Günther "Hans" von Kluge | |
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30 October 1882 | – 19 August 1944 (aged 61)|
![]() Generalfeldmarshall Günther von Kluge |
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Nickname | der kluge Hans |
Place of birth | Posen, Province of Posen, German Empire |
Place of death | Metz, France |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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. Von Kluge rose to the rank of field marshal in the Wehrmacht.
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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
As commander of the Sixth Army Group, which became the German Fourth Army, von Kluge led the Sixth into battle in Poland in 1939. Though he opposed the initial German plan to attack westwards into France, he led the Fourth Army in its attack through the Ardennes that culminated in the fall of France. Von Kluge was promoted to field marshal in July 1940.
In July 1941, von Kluge commanded the Fourth Army in Operation Barbarossa, where he developed a strained relationship with Heinz Guderian over tactical issues in the advance, accusing Guderian of frequent disobedience of von Kluge’s orders.
After Fedor von Bock was relieved of his command of Army Group Center in late 1941, von Kluge was promoted and led that army group until he was injured in October 1943. Von 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, von 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.
In June and July 1944, during the invasion of Normandy by Allied forces, Rommel commanded Army Group B under Field Marshal von Rundstedt. Rommel was charged with planning German counterattacks intended to drive the Allied forces back to the beaches. On July 2, von Kluge replaced von Rundstedt, because von Rundstedt was advocating negotiation with the Allies. Two weeks later, Rommel was wounded and von Kluge took over as commander of Army Group B as well.
He found that German forces moving towards Normandy were constantly beset by Allied fighter-bomber attacks. The climax came with U.S. tanks advancing towards Granchiel and Avranches. "The enemy air superiority is terrific and smothers almost every one of our movements," phoned Field Marshal von Kluge to General Warlimont, Hitler's personal representative in the West. "Every movement of the enemy is prepared and protected by its air force. Losses in men and equipment are extraordinary." Von Kluge himself was not immune to personal danger. USAAF Group Commander Col. Howard F. Nichols and a squadron of his 370th Fighter Group's P-38 Lightnings blasted von Kluge's headquarters; the Colonel skipped a bomb right through the front door.[2] The blast killed several men, though von Kluge was not present at the time.
In August, after the failed coup attempt by Stauffenberg, von Kluge was recalled to Berlin and replaced by Model.
The head of the German military resistance, Henning von Tresckow, served as his Chief of Staff of Army Group Center. Von 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, von Kluge aborted Tresckow's plan. Boeselager later speculated that because Himmler had decided not to accompany Hitler, von Kluge feared that without eliminating Himmler too, it could lead to a civil war between the SS and the Wehrmacht. [3]
When Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler as part of the July 20 plot, von 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 colleague Oberst Cäsar von Hofacker — a cousin of Stauffenberg — came to visit von Kluge. Stülpnagel had just ordered the arrest of the SS units in Paris. Von 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. [4] 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 von Kluge committed suicide he would have been arrested anyway.”[5]
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.
Military offices | ||
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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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