| Günther "Hans" von Kluge | |
|---|---|
Generalfeldmarshall Günther von Kluge |
|
| Nickname | der kluge Hans |
| Born | 30 October 1882 Posen, Province of Posen, German Empire |
| Died | 17 August 1944 (aged 61) Metz, France |
| Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1901–1944 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Unit | Reichswehr 1916–1930 Wehrmacht 1930–1944 |
| Commands held | German Fourth Army Army Group Centre |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | House Order of Hohenzollern Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
| Relations | Wolfgang von Kluge (brother) Karl Ernst Rahtgens (nephew) |
Günther Adolf Ferdinand “Hans” von Kluge (30 October 1882 – 17 August 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. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
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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, 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. Kluge was promoted to field marshal in July 1940.
On June 29, 1941, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge ordered, ‘Women in uniform are to be shot.’ [1]
In July 1941, 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 his 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[2]—a decidedly non-traditional method. On October 30, 1942, Kluge was the beneficiary of an enormous bribe from Hitler who mailed a letter of good wishes together with a huge cheque made out to him from the German treasury and a promise that whatever improving his estate might cost could be billed out to the German treasury.[3] Kluge took the money, but after received severe criticism from his Chief of Staff, Henning von Tresckow who upbraided him for his corruption, agreed to meet Carl Friedrich Goerdeler in November 1942.[4] Kluge promised Goerdeler that he would arrest Hitler the next time he came to the Eastern Front, but then receiving another "gift" from Hitler, changed his mind and decided to stay loyal.[5] Hitler, who seems to have heard that Kluge was dissatisfied with his leadership regarded his "gifts" as entitling him to Kluge's total loyalty.[5] 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.
Between 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, Kluge replaced Rundstedt, because Rundstedt was advocating negotiation with the Allies. Two weeks later, Rommel was wounded and 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 the encirclement of Von Kluge's forces around the town of Falaise by combined U.S., Canadian, British and Polish armies. "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." 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 Kluge's headquarters; the Colonel skipped a bomb right through the front door of his headquarters.[6] The blast killed several men, though Kluge was not present at the time.
In August, after the failed coup attempt by Stauffenberg, Kluge was recalled to Berlin and replaced by Model.
A leading figure of the German military resistance, Henning von Tresckow, served as his Chief of Staff of Army Group Centre. Kluge was somewhat involved in the military resistance. He knew about Tresckow’s plan to shoot Hitler during a visit to Army Group Centre, 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.[7]
When Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler on July 20, Kluge was Oberbefehlshaber West ("Supreme Field Commander West") with his headquarters in La Roche-Guyon. The commander of the occupation troops of France, General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, and his colleague Colonel 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.[8] On August 17, he was replaced by Walter Model and recalled to Berlin for a meeting with Hitler after the coup failed; thinking that Hitler would punish him as a conspirator, he committed suicide by taking cyanide near Metz that same day. 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.”[9]
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"). It is a reference to "Clever Hans", a horse which became famous for its apparent ability to do arithmetic.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Commander of 4. Armee 1 December 1938 – 19 December 1941 |
Succeeded by General der Gebirgstruppe 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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