Alfred Jodl
As Hitler's chief operations officer, he translated the Führer's brutal ambitions into military orders that shaped the course of World War II.
1890–1946 (age 56)·German general and war criminal·Birthday: May 10·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alfred Jodl was the precise, unwavering technician behind some of the Third Reich's most consequential military decisions. A career soldier with a reputation for cold efficiency, he served as the Chief of the Operations Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command throughout the entire Second World War. From his desk in the Wolf's Lair, Jodl was the critical conduit between Adolf Hitler's strategic, often erratic, demands and the armies in the field. He signed off on plans for invasions, including that of Norway, and drafted the infamous 'Commando Order' and 'Commissar Order,' which mandated the execution of captured enemy personnel. His unswerving loyalty to Hitler made him a key architect of the war's operational tempo. After Germany's surrender, he was a principal defendant at the Nuremberg Trials, where he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against peace. His execution by hanging marked the end of a life dedicated to the machinery of a catastrophic war.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alfred was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alfred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Alfred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1946Died at 56
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
Key Achievements
- Served as Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) for the entirety of World War II.
- Was a key planner for major German military operations, including the invasions of Poland, Norway, and the Balkans.
- Signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Allies in Reims on May 7, 1945.
- Was convicted on all four counts at the Nuremberg Trials and executed as a war criminal.
Did You Know?
He was wounded in the head during the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, an early Nazi attempt to seize power.
At Nuremberg, he was the only defendant to plead 'not guilty' to all charges in his opening statement.
His diary, used as evidence at the trials, provided a detailed daily record of Hitler's military headquarters.
In 1953, a German court posthumously declared him not guilty of the main charges, a decision later overturned.
“The curse of the gods is upon him who violates the laws of war.”
