Günther von Kluge
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| Günther "Hans" von Kluge | |
|---|---|
| 30 October 1882 – 19 August 1944 (aged 61) | |
 Generalfeldmarshall Günther von Kluge |
|
| Place of birth | Posen, Province of Posen, German Empire |
| Place of death | Metz, France |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1901 – 1944 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Unit | Wehrmacht 1930 - 1944 Reichswehr 1916 - 1930 |
| Commands held | German Fourth Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I Battle of Verdun World War II German invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Falaise Gap |
| Awards | House Order of Hohenzollern Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Günther “Hans” von Kluge (October 30, 1882 – August 19, 1944) was a German military leader. He was born in Posen into a Prussian military family. Kluge rose to the rank of field marshal in the Wehrmacht.
During World War I he was a staff officer and in 1916 was at the Battle of Verdun.
By 1936 he was a lieutenant-general and in 1937 took command of the Sixth Army Group, which became the German Fourth Army that he led in Poland in 1939. Though he opposed the plan to attack westward, he led the Fourth Army in its attack through the Ardennes that culminated in the fall of France. Promoted to field marshal in July 1940, he continued to command the Fourth Army in Operation Barbarossa, where he also developed a strained relationship with Heinz Guderian over tactical issues in the advance and accused him of frequent disobedience of Kluge’s orders.
After Fedor von Bock was relieved of his command of Army Group Center in late 1941, Kluge was promoted and led that army group until he was injured in October 1943. Kluge frequently rode in an airplane to inspect the divisions under his command and sometimes relieved his boredom during the flights by hunting foxes from the air[1]—a decidedly non-traditional method.
On October 27, 1943, Kluge was badly injured when his car overturned on the Minsk–Smolensk road. He was unable to return to duty until July 1944. After his recovery he became commander of the German forces in the West (Oberbefehlshaber West) as Gerd von Rundstedt’s replacement.
The head of the German military resistance, Henning von Tresckow, served as his Chief of Staff of Army Group Center. Kluge was somewhat involved in the military resistance. He knew about Tresckow’s plan to shoot Hitler during a visit to Army Group Center, having been informed by his former subordinate, Georg von Boeselager, who was now serving under Tresckow. At the last moment, Kluge aborted Tresckow's plan. Boeselager later speculated that because Himmler had decided not to accompany Hitler. Kluge feared that without eliminating Himmler too, it could lead to a civil war between the SS and the Wehrmacht. [2]
When Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler as part of the July 20 plot, Kluge was serving as Oberbefehlshaber West in his headquarters in La Roche-Guyon. The commander of the occupation troops of France, General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, and his colleage Oberst Cäsar von Hofacker — a cousin of Stauffenberg — came to visit Kluge. Stülpnagel had just ordered the arrest of the SS units in Paris. Kluge had already learned that Hitler had survived the assassination attempt and refused to provide any support. "Ja — wenn das Schwein tot wäre!", "Well — If the pig were dead!", he said. [3] He was recalled to Berlin for a meeting with Hitler after Stauffenberg’s failed coup; thinking that Hitler would punish him as a conspirator, he committed suicide by taking cyanide near the First World War battlefield at Verdun. He left Hitler a letter in which he advised Hitler to make peace and “put an end to a hopeless struggle when necessary...” Hitler reportedly handed the letter to Alfred Jodl and commented that “There are strong reasons to suspect that had not Kluge committed suicide he would have been arrested anyway.”[4]
Günther von Kluge’s nickname among the troops and his fellow officers was der kluge Hans—“Clever Hans.” Hans was not part of his given name, but a nickname acquired early in his career in admiration of his cleverness (klug is German for clever) and is derived from a curious reference to a celebrated horse Clever Hans reputed to have been able to do arithmetic and remember calendar dates.[citation needed]
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st class
- House Order of Hohenzollern Knight's Cross with Swords
- Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th class with Swords
- Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross 2nd class
- Verdienstmedaille für Rettung aus Gefahr
- Order of the Iron Crown 3rd class with War Decoration
- Austrian Military Merit Cross 3rd class with War Decoration
- Wound Badge (1918) in Black
- Cross of Honor
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
- Eastern Front Medal
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross (30 September 1939)
- Oak Leaves (18 January 1943)
- Swords (29 October 1943)
- Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht (7 August 1941, 18 October 1941, 19 October 1941, 3 September 1943)
[edit] References
- Berger, Florian, Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2006. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Hoffman, Peter, (tr. Richard Barry) The History of the German Resistance, 1939–1945, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1977. ISBN 0773515313
- Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. ISBN 0671728687
- Knopp, Guido Die Wehrmacht: Eine Bilanz, C. Bertelsmann Verlag, München, 2007. ISBN 978-3-570-00975-8
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Commander of 4. Armee 1 December 1938 – 19 December 1941 |
Succeeded by General of Mountain Troops Ludwig Kübler |
| Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock |
Commander of Heeresgruppe Mitte 19 December 1941 – 12 October 1943 |
Succeeded by Generalfeldmarschall Ernst Busch |
| Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt |
Commander of Heeresgruppe D 2 July 1944 – 15 August 1944 |
Succeeded by Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt |
| Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt |
Oberbefehlshaber West 2 July 1944 – 16 August 1944 |
Succeeded by Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model |
| Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel |
Commander of Heeresgruppe B 19 July 1944 – 17 August 1944 |
Succeeded by Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model |
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