World War II: Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt

Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for reminding us that on June 1, 1939, retired German Colonel-general Gerd von Rundstedt returned to military service.

WW2 - Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
The Summer of 1940 was to mark the summit of Gerd von Rundstedt ' s career.
One of the Wehrmacht's most respected and senior Generals, von Rundstedt had been called from retirement to command German Army Group A in Poland, and later in France.
Commanding the principal Army group, comprising the bulk of the German armies, and including the elite Panzer and SS units, Rundstedt had been responsible for the principal operations that had secured stunning victories in these early campaigns.
Though benefitting from exceptional subordinates,such as Manstein and Guderian, Rundstedt's flawless execution of the offensives established him as a commander of the first rank, and assured him of his Field Marshal's baton.
Following his victorious entry to Paris in June 1940, Rundstedt was to remain in France for most of the remaining years of war, preparing, with Rommel, the Atlantic defences, and directing the German Armies in the West, during the battle of France in 1944.
Rundstedt was dismissed from his command by Hitler not once but twice, firstly for a tactical retreat while serving briefly on the Eastern Front, and again in 1944, for expressing his belief that Germany could no longer win the war.
Reinstated on both occasions Rundstedt's last command was the ambitious, but ill-fated, second Ardennes offensive, better known as the Battle of the Bulge.
He retired in March 1945, and was one of the very few German Field Marshals not charged with war crimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBwu8CwguM

Images:
1. Portrait of Gerd von Rundstedt, circa 1940
2. German Army officers Rundstedt, Fritsch, and Blomberg at the Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany, circa 1934
3. Field Marshal Rundstedt visiting troops of the German 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, Northern France, Jan 1944; note SdKfz. 251 halftrack vehicle
4. German Army Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt speaking at the funeral of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Württemberg, Germany, 18 Oct 1944

Biographies
1. ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=A29
2. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/gerd-von-rundstedt]

1 Background from{[https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=A29]}
Gerd von Rundstedt
Surname Rundstedt
Given Name Gerd
Born 12 Dec 1875
Died 24 Feb 1953
Country Germany
Category Military-Ground
Gender Male


Contributor: C. Peter Chen
Gerd von Rundstedt was born into a Prussian aristocratic family in Aschersleben, Germany. Following his father's footsteps as a career army officer, he joined Germany's elite military academy in 1902 and served in WW1. By 1918, he held the rank of major and was chief of staff for his division. After WW1 ended von Rundstedt remained with the small post-war German army. In 1932, he was appointed the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, and in 1934 he joined with General Wilhelm Leeb to politically oppose the pro-Nazi movements within the army. He eventually resigned from the army on 31 October 1938 from his growing discontent at the Nazi policies, at 62 years of age.
Two years later, however, Rundstedt was recalled into service. He supported Erich von Manstein's plan to invade France, and used his political ties to ensure that particular invasion plan was used as part of the westward offensive. He led seven panzer divisions, three motorized divisions, and 35 infantry divisions during the invasion of France. However, he himself did not fully understand the speed factors of the blitzkrieg warfare. While General Heinz Guderian's tanks drove far in advance of the slower German infantry to attack the British Expeditionary Forces at Dunkirk, Rundstedt advised Guderian to pause his advance so that the infantry could catch up for a well-formed conventional attack on the British troops. This decision might had avoided unnecessary losses conservatively, but it also allowed the British and French troops to relatively safely withdraw from Dunkirk.
On 19 Jul 1940, Rundstedt was promoted to Field Marshal, and was a part of the planning for Operation Sealion and later the planning for Holland, Belgium, and France's coast defenses.
In Jun 1941, Rundstedt led Army Group South into Russia as a part of Operation Barbarossa. He made slow progress compared to other German generals, however he was key in the fall of Kiev, where 665,000 Russian prisoners were taken. He later participated in the battles at Kharkov and Rostov. Despite his recommendations to Hitler warning the dangers of venturing deep into Russia, Adolf Hitler decided against Rundstedt's comments and pressed on with the advance. His forces suffered a defeat after a Russian army counter-attack near Rostov, and was blamed by Hitler for the defeat. After his request for German troops to withdraw from the region was rejected, Hitler replaced Rundstedt with General Walther von Reichenau. Rundstedt was sent to France in Mar 1942 to defend the Atlantic coast.
After the Normandy landings and the Germans' failed attempt to take Antwerp at the Ardennes offensive (Battle of the Bulge), in Mar 1944 Runstedt urged Hitler to negotiate a peace settlement with the Allies, which was prompted rejected. He again lost his post, this time to General Günther von Kluge. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel recalled Hitler commenting at this time that Rundstedt "is an old man, he has lost his nerve. He isn't master of the situation any longer, he'll have to go." He later joined the Army Court of Honor which expelled hundreds of officers suspected of treason against Hitler. Rundstedt was captured by the American 36th Infantry Division on 1 May 1945. He suffered a second heart attack during interrogations (the first occurred during the Russian campaign), and the interrogation was paused briefly. He was transferred to Britain, where he was interviewed by military historians including Basil Liddel Hart and Brian Horrocks for his personal accounts of the war. He was released by the British in Jul 1948, and he retired to Hanover where he would spend the rest of his life.
German commanders generally held high regards for Rundstedt, but understood that the general was more fitting for a WW1-style trench war than a modern mobile war. "Rundstedt always enjoyed complete authority and had an excellent head for operations", Alfred Jodl said, however "[o]n account of his age, he was not so well-fitted to spur men on to superhuman efforts in an adverse situation."
Sources: Battle of the Bulge/Dark December, In the Service of the Reich, Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: May 2006

Gerd von Rundstedt Timeline
12 Dec 1875 Gerd von Rundstedt was born.
30 Oct 1943 A report from German Commander-in-Chief, West Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt appeared on Adolf Hitler's desk. It described the shabby situation on the English Channel coast in France. Consequently, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel would be dispatched by the German High Command to inspect the Atlantic Wall defences and to submit a report.
3 Feb 1944 German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt issued additional orders that supported swift severe reprisals against any acts of resistance. The orders also explicitly attribute any potential innocent civilian casualties the fault of resistance group and not of the German occupation.
3 Sep 1944 Feldmarschal von Rundstedt took command of German forces in the West.
1 May 1945 Allied forces captured German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt.
24 Feb 1953 Gerd von Rundstedt passed away."


2. Background from {[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/gerd-von-rundstedt]}
Gerd von Rundstedt, the son of a military officer, was born in Aschersleben, Germany, on December 12, 1875. He joined the German Army and served throughout the First World War. By 1918 he had reached the rank of major and was chief of staff of his division.
After the war, 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 Social Democratic Party from state government offices. However, Rundstedt eventually agreed to carry out the task.
In February 1934, Rundstedt joined with General Wilhelm Leeb to block the pro-Nazi Walther von Reichenau who General Werner von Blomberg wanted to succeed Kurt Hammerstein-Equord as head of the German Army. He also tried to protect General Werner von Fitsch when he was ousted after false claims were made about his sexuality.
Rundstedt was unhappy with the growing power of Adolf Hitler over the army and resigned from office on October 31, 1938. Although 64 years old, Rundstedt was recalled to the army with the outbreak of the Second World War and, in September 1939, led Army Group South into Poland.
In 1940, Rundstedt was quick to see the merits of the plan devised by Erich von Manstein to invade France. With his support, the Manstein Plan was eventually used as part of the Western Offensive. Rundstedt led seven panzer divisions, three motorized divisions, and 35 infantry divisions during the invasion of France.
By May 14, 1940, the German tanks led by General Heinz Guderian had crossed the Meuse and had opened up a a fifty-mile gap in the Allied front. Rundstedt had doubts about the aggressive tactics of Guderian and argued that his tanks should halt and wait until infantry divisions could catch up. Rundsteadt did not fully understand Blitzkrieg tactics and wanted a conventional assault on the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Adolf Hitler agreed and this decision stopped Guderian cutting off the escape of the British and French troops from Dunkirk.
Rundstedt was promoted to field marshal on July 19, 1940 and took part in the planning of Operation Sealion. When the invasion of Britain was called off Rundstedt took control of occupation forces and was given responsibility to develop the coastal defences in Holland, Belgium and France.
In June 1941, Rundstedt took part in Operation Barbarossa when as commander of Army Group South he led 52 infantry divisions and five panzer divisions into the Soviet Union. Unlike those forces led by General Wilhelm Leeb and General Fedor von Bock, Rundstedt made slow progress during the first few weeks of the campaign.
In September 1941, Rundstedt took part in the capture of Kiev where 665,000 Russian prisoners were taken. After this he moved east to attack Kharkov and Rostov.
Rundstedt strongly opposed continuing the advance into the Soviet Union during the winter. He advised Adolf Hitler to call a halt but his views were rejected.
At the beginning of November 1941, Rundstedt had a heart-attack. However, he refused to be hospitalized and continued the advance and reached Rostov on 21st November, but a Red Army counter-attack forced the Germans back. Hitler was furious and blamed Rundstedt for the defeat. When Rundstedt demanded he should be allowed to withdraw, he was sacked and replaced by General Walther von Reichenau.
Adolf Hitler recalled Rundstedt to duty in March 1942 and was sent to France where he was given responsibility of defending the Atlantic coast. Known as the Atlantic Wall, Rundstedt organized the building of permanent fortifications with huge naval guns along 1,700 miles of coastline.
After the Normandy landings, Rundstedt urged Hitler to negotiate a peace settlement with the Allies. Hitler responded by replacing Rundstedt with General Gunther von Kluge.
As a result of the July Plot, Rundstedt agreed to join Heinz Guderian and Wilhelm Keitel on the Army Court of Honour that expelled hundreds of officers suspected of being opposed to the policies of Adolf Hitler. This removed them from court martial jurisdiction and turned them over to Roland Freisler and his People's Court.
Rundstedt was captured by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division on May 1, 1945. While being interrogated, he suffered another heart-attack. He was taken to Britain where he was held in captivity. During this period, he was interviewed by several military historians including Basil Liddell Hart and Brian Horrocks
Gerd von Rundstedt was released in July 1948, and lived in Hanover until his death on February 24, 1953."

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Very interesting!

Great history share