A Non-Nazi in Nazi Uniform - Gerd von Rundstedt - WW2 Biography Special

Most of Adolf Hitler's generals are not, in fact, Nazi Party members. In fact, a lot of them look down on the National Socialist upstarts, but this does not stop them from waging Hitler's wars. And under their command, untold atrocities will be carried out. But what are these non-Nazi generals like? Well, let's look at one of the most respected ones, Gerd von Rundstedt. Welcome to another World War Two in real-time biography special, where I take a closer look at the major or interesting figures of the war. I'm Indy Neidell. Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt was born December 12th, 1875 in Prussian Saxony in the new German Empire. The Rundstedts are a noble family who can trace their roots back to at least the 12th century. They live under relatively modest financial circumstances, though, but have a proud military tradition. Gerd's ancestors fought in conflicts from the Thirty Years' War to the Franco-Prussian War, to pretty much everything in between. Gerd is the eldest of four brothers, and they are all raised in classic Prussian tradition, with an emphasis on discipline, modesty, honor, and obedience. In 1888, at the age of 12, he joins the Junior Cadet College at Orianenstein near Koblenz. He has an impressive record, and in 1903 enters the Kriegsakademie, the most prestigious military academy in Germany, responsible for educating the army's general staff. By 1907, he is working with the general staff, but when the Great War breaks out in 1914, is made Chief of Operations for the 22nd Reserve Division in the 1st Army. He does see a fair amount of action during the war, though his role is mostly administrative. He receives praise from his superiors and is awarded the Iron Cross First Class. Germany's defeat no doubt hits Rundstedt hard, but his laudable service means he can remain in the Reichswehr, Germany's much reduced post-war military. In the turbulent times of the early years of the Weimar Republic, he keeps out of politics. He will state after the Second World War, it is a very ancient Prussian tradition that an officer does not concern himself with politics. We can make a pretty safe guess that he is a conservative monarchist, but he never throws his lot in with the people actively working to overthrow the liberal republic. For Rundstedt, a soldier must serve the state, regardless of who runs it, and he serves his state well. By the end of 1932, he is a full general with overall command of Germany's eastern military districts. But like many other senior officers, the Nazi rise to power in 1933 makes the balance between soldierly duty and political conviction trickier. On a personal level, Rundstedt has mixed feelings about Adolf Hitler. He supports the rearmament program, but as an old school aristocrat, looks down on the vulgar upstarts in the Nazi party. President von Hindenburg famously once referred to Hitler as a bohemian corporal, a disdainful reference to him being born outside of Germany and to his military experience. Like many Prussian officers, Rundstedt is a fan of that nickname and he will often use it himself. Even so, he still sticks with political neutrality. He does play a central role in the Blumberg-Frisch affair in 1938, when the Nazi party tries to bring the Wehrmacht directly under their political control. Two high-ranking generals, Werner von Blumberg and Werner von Frisch, are pretty much blackmailed to resign by the Nazi leadership, and Rundstedt leads their defense. Even here, though, he acts more as a moderator. Rundstedt is primarily concerned with defending the honor of his army, and though the feeling is not mutual, Hitler does have a lot of respect for the old general. Rundstedt has another opportunity to get involved in politics during the Sudeten Crisis. However, when some of his fellow senior officers, led by Chief of General Staff Ludwig Beck, try to recruit him into a conspiracy to oust Hitler, Rundstedt refuses, although he does not report the conspirators either. After commanding a division during the Sudetenland occupation, Rundstedt is allowed to retire with the rank of Colonel General, but it is only a matter of months before he is recalled in May 1939. He is Commander-in-Chief of Army Group South for the Polish campaign in September, invading the country from Slovakia and Silesia and soon capturing Krakow. It is under his command that atrocities are carried out. Prisoners of war are shot and civilians, especially Jews, executed. There is no evidence that Rundstedt ordered or had prior knowledge of this, and he does complain about it to Army Chief of Staff Franz Halder. However, as it happened under his command, many interpretations of war crimes would declare him legally responsible, and later campaigns will see the lines blurred even more. He resigns his command in late October and transfers to the Western Front. He takes up a position as Commander of Army Group A, facing the French along the Ardennes Forest border. He is a supporter of Erich von Manstein's plan for an attack through the Ardennes, which Hitler approves. Rundstedt commands that campaign, and I've already told you how that worked out in the regular episodes. But though it sometimes didn't seem like it, Rundstedt is angered by the audacity of panzer commanders like Heinz Guderian, who continue their advance despite orders to dig in, and by the interference of his superiors. Nevertheless, after the fall of France, Hitler promotes Rundstedt and nine other generals to the rank of Field Marshal. Rundstedt's next big role is in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. He assumes command of Army Group South and is tasked with the conquest of Ukraine. Rundstedt is present at the Berlin Conference in March 1941, where Hitler tells his generals to ignore the normal rules of war and be prepared to summarily execute all political elements in the Red Army that are captured. This instruction forms the Commissar Decree, formally issued in June, which instructs the Wehrmacht to carry out a war of extermination. We don't have any concrete evidence about Rundstedt's immediate reaction, though he says after the war that all the generals were against it and never carried the orders out. But the second part of that simply isn't true. Hitler dismisses Rundstedt from his post in December 1941, after he refuses to launch an impossible offensive to recapture the port city of Rostov. But countless atrocities have already been committed under his command. Only days after Kiev falls to Rundstedt's forces in September, the Einsatzgruppen, assisted by men under the command of Walther von Reichenau, himself under Rundstedt's command, carry out one of the largest mass executions of the entire war. Across two days, over 33,000 Jews are killed at Babi Yar. There is no evidence suggesting Rundstedt had prior knowledge of this, but not long after, Reichenau will issue the Severity Order to his troops, where he reminds them that they are fighting a war against the Jewish Bolshevik system. Soldiers must, therefore, appreciate the necessity for the severe but just retribution that must be meted out to the sub-human species of Jewry. It is an endorsement of racially motivated extrajudicial killing, and Rundstedt is undeniably supportive of Reichenau's initiative, for he redistributes the order to his other generals, with a signed cover letter stating, "...I thoroughly concur with its contents", and directs them to issue similar instructions. He will deny this after the war, and will never actually face trial for his role in Nazi war crimes. Do you think he should have? He claims political neutrality, but can you really be considered neutral if you command an army waging an ideological war of annihilation? And it's not like his experience in Operation Barbarossa turned him away from the German cause, since his career will continue throughout the war as Commander-in-Chief of Western Europe. It is clear that he knew and at least tacitly approved of mass murder on the Eastern Front. Probably the kindest thing we can say about him is that he is an old school officer with 19th century ethics that just don't fit with the inescapably political war of the modern age. I'll let you guys decide how much history should judge him for that. If you'd like to learn about the Blitzkrieg tactics Rundstedt was working with, then you can watch that special episode on it right here.