much better to have followed his advice in 1943 and 1944, even if it meant giving up Leningrad a few weeks earlier.
After his forced retirement, von Kuechler faded into obscurity. He was approached by Dr. Carl Goerdeler and Johannes Popitz, the civilian leaders of the anti-Hitler conspiracy. Like many others he expressed sympathy for their goals but refused to join them himself.
Throughout World War II, Georg von Kuechler dealt with enemy civilians in a civilized manner. He refused to cooperate with SS and SD murder squads and had several violent clashes with Erich Koch over that Nazi Gualeiter’s brutal policies. He even halted the forced evacuation of civilians from eastern Estonia in the fall of 1943 because it was causing too much suffering among the enemy’s population. Partisans, however, he treated like terrorists and bandits; some of them were. For this he was arrested at the end of the war and, at Nuremberg, was convicted as a minor war criminal. On October 27, 1948, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was released in February 1955 and faded back into obscurity. In 1959 he was living in retirement with his wife in the village of Zurueckgezogenheit, in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area. Unfortunately he wrote no memoirs. He died on May 25, 1968.
Georg von Kuechler was replaced as commander-in-chief of Army Group North by Colonel General Walter Model, who was promoted to field marshal on March 1, 1944, and was named commander-in-chief of Army Group North Ukraine the same day. He, in turn, was succeeded by Colonel General Lindemann, the commander of the 18th Army.
georg lindemann was born at Osterburg in Altmark on March 8, 1884, and entered the Prussian Army as a Fahnenjunker in 1903. He was commissioned into the Magdeburger 6th Dragoon Regiment in the Rhineland in 1904 and was a first lieutenant in the 13th Hussar Regiment in 1913. He served with 5th Army during the drive on Paris in 1914 and then finished his General Staff training. Promoted to captain on November 28, 1914, he had returned to the Western Front as a General Staff officer by the spring of 1915 and was on the staff of the 1st Army in France by the summer of 1916. In the latter stages of the war, he was on the General Staff of the Westphalian 220th Infantry Division, which suffered heavy casualties at Lens in early 1918. Lindemann was chief of operations of the 200th Infantry Division on the Western Front when the war ended. He emerged from the conflict with both grades of the Iron Cross and the Hohenzollern House Order with Swords. When he returned to Germany, he was assigned to border protection duties with the staff of Volunteer Division von Lettow-Vorbeck. Late in 1919, he became an instructor at the Infantry School at Munich. Selected for retention by the Reichsheer, he spent the Weimar era in the cavalry, first with the 7th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment at Breslau (1922–1925), where he commanded a squadron (1923–1925); on the staff of the 2nd Cavalry Division, also at Breslau (1925–1928); as commander of an instructional group at the Cavalry School at Hanover (1928–1931); and as commander of the 13th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment at Hanover (1931–1934). He became a major in 1926 and a lieutenant colonel in 1931. Promoted to full colonel in 1933, he served as commandant of the War School at Hanover (1934–1936) and assumed command of the newly authorized 36th Infantry Division at Kaiserslautern. He was promoted to major general on April 20, 1936, and to lieutenant general on April 1, 1938.
Lindemann led the 36th Infantry during the so-called Phoney War of 1939–1940 and directed it in the attacks against the Maginot Line during the Western campaign of 1940, where he had little opportunity to distinguish himself. 19 Nevertheless the ambitious and pro-Nazi Lindemann was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 5, 1940, and on October 1 was given command of the L Corps, which was then forming in Baden-Oos, Germany. One month later he
After his forced retirement, von Kuechler faded into obscurity. He was approached by Dr. Carl Goerdeler and Johannes Popitz, the civilian leaders of the anti-Hitler conspiracy. Like many others he expressed sympathy for their goals but refused to join them himself.
Throughout World War II, Georg von Kuechler dealt with enemy civilians in a civilized manner. He refused to cooperate with SS and SD murder squads and had several violent clashes with Erich Koch over that Nazi Gualeiter’s brutal policies. He even halted the forced evacuation of civilians from eastern Estonia in the fall of 1943 because it was causing too much suffering among the enemy’s population. Partisans, however, he treated like terrorists and bandits; some of them were. For this he was arrested at the end of the war and, at Nuremberg, was convicted as a minor war criminal. On October 27, 1948, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was released in February 1955 and faded back into obscurity. In 1959 he was living in retirement with his wife in the village of Zurueckgezogenheit, in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area. Unfortunately he wrote no memoirs. He died on May 25, 1968.
Georg von Kuechler was replaced as commander-in-chief of Army Group North by Colonel General Walter Model, who was promoted to field marshal on March 1, 1944, and was named commander-in-chief of Army Group North Ukraine the same day. He, in turn, was succeeded by Colonel General Lindemann, the commander of the 18th Army.
georg lindemann was born at Osterburg in Altmark on March 8, 1884, and entered the Prussian Army as a Fahnenjunker in 1903. He was commissioned into the Magdeburger 6th Dragoon Regiment in the Rhineland in 1904 and was a first lieutenant in the 13th Hussar Regiment in 1913. He served with 5th Army during the drive on Paris in 1914 and then finished his General Staff training. Promoted to captain on November 28, 1914, he had returned to the Western Front as a General Staff officer by the spring of 1915 and was on the staff of the 1st Army in France by the summer of 1916. In the latter stages of the war, he was on the General Staff of the Westphalian 220th Infantry Division, which suffered heavy casualties at Lens in early 1918. Lindemann was chief of operations of the 200th Infantry Division on the Western Front when the war ended. He emerged from the conflict with both grades of the Iron Cross and the Hohenzollern House Order with Swords. When he returned to Germany, he was assigned to border protection duties with the staff of Volunteer Division von Lettow-Vorbeck. Late in 1919, he became an instructor at the Infantry School at Munich. Selected for retention by the Reichsheer, he spent the Weimar era in the cavalry, first with the 7th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment at Breslau (1922–1925), where he commanded a squadron (1923–1925); on the staff of the 2nd Cavalry Division, also at Breslau (1925–1928); as commander of an instructional group at the Cavalry School at Hanover (1928–1931); and as commander of the 13th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment at Hanover (1931–1934). He became a major in 1926 and a lieutenant colonel in 1931. Promoted to full colonel in 1933, he served as commandant of the War School at Hanover (1934–1936) and assumed command of the newly authorized 36th Infantry Division at Kaiserslautern. He was promoted to major general on April 20, 1936, and to lieutenant general on April 1, 1938.
Lindemann led the 36th Infantry during the so-called Phoney War of 1939–1940 and directed it in the attacks against the Maginot Line during the Western campaign of 1940, where he had little opportunity to distinguish himself. 19 Nevertheless the ambitious and pro-Nazi Lindemann was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 5, 1940, and on October 1 was given command of the L Corps, which was then forming in Baden-Oos, Germany. One month later he
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