Dietrich von Choltitz

General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz
Choltitz in 1940 as Oberstleutnant
Birth name	Dietrich Hugo Hermann von Choltitz
Nickname(s)	"Saviour of Paris"
Born	(1894-11-09)9 November 1894 Gräflich Wiese, German Empire
Died	5 November 1966(1966-11-05) (aged 71) Baden-Baden, West Germany
Buried	Baden-Baden cemetery
Allegiance	German Empire  Kingdom of Saxony  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Imperial German Army Royal Saxon Army  Reichsheer  German Army
Years of service	1907–1944
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands held	LXXVI Panzer Corps 11th Panzer Division
Battles/wars	List of battles: World War I Western Front World War II German invasions Poland (1939) Netherlands (1940) Soviet Union (1941) Eastern Front Siege of Sevastopol (1941) Battle of Kursk (1943) Italian Campaign Battle of Anzio (1944) Western Front Battle of Normandy (1944) Liberation of Paris (1944)
Awards	List of awards: Iron Cross 1st Class (2) 2nd Class (2) Knight's Cross German Cross Honour Cross of the World War Order of St. Henry Order of the Star of Romania Wound Badge Silver Gold Infantry Assault Badge Albert Order Civil Order of Saxony Order of Michael the Brave Sudetenland Medal Crimea Shield
Spouse(s)	Huberta von Garnier ​ (m. 1929)​
Children	Maria Angelika von Choltitz (born 1930) Anna Barbara von Choltitz (born 1936) Timo von Choltitz (born 1944)
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Dietrich Hugo Hermann von Choltitz (German pronunciation: [ˈdiːtʁɪç fɔn ˈkɔltɪts]; 9 November 1894 – 5 November 1966) was a German general. Sometimes referred to as the Saviour of Paris, he served in the Wehrmacht (armed forces) of Nazi Germany during World War II, as well as serving in the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, and the Royal Saxon Army during World War I.

Born into an aristocratic Prussian family with a long history of military service, Choltitz joined the army at a young age and saw service on the Western Front during the First World War (1914–1918). He rose to the rank of Leutnant by the end of the war and was active in the interwar period helping Germany rebuild its armed forces. In September 1939, during the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II, he was serving in Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South. In May 1940, Choltitz participated in the Battle of Rotterdam, making an air landing and seizing some of the city's key bridges.

Choltitz is chiefly remembered for his role as the last commander of Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944, when he allegedly disobeyed Adolf Hitler's orders to destroy the city, and instead surrendered it to Free French forces when they entered the city on 25 August. Choltitz later asserted that his defiance of Hitler's direct order stemmed from its obvious military futility, his affection for the French capital's history and culture, and his belief that Hitler had by then become insane. Other sources suggest that he had little control of the city thanks to the operations of the French Resistance, and could not have carried out such orders anyway.