German High Commanders of WW2

[askropp]

I also believe that Lindemann must already have been in command on 29 March.

Update on PzAOK 3:
The card of Reinhardt also gives Henrici AND Jordan as Vertreter in March 1944, so I begin to believe that each of them may have commanded for two weeks.

[askropp]

Regarding PzAOK 2:
While the KTB HGr F is silent on Böhme's accident, a report by IIa HGr F gives 10.07.1944 as the day of the plane crash. I checked his Karteikarte and discovered that this date is also mentioned there (added in handwriting). This would mean that Fehn's tenure either began earlier, or someone was commanding until Fehn arrived, or no one commanded until that point (with the Chef managing daily affairs). The KTB PzAOK 2 is not available for the period, but IIa documents from T-313 R-200 may tell more (if somone makes them accessible to us in the future).

[Rossano]

Hello Askropp, John (and all other gentlemen)
1) Thomas (in his RKT-volumes) gives 15.07.44 as the day for Böhme´s accident
(but as the date 10.07. comes from official sources, so maybe 15.07. is wrong......)
2) In any case de Angelis from 18.07., but I have a doc. reporting Fehn on 19.07. as acting commander. So Fehn maybe from 10. (or 15.) 07. until about 20.07. (when de Angelis probably took over command....). Your opinion ?
3) from his Karteikarte and biography Dr. Rendulic was absent 20.02. - 02.03.44 and 17.05. - 21.05.44.
Is it known who were the deputies OB 2. Pz.Armee during Rendulic´s absences ?
Rgds., Rossano

[histan]

I can help with part of this:

KTB XXI. Geb.AK
21.07.1944 Kdr. General trifft von Pz.AOK 2 in Tirana ein und übernimmt wieder die Führung des Korps. GenLeutnt. Baier tritt zu 297. Inf.Div. zurück.

Will see what else I can find.

Regards

John

[Rossano]

Thanks John
But You mean 21.05. as I wrote above (not 21.07.), do You ?
In the meantime I found out that Fehn was deputy already 20.02. - 02.03.
Rgds., Rossano

[histan]

Hi Rossano

My answer was to your question 2)

Regards

John

[Rossano]

Sorry John, I misunderstood
Thanks again, Rossano

[askropp]

That de Angelis arrived at PzAOK 2 on 21 July is confirmed by the KTB HGr F.

May I ask for the source of Rendulic's absence and Fehn's stand-in during February 1944? The KTB XXI. Gebirgskorps only says that Fehn went to Posen on 13.02.1944. His return is not mentioned. The unit card of XXI. Gebirgskorps says that it was Fehn himself who was on leave from 20.02.1944 to 02.03.1944. His Vertreter was GL Deutsch who was mortally injured in a car accident.

[genstab]

According to Keilig and Bradley, GenLt Deutsch was injured on 17 -2-44 and died 2-3-44 so that lets him out of being a vertreter on those dates.
Best,
Bill

[askropp]

Of course he was only Vertreter from 13 to 17 February. A successor is not mentioned. It seems possible that Fehn went on leave after his Lehrgang in Posen, but as I said, no info on that in the KTB.

[histan]

General der Artillerie Geib was Vertreter until early March - see the Anlage of the KTB for signed Korpsbefehl that can narrow down the dates.

It does seem possible that Fehn did go on leave - certainly I can find no evidence that he returned to the Korps before early March.

Regards

John

[Rossano]

Well Askropp
Unfortunately only rarely I added the sources to my Stellenbesetzung des deutschen Heeres.
1) it is strange that Fehn went in Urlaub from 20.02 to 02.03, the exact same time of/as Rendulic' s absence, so I must admit that I "interpreted" this as the fact that Fehn went to take over command of the 2.Pz.Armee as Vertreter. But if somebody knows a different Vertreter (from official docs.) I' ll accept him instead..........
2) During Fehn' s absence I have Geib as his Vertreter.
Rgds., Rossano
P.S.: I see just now that John was quicker than me about confirming Geib.....

[askropp]

Apparently, we all had the same idea. I just finished checking the Anlagen. Above is the announcement of Geib's appointment as stv. KG XXI. Gebirgskorps (instead of Fehn and succeeding the injured Deutsch). For me, it looks as if the Chef was talking to Rendulic ("OB"), not his own KG Fehn. I would also assume that Rendulic and Fehn could hardly have been on leave at the same time, that Fehn is unlikely to have commanded the PzAOK while Geib (who was his senior) was commanding his own Korps, and that therefore the unit card of XXI. Gebirgskorps is probably correct - it was Fehn who was on leave, not Rendulic.

[Rossano]

Hello
what about the possibility that Fehn was not on leave indeed but as deputy for Rendulic or shall I understand that Rendulic was not at all absent 20.02. - 02.03 (from the war diary of the 2.Pz.Armee) ???
And what about Rendulic' s absence 17 - 21.05 ? I mean, who was his Vertreter ???
Rossano

[histan]

To return briefly to the subject of Lindemann's takeover at H.Gr.Nord.

Without access to the KTB of H.Gr.Nord, my best assessment is that he took over late afternoon on 28.03.1944.

The circumstances are well documented.

Schmundt arrived at HQ H.Gr. Nord on 28.03.1944 to tell Model that he had been chosen to replace von Manstein and that he was to return with Schmundt to the FHQ the next day.
Kinzel (Chef H.Gr. Nord) telephoned Lindemann at around 12:45 on 28.03.1944 to tell him that Model was going to another post and that Lindemann was to replace him.
Lindemann left HQ 18 Armee at around 15:30 on 28.03.1944
Model left with Schmundt some time on 29.03.1944, whilst Lindemann left HQ H.Gr. Nord at 09:00 on 29.03.1944 to spend all day at A.A. Narwa, arriving back at 17:00.

Strongly suggests that handover took place late on 28.03.1944.

Not that Model actually regarded himself as no longer in charge of H.Gr. Nord, since he attempted to order the transfer of 5 or 6 divisions from H.Gr. Nord to his new command.
The situation at H.Gr. Nord was complicated, von Küchler was officially the OB and Model was standing in for him but Model regarded Lindemann as, at that time, standing in for him (Model) - the mit Wirkung vom dates for the handover from Model to Lindemann as Vertreter for von Küchler was actually 31.03.1944!

Regards

John