Leaders and Followers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (17 June, 1888 – 14 May, 1954) Nickname Schneller Heinz Place of birth Kulm, West Prussia Place of death Schwangau, Allgäu Allegiance German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany Years of service 1907 – 1945 Rank Generaloberst Commands held 2. Panzer Division , XVI. Army-Corps, XIX. Army-Corps, Panzergruppe Guderian and Panzergruppe 2 Awards Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub Relations Heinz Günther Guderian A military theorist and innovative General of the German Army during the Second World War. Germany's panzer forces were raised and fought according to his works, best-known among them Achtung— Panzer! He held posts as Panzer Corps commander, Panzer Army commander, Inspector - General of Armoured Troops, and Chief of Staff of the Army ( Chef des Generalstabs des Heeres). He rose to the rank of full general ( General der Panzertruppe ) in July 1940 and was later promoted to Generaloberst. He never became a field marshal , but he is recognized as one of the most prominent generals of the Second World War. Guderian, Heinz (1937). Achtung—Panzer! (reissue ed.). Sterling Press. ISBN 0-304-35285-3. Guderian describes what he would do if he was in charge of German tank forces. Guderian, Heinz (1942). Mit Den Panzern in Ost und West . Volk & Reich Verlag. Guderian, Heinz (1952). Panzer Leader. Da Capo Press Reissue edition, 2001. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81101-4. Guderian describes what he did when he was in charge of German tank forces. It was originally published with the German title Erinnerungen eines Soldaten (Memories of a Soldier). Achtung - Panzer! was written in 1936-37 as an explanation of Guderian's theories on the role of tanks and aircraft in modern warfare. It was actually a compilation of not only of Guderia n's own theories but also the ideas of other proponents of armored and combined -arms warfare within the general staff, though the bulk of the credit rightly is Guderian's. The panzer force he created would become the core of the German Army's power during the Second World War and would deliver the core of the fighting style known as blitzkrieg . To this day, his contributions to combined arms tactics are studied throughout military schools. The concepts of blitzkrieg were not fully developed in other countries, although initially promoted and partially implemented by the British Army, but the German army of the First World War had worked out the complexities of breaking through a front with highly concentrated resources. This technique failed the Germans in their Michael offensives of March 1918, largely because the breakthrough elements were on foot and could not sustain the impetus of the initial attack. Motorized infantry was the key to sustaining a breakthrough, and this would have to wait until the 1930s to have a chance at being realized. Tukhachevsky, in Russia, can be said to have already grasped this pote ntial, but the influence of his military philosophy in the ongoing development of the Red Army diminished after he was no longer able to personally advocate for it (he was executed by Stalin in 1937). Guderian probably was the first who fully developed and advocated the principle of Blitzkrieg and put into the final shape. He summarized the tactics of blitzkrieg as the way to get the mobile and motorized armored divisions to work together and support each other in order to achieve decisive success. In his book Panzer Leader he wrote: In this year (1929) I became convinced that tanks working on their own or in conjunction with infantry could never achieve decisive importance. My historical studies; the exercises carried out in England and our own experience with mock-ups had persuaded me that the tanks would never be able to produce their full effect until weapons on whose support they must inevitably rely were brought up to their standard of speed and of cross-country performance. In such formation of all arms, the tanks must play primary role, the other weapons being subordinated to the requirements of the armor. It would be wrong to include tanks in infantry divisions: what was needed were armored divisions which would include all the supporting arms needed to fight with full effect. In the Invasion of France, he personally led the attack that traversed the Ardennes Fores t, crossed the Meuse River and broke through the French lines at Sedan. During the French campaign, he led his panzer forces in rapid blitzkrieg -style advances and earned the nic kname "Schneller Heinz" (Hurry -Up Heinz) among his troops.[5] Guderian's panzer group led the "race to the sea" that split the Allied armies in two, depriving the French arm ies and the BEF in Northern France and Belgium of their fuel, food, spare parts and ammunition. Faced with orders fr om nervous superiors to halt on one occasion, he managed to continue his advance by stating he was performing a 'reconnaissance in force'. Guderian's column was famously denied the chance to destroy the Allied beachhead at Dunkirk by Hitler's personal orde r. In 1941 he commanded Panzergruppe 2, better known as Panzergruppe Guderian , in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, receiving the 24th award of the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on July 17 of that year. From October 5, 1941 he led the redesignated Second Panzer Army. His armored spearhead captur ed Smolensk in a remarkably short time and was poised to launch the final assault on Moscow when he was ordered to turn south towards Kiev (see Lötzen decision). German tanks lacked antifreeze or enough fuel to run all night. Russian tanks emerged from Moscow with air-cooled diesel engines, and the Germans quickly began desig n work on an air-cooled diesel engine of their own. He protested against Hitler's decision and as a result lost the Führer's confidence. He was relieved of his command on 25 December 1941 after Fieldmarshal Günther von Kluge , not noted for his ability to face up to Hitler, claimed that Guderian had ordered a withdrawal in contradiction of Hitler's "stand fast" order. In Panzer Leader (da Capo Press), Guderian claims he told Hitler to his face that because Moscow had not been taken by Christmas 1941, the war would be lost. Guderian was transferred to the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) reserve pool, his chances of being promoted to fieldmarshal, which depended on Hitler's personal decision, possibly ruined forever. Guderian would deny that he ordered any kind of withdrawal. Ironically this act of apparent insubordination is cited by his admirers as further proof of his independence of spirit when dealing with Hitler. Guderian's own view on the matter was that he had been victimised by von Kluge who was the commanding officer when German troops came to a standstill at the Moscow front in late autumn/winter 1941. At some point he so provoked von Kluge with accusations related to his dismissal that the fieldmarshal challenged him to a duel, which Hitler forbade. Only after the German defeat at Stalingrad was Guderian given a new position. On 1 March 1943 he was appointed Inspector-General of the Armoured Troops. Here his responsibilities were to determin e armoured strategy and to oversee tank design and production and the training of Germany's panzer forces. According to Guderian, Hitler was easily persuaded to field too many new tank designs, and this resulted in supply and logistical problems for German forces in Russia. Guderian preferred large numbers of Panzer IIIs and IVs over smaller numbers of heavier tanks like the Tiger, which had limited range and could rarely go off-road without getting stuck in the Russian mud. George Smith Patton, Jr. (also George Smith Patton III) (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) Nickname Old Blood and Guts Place of birth San Gabriel, California Place of death Heidelberg, Germany Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Army Years of service 1909–1945 Rank General Commands held Machinegun Platoon/3/15th Cavalry Regiment K/3/15th Cavalry Regiment A/1/7th Cavalry Regiment HQs Troop/American Expeditionary Force 302nd Tank Center 1st Light Tank Battalion 1st Light Tank Regiment 1st Tank Brigade 304th Tank Brigade 3/3rd Cavalry Regiment 5th Cavalry Regiment 3rd Cavalry Regiment 2/2nd Armored Division 2nd Armored Division US 1st Armored Corps Desert Training Ce nter US 1st Armored Corps U.S. II Corps US 1st Armored Corps U.S. Seventh Army U.S. Third Army U.S. Fifteenth Army Battles/wars Mexican Expedition World War I World War II Awards Distinguished Service Cross (2) Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Order of the Bath Order of the British Empire Relations Major General George Patton IV (son) A distinguished though controversial U.S. Army officer. Commissioned in the army in 1909, Patton participated in the unsuccessful attempt to capture Pancho Villa in 1916-17. In World War I, he was a senior commander of the new United States Tank Corps and saw action in France. After the war, he was a strong advocate of armored warfare. Patton often got into trouble with his outspokenness and strong opinions. In addition to the slapping incident, towards the end of the war, he voiced his detestation and mistrust of the Soviets and his desire to fight them. He has also been criticized for sending an ill -fated rescue mission for his son-in-law, held in a prison camp deep behind enemy lines. Patton participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm in the first -ever modern pentathlon.