Wilhelm Heye

Wilhelm Heye (31 January 1869 – 11 March 1947) was a Prussian and German officer who rose to the rank of Generaloberst and became Chief of the Army Command within the Ministry of the Reichswehr in the Weimar Republic.

Family Maximilian Henry Friedrich Wilhelm Heye was born on 31 January 1869 in Fulda as the son of Wilhelm Heye (1824-1899), a Prussian Oberstleutnant, and Charlotte, née von Finckh (1834-1871). His paternal grandfather Ernst Heye was a lawyer in Oldenburg and his maternal grandfather Alexander von Finckh was a senior official of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. His brother Alexander (1860-1915) was a Prussian Generalmajor zur Disposition and author. His brother-in-law (1860-1930) served as Minister-President of the Free State of Oldenburg from 1923 to 1930.

Wilhelm was married on 29 September 1894 to Elisabeth ("Else") Anna Karcher (1875-1961). The couple had two daughters and three sons. The eldest son was the later Vizeadmiral Hellmuth Heye. Their middle son, Friedrich Wilhelm (1898-1918), died of wounds as a lieutenant and their youngest son, Hans-Joachim (1901-1935), was an officer in the Reichsmarine. Both daughters married army officers.

Military career in the Prussian army Heye graduated from the Prussian cadet corps (Kadettenkorps) and entered the Prussian Army on 22 March 1888 as a Seconde-Lieutenant in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70.

On 9 October 1926, Heye once again succeeded Seeckt, being named Chef der Heeresleitung. During his tenure, the Heeresleitung lost much of the political influence it had under Seeckt, while the authority of the Ministry of the Reichswehr increased, principally under Wilhelm Groener and his protegé Kurt von Schleicher. 2nd Class (22 September 1914) 1st Class (18 October 1914) Kingdom of Prussia: Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (23 July 1915) Kingdom of Prussia: Pour le Mérite (20 August 1916) with Oak Leaves (3 April 1918) Kingdom of Prussia: Order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords 4th Class with (20 January 1907) Swords to the 4th Class (21 May 1907) Kingdom of Prussia: Order of the Crown, 3rd Class (10 September 1910) Kingdom of Prussia: Officer's Service Decoration for 25 Years' Service (13 June 1911) German Empire: Southwest Africa Commemorative Medal Kingdom of Prussia: Centenary Medal (1897) Hohenzollern Principalities: Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander of the Cross of Honor with Swords (6 June 1917) Kingdom of Bavaria: Military Merit Order, Officer's Cross with Swords (23 October 1917) Kingdom of Saxony: Albert Order, Officer's Cross with Swords (12 April 1915) Kingdom of Württemberg: Military Merit Order, Commander's Cross Kingdom of Württemberg: Friedrich Order, Commander's Cross Second Class with Swords (29 November 1916) Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis Knight's Cross with Swords (18 November 1907) Commander's Cross with Swords and Laurel (28 July 1917) Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: Friedrich August Cross, 1st and 2nd Class (4 November 1914) Duchy of Brunswick: War Merit Cross, 2nd Class (28 November 1917) Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen: Cross for Merit in War (13 June 1916) Principality of Lippe: War Merit Cross (14 October 1916) Hamburg: Hanseatic Cross (5 March 1917) Lübeck: Hanseatic Cross (8 October 1916) Austria-Hungary: Order of Leopold, Commander's Cross with War Decoration (29 October 1917) Austria-Hungary: Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd Class with War Decoration 2nd Class (4 April 1913) War Decoration 2nd Class (5 August 1915) Austria-Hungary: Order of Franz Joseph, Commander's Cross (9 July 1911) Austria-Hungary: Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration (14 September 1914) Austria-Hungary: Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class with War Decoration (4 December 1914) Kingdom of Bulgaria: Order of Military Merit, Grand Officer (14 August 1918) Kingdom of Italy: Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Officer (1 October 1913) Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 2nd Class with Sabers (11 June 1918) Ottoman Empire: Silver Liakat Medal with Sabers (20 October 1915) Ottoman Empire: War Medal ("Iron Crescent" or "Gallipoli Star") (20 October 1915) Kingdom of Sweden: Order of the Sword, Commander 2nd Class (2 February 1919) Germany: Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st Class