Georg-Hans Reinhardt
Encyclopedia
Georg-Hans Reinhardt was a German
general of World War II
. He commanded Third Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre
in 1944 and 1945. His highest rank was Generaloberst (Colonel General). He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
. 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.
, Saxony
, and fought during World War I
in an infantry regiment.
In February 1934 Reinhardt was promoted to Colonel and soon after to Major General in the German army.
He commanded the 4th Panzer Division during the Polish campaign
of September 1939. 4th Panzer was initially repulsed in the two-day battle of Mokra and Ostrowy
on 1–2 September, but broke through Polish defenses near Częstochowa
. 4th Panzer then advanced to the outskirts of Warsaw
by September 8, the first German force to reach the city. 4th Panzer's initial unsupported attack on the city failed, and the division was redeployed to assist in the Battle of the Bzura
to the west.
After the Polish campaign, Reinhardt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
and promoted to Lieutenant General.
In the 1940 Battle of France
, Reinhardt commanded the XLI Panzer Corps, which was one of the three Panzerkorps that broke through the Ardennes
and drove west to the sea in May. For this success, he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe
on 1 June 1940.
In late 1940, Reinhardt and XLI Panzer Corps were designated to participate in Operation Sea Lion, the proposed invasion of Great Britain
. Reinhardt's force was to be in the first landing wave. However, the operation never occurred.
In 1941, Reinhardt and XLI Panzer Corps were deployed on the Eastern Front
for Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
in June. His force led the advance of Army Group North
to the outskirts of Leningrad
in October.
On October 5 he was given command of Third Panzer Army in Army Group Centre. Third Panzer Army then joined in the German attack on Moscow
. After great initial success, the attack bogged down in mud, and was halted in December by severe cold and Soviet reserves just outside the city. Third Panzer Army was driven back by Soviet counter-attacks during the winter of 1941/42, but Reinhardt was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross for his expert defensive operations.
From early 1942 until June 1944, Third Panzer Army held its ground around Vitebsk
and Smolensk
, defeating most Soviet attacks and withdrawing only a short distance in 1943. On 26 May 1944, Reinhardt was awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross for this relative success.
But in June 1944, Third Panzer and the rest of Army Group Centre were shattered by a huge Soviet attack and driven back into Poland and East Prussia
.
On 16 August 1944, Reinhardt was given command of Army Group Centre. In December, renewed Soviet attacks drove Army Group Centre out of Poland and back into northern Prussia. Reinhardt's shattered forces could not stem these overwhelming attacks, and this caused disputes with Hitler
. Reinhardt retired from active duty in January 1945.
as a war criminal. In 1947, he and thirteen other top German commanders were tried before a U.S. military court
in Nuremberg
. Reinhardt was found guilty of murder and ill-treatment of prisoners of war
, and of murder, deportation, and hostage-taking of civilians in occupied countries. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but was released in 1952.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
general of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He commanded Third Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
in 1944 and 1945. His highest rank was Generaloberst (Colonel General). He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. 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.
Biography
Reinhardt was born in BautzenBautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, and fought during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in an infantry regiment.
In February 1934 Reinhardt was promoted to Colonel and soon after to Major General in the German army.
He commanded the 4th Panzer Division during the Polish campaign
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of September 1939. 4th Panzer was initially repulsed in the two-day battle of Mokra and Ostrowy
Battle of Mokra
The Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...
on 1–2 September, but broke through Polish defenses near Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
. 4th Panzer then advanced to the outskirts of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
by September 8, the first German force to reach the city. 4th Panzer's initial unsupported attack on the city failed, and the division was redeployed to assist in the Battle of the Bzura
Battle of the Bzura
The Battle of the Bzura was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 German invasion of Poland, fought between 9 and 19 September, 1939, between Polish and German forces...
to the west.
After the Polish campaign, Reinhardt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
and promoted to Lieutenant General.
In the 1940 Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Reinhardt commanded the XLI Panzer Corps, which was one of the three Panzerkorps that broke through the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
and drove west to the sea in May. For this success, he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe was a rank of German Army General introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1935. As the commander of a Panzer Corp this rank corresponds to a US Army Lieutenant-General...
on 1 June 1940.
In late 1940, Reinhardt and XLI Panzer Corps were designated to participate in Operation Sea Lion, the proposed invasion of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Reinhardt's force was to be in the first landing wave. However, the operation never occurred.
In 1941, Reinhardt and XLI Panzer Corps were deployed on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
for Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in June. His force led the advance of Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
to the outskirts of Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in October.
On October 5 he was given command of Third Panzer Army in Army Group Centre. Third Panzer Army then joined in the German attack on Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
. After great initial success, the attack bogged down in mud, and was halted in December by severe cold and Soviet reserves just outside the city. Third Panzer Army was driven back by Soviet counter-attacks during the winter of 1941/42, but Reinhardt was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross for his expert defensive operations.
From early 1942 until June 1944, Third Panzer Army held its ground around Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
and Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, defeating most Soviet attacks and withdrawing only a short distance in 1943. On 26 May 1944, Reinhardt was awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross for this relative success.
But in June 1944, Third Panzer and the rest of Army Group Centre were shattered by a huge Soviet attack and driven back into Poland and East Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
On 16 August 1944, Reinhardt was given command of Army Group Centre. In December, renewed Soviet attacks drove Army Group Centre out of Poland and back into northern Prussia. Reinhardt's shattered forces could not stem these overwhelming attacks, and this caused disputes with Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Reinhardt retired from active duty in January 1945.
War crimes
In June 1945, Reinhardt was arrested by the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a war criminal. In 1947, he and thirteen other top German commanders were tried before a U.S. military court
High Command Trial
The High Command Trial was the last of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S...
in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. Reinhardt was found guilty of murder and ill-treatment of prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, and of murder, deportation, and hostage-taking of civilians in occupied countries. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but was released in 1952.
Awards
- Eisernes KreuzIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1914)- 2nd Class (14 September 1914)
- 1st Class (8 August 1915)
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with SwordsHouse Order of HohenzollernThe House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...
- Ritterkreuz der Königlich Sächsischer Militär-St. Heinrichs-OrdenMilitary Order of St. HenryThe Military Order of St. Henry was a military order of the Kingdom of Saxony, a member state of the German Empire. The order was the oldest military order of the states of the German Empire. It was founded on October 7, 1736 by Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony...
- Cross of HonorCross of HonorThe Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
- Sudetenland MedalSudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
with Prague Castle Bar - Eisernes KreuzIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (21 September 1939)
- 1st Class (2 October 1939)
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(1939)- in Black
- Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
- Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 27 October 1939 as Generalleutnant and commander of 4. Panzer-Division
- 73rd Oak Leaves on 17 February 1942 as General der PanzertruppeGeneral der PanzertruppeGeneral der Panzertruppe was a rank of German Army General introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1935. As the commander of a Panzer Corp this rank corresponds to a US Army Lieutenant-General...
and commander of 3. Panzergruppe - 68th Swords on 26 May 1944 as Generaloberst and commander of 3. Panzer-Armee
- Mentioned three times in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
(18 October 1941, 19 October 1941 and 21 January 1944) - Great Cross of MeritBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
(24 November 1962)