Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian

Author:Heinz Guderian
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3
Tags: Technology & Engineering, World War II, Military, World, Military Science, History
ISBN: 9780141957395
Publisher: Penguin UK
Published: 2009-08-05T14:00:00+00:00

I spent December 24th visiting a number of hospitals to see the Christmas festivities. I was able to bring a little good cheer to many a brave soldier. But it was a heart-rending business. I spent most of the evening working alone; later Liebenstein, Busing, and Kahlden came to see me and we spent a short time together in comradely fashion.

On December 24th Second Army lost Livny. To the north of that place the enemy crossed the Oka. By order of the OKH the 4th Panzer Division was sent off to Bielev to check the enemy advance. The unified counter-attack by XXIV Panzer Corps which I had planned thus seemed likely to become impossible on account of the dispersal of the corps' forces.

During the night of December 24th-25th the 10th (Motorised) Infantry Division lost Chern as a result of a Russian enveloping attack. The Russian success became unexpectedly great, because the elements of LIII Army Corps fighting on the left of the 10th (Motorised) Infantry Division were unable to hold and the enemy thus achieved a break-through. Parts of the 10th (Motorised) Infantry Division were encircled in Chern. I immediately reported this misfortune to Army Group. Field-Marshal von Kluge accused me in violent terms, saying that I must have ordered the evacuation of Chern and, what is more, must have done so at least twenty-four hours before. The exact contrary was the case. I had, as already mentioned, personally given Hitler's orders according to which the town was to be held. I therefore angrily denied the unjust accusations that Field-Marshal von Kluge made against me.

On December 25th the elements of the 10th (Motorised) Infantry Division which had been encircled succeeded in breaking out and reaching our lines with several hundred prisoners. I ordered a withdrawal to the Susha-Oka position. In the evening I had another sharp argument with Field-Marshal von Kluge, who accused me of having sent him an incorrect official report. He hung up with the words: ‘I shall inform the Fuhrer about you.’ This was going too far. I told the Chief of Staff of the Army Group that if I was to be treated in this fashion I had no wish to continue to command my Army and that I would request that I be relieved of my command. I immediately sent off a telegram to this effect. But Field-Marshal von Kluge was ahead of me. He had requested the OKH that I be removed, and on the morning of December 26th I was informed that Hitler had transferred me to the OKH officers' reserve pool. My successor was to be the commander of Second Army, General Rudolf Schmidt.

On December 26th I said farewell to my staff and issued a short order of the day to my troops.

On December 27th I left the front, spending the night in Roslavl; the night of the 28th-29th I passed in Minsk; the 29th-30th in Warsaw, the 30th-31st in Posen, and on New Year's Eve I arrived in Berlin.

Further disagreement arose between Field-Marshal von Kluge and my staff concerning my final order of the day to my soldiers.

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