(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generaloberst Franz Halder
Born: 30 Jun 1884 in Würzburg
Died: 02 Apr 1972 in Aschau, Chiemgau
Promotions:
Fähnrich (29 Jan 1903); Leutnant (09 Mar 1904); Oberleutnant (07 Mar 1912); Hauptmann (09 Aug 1915); Major (17 Mar 1924); Oberstleutnant (01 Feb 1929); Oberst (01 Dec 1931); Generalmajor (01 Oct 1934); Generalleutnant (01 Aug 1936); General der Artillerie (01 Feb 1938); Generaloberst (19 Jul 1940)
Career:
Entered Army Service (14 Jul 1902)
Fahnenjunker in the 3rd Bavarian Field-Artillery-Regiment Prinz Leopold (14 Jul 1902-02 Aug 1914)
Detached to the War-School Munich (01 Mar 1903-00 Feb 1904)
Detached to the Bavarian Artillery & Engineer School (01 Oct 1906-31 Jul 1907)
Detached to the Bavarian War-Academy, Munich (01 Oct 1911-31 Jul 1914)
Ordinance-Officer with the General-Command of III. Bavarian Army-Corps (02 Aug 1914-06 Jan 1915)
Chief Supply Officer (Ib) in the General-Staff of the 6th Bavarian Infantry-Divison (06 Jan 1915-28 Dec 1936)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of the 5th Bavarian Infantry-Division (28 Dec 1916-26 Mar 1917)
Transferred into the General-Staff of the 2nd Army (26 Mar 1917-14 Jun 1917)
Transferred into the General-Staff of the 4th Army (14 Jun 1917-12 Jul 1917)
General-Staff-Officer with Commander-in-Chief East, Section-Command Pniowno (12 Jul 1917-30 Oct 1917)
Standing General-Staff-Officer for Section Mörchingen with XV. Bavarian Reserve-Corps (30 Oct 1917-05 Nov 1917)
Director of Staging-Command 16, Trient (05 Nov 1917-01 Dec 1917)
General-Staff-Officer with Army High Command 2 (01 Dec 1917-24 Dec 1917)
Transferred into the General-Staff of Army-Group Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern (24 Dec 1917-20 Dec 1918)
Adjutant of Central-Office of the Bavarian General Staff (20 Dec 1918-25 Mar 1919)
General-Staff-Officer in the Army-Department of the Bavarian Ministry for Military Matters (25 Mar 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Advisor in the Training-Department of the RWM (01 Oct 1919-01 Mar 1920)
Auxiliary-Officer in the Training-Department, RWM (01 Mar 1920-30 Jul 1920)
Transferred to the Staff of 7th Division (30 Jul 1920-17 Aug 1920)
Assigned to Command-Office Munich (17 Aug 1920-18 Jan 1921)
General-Staff-Officer with the Staff of Command-Office Munich (18 Jan 1921-01 Oct 1921)
General-Staff-Officer and Instructor for Tactics with the Course for Subsidiary-Leadership-Training with the Staff of 7th Division (01 Oct 1921-01 Oct 1923)
Chief of the 4th Battery in the 7th Artillery-Regiment, Landsberg/Lech (01 Oct 1923-01 Dec 1925)
Detached to Training & Firing Course on the Troop-Exercise-Grounds Senne (15 Jun 1925-17 Jul 1925)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of 7th Division, Munich (01 Dec 1925-01 Apr 1926)
Advisor in the Army-Training-Department, RWM, Troop-Office (01 Apr 1926-01 Oct 1931)
Detached to the 7th Motor-Transport-Battalion (03 Jul 1928-05 Aug 1928)
Chief of Staff of 6th Division, Münster (01 Oct 1931-01 Oct 1934)
Artillery-Leader VII, Munich (01 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
Commander of the 7th Division (15 Oct 1935-12 Nov 1936)
Transferred into the Army General Staff (12 Nov 1936-12 Oct 1937)
Senior-Quartermaster II in the Army General Staff (12 Oct 1937-10 Feb 1938)
Senior-Quartermaster I in the Army-General-Staff (01 Mar 1938-01 Sep 1939)
Chief of the General Staff of the Army (01 Sep 1939-24 Sep 1942)
Führer-Reserve OKH (24 Sep 1942-31 Jan 1945)
Retired (31 Jan 1945)
Arrested and Detained by the Gestapo in connection with the 20 Jul 1944 Assassination Attempt on Hitler (23 Jul 1944-08 May 1945)
In US Captivity (08 May 1945-00 Sep 1947)
Released (00 Sep 1947)
Director of the War History Research Staff of the US Army in Königstein/Taunus and Karlsruhe (1947-1961)

Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz: am 27.10.1939 als General der Artillerie und Chef des Generalstabs des Heeres
- RK des Kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern: 02.10.1918
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Bayer. Prinz-Regent-Luitpold Jubiläums-Medaille
- Kgl. Bayer. Militär-Verdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Schwertern und mit der Krone
- RK I. Klasse des Kgl. Sächs. Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern
- k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Verdienstkreuz III. Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Spange zum EK I
- Spange zum EK II
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere” III. und” II. Klasse: 14.10.1941
- Finn. Freiheitskreuz I. Klasse mit Stern, Eichenlaub und Schwertern: 25.03.1942
- “Meritorius Civilian Service Award” (USA): 00.11.1961


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