Gerd von Rundstedt

Gerd von Rundstedt
Gerd von Rundstedt
	von Rundstedt in 1932
Birth name	Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt
Born	12 December 1875; Aschersleben, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	24 February 1953 (aged 77); Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Buried	Stöckener Cemetery
Allegiance	German Empire (1892–1918) Kingdom of Prussia; ; Weimar Republic (1918–1933); Nazi Germany (1933–1945);
Service/branch	Imperial German Army Prussian Army; ; Reichsheer; German Army;
Years of service	1892–1945
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Commands held	Wehrmacht: Army Group South; Army Group A; OB West; ;
Battles/wars	See battles World War I Western Front First Battle of the Marne (1914); ; World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of the Bzura (1939); ; Western Front Battle of Belgium; Battle of France Battle of Sedan (1940); Battle of Dunkirk (1940); Dieppe Raid; ; Battle of Normandy (1944); Siegfried Line Campaign (1944); Operation Market Garden (1944); Operation Queen (1944); Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945); Western Allied invasion of Germany (1945); ; Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa (1941) Battle of Uman (1941); First Battle of Kiev (1941); Battle of the Sea of Azov (1941); First Battle of Rostov (1941); ; ;
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Spouse(s)	Luise "Bila" Agathe Marie von Götz (m. 1902)
Children	1
Relations	Georg Heinrici (cousin); Gotthard Heinrici (cousin)
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Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) in the Heer (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, von Rundstedt entered the Prussian Army in 1892. During World War I, he served mainly as a staff officer. In the interwar period, he continued his military career, reaching the rank of Colonel General (Generaloberst) before retiring in 1938.

He was recalled at the beginning of World War II as commander of Army Group South in the invasion of Poland. He commanded Army Group A during the Battle of France, and requested the Halt Order during the Battle of Dunkirk. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 1940. In the invasion of the Soviet Union, he commanded Army Group South, responsible for the largest encirclement in history, the Battle of Kiev. He was relieved of command in December 1941 after authorizing the withdrawal from Rostov but was recalled in 1942 and appointed Commander-in-Chief in the West.

He was dismissed after the German defeat in Normandy in July 1944 but was again recalled as Commander-in-Chief in the West in September, holding this post until his final dismissal by Adolf Hitler in March 1945. Though aware of the various plots to depose Hitler, von Rundstedt neither supported nor reported them. After the war, he was charged with war crimes, but did not face trial due to his age and poor health. He was released in 1949, and died in 1953.