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. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name Chełmno nad Nerem see Chełmno extermination camp. West Prussia ( Prusy Zachodnie was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773&ndash1824 and 1878&ndash1918 which was created out of the earlier Polish Schwangau is a municipality in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. Allgäu is a German region in the southwest of Bavaria also extending some kilometres into southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Colonel General is a senior Military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries The 2nd Panzer Division ( 2 Panzer-Division) was created in 1935 and stationed in Austria after the Anschluss. Army-Corps, XIX. Army-Corps, Panzergruppe Guderian and Panzergruppe 2
Awards	Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub

Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (17 June 1888–14 May 1954) was a military theorist and innovative General of the German Army during the Second World War. Panzergruppe Guderian ( Panzer Group Guderian) was a German armoured unit in World War II and named after its commander general Heinz Guderian Panzergruppe 2 ( 2nd Panzer Group) was formed in November 1940 from the Panzergruppe Guderian and it was called by its commander general Heinz Guderian until For other meanings please see Iron Cross (disambiguation The Iron Cross ( was a Military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including 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). A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. He rose to the rank of full general (General der Panzertruppe) in July 1940 and was later promoted to Generaloberst. Colonel General is a senior Military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries He never became a field marshal, but he is recognized as one of the most prominent generals of the Second World War. For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank

Early career

Guderian was born in Kulm (Chełmno-now Poland), West Prussia. For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name Chełmno nad Nerem see Chełmno extermination camp. West Prussia ( Prusy Zachodnie was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773&ndash1824 and 1878&ndash1918 which was created out of the earlier Polish From 1901 to 1907 Guderian attended various military schools. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He entered the Army in 1907 as an ensign-cadet in the (Hanoverian) Jäger Bataillon No. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year 10, commanded at that point by his father. After attending the war academy in Metz he was made a Leutnant (full lieutenant) in 1908. Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year In 1911 Guderian joined the 3rd Telegraphen-Battalion (Wireless-Battalion), Prussian Army Signal Corps. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In October of 1913 he married Margarete Goerne with whom he had two sons, Heinz Günter (born 1914) and Kurt (born 1918) who would both become highly decorated Wehrmacht officers during World War II (and in the case of his older son, a Panzer general in the German Bundeswehr after the war). Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Heinz Günther Guderian ( August 23 1914 &ndash September 25 2004) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht and later

During the First World War he served as a Signals and General Staff officer. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All This allowed him to get an overall view of battlefield conditions. He often disagreed with his superiors and ended up being transferred to the army intelligence department where he remained until the end of the war. This second assignment, while removed from the battlefield, sharpened his strategic skills.

After the war, Guderian stayed in the reduced 100,000-man German Army (Reichswehr), where he was made company commander of the 10th Jäger-Bataillon after which he joined the 'General Staff'-in-waiting, the Truppenamt (a German General Staff being explicitly forbidden by the Versailles Treaty). The Reichswehr ( German for "National Defence" formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935 when it was The Truppenamt or 'Troop Office' was the cover organisation for the German General Staff from 1919 through until 1933 when the General Staff was re-created In 1927 Guderian was promoted to major and transferred to the Truppenamt group for Army transport and Overseer of motorised tactics based in Berlin. This key role put him at the centre of the development of the resources that would later come to dominate what became known as blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Fluent in both English and French, he gathered ideas by the British maneuver warfare theorists J.F.C. Fuller and, debatably,^[1] B.H. Liddell Hart, as well as the writings, interestingly enough, of the then-unknown Charles de Gaulle. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Maneuver warfare, also spelled manoeuvre warfare, is the term used by military theorists for a concept of Warfare that advocates attempting to Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller, CB, CBE, DSO, commonly J Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart ( 31 October 1895 &ndash 29 January 1970) usually known before his knighthood as Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Their works were translated into German by Guderian. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. In 1931 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and became chief of staff to the Inspectorate of Motorised Troops and in 1933 to full colonel. In this time he had written many papers on motorised warfare which were seen as authoritative and moving the development of this area significantly. These papers were based on extensive wargaming without troops, with paper tanks and finally with armoured vehicles. A wargame is a Game that simulates or represents a Military operation. In October 1935 he was posted to the newly created 2nd Panzer Division (one of three) as commander. On 1 August 1936 he was promoted to major-general, and on 4 February 1938 he was promoted to lieutenant-general and given command of the XVI Army Corps. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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 Guderian'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. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial To this day, his contributions to combined arms tactics are studied throughout military schools.

In 2000, a documentary titled Guderian, directed by Anton Vassil, was aired on French television. Anton Vassil is a Screenwriter / Film director who worked on various Feature films, Music videos, Commercials and Documentaries It featured Heinz-Guenther Guderian (Guderian's surviving son, the other died in the Second World War) along with other notables such as Field Marshal Lord Carver (Last British Field Marshal), expert historians Kenneth Macksey and Heinz Wilhelm. Using rarely seen photographs from Guderian's private collection, the documentary provides an inside view into the life and career of Guderian and draws a profile of Guderian's character and the moral responsibility of the German general staff under Hitler.

Guderian's Blitzkrieg

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. Tukhachevskii, in Russia, can be said to have already grasped this potential, but his influence diminished after he was executed by Stalin. Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky (Михаи́л Никола́евич Тухаче́вский Michał Tuchaczewski ( &ndash June 12, 1937) was a 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^[2] 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. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical 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. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland 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.

Guderian believed that certain developments in technology needed to take place in conjunction with blitzkrieg in order to support the entire theory, especially in communication and special visual equipment with which the armored divisions in general, and tanks specifically, should be equipped. Guderian insisted in 1933, within the high command, that every tank in the German armored force must be equipped with radio and visual equipment in order to enable the tank commander to communicate and perform a decisive role in blitzkrieg. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. ^[3]

World War II

Guderian (center) and Semyon Krivoshein (right) at a Soviet-German victory parade in Brest on 1939 September 23. Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein ( November 28, 1899, Voronezh, Russian Empire - September 16, 1978, Moscow,

In the Second World War, Guderian first served as the commander of the XIX Army Corps in the invasion of Poland. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied After the invasion he took property in the Warthegau area of occupied Poland, evicting the Polish estate owners. ^[4] In the Invasion of France, he personally led the attack that traversed the Ardennes Forest, crossed the Meuse River and broke through the French lines at Sedan. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries During the French campaign, he led his panzer forces in rapid blitzkrieg-style advances and earned the nickname "Schneller Heinz" (Hurrying 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 armies and the BEF in Northern France and Belgium of their fuel, food, spare parts and ammunition. The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of Faced with orders from 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 order.

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 on July 17 of that year. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Panzergruppe 2 ( 2nd Panzer Group) was formed in November 1940 from the Panzergruppe Guderian and it was called by its commander general Heinz Guderian until Panzergruppe Guderian ( Panzer Group Guderian) was a German armoured unit in World War II and named after its commander general Heinz Guderian Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ( German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was a grade of the Iron Cross From October 5, 1941 he led the redesignated Second Panzer Army. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 2nd Panzer Army (2Panzerarmee was a German Tank army that was a large armoured formation within the Wehrmacht Heer field forces during World War II His armored spearhead captured 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). The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II At the end of August 1941 the Nazi German High Command OKH had the option of either continuing the advance on Moscow or destroying the Soviet forces in the south

He protested against Hitler's decision and as a result lost the Führer's confidence. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately 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 "standhaft" order. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Günther “Hans” von Kluge ( October 30, 1882 – August 19, 1944) was a German military leader 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. The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH was Germany 's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945 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 naturally forbade.

Only after the German defeat at Stalingrad was Guderian given a new position. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the On 1 March 1943 he was appointed Inspector-General of the Armoured Troops. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Here his responsibilities were to determine armoured strategy and to oversee tank design and production and the training of Germany's panzer forces.

On 21 July 1944, after the failure of the July 20 Plot in which Guderian had no involvement,^[6] Guderian was appointed chief of staff of the army (Chef des Generalstabs des Heeres) as a successor to Kurt Zeitzler, who had departed July 1st after a nervous breakdown. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kurt Zeitzler ( June 9, 1895 &ndash September 25, 1963) was an officer in the German Reichswehr During his tenure as chief of staff he had a long series of violent rows with Hitler over the way in which Germany should handle the war on both fronts. Hitler finally dismissed Guderian on 28 March 1945 after an argument over the failed counterattack of General Theodor Busse at Küstrin; he ordered Guderian to "take 6 weeks of convalescent leave because of his health problems. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Theodor Busse ( 15 December 1897 &ndash 21 October 1986) was a German officer during World War I and World War II. " ("Health problems" were commonly used as a facade in the Third Reich to remove executives who for some reason could not simply be sacked, but from episodes Guderian describes in his memoirs it is evident that he actually suffered from congestive heart failure. ) He was replaced by General Hans Krebs. Hans Krebs may refer to Hans Krebs (general (1898-1945 German general officer during World War II Hans Krebs (National Socialist

Life after the war

Together with his Panzer staff, Guderian surrendered to American troops on May 10, 1945 and remained in U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar S. custody as a prisoner of war until his release on June 17, 1948. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Despite Soviet and Polish government protests, he was not charged with any war crimes during the Nuremberg Trials, as his actions and behavior were ruled to be consistent with those of a professional soldier. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political military and economic leadership of Nazi Germany after

Heinz Guderian died on May 14, 1954 at the age of 65, in Schwangau near Füssen (Southern Bavaria) and is buried at the Friedhof Hildesheimer Strasse in Goslar. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Schwangau is a municipality in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. Allgäu is a German region in the southwest of Bavaria also extending some kilometres into southeastern Baden-Württemberg. Goslar is a historic Town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern

Guderian's son, Heinz Günther Guderian, became a prominent General in the post-war German Bundeswehr and NATO. Heinz Günther Guderian ( August 23 1914 &ndash September 25 2004) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht and later The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany The North Atlantic Treaty

Books by Heinz Guderian

• Guderian, Heinz (1937). Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Achtung—Panzer, reissue, Sterling Press. ISBN 0-304-35285-3.   Guderian describes what he would do if he was in charge of German tank forces.
• Guderian, Heinz (1952). Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Panzer Leader. Panzer Leader (Erinnerungen eines Soldaten literally "Memories of a Soldier" is an Autobiography by Heinz Guderian. Da Capo Press Reissue edition, 2001. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. New York: Da Capo Press. Da Capo Press, a Publishing company with offices in New York City, Cambridge Massachusetts, Philadelphia and Emeryville California 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).

References

Further reading

• Macksey, Kenneth, Guderian: Panzer General (1992, revision of Guderian, Creator of the Blitzkrieg, 1976)
• Walde, Karl J. Kenneth Macksey ( July 1, 1923 - November 30, 2005) was a British author and historian who specialized in Military history Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. , Guderian (1978)
• Kershaw, Ian, Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis (2001)

See Also

• Heinz Günther Guderian
• Tiger Tank
• Blitzkrieg

External links

• Personality Profile - General Heinz Guderian by the Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces
• Generaloberst Heinz Wilhelm Guderian at Achtung Panzer!