German army officer, who served as Commander in Chief of the Reserve Army (Ersatzheer) in World War II, in charge of training and personnel replacement for combat divisions of the German Army, a position he occupied for most of the war. A recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, he was executed for failing to act against the plot of 20 July 1944 to assassinate Hitler.
When the coup failed, Fromm was found by men of the Ersatzheer and freed. Against Hitler’s orders to take the conspirators alive, he only arrested the one who was, at that time, a civilian (retired Colonel-General Beck) while court-martialing and having the active soldiers immediately shot. As for General Beck, Fromm allowed him upon request to commit suicide; after the suicide attempt failed, Fromm ordered him shot.
After executing the top plotters, Fromm returned to his office for the night after a reported upcoming air-raid. There in his office he was met by various Nazi officers, Joseph Goebbels among them. Fromm tried to claim credit for ending the coup.
On the morning of 22 July 1944, Fromm was arrested by Nazi officials and locked in jail to await trial. Fromm was discharged from the German Army on 14 September 1944. The civilian Fromm was sentenced to death and considered unworthy for military duty by the Volksgerichtshof on 7 March 1945. Since the court failed to prove a direct association with the 20 July plotters, he had been charged and convicted for cowardice before the enemy. However, because he had executed the conspirators within reach, he was spared torture and execution by hanging with a thin rope, and sentenced to a military execution.
On 12 March 1945, Fromm was executed at the Brandenburg-Görden Prison by firing squad as part of the post-conspiracy purge.
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