Friedrich Dollmann

Who was Friedrich Dollmann?

Friedrich Dollmann was a German general during World War II, most notably serving during the early phases of the D-Day Invasion.

Born in 1882, Dollmann remained in the Reichswehr following service in World War I eventually commanding Mobilization District Wehrkreis IV by 1936. Promoted to generaloberst shortly after the start of World War II, Dollmann was given command of the German Seventh Army which he led during the six-week campaign against France. Assigned to occupation duty, Dollmann remained in France overseeing the defense of Brittany and Normandy in 1944. Expecting the Allied invasion in early June, Dollmann lowered the alert conditions after worsening weather conditions on June 4. Attending a map exercise during June 5–6, his command in Normandy took much of the early casualties during the initial Allied assault. Dollmann would continue to resist the Allied attack until his death on June 28, 1944, after learning he was going to be court martialed because of the fall of Cherbourg. Sources are not conclusive about the way Dollmann died, some sources speak of a heart attack, others claim that he committed suicide by taking poison. He was succeeded by SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser.