How to Pronounce Friedrich Olbricht

Meaning and Context

Friedrich Olbricht, born on 4 October 1888, was a highly decorated German general and a pivotal figure in the German Resistance during the Third Reich. Serving as chief of the General Army Office within the Armed Forces High Command (OKW), Olbricht used his influential position to orchestrate the clandestine planning for a post-coup government. His most significant legacy is his central role in the July 20 Plot (Operation Valkyrie) of 1944, where he, along with Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators, aimed to assassinate Adolf Hitler and execute a pre-designed emergency plan, Operation Valkyrie, to seize control of Germany and end World War II. Olbricht's profound moral conviction against the crimes of the Nazi regime transformed him from a loyal Wehrmacht officer into a key architect of the anti-Hitler conspiracy, a movement driven by the goal of restoring honor and stopping the Holocaust. His actions on that fateful day, ultimately leading to his execution, cement his status as a symbol of the German resistance within the military, demonstrating that opposition existed even at the highest levels of Hitler's war machine.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Friedrich Olbricht" is generally consistent in its spelling, though occasional errors arise from phonetic misinterpretations or typographical slips. The most common mistake is the omission of the 'c' in "Friedrich," resulting in the incorrect "Friedrich." The surname "Olbricht" may occasionally be misspelled as "Olbrecht," "Olbrict," or "Olbrich," with the latter being a more common German surname that leads to confusion. In non-German contexts, the "ch" sound can sometimes be rendered as "k," though this is rare. Researchers should also be aware that in some historical documents or older texts, the archaic "Friderich" might appear, but "Friedrich" is the standardized modern spelling.

Example Sentences

Historians credit Friedrich Olbricht with developing the crucial logistical framework for the coup attempt by cleverly adapting the official Operation Valkyrie plan for the conspirators' own purposes.

On the afternoon of July 20, 1944, after receiving the initial signal that Hitler had been assassinated, Friedrich Olbricht bravely initiated the coup by issuing the Valkyrie orders from his desk at the Bendlerblock in Berlin.

Without the meticulous groundwork laid by Friedrich Olbricht in the years leading up to the plot, the July 20 conspirators would have lacked the essential machinery to seize control of the state.

The moral courage of Friedrich Olbricht serves as a powerful reminder that dissent and resistance persisted within the heart of the Nazi military establishment.

Following the failure of the assassination attempt, Friedrich Olbricht was arrested on the same night and summarily executed by firing squad in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock.

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