Fedor von Bock

Fedor von Bock
Bock as Generaloberst in 1939
Birth name	Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock
Nickname(s)	Holy Fire of Küstrin Der Sterber[1]
Born	(1880-12-03)3 December 1880 Cüstrin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	4 May 1945(1945-05-04) (aged 64) Oldenburg in Holstein, Nazi Germany
Buried	Friedhof Lensahn
Allegiance	German Empire (1898–1918)  Kingdom of Prussia  Weimar Republic (1918–1933)  Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Service / branch	Imperial German Army  Prussian Army  Reichsheer  Wehrmacht
Years of service	1898 – 1942
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Commands	Reichswehr: II. (light) Battalion, 4th Prussian Infantry Regiment (1924) 4th Prussian Infantry Regiment (1926) 1st Cavalry Division Military District II (1931) Wehrmacht: Gruppenkommando 3 (1935) Gruppenkommando 1 (1938) Army Group North (August 1939) Army Group B (October 1939) Army Group Center (October 1941) Army Group South (January 1942)
Battles / wars	See battles World War I Western front German spring offensive (1918) Eastern Front Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive (1915) Brusilov Offensive (1916) World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Gdynia (1939) Western Front Battle of the Netherlands Battle of Maastricht (1940) Battle of Belgium Battle of the Lys (1940) Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk (1940) Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok-Minsk (1941) Battle of Smolensk (1941) Yelnya Offensive (1941) Battle of Moscow (1941) Battles of Rzhev (1942) Operation Blue
Awards	Pour le Mérite Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Spouse(s)	Mally Lonny Anna Marga Klara von Reichenbach ​ ​ (m. 1905; died 1910)​ Wilhelmine Gottliebe Jenny von Boddien ​ ​ (m. 1936; died 1945)​
Children	1
Relations	Erich von Falkenhayn (uncle) Eugen von Falkenhayn (uncle)
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Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock (3 December 1880 – 4 May 1945) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) who served in the German Army during the Second World War. Bock served as the commander of Army Group North during the Invasion of Poland in 1939, of Army Group B during the Invasion of France in 1940, of Army Group Center during Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and of Army Group South on the Eastern Front in 1942.

Bock was a staff officer of the Imperial German Army during World War I and rose through the ranks of the post-war Reichswehr during the Weimar Republic. Bock was given his first command post in 1935, playing a key role in the Anschluss, the annexation of the Sudetenland, the invasion of Poland, and the invasion of France for which he was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall. Bock was successful during the Operation Barbarossa and commanded Operation Typhoon, the German attempt to capture Moscow during the autumn and winter of 1941, which was slowed by the rasputitsa and stiff Soviet resistance around Mozhaisk.^[2]

Bock was a monarchist neutral to the Nazi regime and not heavily involved in politics, but he did not sympathize with plots to overthrow Hitler. Bock was outspoken in his disagreement with Hitler and the Army High Command's strategy on the Eastern Front, a privilege extended to him only because he had been successful in battle.^[2] Bock was relieved of his command by Hitler after the failure of Operation Typhoon and the German retreat from the Red Army in July 1942, forcing him into retirement for the rest of the war. Bock was killed by a strafing Royal New Zealand Air Force plane on 4 May 1945 while travelling by car towards Hamburg.