World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseGünther Hans von Kluge was born in Poznan, Germany. He was a veteran of WW1, participating in major battles such as the Battle of Verdun in 1918 as a field artillery specialist. He achieved the rank of major general in 1933, then lieutenant general in 1936. He strongly objected to Adolf Hitler's aggressive foreign policy and was appalled by the anti-Semitic shown by the Nazi party, and as a result he was dismissed from the army in 1938. However, his enthusiasm in mobile warfare had always held a high place with Hitler, and was soon recalled back to the Sixth Army Group (later renamed Fourth Army) as its commander. He led this army in the invasion of Poland, Belgium, and France, personally motivated by his belief that the Treaty of Versailles was unjust, and Germany should be compensated for such injustice. His contributions in the fall of France earned him the rank of field marshal on 19 Jul 1940. In the westward campaign, Kluge developed innovative tactics involving the use of armor.

ww2dbaseThe Fourth Army was then sent to the Eastern Front as a part of Army Group Center. His troops took Smolensk in Jul 1941, then marched on toward Moscow as he repeatedly bested the defenders in Ukraine and Russia. In Jun 1942, Kluge replaced the ill Fedor von Bock as the commander of Army Group Center early 1942, inheriting an army that had already lost its forward momentum, stopping miles short of Moscow itself. The halt at Moscow demoralized his army, and he submitted a recommendation for a limited withdraw to regroup the army; the request was angrily rejected by Hitler, and this decision further steered Kluge's faith in Hitler.

ww2dbaseOn 27 Oct 1943, he was badly hurt in a motor vehicle accident on the Minsk-Smolensk road and was unable to return to service until Jul 1944. During his absence, his lieutenants developed the notion that the war was not winnable. Von Kluge was approached by Henning von Tresckow, Bock's newphew and Kluge's former chief of staff at Army Group Center, to join his efforts to overthrow Hitler. Tresckow argued that Hitler's racist regime would bring Germany to utter destruction. Von Kluge thought it was dishonorable for a military officer to attempt assassination on his leader, and refused to participate. However, he would continue to meet with the conspirators.

ww2dbaseVon Kluge returned to service on 29 Jun 1944 as Commander-in-Chief West, replacing Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. In Jul, Claus von Stauffenberg's failed attempt to assassinate Hitler, which was coupled with an attempt to overthrow the Nazi government. Von Kluge was approached to use his influence to inspire a mass uprising by the troops he commanded, but he refused. The assassination attempt, along with the coup, failed very quickly, and it led to a purge of the German army by Hitler. Kluge's name appeared on a list of suspected conspirators, and the list was presented to Adolf Hitler.

ww2dbaseAs Commander-in-Chief West, Kluge's army slowly fell apart in France after the Allies' successful landing in Normandy. He once against requested Hitler the permission to fall back to the Rhine, but it was once again denied. Already doubtful of Kluge's loyalty, Hitler now suspected that Kluge was negotiating a surrender to the Allies. On 16 Aug 1944, Kluge received a letter from Hitler asking him to take a brief rest in Berlin to escape the stresses of war, while his position was being taken by Field Marshal Walter Model. Von Kluge feared that Hitler learned of his involvement with the conspirators of the 20 Jul assassination attempt. Three days later, en route to Berlin, he swallowed cyanide and committed suicide.

ww2dbaseHis suicide note, addressed to Adolf Hitler:

Günther von Kluge Interactive Map

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Günther von Kluge Timeline

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