Leo Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Geyr in 1935 | |
| Birth name | Leo Dietrich Franz Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg |
| Born | (1886-03-02)2 March 1886 |
| Died | 27 January 1974(1974-01-27) (aged 87) |
| Allegiance | German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Imperial German Army Reichswehr German Army |
| Service years | 1904–1945 |
| Rank | General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands | 3rd Panzer Division XXIV Army Corps XXXX Panzer Corps LVIII Panzer Corps 5th Panzer Army |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Leo Dietrich Franz Reichsfreiherr[a] Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a German general in theWehrmacht duringWorld War II, noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field ofarmoured warfare.[1][2]He commanded the5th Panzer Army (formalised as Panzer Group West) during theInvasion of Normandy, and later served asInspector General of Armoured Troops. After the war he was involved in the development of the newly built German Army (Bundeswehr).
Freiherr von Geyr was born 1886 inPotsdam into the Prussian military aristocracy and descended from a family that produced two PrussianField Marshals.[3] His father was the retired colonel Karl Geyr von Schweppenburg (1840–1913), a close friend and chief stable master ofWilliam II of Württemberg.[4] His mother, Elisabeth Karoline von Hülsen-Haeseler (1855–1887), was the daughter ofBotho von Hülsen. He joined theGerman Army in 1904. InWorld War I he fought on several fronts and rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he remained in the army, becoming anOberst in 1932, and aGeneralmajor in 1935. From 1933 to 1937, he was amilitary attaché to theUnited Kingdom,Belgium and theNetherlands, residing inLondon. Promoted toGeneralleutnant upon his return from London, he took command of the3rd Panzer (armoured) Division in 1937.[5]
From 1 September to 7 October 1939 Geyr commanded the3rd Panzer Division during theinvasion of Poland, where it was the most numerically powerful PanzerDivision, with 391 tanks.[6] For a victory atKulm, he was praised on the battlefield byHitler who had visited the division in recognition for its achievements in Poland.[7] He was promoted toGeneral der Kavallerie of theXXIV Army Corps on 15 February 1940. In 1940 he commanded the XXIV Army Corps during theInvasion of France. On 22 June 1941, the Wehrmacht begun theinvasion of the Soviet Union. Geyr's XXIV Army Corps was part of GeneralHeinz Guderian'sSecond Panzer Army, and consisted of all of Guderian's major tank units.[8] On 9 July 1941, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross asGeneral der Panzertruppe.[9] By early November 1941, Geyr's Army Corps commanded the3rd,4th, and17th Panzer Divisions, the panzer regiment from the18th Panzer Division, as well as theInfantry Regiment Großdeutschland, and spearheaded the advance ofArmy Group Centre during theBattle of Moscow.[8]
From 21 July 1942, taking over from the court-martialedGeorg Stumme, to 30 September 1942, he was commanding General of theXXXX Panzer Corps, taking part in the fighting in the Caucasus. Geyr was relieved in a command cadre shake-up at the end of September 1942.[10]
In the spring of 1943,Field MarshalGerd von Rundstedt ordered Geyr to prepare a force of 10 Panzer and motorised infantry divisions. On 19 November 1943 Geyr's command was formalised asPanzer Group West, which had responsibility for the training and formation of all armoured units in the west. This group of armoured divisions nearParis constituted the main force of tanks in France. In the event of awestern allied landing on the northern French coast, Panzer Group West was expected to counter-attack northwards and halt the invasion force.[11]
The western alliedInvasion of Normandy began on6 June 1944. By 8 June, Geyr moved three panzer divisions north to counter British and Canadian forces advancing onCaen duringOperation Perch, a British offensive to capture the city as part of theBattle for Caen. On 10 June,Royal Air Force aircraftattacked Geyr's headquarters atLa Caine, wounding him and killing several staff officers, forcing the cancellation of a planned counter-attack.[12]
Geyr's panzer units delayed the British advance for weeks, but on 2 July, after supporting Field MarshalGerd von Rundstedt’s request for a withdrawal from Caen, he was relieved of command.[13][14][15] GeneralHeinrich Eberbach succeeded him on 4 July, and Geyr later served as Inspector General of Armoured Troops until the war's end.
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Between 1945 and 1947, Geyr was inAmerican captivity. He participated in the work of theU.S. Army Historical Division, where, under the guidance ofFranz Halder, German generals wrote World War II operational studies for the U.S. Army, first as POWs and then as employees.[16][17] After his release Geyr wrote a memoir of his years in London as a military attaché,Erinnerungen eines Militärattachés, London 1933–1937 (1949), which was translated and published along with additional material covering his life through World War II asThe Critical Years (1952). During the early 1950s Geyr was involved in both the development and creation of theBundeswehr of West Germany.[18]Geyr died inIrschenhausen nearMunich. He was married to Anais Krausse (22 July 1890,Ludwigsburg – 6 November 1960, Irschenhausen).[19] Their daughter Blanche Freiin Geyr von Schweppenburg (24 March 1918 – 21 May 2003) was married to Curt-Christoph vonPfuel (2 September 1907,Berlin – 5 August 2000,Bonn), Prussianassessor, member of theCouncil of Europe, lastFideikommiss, Lord of Jahnsfelde.[20]
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by GeneralmajorErnst Feßmann | Commander of3. Panzer-Division 1 September 1939 – 7 October 1939 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantHorst Stumpff |
| Preceded by General der PioniereWalter Kuntze | Commander ofXXIV Army Corps 14 February 1940 - 7 January 1942 | Succeeded by General der PanzertruppenWillibald von Langermann und Erlencamp |
| Preceded by General der PanzertruppenGeorg Stumme | Commander ofXXXX Panzer Corps 20 July 1942 - 30 September 1942 | Succeeded by General der PanzertruppenGustav Fehn |
| Preceded by New formation | Commander ofLVIII Panzer Corps 28 July 1943 - 1 December 1943 | Succeeded by General der PanzertruppeHans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck |
| Preceded by General der PanzertruppenGustav von Vaerst | Commander of5th Panzer Army 19 November 1943 - 4 July 1944 | Succeeded by General der PanzertruppenHeinrich Eberbach |
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