Field Marshal Fedor von Bock
publication date: Oct 4, 2007
|
author/source: Adam Hill
|
Next
Fedor von Bock was born in Brandenburg on 3rd December 1880 and joined the Army in 1898 as a second lieutenant in the 5th Prussian Foot Guards Regiment. He was a capable officer, but not brilliant, and it was his drive and ambition that raised him above his peers. In 1910 he joined the General Staff, and was promoted to Captain in 1912. He spent the first two years of the First World War as a staff officer before taking command of a battalion in 1917 on the Western Front. After the War, he was heavily involved in maintaining secret military forces in Germany, used to ensure the 100,000 troops of the Reichswehr had adequate reserves to support them in times of crisis. Promotions between the wars were steady, and he reached the rank of Major General in 1928 when he took command of the First Cavalry Division. Von Bock supported the expansion of the Army by Hitler, but he was not a Nazi. He did not object to Hitler sacking of senior officers in 1938 as it provided more opportunities for himself. He was promoted to Colonel General in 1938.
For the invasion of Poland, he commanded Army Group North. He played a significant role in the first Blitzkrieg, and had defeated the Polish troops facing his armies within two weeks. When the Russians invaded Poland on 17th September, the main fighting was over.
Von Bock commanded Army Group B in the West in 1940. Originally destined to be the main punch of the German attack, bypassing the Maginot Line through Holland and Belgium, his role changed when the Manstein Plan was adopted. Now relegated to a diversionary attack, he had to convince the Allies that he was the main attacking force. This he did, over running Holland and Belgium and causing the BEF and French Army to move north to protect Belgium. When the Allied line cracked, and troops withdrew towards Dunkirk, von Bocks troops kept up the pressure. He eventually captured 40,000 men at Dunkirk on 4th June, although the British had escaped to fight another day. After the second phase of the Battle of France, he was promoted to Field Marshal on 19th July 1940.
In the summer of 1941, he took command of Army Group Center, and was given the critical job of capturing Moscow during Operation Barbarossa. For this, he commanded 51 Divisions including nine panzer and seven motorised divisions. The attack, launched on 21st June, was a series of first pincer movements. The first closed on Minsk, 170 miles behind the border, on the 29th June and captured 324,000 Russian troops. Three more pockets created by the advance at Smolensk, Roslavl, and Gomel yielded another 430,000 prisoners and put the Germans 500 miles closer to Moscow. It was a brilliant campaign.
However, Hitler now took a hand, and diverted von Bocks panzer groups to the north and south. During the good weather at the end of August and during September, Army Group Center went over to the defensive. Hitler considered creating a winter line in September, but his generals persuaded him that the attack on Moscow was possible.
Heavily reinforced, Operation Typhoon got off to an excellent start, and the double encirclement at Vyazma-Bryansk yielded 663,000 prisoners by October 17th. The snows came to the Russian Front on 7th October and quickly melted. The following mud crippled the German motorised units and brought them to a halt. Von Bock reorganised his troops and a second push started when the ground froze in the middle of November. By now though, casualties due to enemy action and frost bite, as well as the extreme weathers impact on equipment, put the Germans at a disadvantage. The attack stopped only a few miles from the Kremlin.
The Russian counter offensive on 6th December threw the Germans back, until Hitlers no retreat order helped to restore the front line. Von Bock though was ill, and he was replaced with Field Marshal von Kluge. He was not long away from the front when the commander of Army Group South died of a heart attack. Taking over in January 1942, he built up his forces for the summer offensive. The Russians struck first though, and the Germans let them advance before counter attacking and cutting off the attacking armies. The Germans took 240,000 prisoners.
When Hitler split Army Group South into Army Group A and B, von Bock took command of Army Group B. Comprising the 2nd Army, 6th Army, 4th Panzer Army and the 2nd Hungarian Army, his objective was the River Volga and Stalingrad. Von Bock was critical of Hitlers plan to use weak allied armies to defend his left flank, and this preoccupation with his weak flank lead him to be slow in carrying out some of Hitlers orders. Consequently, he was persuaded to ask to be relieved on medical grounds before Hitler replaced him. This he did, and on 15th July he went into the reserve pool, never to be re-employed.
He avoided the anti-Hitler plot, saying he would join the movement if they were successful, but he would not actively join in. After Hitlers death, he heard that Admiral Doenitz was forming a government at Hamburg. He set off with his wife and daughter for Hamburg, possibly hoping for a new command. His car was spotted by a British fighter-bombers and on 4th May, he and his family were killed by enemy gun fire, the only one of Hitlers Field Marshals to be killed by enemy action.
Von Bock was definitely a capable commander who performed well at the start of the war. If Hitler had listened to him, Moscow would have fallen before the mud set in. Moscow was a major communications hub, and the centre of the Communist power base, and it's loss could have ended Stalins control of the country and thus the war in the East. His handling of Army Group South in early 1942 was not as good though.
Von Bock commanded Army Group B in the West in 1940. Originally destined to be the main punch of the German attack, bypassing the Maginot Line through Holland and Belgium, his role changed when the Manstein Plan was adopted. Now relegated to a diversionary attack, he had to convince the Allies that he was the main attacking force. This he did, over running Holland and Belgium and causing the BEF and French Army to move north to protect Belgium. When the Allied line cracked, and troops withdrew towards Dunkirk, von Bocks troops kept up the pressure. He eventually captured 40,000 men at Dunkirk on 4th June, although the British had escaped to fight another day. After the second phase of the Battle of France, he was promoted to Field Marshal on 19th July 1940.
In the summer of 1941, he took command of Army Group Center, and was given the critical job of capturing Moscow during Operation Barbarossa. For this, he commanded 51 Divisions including nine panzer and seven motorised divisions. The attack, launched on 21st June, was a series of first pincer movements. The first closed on Minsk, 170 miles behind the border, on the 29th June and captured 324,000 Russian troops. Three more pockets created by the advance at Smolensk, Roslavl, and Gomel yielded another 430,000 prisoners and put the Germans 500 miles closer to Moscow. It was a brilliant campaign.
However, Hitler now took a hand, and diverted von Bocks panzer groups to the north and south. During the good weather at the end of August and during September, Army Group Center went over to the defensive. Hitler considered creating a winter line in September, but his generals persuaded him that the attack on Moscow was possible.
Heavily reinforced, Operation Typhoon got off to an excellent start, and the double encirclement at Vyazma-Bryansk yielded 663,000 prisoners by October 17th. The snows came to the Russian Front on 7th October and quickly melted. The following mud crippled the German motorised units and brought them to a halt. Von Bock reorganised his troops and a second push started when the ground froze in the middle of November. By now though, casualties due to enemy action and frost bite, as well as the extreme weathers impact on equipment, put the Germans at a disadvantage. The attack stopped only a few miles from the Kremlin.
The Russian counter offensive on 6th December threw the Germans back, until Hitlers no retreat order helped to restore the front line. Von Bock though was ill, and he was replaced with Field Marshal von Kluge. He was not long away from the front when the commander of Army Group South died of a heart attack. Taking over in January 1942, he built up his forces for the summer offensive. The Russians struck first though, and the Germans let them advance before counter attacking and cutting off the attacking armies. The Germans took 240,000 prisoners.
When Hitler split Army Group South into Army Group A and B, von Bock took command of Army Group B. Comprising the 2nd Army, 6th Army, 4th Panzer Army and the 2nd Hungarian Army, his objective was the River Volga and Stalingrad. Von Bock was critical of Hitlers plan to use weak allied armies to defend his left flank, and this preoccupation with his weak flank lead him to be slow in carrying out some of Hitlers orders. Consequently, he was persuaded to ask to be relieved on medical grounds before Hitler replaced him. This he did, and on 15th July he went into the reserve pool, never to be re-employed.
He avoided the anti-Hitler plot, saying he would join the movement if they were successful, but he would not actively join in. After Hitlers death, he heard that Admiral Doenitz was forming a government at Hamburg. He set off with his wife and daughter for Hamburg, possibly hoping for a new command. His car was spotted by a British fighter-bombers and on 4th May, he and his family were killed by enemy gun fire, the only one of Hitlers Field Marshals to be killed by enemy action.
Von Bock was definitely a capable commander who performed well at the start of the war. If Hitler had listened to him, Moscow would have fallen before the mud set in. Moscow was a major communications hub, and the centre of the Communist power base, and it's loss could have ended Stalins control of the country and thus the war in the East. His handling of Army Group South in early 1942 was not as good though.