After Germany’s surrender in 1945, the men who had held the highest military rank in the Nazi war machine faced an uncertain future. The field marshals, once the elite commanders entrusted by Adolf Hitler to execute his vision of conquest, saw their power and prestige collapse with the Reich. As the Allies moved to prosecute those responsible for the war, these former leaders confronted the consequences of their commands. Walther von Brauchitsch had risen to the rank of commander-in-chief of the German Army, a position he held from 1938 until 1941.
His early career was defined by strategic expertise, particularly during the successful blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland, France, and the Low Countries. Yet his tenure was undermined by Hitler’s constant interference in military matters, which eroded his authority during critical operations, including the invasion of the Soviet Union. After suffering a heart attack in November 1941, and with the failure of Operation Typhoon, the assault on Moscow, Hitler dismissed him in December of that year. Von Brauchitsch spent the rest of the war in forced retirement at his estate.
In August 1945, British forces arrested him on war crimes charges, and he was held in custody for three years awaiting trial. On October 18, 1948, just as he was set to face prosecution, he died of pneumonia. The man who had once commanded Hitler’s armies never answered for his actions in court. Maximilian von Weichs commanded the Second Army in major campaigns, including the invasions of France, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union.
In 1944 he was appointed commander of German forces in the Balkans, where his duties included suppressing partisan resistance in Yugoslavia and Greece. His tenure there was marked by brutal anti-partisan operations and widespread atrocities against civilians. Von Weichs retired on March 25, 1945, and was arrested by American troops in May. He was scheduled to participate in the U.
S. Army’s Hostages Trial, facing charges related to the suppression of partisans in the Balkans. In a surprising turn, he was removed from the proceedings before being judged or sentenced, with the official reason cited as medical issues. The decision allowed Von Weichs to evade prosecution despite his alleged involvement in serious wartime atrocities.
He died on September 27, 1954, in Bonn, West Germany, at the age of 72. Georg von Küchler joined the German Army in 1900 and specialized in artillery, serving through World War I and the interwar years. During World War II, he commanded the 18th Army and later Army Group North during the invasion of the Soviet Union. His actions during the war, including harsh military policies and involvement in war crimes, eventually caught up with him.
Promoted to field marshal in 1942, he was relieved of his command by Hitler in early 1944 after failing to halt Soviet counter-offensives. During his retirement, he declined an invitation to join the anti-Hitler movement. At the end of the war, Von Küchler was arrested by the American Army. Unlike some of his counterparts, he faced the consequences in the High Command Trial, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Soviet Union.
The trial revealed his involvement in atrocities, including the murder of mentally disabled individuals in occupied territories. Von Küchler admitted to harsh conditions in POW camps but attributed them primarily to winter weather, which he described as an act of God, and claimed the army exaggerated mortality rates to receive more supplies. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 12 years in 1951, and he was released in February 1953 after serving less than a decade.
He lived with his wife in the Gifhorn region until his death on May 5, 1968. Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb began his service in the Bavarian Army and distinguished himself during World War I, earning the Military Order of Max Joseph, which granted him a noble title. In 1940, he commanded Army Group C during the invasion of France, playing a key role in the rapid defeat of French forces, which earned him promotion to field marshal on March 30, 1941. Von Leeb was among the senior officers who attended Hitler’s speech outlining his vision for an ideological war of annihilation against the Soviet Union.
During Operation Barbarossa, he led Army Group North, tasked with advancing through the Baltic states and capturing Leningrad. His forces were implicated in war crimes against civilians, cooperating with the SS Einsatzgruppen responsible for mass executions, particularly targeting the Jewish population. He was also involved in transmitting the Barbarossa Decree, which authorized the killing of Soviet political commissars and harsh treatment of prisoners of war. On January 15, 1942, Von Leeb requested that Hitler grant him autonomy or relieve him of his duties.
Hitler chose to relieve him, and he was never given another command. At the High Command Trial, his defense attorney portrayed him as a humane soldier who had not personally seen or transmitted criminal orders, arguing that his troops’ actions resulted from battle conditions and military necessity. The court convicted Von Leeb of transmitting the decree and its criminal application by subordinate units, but sentenced him to only three years, effectively time served. The judgment noted that no criminal order bearing his signature had been introduced into evidence.
Despite the light sentence, Von Leeb had received substantial financial benefits from the Nazi regime, including secret gifts of 250,000 Reichsmarks and an estate valued at 660,000 Reichsmarks. After his release, he returned to his estate in Hohenschäftlarn, Bavaria, and died of a heart attack in 1956. Ewald von Kleist came from a military family with a long history of service. He commanded the First Panzer Group during the invasion of France in 1940, leading a fast-moving armored thrust deep into French defenses.
In 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, he led the First Panzer Army in some of the largest tank battles in history, including the encirclements at Uman and Kiev, which inflicted massive losses on the Red Army. In 1942, he was appointed commander of Army Group A during the offensive into the Caucasus, tasked with capturing vital oil fields. The campaign faltered due to overextended resources and fierce Soviet resistance, forcing a retreat by early 1943. After a series of retreats and failures, Hitler dismissed Von Kleist on March 30, 1944.
Following the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944, the Gestapo arrested him due to his cousin’s involvement in the conspiracy, though he avoided trial and was released. After the war, Von Kleist was captured by Allied forces and handed over to Yugoslavia, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for war crimes. He was later extradited to the Soviet Union, where he faced trial for crimes related to his command on the Eastern Front and was sentenced to 25 years in a correctional labor camp. On November 13, 1954, he died of heart failure at Vladimir Central Prison, becoming one of the highest-ranking German officers to die in Soviet custody.
Wilhelm List remained in the reduced Reichswehr after World War I, helping modernize Germany’s military under the limits of the Treaty of Versailles. He played a key role in the invasion of Poland in 1939, earned Hitler’s favor, and was promoted to field marshal by 1940. One of his most notable assignments was leading Army Group A during the Balkan campaign in 1941, which was crucial in the invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece. The region saw brutal repression, mass executions, and harsh reprisals against partisans and civilians.
While the extent of his personal involvement is debated, his position as commanding officer linked him to war crimes committed by forces under his command. In 1942, during Case Blue, the German summer offensive aimed at capturing Caucasus oil fields, his forces faced logistical challenges and strong Soviet resistance. When the operation faltered, Hitler dismissed him. List was later arrested by Allied forces and tried in the Hostages Trial, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1948.
He was released in 1953 due to ill health, but lived for 19 more years, passing away on August 17, 1971, at the age of 91.