Wilhelm Heye

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3rd Chief of Staff of the German Reichswehr

Colonel General August Wilhelm Heye
Wilhelm Heye in a photograph by Nicola Perscheid

3rd Chief of the German Army Command
In office October 9, 1926 – October 31, 1930
President	Paul von Hindenburg
Preceded by	Hans von Seeckt
Succeeded by	Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
2nd Chief of the German Troop Office
In office March 26 1920 – October 9, 1926
Preceded by	Hans von Seeckt
Succeeded by	Otto Hasse

Personal details
Born	(1869-01-31)31 January 1869 Fulda
Died	11 March 1947(1947-03-11) (aged 78) Braunlage
Relations	Hellmuth Heye (son)
Awards	Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic
Branch/service	Prussian Army Reichsheer
Years of service	1888–1930
Rank	Generaloberst
Battles/wars	World War I

August Wilhelm Heye (31 January 1869, Fulda – 11 March 1947, Braunlage) was a German officer who rose to the rank of Generaloberst and became head of the Army Command within the Ministry of the Reichswehr in the Weimar Republic. One of his sons was admiral Hellmuth Heye.

Biography

The son of a Prussian officer, Heye joined the Army in 1888 and subsequently became a member of the German General Staff. During the First World War, he served on both the East and Western fronts, eventually becoming the last chief of the operations department at the Oberste Heeresleitung (Supreme Army Command). After the end of the war, he assisted Hans von Seeckt in organising the new Reichswehr, serving as the second Chief of the Truppenamt and later commander of the Wehrkreis I (Military District I). In 1926, he replaced Seeckt as Chief of Army Command and held that position until retiring in 1930.

Decorations and awards

Iron Cross of 1914, 1st and 2nd class
Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
Pour le Mérite (20 August 1916) with oak leaves (3 April 1918)
Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class with Swords (Prussia)
Order of the Crown, 3rd class (Prussia)
Service Award (Prussia)
Commander of the Cross of Honor of the House Order of Hohenzollern with swords
Officer's Cross of the Military Merit Order with Swords (Bavaria)
Knight's Cross, First Class of the Albert Order with swords (Saxony)
Commander of the Military Merit Order (Württemberg)
Commander, Second Class of the Friedrich Order with Swords (Württemberg)
Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
War Merit Cross, 2nd class (Brunswick)
Commander of the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis with swords and laurel (Oldenburg)
Friedrich August Cross, 1st and 2nd class (Oldenburg)
Cross for Merit in War (Saxe-Meiningen)
War Merit Cross (Lippe)
Hanseatic Cross of Lübeck
Commander of the Order of Leopold with war decoration (Austria)
Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd class with War Decoration (Austria)
Military Merit Cross, 2nd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)
Order of Osmanieh, 2nd class with Swords
Silver Liakat Medal with swords
Gallipoli Star ("Iron Crescent", Ottoman Empire)
Grand Officer of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)
Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st class.