Deaths on July 20

Ludwig Beck, German general (b. 1880)

Ludwig August Theodor Beck (German: [ˈluːt.vɪç bɛk] (listen); 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Although Beck never became a member of the Nazi Party, in the early 1930s he supported Adolf Hitler's forceful denunciation of the Versailles Treaty and belief in the need for Germany to rearm. Beck had grave misgivings regarding the Nazi demand for all German officers to swear an oath of fealty to the person of Hitler in 1934, but Beck believed that Germany needed strong government, which Hitler could successfully provide if the Führer was influenced by traditional elements within the military, rather than by the SA and SS.

In serving as Chief of Staff of the German Army between 1935 and 1938, Beck became increasingly disillusioned and stood in opposition to the increasing totalitarianism of the Nazi regime and to Hitler's aggressive foreign policy. Public foreign-policy disagreements with Hitler made Beck resign as Chief of Staff in August 1938. From then on, Beck came to believe that Hitler could not be influenced positively and that both Hitler and the Nazi Party had to be removed from government. Beck became a major leader within the conspiracy against Hitler and would have served as head of state with the title of either President or regent ("Reichsverweser"), depending on the source, if the 20 July plot had succeeded. The plot failed, however, and Beck was then arrested. He reportedly made an unsuccessful attempt at suicide before he was shot dead.