In World War II, Fromm was Commander in Chief of the Reserve Army (Ersatzheer), in charge of training and personnel replacement for the German Army, a position he occupied for most of the war. Though Fromm was aware that some of his subordinates, most notably Claus von Stauffenberg, his chief of staff, were planning an assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler, he remained quiet and agreed to have a part in it in exchange for becoming a top official of the new government after the coup. However, Fromm did not have any direct involvement in the conspiracy. When the attempt to proceed with a mutiny on 15 July 1944 failed, he refused to have any further part in it.