Gordon
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Unlucky, or victim of poor strategic/operational planning?
Nominees for unluckiest General of WWII
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Sparafucil3
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Considering how his troops fared, I think Paulus was anything but unlucky. I suspect many a Landser would have traded fates with him. -- jim
Michael Dorosh
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It would be very difficult to think of anyone more perfectly suited to running 8th Army than Montgomery. His task wasn't just beating the Italian-German armies in North Africa, but of restoring the 8th Army's morale.
He had only himself to blame for poor operational planning. He could have extracted himself from 'der kessel' early when he still had the fuel, ammo, and manpower. If he attacked westwards the soviets would have had to divert troops from their push on Rostov and would have changed everything on the Eastern Front. The Germans were not going to win at all but they could have saved an Army.
Von Kar
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I fully agree, Michael.
8th Army's morale urgently needed a boost and Montgomery helped to restore it (with a little help from ULTRA at El Alamein ?).
My point was (1) that Lt-Gen Gott was unlucky as he was killed on his way to his new appointment and (2) as this led to Montgomery's appointment instead, he rose to even higher command in the later war years.
According to several sources Montgomery had “... a rather difficult personality” (*), which frustrated many of his contemporaries, General Eisenhower among others (thus making him an unlucky general, too).
(*) According to a 1945 quote from Churchill, Montgomery was 'In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable.'
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Michael Dorosh
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Gentlemen, I present you with
Generalleutnant Gustav Dietrich Adolf Heistermann von Ziehlberg
The 65th Infantry Division was newly created in 1942 and spent a year on coastal duties. In the summer of 1943 the 65th Division was tasked to move to the Eastern Front but before they moved, the invasion of Sicily caused the 65th to be sent to Italy instead. Troops were still needed for Russia, though, so experienced troops were combed out and sent to Russia, leaving the 65th with a high proportion of Silesian (Polish-German) conscripts who the Allies found very willing to surrender without fighting. Willy Rupprecht handed over command of the 65th to von Ziehlberg on 1 August 1943. Von Ziehlberg had served in the Great War, mainly I think in staff positions including adjutant of his father's 1st Pomeranian Grenadier Regiment. He stayed in the military and served as a General Staff officer in the early years of the war, promoted Oberst (colonel) in 1941. His first combat command was Grenadier Regiment 48 at Demjansk in January 1943. He returned to the Führerreserve in April 1943 and remained there until called to the 65th in August.
Von Ziehlberg was promoted to Generalmajor and changed the division's insignia to the letter Z, presumably in reference to his own last name.
In the division's first battles on the Sangro River (the ADVANCING FIRE module about Orsogna is set here) the Division was overwhelmed by air attacks, and von Ziehlberg lost most of his division in addition to his left arm. The division had too many unwilling conscripts to put up much of a fight. Or perhaps von Ziehlberg himself was simply uninspiring. His replacement was Hellmuth Pfeifer, a tough general who wore the Infantry Assault Badge (rare for a general). He changed the division insignia to a hand grenade, and led the division through Anzio, the retreat from Rome, and Futa Pass. He was killed on the far side of Po in the last days of the war.
But here is where von Ziehlberg's luck really turned against him. After a lengthy recovery, he took command of 28 Jäger Division on 28 April 1944. He was promoted Generalleutnant on 1 June 1944, then thrown into the fighting of the Destruction of Army Group Centre. He broke out of an encirclement at Slonim and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for it. At the height of his success came the assassination attempt on Hitler. On 20 July 1944, von Ziehlberg was ordered to arrest his Ia (senior operations staff officer) Major Joachim Kuhn. The Ia of a division planned operations. It was a common joke AIUI that he was in effect the commander of the division, the way a company commander will joke that his clerk actually runs his company. Successful division commanders probably enjoyed healthy working relationships with their Ia.
Von Ziehlberg's Ia, Kuhn, pictured below, had been implicated in the bomb plot against Hitler for good reason, since he was one of the men that obtained the explosives for von Stauffenberg. On 21 July, the day after the bomb plot failed, Kuhn had accompanied von Tresckow (played by Kenneth Branagh in the Valkyrie film) to the front where von Tresckow committed suicide rather than risk arrest, trial and execution for his actions.
When Kuhn returned to headquarters, Von Ziehlberg confronted him with the arrest warrant. Kuhn denied his involvement in the plot, and von Ziehlberg declined to arrest him. He told him to hand off his duties to another officer, and return to Berlin to clear up what he presumed was a misunderstanding. It was a huge mistake. I don't know why Ziehlberg did it - probably loyalty and affection for an officer that he relied on and trusted.
Kuhn, of course, was guilty of treason, and instead of heading to Berlin, he surrendered to the Red Army.
Von Ziehlberg obviously looked guilty by association. When Kuhn never showed up in Berlin, von Ziehlberg was charged with negligent disobedience for not arresting his trusted subordinate (and quite possibly friend). Worth noting he was not charged for treason and apparently was not considered an accomplice. In September 1944 he was sentenced to nine months in prison, but was pardoned for his exemplary service on the Eastern Front.
A month later he was summoned back to Berlin, this time he was charged for involvement in the plot, accused of collaborating with Generaloberst Beck. His previous sentence was revoked, he was arrested, and put on trial a second time. It's not clear what changed, perhaps his name came out - for whatever reason - in the ongoing investigations. Or perhaps he was simply seen as unreliable due to his earlier kind treatment of Kuhn. On 21 November von Ziehlberg was sentenced to death, discharged in disgrace from the military, and stripped of his honors, rank and titles. The judges expressed regret at having to do this, citing "Führer's orders" and suggesting they hadn't wished to do it.
On 2 February 1945, a firing squad was convened near Charlottenburg and von Ziehlberg's life came to a violent end.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So he took command of a bad division (which was turned around by his successor), lost his arm, had a brief period of redemption, and then through an act of faith for a brother officer, was found guilty of negligence, then redeemed once more, then implicated anew (there is no evidence I'm aware of that he had anything to do with the assassination) and executed.
In the broader sense, he was in the same no-win situation as all German officers - serve his fascist masters, or be a traitor to his country and his oath of allegiance. In this case, had he complied with the order to arrest his brother officer, he might have spared his own life while almost certainly condemning his comrade to the fate he himself eventually suffered.
A brief history of the 65th can be found on my YT channel here:
Generalleutnant Gustav Dietrich Adolf Heistermann von Ziehlberg
The 65th Infantry Division was newly created in 1942 and spent a year on coastal duties. In the summer of 1943 the 65th Division was tasked to move to the Eastern Front but before they moved, the invasion of Sicily caused the 65th to be sent to Italy instead. Troops were still needed for Russia, though, so experienced troops were combed out and sent to Russia, leaving the 65th with a high proportion of Silesian (Polish-German) conscripts who the Allies found very willing to surrender without fighting. Willy Rupprecht handed over command of the 65th to von Ziehlberg on 1 August 1943. Von Ziehlberg had served in the Great War, mainly I think in staff positions including adjutant of his father's 1st Pomeranian Grenadier Regiment. He stayed in the military and served as a General Staff officer in the early years of the war, promoted Oberst (colonel) in 1941. His first combat command was Grenadier Regiment 48 at Demjansk in January 1943. He returned to the Führerreserve in April 1943 and remained there until called to the 65th in August.
Von Ziehlberg was promoted to Generalmajor and changed the division's insignia to the letter Z, presumably in reference to his own last name.
In the division's first battles on the Sangro River (the ADVANCING FIRE module about Orsogna is set here) the Division was overwhelmed by air attacks, and von Ziehlberg lost most of his division in addition to his left arm. The division had too many unwilling conscripts to put up much of a fight. Or perhaps von Ziehlberg himself was simply uninspiring. His replacement was Hellmuth Pfeifer, a tough general who wore the Infantry Assault Badge (rare for a general). He changed the division insignia to a hand grenade, and led the division through Anzio, the retreat from Rome, and Futa Pass. He was killed on the far side of Po in the last days of the war.
But here is where von Ziehlberg's luck really turned against him. After a lengthy recovery, he took command of 28 Jäger Division on 28 April 1944. He was promoted Generalleutnant on 1 June 1944, then thrown into the fighting of the Destruction of Army Group Centre. He broke out of an encirclement at Slonim and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for it. At the height of his success came the assassination attempt on Hitler. On 20 July 1944, von Ziehlberg was ordered to arrest his Ia (senior operations staff officer) Major Joachim Kuhn. The Ia of a division planned operations. It was a common joke AIUI that he was in effect the commander of the division, the way a company commander will joke that his clerk actually runs his company. Successful division commanders probably enjoyed healthy working relationships with their Ia.
Von Ziehlberg's Ia, Kuhn, pictured below, had been implicated in the bomb plot against Hitler for good reason, since he was one of the men that obtained the explosives for von Stauffenberg. On 21 July, the day after the bomb plot failed, Kuhn had accompanied von Tresckow (played by Kenneth Branagh in the Valkyrie film) to the front where von Tresckow committed suicide rather than risk arrest, trial and execution for his actions.
When Kuhn returned to headquarters, Von Ziehlberg confronted him with the arrest warrant. Kuhn denied his involvement in the plot, and von Ziehlberg declined to arrest him. He told him to hand off his duties to another officer, and return to Berlin to clear up what he presumed was a misunderstanding. It was a huge mistake. I don't know why Ziehlberg did it - probably loyalty and affection for an officer that he relied on and trusted.
Kuhn, of course, was guilty of treason, and instead of heading to Berlin, he surrendered to the Red Army.
Von Ziehlberg obviously looked guilty by association. When Kuhn never showed up in Berlin, von Ziehlberg was charged with negligent disobedience for not arresting his trusted subordinate (and quite possibly friend). Worth noting he was not charged for treason and apparently was not considered an accomplice. In September 1944 he was sentenced to nine months in prison, but was pardoned for his exemplary service on the Eastern Front.
A month later he was summoned back to Berlin, this time he was charged for involvement in the plot, accused of collaborating with Generaloberst Beck. His previous sentence was revoked, he was arrested, and put on trial a second time. It's not clear what changed, perhaps his name came out - for whatever reason - in the ongoing investigations. Or perhaps he was simply seen as unreliable due to his earlier kind treatment of Kuhn. On 21 November von Ziehlberg was sentenced to death, discharged in disgrace from the military, and stripped of his honors, rank and titles. The judges expressed regret at having to do this, citing "Führer's orders" and suggesting they hadn't wished to do it.
On 2 February 1945, a firing squad was convened near Charlottenburg and von Ziehlberg's life came to a violent end.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So he took command of a bad division (which was turned around by his successor), lost his arm, had a brief period of redemption, and then through an act of faith for a brother officer, was found guilty of negligence, then redeemed once more, then implicated anew (there is no evidence I'm aware of that he had anything to do with the assassination) and executed.
In the broader sense, he was in the same no-win situation as all German officers - serve his fascist masters, or be a traitor to his country and his oath of allegiance. In this case, had he complied with the order to arrest his brother officer, he might have spared his own life while almost certainly condemning his comrade to the fate he himself eventually suffered.
A brief history of the 65th can be found on my YT channel here:
Last edited: