Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim (25 March 1905-21 July 1944) was a German Wehrmacht colonel and German Resistance leader who was executed for his role in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.
Biography[]
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim was born in Munich, Bavaria, German Empire in 1905. He befriended Werner von Haeften as a young man, and he joined the Reichswehr in 1923 and befriended Claus von Stauffenberg two years later. During World War II, he served as a staff officer at the General Staff's organizational division, and he came to oppose Adolf Hitler's regime due to his opposition to the Nazis' inhumane treatment of civilians in Eastern Europe. In 1942, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and he became involved with the German Resistance at around the same time. In September 1943, he joined the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler through his superior Friedrich Olbricht. He prepared the explosives meant to kill Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944, but the plot collapsed after Hitler survived the bombing. Quirnheim was arrested and executed by firing squad within hours of his capture; Stauffenberg, Olbricht, and Von Haeften were shot alongside him.