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FM Gerd von Rundstedt

Rundstedt, FM Gerd von (1875-1953), perhaps the leading soldier of the Third Reich, and the last Prussian officer of the Second. Gerd von Rundstedt, C-in-C West at several times during WW II, epitomized the old Prussian military élite, and struggled to rationalize its code of conduct with that of Hitler. He had been always destined for the military, entering the army at 16, was a graduate of the Berlin Kriegsakademie, and saw service during WW I on the general staff in France, Poland, and Russia. Serving in the inter-war Reichswehr, he maintained strict neutrality towards politics, unlike several colleagues, and was thus seen as a safe pair of hands, perpetuating the old values. By 1933, he was a full general, C-in-C of the First Army Group (the senior command), but privately (though never publicly) reviled the Nazis. At Nuremberg, Rundstedt interpreted his military role as being to execute orders to the best of his ability, but never to moralize to his superior. This personal inability—or reluctance—to distinguish between right and wrong prevented the military from putting an effective brake on Hitler's military ambitions.

Rundstedt was happy to retire after the Sudetenland occupation of 1938, but was recalled to plan and execute the invasion of Poland, as C-in-C Army Group South. He took over Army Group A which led the invasion of France through the Ardennes, to a plan formulated by his COS Manstein. The Fall of France gained Rundstedt his promotion to field marshal, although he was a conservative and reluctant convert to Guderian's use of armour. He was C-in-C of Army Group South for BARBAROSSA in June 1941, and remains culpable for transmitting the ‘Commissar Order’ (which authorized the immediate killing of captured commissars) down to his subordinate commands. Hitler dismissed Rundstedt on 1 December for withdrawing from Rostov against orders, but it is significant that he later apologized for doing so—at the behest of SS Gen Sepp Dietrich.

Replaced by the brilliant von Reichenau, who died of a stroke shortly afterwards, Rundstedt was recalled as C-in-C West in March 1942, and was joined by Rommel in a subordinate command in November 1943. The two differed over the strategy of how to defeat an Allied invasion, and in practice Rundstedt had little effective control. In the strategic disaster that developed after the Normandy landings, Rundstedt was again sacked on 2 July—a fortuitous time at which to bow out—but was recalled to preside over the odious courts of ‘honour’ in the aftermath of the July plot, and eventually again as C-in-C West on 4 September. He oversaw the Ardennes offensive, by then a 69-year-old figurehead. He was ‘retired’ for the fourth time on 11 March 1945 after the capture of the Remagen bridge over the Rhine, replaced by Kesselring, and captured in May. That he retired or was sacked four times, but always returned to serve Hitler, is evidence of the moral blind spot the old Prussian military had about serving their country, right or wrong. Never a sycophant—as Keitel and Jodl were—to Hitler's military pretensions, he was detained until 1949 and died four years later.

Bibliography

  • Blumentritt, Gunther, Von Rundstedt: The Soldier & the Man (London, 1952).
  • Ziemke, Earl F. (chapter), in Correlli Barnett (ed.), Hitler's Generals (London, 1990)

— Peter Caddick-Adams

 
 
Biography: Karl Rudolf Gerd Von Rundstedt

Field marshal Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953), the senior German field commander in World War II, directed the German war effort on the Western front from 1942 to 1945.

Gerd von Rundstedt was born on Dec. 12, 1875, in Aschersleben near Magdeburg. His family was of old Prussian nobility with a long military tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. His father was a general, and his brother was a major. Rundstedt received all of his education in military schools, and in 1891 he entered the Prussian infantry. In 1906 he received his first general-staff assignment.

In World War I Rundstedt took part in the Battle of the Marne in the autumn of 1914, and then he alternately served on the Eastern and Western fronts in army corps chief of staff positions. By the end of the war he had become the chief of staff of the 15th Army Corps with the rank of major. From 1919 to 1932 Rundstedt held several staff and command positions related to the secret rearmament of Germany. During the time of troubles preceding the take-over of Adolf Hitler, he held, as a lieutenant colonel, the politically sensitive position of commander of the Berlin Military District. In this capacity in July 1932 he executed the eviction of the duly elected Social Democratic government of Prussia on the order of the German chancellor, Franz von Papen. A few weeks later Rundstedt advanced to commander in chief of the entire Army Group I (Berlin and central Germany).

During his term as Army Group I commander in chief, Rundstedt did much to improve and reform the infantry, most notably through the reequipment and reorganization of infantry commands into small, self-sufficient units, or Einheiten. By 1938 he had become increasingly alarmed at Hitler's policies toward the general staff and at the growing war preparations, and he expressed these concerns by signing an officers' petition circulated by the chief of the general staff, Gen. Ludwig Beck. In October 1938 Rundstedt asked for and obtained permission to retire.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, however, Rundstedt was recalled from retirement. In the invasion of Poland (1939), he commanded the group of German armies in the south that swept through Galicia toward Warsaw with brilliant precision. In the German attack on France in May 1940, Rundstedt led the vital drive of the centrally located Army Group A through the Ardennes and behind the French fortifications of the Maginot Line. He was rewarded for his brilliant success with a promotion to the rank of field marshal on July 19, 1940. In the summer of 1941, Rundstedt commanded the southern group of German armies in their rapid advance into Russia. He overwhelmed the army of Marshal Semyon M. Budyenny on the southern flank of the Soviets and subsequently occupied the mineral-rich Ukraine. Once again, however, the field marshal expressed disagreement with Hitler's plans and demanded a general retreat of his forces to the Mius Line. In the ensuing quarrel, Rundstedt offered his resignation, which was accepted in December 1941.

Following the entry of the United States into the war in December 1941 and the consequent increase in the likelihood of an Allied invasion of the Continent, Hitler once again turned to Rundstedt, and on March 1, 1942, Hitler appointed him commander in chief West. After the sinking of the French navy in November, Hitler added military commander of France to Rundstedt's titles. In this capacity Rundstedt prepared French defenses against an Allied invasion, which, however, he was unable to prevent. After the landing on June 6, 1944, Rundstedt withdrew German troops to the Seine River, which brought his dismissal and replacement on July 6. After his successor failed to reverse the situation and committed suicide, Rundstedt once again returned to the position of commander in chief West in September. In the following months he oversaw the declining fortunes of the German defense and watched with great consternation as Hitler's last gamble, the Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge), failed in December 1944.

Thoroughly disenchanted and quite ill, Rundstedt entered final retirement on March 13, 1945. He was captured by American troops in Bavaria on May 1 and was turned over to the British for trial. Because of Rundstedt's poor health, his trial never took place, and on May 26, 1946, he was released from a British military hospital. He died in Hanover on Feb. 24, 1953.

Further Reading

One major biographical source on the field marshal is the work of an admiring friend, Gen. Guenter von Blumentritt, Von Rundstedt: The Soldier and the Man, translated by Cuthbert Reavely (1952). A section on Rundstedt is in Siegfried Westphal, The German Army in the West (1951).

Additional Sources

Messenger, Charles, The last Prussian: a biography of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, 1875-1953, London; Washington: Brassey's; N.Y., N.Y.: Macmillan (distributor), 1991.

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt

(born Dec. 12, 1875, Aschersleben, near Magdeburg, Prussia — died Feb. 24, 1953, Hannover, W.Ger.) German general in World War II. Chief of staff of an army corps in World War I, he was active after the war in Germany's secret rearmament. In World War II he was promoted to field marshal (1940) and commanded armies in the invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union. As commander in chief on the Western Front (1942 – 45), he fortified France against the expected Allied invasion. Removed briefly from command (1944), he returned to direct the Battle of the Bulge. He was captured in 1945 but released because of ill health.

For more information on Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Rundstedt, Karl Rudolf Gerd von
(kärl rū'dôlf gĕrt fən rʊnt'shtĕt) , 1875–1953, German field marshal. He proved his exceptional abilities in World War I. In World War II he commanded in the Polish campaign (1939), in the French campaign (1940), and in Russia (June–Dec., 1941). From Mar., 1942, to Mar., 1945, except for a brief period in 1944, he was supreme commander in the West. He launched a deadly counteroffensive on Dec. 16, 1944 (see Battle of the Bulge). After the war he was held by the British for possible prosecution as a war criminal. In 1949 he was released because of ill health.
 
Wikipedia: Gerd von Rundstedt
Gerd von Rundstedt
12 December, 1875 - 24 February, 1953
Gerd_von_Rundstedt.jpg
Place of birth Aschersleben
Place of death Hanover
Allegiance Flag of German Empire German Empire (to 1918)
Flag of Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Flag of Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Years of service 1892-1945
Rank Generalfeldmarschall
Awards Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern

Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war.

Early life

Born in Aschersleben in the Province of Saxony into an aristocratic Prussian family, von Rundstedt joined the German Army in 1892, then entered Germany's elite military academy in 1902 – an institution that accepted only 160 new students annually and weeded out 75% of the students through exams. During World War I he rose in rank until 1918 when he was a major and was chief of staff of his division.

After the war, von Rundstedt rose steadily in the small 100,000 man army and in 1932, was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Division. Later that year he threatened to resign when Franz von Papen declared martial law and ordered his troops to eject members of the Nazi Party from state government offices. In 1938 he retired after it was understood that Werner von Fritsch - Commander-in-Chief of the German Army (OKH) - was framed by the Gestapo

World War II

In September 1939 World War II began, and von Rundstedt was recalled to lead Army Group South during the successful invasion of Poland. Turning to the West, he supported Manstein's "armored fist" approach to the invasion of France, and this was eventually selected as Fall Gelb. During the battle he was placed in command of seven panzer divisions, three motorized infantry divisions, and 35 regular infantry divisions.

By May 14, 1940, the armored divisions led by Heinz Guderian had crossed the Meuse and had opened up a huge gap in the Allied front. General von Rundstedt had doubts about the survivability of these units without infantry support, and asked for a pause while the infantry caught up; the halt allowed the British to evacuate their forces to Dunkirk. Later Rundstedt forbade an attack on the Dunkirk beachhead, allowing the British to fully evacuate it. This turn of events has raised eyebrows over the years. von Rundstedt and others subsequently argued that the decision was Hitler's and stemmed from his belief that Britain would more readily accept a peace treaty if he magnanimously spared what remained of her expeditionary force. What was in Hitler's mind cannot be verified, and though his willingness to acquiesce in the halt is puzzling, the final decision on the matter was Rundstedt's, as Hitler delegated power over the matter to him, much to Halder's uncomprehending exasperation.

Von Rundstedt was promoted to field marshal on July 19, 1940 and took part in the planning of Operation Sealion. When the invasion was called off, von Rundstedt took control of occupation forces and was given responsibility to develop the coastal defenses in the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Operation Barbarossa

In June 1941 von Rundstedt took part in Operation Barbarossa as commander of Army Group South, where he led 52 infantry divisions and five Panzer divisions into the Soviet Union. At first his progress was slow, but in September AG South captured Kiev in a double encirclement operation made possible by Stalin's unreasoning refusal to abandon it, even though the Dnieper had been crossed both north and south of it. The Germans claimed a fantastic haul of 665,000 Russian prisoners based on the encircled divisions' nominal, pre-combat strength as revealed by captured Soviet records. The Soviets reported that owing to previous losses - also exaggerated by the Germans, yet not subtracted by them from their tally of Soviet prisoners - the encircled divisions possessed merely 452,000 men and that, of those, 150,541 made their way out of the pocket before the lumbering German infantry divisions caught up with the armor and the ring of encirclement was consolidated. Thus "only" 300,000 men were permanently trapped, whether captured or killed. After this von Rundstedt moved east to attack Kharkov and Rostov. He strongly opposed continuing the advance into the Soviet Union during the winter and advised Hitler to call a halt, but his views were rejected.

In November, von Rundstedt had a heart attack, but he refused to be hospitalized and continued the advance, reaching Rostov on November 21. A counter-attack forced the Germans back. When von Rundstedt demanded to be allowed to withdraw, Hitler became furious and replaced him with General Walther von Reichenau.

Western Battlefield

Hitler recalled von Rundstedt to duty in March 1942, placing him once again in command of the west. There he proved tardy, so much so that as late as the autumn of 1943, no fortifications worthy of mention existed along the entire Atlantic shore. It was only after Erwin Rommel's appointment as von Rundstedt's ostensible subordinate that fortification work began in earnest. During the debates preceding the landing von Rundstedt insisted that the armoured reserves should be held in the operational rear so that they could all be rushed to whatever sector the Allies happened to land in. Geyr von Schweppenberg, the armoured commander, supported him. Rommel, by contrast, insisted that the armoured forces must be deployed very near the shoreline, just beyond the reach of allied naval artillery, since Allied command of the air would preclude moving them from further than that. Badly affected by his experiences in Africa, Rommel believed that Allied air operations would prohibit movement during the day and even gravely inhibit movement at night. He was likewise convinced that a landing as far west as Normandy was out of the question and that very little armour should be committed there. Inclined to accept the unlikelihood of a Normandy landing, Rundstedt nonetheless felt that this was an insane gamble. Rommel was able to have his way because von Rundstedt's authority had all but evaporated as a result of his inactivity since his appointment. The armoured divisions were dispersed and only two were spared to the northern French shore, west of the Seine, with only one assigned to the Normandy sector, with disastrous consequences once the invasion began. After the D-Day landings in June 1944, von Rundstedt urged Hitler to negotiate a peace settlement with the Allies. Hitler responded by replacing him with General Günther von Kluge.

As a result of the July 20 Plot, which outraged von Rundstedt, he agreed to join Guderian and Wilhelm Keitel on the Army Court of Honour that expelled hundreds of officers suspected of being opposed to Hitler, often on the flimsiest of evidence. This removed them from the jurisdiction of the military and turned them over to Roland Freisler. Many were executed.

In mid-August 1944, von Kluge committed suicide and Fieldmarshall Model was given command of OB West for eighteen days before he was relieved of duty and von Rundstedt was once again placed in command in the west. He quickly rallied the troops just in time to fight Operation Market Garden, winning the battle. Although he was Commander of the Western Forces during the offensive to retake Antwerp (which failed against hopeless odds in what would be known as the Battle of the Bulge), he was opposed to that offensive from its inception and essentially washed his hands of it. He was relieved of command once again in March 1945 after telling Wilhelm Keitel that Hitler should make peace with the Allies, rather than continue to fight a hopeless war.

After the War

Rundstedt was captured by the US 36th Infantry Division on May 1, 1945. While being interrogated he suffered another heart attack, and was taken to Britain, where he was held in captivity in a Prisoner-of-War Camp in Bridgend, South Wales. He was charged by the British as a war criminal. The charges against him concerned his involvement in mass murders in occupied Soviet territories. On October 10 1941, his subordinate, Walther von Reichenau the 6th army's commander issued his infamously bloodthirsty "Reichenau Order".[1] Upon receiving a copy Rundstedt, much impressed, immediately reissued the order to his other army commanders, presenting it as a model to orders he expected them to issue to their troops. He was also recorded as very helpful to Einsatzgruppen. When questioned on the matter and presented with damning testimony from an Einsatzgruppe commander, Rundstedt could do no more than say that it was impudence for the SS man to "talk this way about a field marshal" yet proved unable to challenge this and documentary evidence. Ultimately he never faced trial, allegedly because of his poor health, though the American prosecution team suspected that political considerations underlay the British decision. He was released in July 1948, and lived in Hanover until his death.

Family

On January 22, 1902 von Rundstedt married Luise Bila von Götz (d. 1952) and they had one child Hans Gerd von Rundstedt (1903-1948).

Summary of the military career

Dates of rank

Notable decorations

See also

References

  • Blumentritt, Günther, Von Rundstedt: The Man and the Soldier, London: Odhams Press, 1952
  • Liddell Hart, B. H., The German Generals Talk, New York: William and Morrow, 1948, chap. 7
  • Messenger, Charles, The Last Prussian: A Biography of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, 1875-1953, London: Brassey's, 1991 ISBN 0-08-036707-0
  • Ziemke, Earl, "Gerd Von Rundstedt" in Hitler's Generals, ed. Correlli Barnet, New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1989

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Military History Companion. The Oxford Companion to Military History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Biography. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gerd von Rundstedt" Read more

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