Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist

Ewald von Kleist
Ewald von Kleist in 1940
Birth name	Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist
Born	(1881-08-08)8 August 1881 Braunfels, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	13 November 1954(1954-11-13) (aged 73) Vladimir Central Prison, Vladimir, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire (1900–1918)  Weimar Republic (1918–1933)  Nazi Germany (1933–1944)
Service/branch	Imperial German Army  Reichsheer  German Army
Years of service	1900–1944
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Commands held	XXII Motorised Corps Panzer Group Kleist 1st Panzer Army Army Group A
Battles/wars	World War I Eastern Front Battle of Tannenberg Estonian War of Independence World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Invasion of Yugoslavia Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Brody Battle of Uman Battle of Kiev Battle of the Sea of Azov Battle of Rostov Second Battle of Kharkov Case Blue Dnieper Campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations	Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin (cousin)
Signature
War crimes
Conviction(s)	War crimes
Criminal penalty	15 years (Yugoslavia) 25 years (Soviet Union)

Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (8 August 1881 – 13 November 1954) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Born into the Prussian noble family von Kleist, Kleist entered the Prussian Army in 1900 and commanded a cavalry squadron during World War I. Kleist joined the Reichswehr of inter-war Germany before being discharged in 1938.

Recalled to active duty at the beginning of World War II, Kleist commanded a motorised corps in the Invasion of Poland. He then became the commander of Panzer Group Kleist (later 1st Panzer Army), the first operational formation of several Panzer corps in the Wehrmacht during the Battle of France, the Battle of Belgium, the Invasion of Yugoslavia and Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

During the Battle of France, units under Kleist's command included Heinz Guderian's armoured corps and spearheaded the "blitzkrieg" attack through the Ardennes forest, outflanking the Maginot Line. His panzer divisions eventually pushed deep into France, resulting in Allied defeat. He then commanded the 1st Panzer Army as it drove deep into Ukraine and the Caucasus during Operation Barbarossa.

Kleist was appointed commander-in-chief of Army Group A during the last days of Case Blue, the 1942 German summer offensive in southern Russia. His disagreements with Hitler over strategic decisions led to his dismissal in March 1944 after the German defeat in right-bank Ukraine.

Following the war, Kleist was extradited to the Soviet Union where he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes; he died in prison.