A similar veneration of the German military existed among American officers and officials. The resources and time that American occupation authorities had spent tracking down German generals for the Historical Division demonstrated how important German views of the war were to the West. Moreover, respect and veneration of the military prowess of German officers had, in part, facilitated the formation of the Allied Hill Project, the work of the Bolero Group, and the influence of the German history program’s reports on U.S. Army doctrine in the late 1940s and early 1950s.36
The comments of Heinz Guderian’s grandson, Lieutenant Colonel Günther Guderian, epitomize the emulative nature of the Anglo-American relationship with German generals. After serving as the Bundeswehr liaison officer to the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg in the 1990s, Guderian stated, in reference to his grandfather, that “sometimes, I get the impression that in the United States Army, even more officers know the name [Guderian] than in the German army.” He also recalled that one of the ranking officers of the U.S. Army’s Seventh Corps had two large pictures hanging on his wall. “One was Patton,” observed Guderian, and “one was my grandfather.”37 American perspectives of the importance of German general officers had obviously come a long way.
Acknowledgments
This book has played a role in my life for the past nine years. During this time, I have accrued considerable debt to many individuals who aided me in the process of researching and writing this manuscript. While insufficient, this acknowledgment of their contributions is an expression of my sincere gratitude.
First, my thanks to the Department of History at Texas A&M University, the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, the German Historical Institute, and the Andersonville National Historic Trust, all of which provided generous financial support for this endeavor. I am also grateful to the many individuals who directly aided my research. Martin Gedra, Robin Cookson, and Paul Brown at the National Archives and Records Administration II in College Park, Maryland, all graciously helped me locate important American documents. Wolfgang Frey at the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv in Freiburg, Germany, spent considerable time helping me access the requisite German military records. And the archivists and staff at the British National Archives in Kew, England; the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson; and the Library and Archives at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University all proved extremely helpful with my work in their respective collections.
I wish to thank Anja Schwalen for her help in translating two of the German memoirs and Chad Daniels and Christy Calhoun at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, who proved incredibly gracious in providing me with pictures and documents from their collection. My thanks as well to all of the following individuals who aided me in various ways at some point in this project: Cornelia Cesari, Esther Krug, Terrence Winschel, Gunter Bischof, Ruediger Overmans, Susan Strange, Sabrina Bader, Robyn Rodriguez, Jeffrey Johnson, David Macri, Adrienne Lamberson, Walter Kamphoefner, Andrew Kirkendall, Kelly Crager, and Jeremy Toynbee and the staff and reviewers at the Journal of Contemporary History.
My thanks go to Stephen Wrinn and Allison Webster at the University Press of Kentucky. Your confidence in my work and your assistance in this process have been wonderful. I am also extremely grateful for all of the individuals who read and commented on the manuscript at some point in the process. The two reviewers selected by the press took valuable time to review my work and offered very helpful suggestions. My copyeditor, Joy Margheim, did a remarkable job helping me prepare the manuscript for publication. Joseph Dawson, David Vaught, Adam Seipp, and James Hannah all offered substantive comments and criticisms of the manuscript as well as challenged me to be a better historian and writer. Thank you all for your help and direction. Finally, I have enormous respect and appreciation for the contributions, both to this manuscript and to my career as a whole, of Arnold Krammer. Professor Krammer’s guidance and mentorship have left an indelible mark on my work. His example will remain the standard I strive to emulate.
Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank a special group of family and friends who have provided essential support for me and this project. I will forever owe a debt to Carol Burton, Amy, Anders, Chris, Lora, Andrew and Tashina, Richard and Abby, and all of the Feistel family. Roy and Chris Pilgrim, the late Gladys Hackworth, Jennifer and Brian Leatherman, Larry Blomstedt, and Rita Walker all offered invaluable support and encouragement. For special counsel and friendship, my thanks go to Chad Harvey and Albert Frieden, both of whom contributed far more than they know. For countless reasons, the contributions of Lenae and Jimi Steele; Alex, Wade, and Leah Hultz; Doug, Brenda, and Drew Mallett; and Donald and Judy Mallett are immeasurable. I doubt any of you know how important you have always been and will continue to be to my work. Aviaq Nielsen brought a glowing smile to my life and that has changed and inspired me in important ways. And, finally, I lack adequate words to express my gratitude for Tasha Wyatt and all that she brings to my life and work. Her valuable editorial contributions, challenging questions, engaging conversations, and inspirational words rank second only to her incredible love and support in making both me and my work better. Thanks for being my wife.
Appendix A
Wehrmacht General Officer Prisoners of War Held in the United States
Colonel General (Generaloberst)
Von Arnim, Hans Jürgen
Lieutenant General (General der Infanterie, der Artillerie, etc.)
Buhle, Walter
Crüwell, Ludwig
Gallenkamp, Curt
Kessler, Ulrich
Neuling, Ferdinand
Ramcke, Bernhard-Hermann
Von Choltitz, Dietrich
Von Vaerst, Gustav
Vierow, Erwin
Major General (Generalleutnant)
Aschenbrenner, Heinrich
Badinski, Curt
Borowietz, Willibald
Bülowius, Karl Robert Max
Daser, Wilhelm
Frantz, Gotthard
Kittel, Heinrich
Kleberger, Franz
Köchy, Carl Peter Bernard
Menneking, Rolf
Menny, Erwin
Pollert, Hermann
Rauch, Erwin
Seyffardt, Paul
Spang, Karl
Thomale, Wolfgang
Vierow, Walter
Von Heyking, Rüdiger
Von Sponeck, Theodor Graf
Brigadier General (Generalmajor)
Bieringer, Ludwig
Bruhn, Hans
Dunckern, Anton
Eberding, Knut
Elster, Botho
Gaul, Hans
Gehlen, Reinhard
Gundelach, Herbert
Gutknecht, Alfred
Hermann, Rudolph
Krause, Fritz
Laegeler, Hellmuth
Richter, Otto
Sattler, Robert
Schnarrenberger, Ernst
Schramm, Hans-Georg
Schuberth, Hans-Georg
Stolberg-Stolberg, Christoph Graf zu
Ullersperger, Wilhelm
Vaterrodt, Franz
Von Aulock, Hubertus
Von der Mosel, Hans
Von Hülsen, Heinrich-Hermann
Von Liebenstein, Kurt Freiherr
Von Quast, August Viktor*
Von Trotha, Ivo-Thilo
Von Wülfingen, Detlef Bock
Rear Admiral (Vizeadmiral)
Schirmer, Alfred**
Commodore (Konteradmiral)
Hennecke, Walter**
Kähler, Otto**
Meixner, Paul**
Weber, Carl**
*The Wehrmacht promoted von Quast to Generalmajor in August 1943, following his surrender to American forces in North Africa, but American military authorities refused to recognize this postcaptivity promotion.
**American and British authorities held these German Navy (Kriegsmarine) officer prisoners of war with the generals at various times and in various
camps.
Appendix B
German Military Document Section Studies (Published)
Armored Breakthrough: War Diary of German First Armored Group (121 pages)
Bibliography No. 1b: German Chemical Warfare (11 pages)
German Army Mobilization: A Study of the Mobilization of the German Army (91 pages)
The German Army Quartermaster and Finance Organization (199 pages)
The German General Staff Corps: A Study of the Organization of the German General Staff (276 pages)
German Military Transportation (77 pages)
German Operational Intelligence: A Study of German Operational Intelligence (164 pages)
The German Operation at Anzio: A Study of the German Operation at Anzio Beachhead from 22 January 1944 to 31 May 1944 (128 pages)
German Training Methods: A Study of German Military Training (316 pages)
Special Report No. 1: Officer Efficiency Reports in the German Army (26 pages)
Special Report No. 2: Officer Candidate Selection and Training in the German Army (18 pages)
Special Report No. 3: Ration Administration in the German Army (20 pages)
Special Report No. 4: German Army Officer Courts-Martial (7 pages)
Special Report No. 5: Screening of German Enlisted Personnel for Officer Appointments (10 pages)
Special Translation No. 1: Infantry in the Sixth Year of the War (18 pages)
Appendix C
German Military Document Section Studies (Unpublished)
“German Administration of Occupied Territories” (265 pages) [not translated]
“German Appraisal of U.S. Armor” (7 pages)
“German Army Mobilization, 1921–1939” (656 pages) [not translated]
“The German High Command” (492 pages)
“German Manpower: A Study of the Employment of German Manpower from 1933–1945” (270 pages)
“German Permanent Fortifications” (305 pages)
“Hitler as Supreme Warlord, 1939–1945” (10 pages)
“Program ‘Otto’ ” (10 pages)
“A Study on Anti-Partisan Warfare” (10 pages)
“Tactics” (Taktik) (240 pages) [not translated]
Appendix D
Wehrmacht Officer Prisoners of War in the Hill Project (“Hillbillies”)
Lieutenant General (General der Infanterie, der Artillerie, etc.)
Buhle, Walter
Major General (Generalleutnant)
Kleberger, Franz
Menneking, Rolf
Thomale, Wolfgang
Brigadier General (Generalmajor)
Gundelach, Herbert
Laegeler, Hellmuth
von Trotha, Ivo-Thilo
Colonel (Oberst)
Berendsen, Friedrich
Engelter, Georg
Gaul, Hans
Haertel, Johannes
Kinitz, Franz-Josef
Kuehne, Rudolf-Theodor
Meyer-Detring, Wilhelm
Petri, Reinhard
Pollex, Kurt
Reissinger, Walter
Lieutenant Colonel (Oberstleutnant)
Bogner, Dr. Josef
Brix, Ernst
Euler, Richard
Fellmer, Reinhold
Klehr, Hans-Guenther
Linn, Hermann
Litterscheid, Friedrich-Franz
Mueller, Alfred-Johannes
Obermaier, Claus
Rittman, Kurt
Schaeder, Christian
von Brauchitsch, Hans-Georg
von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, Friedrich
Major (Major)
Lobedanz, Walter
von Luedinghausen, Horst
Lieutenant Commander (Korvettenkapitän; Kriegsmarine, or German Navy)
Schubert, Paul-Heinz
Captain (Hauptmann)
Cartellieri, Dr. Wolfgang
Dyckerhoff, Hans
Knieper, Werner
Lorenz, Reinhold
Zuber, Hans-Georg
First Lieutenant (Oberleutnant)
Benke, Heinz
Buehler, Eugen
Darsow, Hans-Jürgen
Koch, Hermann
Krueger, Herbert
Rahn, Helmut
von Berg, Karl-Ludwig
Second Lieutenant (Leutnant)
Achtelik, Walter
Gehrke, Hermann
Haeusing, Heiner
Jentsch, Dietrich
Mengler, Wolfgang
Meyer, Erwin
Naehler, Max
Oelze, Werner
Pflocksch, Gustav
Preckel, Karl
Wagner, Hans-Otto
Notes
Introduction
1. See Arnold Krammer, “American Treatment of German Generals during World War II,” Journal of Military History 54 (January 1990): 27–46, for the only study of German prisoner-of-war generals in the United States.
2. War Diary, May 1943, WO 165/41, the National Archives of the United Kingdom, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom (hereafter TNA).
3. Richard B. Speed III, Prisoners, Diplomats, and the Great War: A Study in the Diplomacy of Captivity (New York: Greenwood Press, 1990), 98–100.
4. Ibid., 101–3.
5. Ibid., 31, 105.
6. For more on the United States serving as a protecting power during the First World War, see Speed, Prisoners, Diplomats, and the Great War.
7. Ibid., 123–26.
8. Ibid., 126–35.
9. Ibid., 156.
10. Ibid., 138.
11. Matthew Barry Sullivan, Thresholds of Peace: Four Hundred Thousand German Prisoners and the People of Britain, 1944–1948 (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1979), 219–20.
12. F. H. Hinsley, British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations (London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1991), 2:32–51; War Diary, April 1943, WO 165/41, TNA.
13. Letter from P. H. Gore-Booth, March 14, 1944, FO 916/886, TNA.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.; Sullivan, Thresholds of Peace, 22.
17. CSDIC reports of interrogations and conversations between the German prisoner-of-war generals are housed in the Records of the War Office: Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence, and Directorate of Military Intelligence; Ministry of Defense, Defense Intelligence Staff: Files (WO 208) at the National Archives of the United Kingdom; duplicate copies of some of the reports can be found in the files of the U.S. War Department’s General and Special Staffs at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland.
18. Letter from P. H. Gore-Booth, March 14, 1944, FO 916/886, TNA; War Diary, November 1943, WO 165/41, TNA.
19. For an examination of the German officer corps, see Karl Demeter, The German Officer-Corps in Society and State 1650–1945 (New York: Praeger, 1965).
20. The last publicly accessible rank list for the World War II German Army is dated May 1, 1944. See Nikolaus V. Preradovich, “Die militärische und soziale Herkunft der hohen Generalität des deutschen Heeres am 1. Mai 1944,” Wehrwissenschaftliche Rundschau 20, no. 1 (1970): 44.
21. Ibid., 45–55.
22. Ibid.; Nikolaus V. Preradovich, Die militärische und soziale Herkunft der Generalität des deutschen Heeres, 1. Mai 1944 (Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag, 1978), 43, 51.
23. George A. Kourvetaris and Betty A. Dobratz, Social Origins and Political Orientations of Officer Corps in a World Perspective (Denver: University of Denver, 1973), 2–4, 21–22, 60.
24. Correlli Barnett, Britain and Her Army, 1509–1970: A Military, Political and Social Survey (London: Allen Lane the Penguin Press, 1970), 487–88; P. E. Razzell, “Social Origins of Officers in the Indian and British Home Army: 1758–1962,” British Journal of Sociology 14 (September 1963): 253.
25. Garry D. Ryan and Timothy K. Nenninger, eds., Soldiers and Civilians: The U.S. Army and the American People (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1987), 7.
26. Edward M. Coffman, The Regulars: The American Army, 1898–1941 (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004), 50, 288; Kourvetaris and Dobratz, Social Origins and Political Orientations, 60.
27. Russell F. Weigley, Towards an American Army: Military Thought from Washington to Marshall (New York: Columbia University Press, 1962), 6.
28. Russell F. Weigley, The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy (New York: Macmillan, 1973), 81.
29. Charles Robert Kemble, “Mutations in America’s Perceptions of Its Professional Military Leaders: An Historical Overview and Update,” Armed Forces and Society (prepublished April 4, 2007): 6–8, doi:10.1177/0095327X06293862, accessed via OnlineFirst, afs.sagepub.com; see also Charles Robert Kemble, The Image of the Army Officer in America (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1973).
30. Kemble, “Mutations in America’s Perceptions,” 8–9; George MacMillan, “A Decade of War Novels: The Accent Has Been Political,” New York Times Book Review, December 1951, 235.
31. Andreas F. Lowenfeld, “The Free Germany Committee: An Historical Study,” Review of Politics 14, no. 3 (July 1952), 346–66. See also Bodo Scheurig, Free Germany: The National Committee and the League of German Officers (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1969).
1. Afrikaner and Französen
1. German Army and Air Force ranks for general officers equated to U.S. ranks as follows: Generalmajor—brigadier general; Generalleutnant—major general; General der Infanterie, der Artillerie, etc.—lieutenant general; Generaloberst—general; and Generalfeldmarschall—general of the army. See Andris J. Kursietis, The Wehrmacht at War, 1939–1945: The Units and Commanders of the German Ground Forces during World War II (Soesterberg, Netherlands: Aspekt, 1999), 7.
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