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    Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II
    Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II
    Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II
    Ebook163 pages1 hour

    Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II

    By Major French L. MacLean

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    About this ebook

    This study is an historical analysis of the background and demonstrated leadership attributes of 332 World War II German corps commanders on the Eastern, Italian, and Western Fronts. Overall characteristics are determined based on each officer’s experience and performance based on available historical records. These records focus on age, nobility, background, education, branch, previous command and staff positions, membership in the General Staff, demonstrated military achievement, promotion, and subsequent higher command.
    Among the many conclusions which could be drawn from this investigation are: most successful corps commanders possessed an excellent educational background, performed well in previous significant command and staff positions, and demonstrated the capability for independent action; and, political factors played a minor role in the selection of officers for corps command.
    The study concludes that the Eastern, Western, and Italian Fronts all had competent German corps commanders conducting operations; no Front had a preponderance of successful commander’s to the detriment of the other two.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLucknow Books
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782895220
    Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II

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      Book preview

      Unknown Generals - German Corps Commanders In World War II - Major French L. MacLean

       This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 2001 under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      THE UNKNOWN GENERALS GERMAN CORPS COMMANDERS IN WORLD WAR II

      by

      FRENCH L. MACLEAN, MAJ, USA

      B.S., United States Military Academy, 1974

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      ABSTRACT 5

      LIST OF TABLES 6

      CHAPTER 1 — DEFINING THE PROBLEM 8

      INTRODUCTION 8

      HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 8

      RESEARCH QUESTIONS 10

      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 10

      METHODOLOGY 10

      CHAPTER 2 — REVIEW OF LITERATURE 12

      PART I 12

      BOOKS 12

      GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS 15

      BUNDESARCHIV-MILITÄRARCHIV DOCUMENTS 15

      PART II 16

      BOOKS 16

      GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS 17

      CHAPTER SUMMARY 18

      CHAPTER 3 — THE GERMAN CORPS SYSTEM 19

      CHAPTER 4 — BACKGROUND, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE 26

      INTRODUCTION 26

      BACKGROUND 26

      AGE 26

      OFFICER SELECTION 27

      NOBILITY 28

      EXPANSION OF THE REICHSWEHR 30

      BRANCH AFFILIATION 36

      GENERAL STAFF SERVICE 38

      PREVIOUS COMMAND AND STAFF EXPERIENCE 40

      INFLUENCE OF THE NAZI PARTY 42

      CHAPTER SUMMARY 44

      CHAPTER 5 — PERFORMANCE, PROMOTION, AND POTENTIAL 45

      INTRODUCTION 45

      PERFORMANCE 45

      PROMOTIONS 50

      HIGHER COMMAND 54

      CHAPTER SUMMARY 60

      CHAPTER 6 — OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS 61

      APPENDIX A-ABBREVIATIONS 68

      APPENDIX B-COMMANDERS 71

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 96

      BIBLIOGRAPHY 97

      BOOKS 97

      GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS 99

      BUNDESARCHIV-MILITÄRARCHIV DOCUMENTS 100

      THESES AND MANUSCRIPTS 101

      UNPUBLISHED SOURCES 101

      ABSTRACT

      THE UNKNOWN GENERALS-GERMAN CORPS COMMANDERS IN WORLD WAR II: A Leadership Analysis of German Army Corps Commanders by Major French L. MacLean, USA.

      This study is an historical analysis of the background and demonstrated leadership attributes of 332 World War II German corps commanders on the Eastern, Italian, and Western Fronts. Overall characteristics are determined based on each officer’s experience and performance based on available historical records. These records focus on age, nobility, background, education, branch, previous command and staff positions, membership in the General Staff, demonstrated military achievement, promotion, and subsequent higher command.

      Among the many conclusions which could be drawn from this investigation are: most successful corps commanders possessed an excellent educational background, performed well in previous significant command and staff positions, and demonstrated the capability for independent action; and, political factors played a minor role in the selection of officers for corps command.

      The study concludes that the Eastern, Western, and Italian Fronts all had competent German corps commanders conducting operations; no Front had a preponderence of successful commander’s to the detriment of the other two.

      LIST OF TABLES

      Table 1 Army Strength

      Table 2 Corps Headquarters Strength

      Table 3 Parent Army Headquarters

      Table 4 Corps Assigned to Army Headquarters

      Table 5 Divisions Assigned to Corps

      Table 6 General Officer Grades

      Table 7 Age of commanders

      Table 8 Newly Promoted Majors

      Table 9 Newly Promoted Lieutenant-Colonels

      Table 10 Newly Promoted Colonels

      Table 11 Commanders of Noble Descent

      Table 12 Commander’s Background

      Table 13 Corps Commanders with Police Backgrounds

      Table 14 Panzer Corps Commanders with Police Backgrounds

      Table 15 Austrian Army and Army Group Commanders

      Table 16 Newly Promoted Generalmajor

      Table 17 Newly Promoted Generalleutnant

      Table 18 Newly Promoted General der Infanterie, etc.

      Table 19 Branch Affiliation

      Table 20 Commanders from the General Staff

      Table 21 Prior Division Command Experience

      Table 22 Corps commanders Coming Out of Retirement

      Table 23 Corps Commanders from the Police

      Table 24 Panzer Corps Commanders from Panzer Divisions

      Table 25 Army Recipients of the Knight’s Cross

      Table 26 Highest Decorations Received by the Corps Commanders

      Table 27 Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves and Swords for Corps Command

      Table 28 General Officers in Service

      Table 29 Corps commanders Promoted to Generalfeldmarschall

      Table 30 German Dead 1939-1944

      Table 31 General Officer Fatalities by Grade

      Table 32 General Officer Fatalities by Cause

      Table 33 Corps Commander Fatalities

      Table 34 National Committee for a Free Germany

      Table 35 Generaloberst

      Table 36 Generalleutnant

      Table 37 Army Group Commanders

      Table 38 Corps Commander Baseline Characteristics

      Table 39 Corps commanders by Front Comparison

      CHAPTER 1 — DEFINING THE PROBLEM

      INTRODUCTION

      The purpose of this study is to examine the background and proficiency of German corps commanders in World War II. It is evident that these men, the links between operational and tactical levels, were key components in the resulting successes and failures of the Wehrmacht. Present United States AirLand Battle doctrine draws extensively on the German experience in this conflict.

      Current examination of German generalship in World War II suffers from two deficiencies: identification and generalization. Although most high level commanders (army and above) have been identified and their proficiency analyzed, such is not the case with the Commanders of the ninety-three German corps.

      Research at both the German Army Military Archives at Freiburg, West Germany, and at Fort Leavenworth, reveals that no single complete listing of corps commanders exists. However, by combining sources found at both places, a comprehensive list can be documented identifying these corps commanders.

      The second major deficiency concerns generalization of leaders. Current literature too often categorizes German general officers as stiff Prussian aristocrats with almost superhuman military expertise. Naturally, they varied in background, proficiency, and potential. With the identification of the commanders completed, one can conduct an examination of individual careers. This is especially critical for further investigation of the German military tenets on which so much of U.S. doctrine is based.

      This study will focus on the background, previous command and staff experience, demonstrated military achievement, and subsequent promotion to higher command to identify prominent characteristics of these individuals. The analysis will conclude by comparing corps commanders on the Eastern Front with those on the Western Front.

      HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

      The German Army in World War II was an extremely large, multifaceted organization which conducted operations on two continents. Personnel strength numbered in the millions. The Army was divided into two major sub-organizations, the Field Army and the Replacement Army. Personnel

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