Ferdinand von Bredow (16 May 1884-30 June 1934) was a Generalmajor in the Reichswehr and the Deputy Defense Minister of the Weimar Republic from December 1932 to January 1933. He was murdered by the Nazi Party during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.
Biography[]
Ferdinand von Bredow in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, German Empire on 16 May 1884, and he saw active service in World War I before rising to the rank of Captain. He became one of Kurt von Schleicher's closest associates, blindly following him. From 1932 to 1933, he served as Deputy Defense Minister of the Weimar Republic, and he was sent to attempt to enlist Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party's support for Schleicher's government. In the spring of 1934, he was involved in Schleicher's attempt at a political comeback, and he schemed to change the cabinet to oust the Nazis from power. In 1934, he was one of the men targeted by the Nazis during the Night of the Long Knives. After hearing of the murder of Schleicher on the radio on the morning of 30 June 1934, Von Bredow refused a foreign attache's officer to have diplomatic immunity, saying that he was goingg home, and that there was nothing left for him after his chief was killed. Later that same day, he answered the door at his house and was shot in the face at point-blank range, killing him.