Gotthard Heinrici

Gotthard Heinrici

Gotthard Heinrici
Nickname(s)

Unser Giftzwerg

(literally "our poison dwarf", meaning "our tough little bastard")

Born (1886-12-25)25 December 1886
Gumbinnen, Province of East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire now Gusev, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian Federation
Died 10 December 1971(1971-12-10) (aged 84)
Endersbach, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Buried at Freiburg im Breisgau
Allegiance  German Empire (to 1918)
 Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Years of service 1905–45
Rank Generaloberst
Unit 95th (6th Thuringian) Infantry Regiment
14th (3rd Pomeranian) Infantry Regiment
203rd Infantry Division
Commands held 16th Infantry Division
XII Corps
XXXXIII Corps
4th Army
1st Panzer Army
Army Group Vistula
Battles/wars
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations August Heinrici (grandfather)
Georg Heinrici (uncle)
Gerd von Rundstedt (cousin)
Signature

Gotthard Heinrici (25 December 1886 – 10 December 1971)[1] was a general in the German Army during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He was the commander-in-chief of the Army Group Vistula, remnants of Army Group Centre, in front of Berlin in April 1945.

Early life and career

Heinrici was born on 25 December 1886 in Gumbinnen, East Prussia, a province in the Kingdom of Prussia. Today it is Gusev, Russia. He was the son of Paul Heinrici, a local minister of the (Protestant) Evangelical Church in Germany and later superintendent and member of the consistory, and his wife Gisela, née von Rauchhaupt. As a child, Heinrici attended the Königlichen Friedrichs-Gymnasium (Royal Fredrick Gymnasium) in Gumbinnen, a secondary school, where he graduated with his Abitur (university-preparatory high school diploma) in 1905.[2]

Fredrick School (2008)

Following graduation, Heinrici joined the Imperial German Army (Deutsches Heer) on 8 March 1905 as a Fahnenjunker (Cadet) in 6. Thüringische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 95 (6th Thuringia Infantry Regiment Nr. 95), subordinated to the 38. Division (38th Division). From 1905 to 1906, Heinrici attended Kriegsschule (war school) in Hannover and was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 18 August 1906.[2] On 10 May 1910, he was appointed adjutant of II. Bataillon (2nd Battalion) of his regiment in Hildburghausen and was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 17 February 1914.[3]

Heinrici had two children, Hartmut and Gisela, with his wife Gertrude.[4] His religious faith and his refusal to join the Nazi Party made him unpopular among the Nazi hierarchy. Because Heinrici's wife Gertrude had a Jewish parent, their children were labelled Mischlinge (partly Jewish) under Nazi racial law. However, Heinrici received a "German Blood Certificate" from Hitler himself, which validated their supposed "Aryan" status and protected them from discrimination.

World War I

With the outbreak of World War I, 38. Division was initially deployed on the Western Front. With his regiment, Heinrici fought in the German invasion of Belgium at Namur and earned the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 27 September 1914. In September 1914, Heinrici's division was then transferred to the Eastern Front. There, he fought in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (7–14 September 1914) in the aftermaths of the Battle of Tannenberg and was appointed regimental adjutant in November. Heinrici then saw action in the Battle of Łódź (11 November – 5 December 1914) and at the Rawka-Bzura (18 December 1914 – 3 July 1915). During these battles, he was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 18 June 1915 and received the Iron Cross 1st Class on 24 July 1915.[3]

In September 1915, his unit was transferred to Northern France on the Western Front again. There he served as a company leader and occasionally as leader of the 3rd Battalion. In May 1916, Heinrici was appointed adjutant of the 83rd Infantry Brigade which was engaged in the heavy fighting in the Battle of Verdun, in particular at Côte 304. Beginning in September 1916, Heinrici received training, serving in various General Staff positions which included service with the XXIV Reserve Corps (24th Reserve Corps). On 7 December 1916, he was posted to the General Staff of the 115th Infantry Division (115th Infantry Division).[3]

On 13 March 1917, Heinrici was posted to the German General Staff where he was assigned to the Etappen-Inspektion 15 on 28 March 1917.[Note 1] In September, he attended an General Staffs officer training course held at Sedan. In October 1917, Heinrici held the position of 1. Adjutant IIa (Personalangelegenheiten der Offiziere)—1st Adjutant IIa (Officers' personnel matters)—with VII Corps and as of December 1917, the same position with the VIII Corps. Following another training course on 28 February 1918, Heinrici was posted to the 203rd Infantry Division, serving as Erster Generalstabsoffizier (Ia), First General Staff Officer (Ia), responsible for operations. In this position, he was awarded the Prussian Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords on 9 August 1918.[3]

World War II

Battle of France

During the Blitzkrieg into France, Heinrici's command was part of Colonel General (Generaloberst) Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb's Army Group C. He commanded the XII Army Corps which was part of the First Army. Heinrici succeeded in breaking through the Maginot Line on 14 June 1940.

Barbarossa

In 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, Heinrici served in the 4th Army under Günther von Kluge as the commanding general of the XXXXIII Army Corps. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in 1941.

Late in January 1942, Heinrici was given command of the 4th Army. This unit was crucial to the rapidly crumbling German line directly facing Moscow. The Fourth Army under Heinrici held out against the Soviet offensive for ten weeks. During this time, Heinrici developed one of his most famous tactics: when he judged a Soviet attack was imminent, Heinrici would pull his troops back from the line prior to the preliminary artillery barrage. Then, immediately afterwards, he would return them back to their lines to face the attacking Soviet troops.

Between 21 October 1943 and 9 March 1944 Heinrici was the mastermind in holding the front opposite Moscow. During the Orsha offensives the Red Army lost 530,000 dead and wounded while Heinricis 4th Army lost about 35,500 men.[5] Heinrici was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 24 November 1943.

Smolensk

Generalfeldmarschall Günther von Kluge (left) and Gotthard Heinrici, mid 1943

In late 1943, Göring had Heinrici placed in a convalescent home in Karlsbad on the pretext of "ill health", allegedly for refusing to set fire to Smolensk in accordance with the Wehrmacht's scorched earth policy. Heinrici reportedly claimed that had Smolensk been burned to the ground he would not have been able to withdraw his troops through it.[6]

In the summer of 1944, after eight months of enforced retirement, Heinrici was sent to Hungary and placed in command of the 1st Panzer Army; as well as the Hungarian First Army which was attached to it. He was able to keep the First Panzer Army relatively intact as it retreated into Slovakia. Heinrici was awarded the Swords to the Oak Leaves of his Knight's Cross on 3 March 1945.

Retreat from the Oder

On 20 March 1945, Adolf Hitler replaced Heinrich Himmler with Heinrici as Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Vistula on the Eastern Front. Indicating that he was ill, Himmler had abandoned his post on March 13 and retired to a sanatorium at Hohenlychen.[7] At this time, Army Group Vistula's front was less than 50 miles from Berlin.

Army Group Vistula consisted of two armies: the 3rd Panzer Army led by General Hasso von Manteuffel and the 9th Army led by General Theodor Busse. Heinrici was tasked with preventing a Soviet attack across the Oder River amid shortages of manpower and materiel. Only the terrain itself favoured Heinrici; he dug the 9th Army into three defensive lines atop Seelow Heights, overlooking the sandy, swampy banks of the Oder. Manteuffel's 3rd Panzer Army, which had fewer panzers than the 9th, was similarly positioned in the north to delay a possible flanking strike by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky's 2nd Byelorussian Front.

On 16 April the Battle of the Oder-Neisse began. The Soviets attacked with about 1,500,000 men for what they called the "Berlin Offensive Operation".[8] In the early morning of 18 April, Zhukov's front crossed the Oder and assaulted Heinrici's positions on the western bank. Simultaneously, Konev's front attacked Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner's Army Group Centre further south. By 19 April, the Soviets had broken through the last German defensive line.

Now began the second stage of the Battle of Berlin. Bypassing Berlin, Heinrici withdrew his troops westward and made no attempt to defend the city. By late April, Heinrici ordered the retreat of his army group across the Oder River. Hitler only became aware of the retreat of Army Group Vistula around 21 April, after a puzzling request by Heinrici, who sought permission to move his headquarters to a new site, which was further west than Berlin.

Dismissal

On 28 April Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, was riding along the roads north of Berlin when he noticed that troops of the 7th Panzer Division and of the 25th Panzergrenadier Division were marching north, away from Berlin. These troops were part of General Hasso von Manteuffel's 3rd Panzer Army. As one of the two armies which made up Heinrici's Army Group Vistula, it was supposed to be on its way to Berlin. Instead, Heinrici was moving it northward in an attempt to halt the Soviet break-through at Neubrandenburg, contrary to orders of Keitel and his deputy, General Alfred Jodl. Keitel located Heinrici on a road near Neubrandenburg, accompanied by Manteuffel. The encounter resulted in a heated confrontation that lead to Heinrici's dismissal by 29 April for disobeying orders.[9]

Heinrici was replaced by General Kurt Student.[10] General Kurt von Tippelskirch was named as Heinrici's interim replacement until Student could arrive and assume control of Army Group Vistula. Student was captured by the British before he could take command.[11] The rapidly deteriorating situation that the Germans faced meant that Army Group Vistula coordination of the armies under its nominal command during the last few days of the war was of little significance.[12]

After his dismissal, Heinrici retired to Plön, where he gave himself up to British forces on 28 May.

Post-war

After his capture, Heinrici was held at Island Farm, a British prisoner of war camp at Bridgend, South Wales, where he remained, except for a three-week transfer to a camp in the United States in October 1947, until his release on 19 May 1948.[13] Thereafter he resided in the village of Endersbach bei Waiblingen, a district of Weinstadt in Baden-Württemberg, and lived to the age of 84.

After the war, Heinrici's diary entries and letters were collected into a book entitled Morals and behaviour here are like those in the Thirty Years’ War. The First Year of the German-Soviet War as Shown in the Papers of Gen. Gotthard Heinrici. He was also featured prominently in Cornelius Ryan's 1966 book, "The Last Battle."

Heinrici died on 10 December 1971 in Endersbach and was buried with full military honours at the Bergäcker cemetery in Freiburg im Breisgau, in southwestern Germany near the French border.

Summary of career

Awards

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
23 November 1943 Westlich Smolensk haben die unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Heinrici und unter Führung des General der Infanterie Voelckers stehende schlesische 18. Panzergrenadierdivision, die württembergisch-badische 25. Panzergrenadierdivision, die württembergisch-badische 78. Sturmdivision, die 1. SS-Infanteriebrigade (mot.) und die im Erdkampf eingesetzten Teile der 18. Flakdivision in der siebentägigen 3. Schlacht an der Smolensker Rollbahn einen hervorragenden Abwehrerfolg errungen. 34 Schützendivisionen und 6 Panzerbrigaden der Sowjets rannten hier vergeblich gegen die deutschen Abwehrstellungen an und erlitten dabei beispiellose Verluste an Mensch und Material.[22] West of Smolensk, under the command of Colonel General Heinrici and under the leadership of General of Infantry Voelckers, the Silesian 18th Panzer Grenadier Division, the Württemberg-Baden 25th Panzer Grenadier Division, the Württemberg-Baden 78th Panzer Assault Division, the 1st SS-Infantry-Brigade (motorized) and those elements of the 18th Flak Division used in ground combat, have achieved an outstanding defensive success in the seven-day 3rd Battle of the Smolensk runway road. 34 rifle divisions and 6 armored brigades of the Soviets ran in vain against the German defenses and thereby suffered unprecedented losses in men and material.
8 October 1944 In der Schlacht um die Pässe der Ostbeskiden haben die unter dem Oberbefehl von Generaloberst Heinrici tapfer kämpfenden Truppen, von unserer Luftwaffe wirksam unterstützt, alle Durchbruchsversuche der Bolschewisten in den slowakischen Raum vereitelt. In harten Kämpfen wurden dort seit dem 8. September 442 Panzer und Sturmgeschütze vernichtet oder erbeutet, außerdem 3200 Gefangene eingebracht.[23] During the battle for the East-Beskids passes, the bravely fighting troops of Colonel General Heinrici, being effectively supported by our air force, prevented all break-through attempts of the Bolsheviks into Slovakian territory. In the course of fierce fighting, 442 tanks and assault guns were destroyed or captured since 8 September and 3200 prisoners were also taken.

Promotions

Deutsches Heer
19 July 1905: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Cadet)
19 December 1905: Fähnrich (Officer Canidate)
18 August 1906: Leutnant (Second Lieutenant)[2]
17 February 1914: Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)[3]
18 June 1915: Hauptmann (Captain)[3]
Reichswehr
1 February 1926: Major (Major)[3]
1 August 1930: Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)[3]
1 March 1933: Oberst (Colonel)[3]
Wehrmacht
1 January 1936: Generalmajor (US Equivalent - Brigadier General)[3]
1 March 1938: Generalleutnant (Major General)[3]
20 April 1940: General der Infanterie (Lieutenant General of Infantry Troops), effective as of 1 April 1940[3]
30 January 1943: Generaloberst (Colonel General) with a rank age date 1 January 1943[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Derived from the French word "étape", a stage or leg of some sort. The "Etappe" refers to the area behind the front where the hospitals, resupplies and military administration were located.

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Beevor, Antony (2002). Berlin – The Downfall 1945. Viking-Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-03041-5. 
  • Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6. 
  • Dollinger, Hans (1967) [1965]. The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. New York: Bonanza Books. ISBN 978-0-517-01313-7. 
  • Duffy, Christopher (1991). Red Storm on the Reich: The Soviet March On Germany, 1945. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80505-9. 
  • Evans, Richard J. (2008). The Third Reich at War. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-14-311671-4. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Frieser, Karl-Heinz; Schmider, Klaus; Schönherr, Klaus; Schreiber, Gerhard; Ungváry, Krisztián; Wegner, Bernd (2007). Die Ostfront 1943/44 — Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten [The Eastern Front 1943/44 — The war in the East and on its Secondary Fronts]. Das Deutsche Reich und der 2. Weltkrieg (in German) 8. Stuttgart, Germany: Military History Research Office. ISBN 978-3-421-06235-2. 
  • Hürter, Johannes (2014). A German General on the Eastern Front. The Letters and Diaries of Gotthard Heinrici 1941–1942. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-78159-396-7. 
  • Rigg, Bryan Mark (2002). Hitler's Jewish soldiers: the untold story of Nazi racial laws and men of Jewish descent in the German military. Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1178-9. 
  • Ryan, Cornelius (1995). Slutstriden. Slaget om Berlin 16 april - 2 maj 1945. Stockholm, Sweden: Albert Bonniers Förlag. ISBN 978-91-0-056032-4. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
  • Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4. 
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External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Gerhard Glokke		 Commander of 16. Infanterie-Division
12 October 1937 – 31 January 1940 		Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Heinrich Krampf
Preceded by
General der Gebirgstruppe Ludwig Kübler		 Commander of 4. Armee
20 January 1942 – 6 June 1942 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth
Preceded by
Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth		 Commander of 4. Armee
15 July 1942 – June 1943 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth
Preceded by
Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth		 Commander of 4. Armee
31 July 1943 – 4 June 1944 		Succeeded by
General der Infantrie Kurt von Tippelskirch
Preceded by
Generaloberst Erhard Raus		 Commander of 1. Panzerarmee
15 August 1944 – 19 March 1945 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Walther Nehring
Preceded by
Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler		 Commander of Army Group Vistula
20 March 1945 – 28 April 1945 		Succeeded by
General der Infantrie Kurt von Tippelskirch
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