch |
Chief of the OKH General Staff | |
Acting | |
In office 10 June 1944 – 21 July 1944 | |
Preceded by | Kurt Zeitzler |
Succeeded by | Heinz Guderian |
Personal details | |
Born | Adolf Bruno Heinrich Ernst Heusinger 4 August 1897 Holzminden, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire |
Died | 30 November 1982 Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany | (aged 85)
Spouse |
Gerda Luise Krüger (m. 1931) |
Children | 2 |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1915–1945 1955–1964 |
Rank | Generalleutnant (Wehrmacht) General (Bundeswehr) |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | War Merit Cross Wound Badge of 20 July 1944 in silver |
Adolf Bruno Heinrich Ernst Heusinger (4 August 1897 – 30 November 1982) was a German military officer whose career spanned the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, West Germany and NATO. He joined the German Army as a volunteer in 1915 and later became a professional soldier. He served as the Operations Chief within the general staff of the High Command of the German Army in the Wehrmacht from 1938 to 1944. He was then appointed acting Chief of the General Staff for two weeks in 1944 following Kurt Zeitzler's resignation. That year, Heusinger was accused of involvement in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but was cleared by the People's Court. Heusinger was later appointed head of the military cartography office when the war ended. He later became a general for West Germany and served as head of the West German military from 1957 to 1961 as well as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1961 to 1964.