Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, (January 17, 1885 - June 18, 1968), German General that planned the attack on Denmark and Norway in 1940, Weserübung. After the invasion he became Commander of the German troops in Norway between 1940 and 1944.
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was born in Breslau and from an old military family, he joined the army in 1907 and during World War I was given various regimental and staff appointments. As a member of the Freikorps in 1919, he was transferred to the Reichswehr, and between 1925 and 1927 served in the Operations Division of the War Ministry.
He became Brigadier on October 1, 1932 and was then military attache in Prague, Belgrade and Bucharest between 1933 and 1935. On July 1, 1935 he was promoted to Major General and Chief of Staff of the Third Army and in 1937 to Lieutenant General. In 1939 he commanded the Twenty First Army Corps during the Polish campaign, and was promoted to General of Infantry.
He was dismissed from his command on December 18, 1944 for opposing the policies of Josef Terboven, the Reich Commissioner for Norway. Von Falkenhorst was harsh towards prisoners of war: he handed over captured British commandos to be executed, for which he was sentenced to death by a joint British-Norwegian military tribunal in 1946. The sentence was later reduced to twenty years' imprisonment. Von Falkenhorst was released on July 23, 1953 due to bad health.
