Court of Military Honour

The Court of Military Honour was a drumhead court-martial in Nazi Germany, composed of high-ranking officers of the Wehrmacht, which was formed by a Führer decree on 2 August 1944.
The court had the express task of identifying and expelling officers of the German Army who, according to the Gestapo, had participated in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler. The aim of the decree was to avoid having to bring the leaders of the military resistance to the Nazi regime before a military trial of the Reich Court-Martial, in accordance with German military law. Instead, they were brought before a show trial of the People's Court.

Composition

Hitler appointed the following officers to the court :

Hitler reserved the right to personally decide on the applications of the Court of Honor. Neither the accused nor the defense attorneys were heard. Between 4 August and 14 September 1944, a total of 55 army officers were expelled from the Wehrmacht and another 29 were dismissed at the suggestion of the Court of Honour.
Their expulsion from the Wehrmacht was the prerequisite for them being handed over to the People's Court for trial and not to the Reich Court-Martial, which was actually responsible.