During the Battle of Moscow, Eberbach spearheaded Panzer Group 2's offensive towards Moscow as the commander of a combined-arms kampfgruppe within the 4th Panzer Division.[4] The attack began on September 30 and in only two days of fighting Kampfgruppe Eberbach had achieved a clean breakthrough, advanced over 120 kilometers, and put the entire Soviet Bryansk Front in a disastrous position while suffering negligible losses of its own.[5] Eberbach demonstrated his flexibility as a troop leader by detaching two battalions to assist the 3rd Panzer Division's efforts in the same area of operations near Bryansk, despite serving under a different division.[6] Soviet air attacks and a fuel shortage early on 2 October failed to prevent the kampfgruppe's aggressive combat leaders from advancing on the city of Orel, ending the Soviet industrial relocation efforts there and capturing a key communications hub of the Bryansk Front, on 3 October.[7] Kampfgruppe Eberbach's losses had been light: 6 tanks knocked out, 34 men killed and 121 wounded. This was a small price to pay for the complete rupturing of the Soviet lines and the capture of a city of such strategic value. 4th Panzer division had also captured 1,600 Soviet troops, mostly Kampfgruppe Eberbach's work.[8]
In March 1942 he was made commander of the 4th Panzer Division, in the German lines opposite the Russian town of Sukhinichi, roughly 120 miles west of Tula. In late November 1942 Eberbach was appointed commander of the XLVIII Panzer Corps that had just been overrun in the initial days of Operation Uranus, near the midpoint of the Battle of Stalingrad. Eberbach was soon wounded and evacuated, remaining hospitalized until February. He then became Inspector of the Armored Troops in the Home Army, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to lieutenant general.
In November 1943, Eberbach became commander of troops around Nikopol and fought in battles around Zhitomir in the Soviet Union. In early 1944 Eberbach was promoted to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. During the Allied invasion of Normandy, he fought against the British landings along the 'Juno' and 'Sword' beaches. On 4 July he took command of "Panzer Group West" (later, 5th Panzer Army) after Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg was relieved (two days before). On 9 August, this force was divided, with 5th Panzer Army retreating with the most damaged units; the effective units were reorganized as Panzergruppe Eberbach.
Eberbach was directed to lead this force in the counterattack through Mortain toward Avranches that was intended to cut off the Allied forces which had broken out of Normandy. According to Eberbach's post-war memoirs, he had no confidence in the attack. When General Warlimont of OKW arrived at his HQ on 1 August to "get a closer look at the situation", Eberbach told him that "the only possible solution was an immediate retreat to the Seine-Yonne line."[9] However, Warlimont denied Eberbach's request to withdraw, and instead confirmed the order to attack.
The attack failed, and most of Panzergruppe Eberbach and 7th Army was surrounded and destroyed in the Falaise Pocket. Eberbach escaped and was given command of the remnants of 7th Army on 21 August. On 31 August Eberbach was surprised in his bed and captured by British troops at Amiens.[10]
Eberbach was held in a prisoner-of-war camp until 1948. He participated in the work of the U.S. Army Historical Division, where, under the guidance of Franz Halder, German generals wrote World War II operational studies for the U.S. Army, first as POWs and then as employees.[11] Eberbach was the father of the naval officer Heinz-Eugen Eberbach, commander of U-967 and U-230 during World War II.[12]
WorksEdit
Eberbach, Heinrich (1945–1954). Panzer Group Eberbach and the Falaise Encirclement. Karlsruhe, Germany: Historical Division, Headquarters United States Army, Europe, Foreign Military Studies Branch. OCLC 33089881.
AwardsEdit
Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (12 October 1914) & 1st Class (10 November 1917)[13]
Kienle, Polly (2005). . H-net.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
Mitcham, Samuel W. (2009). Panzers in Normandy: General Hans Eberbach and the German Defense of France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. ISBN978-0-8117-4447-8.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
Searle, Alaric (2003). Wehrmacht Generals, West German Society, and the Debate on Rearmament, 1949–1959. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. ISBN978-0-275-97968-3.
Stockert, Peter (1996). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN978-3-9802222-7-3.
Wegmann, Günter (2004). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil VIIIa: Panzertruppe Band 1: A–E [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part VIIIa: Panzer Force Volume 1: A–E] (in German). Bissendorf, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN978-3-7648-2322-1.
Zetterling, Niklas; Frankson, Anders (2012). The Drive on Moscow, 1941: Operation Taifun and Germany's First Great Crisis of World War II. Havertown: Casemate Publishers. ISBN978-1-61200-120-3.
External linksEdit
"Rommel: Ende einer Legende" [Rommel: The End of a Legend]. Der Spiegel (in German) (38). 1978. ISSN 0038-7452. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
"Die Kraft des Bösen" [The Power of Evil]. Der Spiegel (in German) (44). 2012. ISSN 0038-7452. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
heinrich, eberbach, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, march, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Heinrich Eberbach news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Heinrich Eberbach 24 November 1895 13 July 1992 was a German general during World War II who commanded the 5th Panzer Army during the Allied invasion of Normandy He was a recipient of the Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany Heinrich EberbachEberbach in 1941Born 1895 11 24 24 November 1895Stuttgart Kingdom of Wurttemberg German EmpireDied13 July 1992 1992 07 13 aged 96 Notzingen GermanyAllegiance German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi GermanyService wbr branchArmyYears of service1914 20 1935 45RankGeneral der PanzertruppeCommands held4th Panzer Division5th Panzer Army7th ArmyBattles warsWorld War I World War II Battle of Moscow Falaise PocketAwardsKnight s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Contents 1 World War I and interwar years 2 World War II 3 Post World War II 4 Works 5 Awards 6 References 6 1 Citations 6 2 Bibliography 7 External linksWorld War I and interwar years EditHeinrich Eberbach was born on 24 November 1895 in Stuttgart in the German Empire Eberbach graduated with his Abitur university preparatory high school diploma on 30 June 1914 On 1 July 1914 Eberbach joined the Army of Wurttemberg 1 With the outbreak of World War I Eberbach s unit was deployed on the Western Front 2 On 16 October 1914 Eberbach was wounded in his thigh by artillery shrapnel 3 In September 1915 Eberbach was severely wounded losing his nose and was taken prisoner of war by French forces 3 During the 1920s Eberbach was a police officer in 1935 he joined the Wehrmacht In 1938 Eberbach became commander of a Panzer regiment in the newly formed 4th Panzer Division under General Georg Hans Reinhardt World War II EditEberbach participated in the German Invasion of Poland in September 1939 and then in 1940 in the Battle of France His unit supported General Hasso von Manteuffel s offensive across the Meuse River in May Shortly after the start of Germany s invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 he was assigned as commander of the 5th Panzer Brigade in Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg s XXIV Panzer Corps During the Battle of Moscow Eberbach spearheaded Panzer Group 2 s offensive towards Moscow as the commander of a combined arms kampfgruppe within the 4th Panzer Division 4 The attack began on September 30 and in only two days of fighting Kampfgruppe Eberbach had achieved a clean breakthrough advanced over 120 kilometers and put the entire Soviet Bryansk Front in a disastrous position while suffering negligible losses of its own 5 Eberbach demonstrated his flexibility as a troop leader by detaching two battalions to assist the 3rd Panzer Division s efforts in the same area of operations near Bryansk despite serving under a different division 6 Soviet air attacks and a fuel shortage early on 2 October failed to prevent the kampfgruppe s aggressive combat leaders from advancing on the city of Orel ending the Soviet industrial relocation efforts there and capturing a key communications hub of the Bryansk Front on 3 October 7 Kampfgruppe Eberbach s losses had been light 6 tanks knocked out 34 men killed and 121 wounded This was a small price to pay for the complete rupturing of the Soviet lines and the capture of a city of such strategic value 4th Panzer division had also captured 1 600 Soviet troops mostly Kampfgruppe Eberbach s work 8 In March 1942 he was made commander of the 4th Panzer Division in the German lines opposite the Russian town of Sukhinichi roughly 120 miles west of Tula In late November 1942 Eberbach was appointed commander of the XLVIII Panzer Corps that had just been overrun in the initial days of Operation Uranus near the midpoint of the Battle of Stalingrad Eberbach was soon wounded and evacuated remaining hospitalized until February He then became Inspector of the Armored Troops in the Home Army was awarded the Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to lieutenant general In November 1943 Eberbach became commander of troops around Nikopol and fought in battles around Zhitomir in the Soviet Union In early 1944 Eberbach was promoted to the rank of General der Panzertruppe During the Allied invasion of Normandy he fought against the British landings along the Juno and Sword beaches On 4 July he took command of Panzer Group West later 5th Panzer Army after Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg was relieved two days before On 9 August this force was divided with 5th Panzer Army retreating with the most damaged units the effective units were reorganized as Panzergruppe Eberbach Eberbach was directed to lead this force in the counterattack through Mortain toward Avranches that was intended to cut off the Allied forces which had broken out of Normandy According to Eberbach s post war memoirs he had no confidence in the attack When General Warlimont of OKW arrived at his HQ on 1 August to get a closer look at the situation Eberbach told him that the only possible solution was an immediate retreat to the Seine Yonne line 9 However Warlimont denied Eberbach s request to withdraw and instead confirmed the order to attack The attack failed and most of Panzergruppe Eberbach and 7th Army was surrounded and destroyed in the Falaise Pocket Eberbach escaped and was given command of the remnants of 7th Army on 21 August On 31 August Eberbach was surprised in his bed and captured by British troops at Amiens 10 Post World War II Edit nbsp At Trent Park POW camp Eberbach was held in a prisoner of war camp until 1948 He participated in the work of the U S Army Historical Division where under the guidance of Franz Halder German generals wrote World War II operational studies for the U S Army first as POWs and then as employees 11 Eberbach was the father of the naval officer Heinz Eugen Eberbach commander of U 967 and U 230 during World War II 12 Works EditEberbach Heinrich 1945 1954 Panzer Group Eberbach and the Falaise Encirclement Karlsruhe Germany Historical Division Headquarters United States Army Europe Foreign Military Studies Branch OCLC 33089881 Awards EditIron Cross 1914 2nd Class 12 October 1914 amp 1st Class 10 November 1917 13 Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight s Cross on 4 July 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Panzer Regiment 35 14 Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as Oberst and commander of the 5 Panzer Brigade 14 References EditCitations Edit Stockert 1996 p 232 Wegmann 2004 p 339 a b Wegmann 2004 p 337 Zetterling amp Frankson 2012 p 50 Zetterling amp Frankson 2012 pp 50 54 Zetterling amp Frankson 2012 p 53 Zetterling amp Frankson 2012 p 54 Zetterling amp Frankson 2012 pp 67 70 Eberbach 1945 1954 pp 9 10 Arnhem Antony Beevor p3 Kienle 2005 Mitcham 2009 p 181 Wegmann 2004 p 340 a b Scherzer 2007 p 285 Bibliography Edit Kienle Polly 2005 Still Fighting for the Myth German Wehrmacht Officers Reports for the U S Historical Division H net com Archived from the original on 31 January 2016 Mitcham Samuel W 2009 Panzers in Normandy General Hans Eberbach and the German Defense of France 1944 Mechanicsburg Pa Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 4447 8 Scherzer Veit 2007 Die Ritterkreuztrager 1939 1945 The Knight s Cross Bearers 1939 1945 in German Jena Germany Scherzers Militaer Verlag ISBN 978 3 938845 17 2 Searle Alaric 2003 Wehrmacht Generals West German Society and the Debate on Rearmament 1949 1959 Westport CT Praeger Publishers ISBN 978 0 275 97968 3 Stockert Peter 1996 Die Eichenlaubtrager 1939 1945 Band 1 The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939 1945 Volume 1 in German Bad Friedrichshall Germany Friedrichshaller Rundblick ISBN 978 3 9802222 7 3 Wegmann Gunter 2004 Die Ritterkreuztrager der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939 1945 Teil VIIIa Panzertruppe Band 1 A E The Knight s Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939 1945 Part VIIIa Panzer Force Volume 1 A E in German Bissendorf Germany Biblio Verlag ISBN 978 3 7648 2322 1 Zetterling Niklas Frankson Anders 2012 The Drive on Moscow 1941 Operation Taifun and Germany s First Great Crisis of World War II Havertown Casemate Publishers ISBN 978 1 61200 120 3 External links Edit Rommel Ende einer Legende Rommel The End of a Legend Der Spiegel in German 38 1978 ISSN 0038 7452 Retrieved 30 May 2016 Die Kraft des Bosen The Power of Evil Der Spiegel in German 44 2012 ISSN 0038 7452 Retrieved 30 May 2016 Military officesPreceded byGeneral der Panzertruppe Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp Commander of 4 Panzer Division6 January 1942 2 March 1942 Succeeded byGeneralleutnant Otto HeidkamperPreceded byGeneralleutnant Otto Heidkamper Commander of 4 Panzer Division4 April 1942 14 November 1942 Succeeded byGeneralleutnant Erich SchneiderPreceded byGeneral der Panzertruppe Hans Cramer Commander of XLVIII Panzer Corps26 November 1942 30 November 1942 Succeeded byGeneral der Panzertruppe Otto von KnobelsdorffPreceded byGeneral der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz Commander of XLVIII Panzer Corps22 October 1943 14 November 1943 Succeeded byGeneral der Panzertruppe Hermann BalckPreceded byWaffen SS General Paul Hausser Commander of 7 Armee21 August 1944 30 August 1944 Succeeded byGeneral Erich BrandenbergerPortals nbsp Biography nbsp Military of Germany nbsp World War I nbsp World War IIHeinrich Eberbach at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Media from Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heinrich Eberbach amp oldid 1113899687, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
