Georg von Sodenstern
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Georg von Sodenstern (15 November 1889 – 20 July 1955) was a German general in the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
who commanded the 19th Army. He was also a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. It has been indicated von Sodenstern was part of a group, including
Erwin von Witzleben Job Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German field marshal in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated to ...
, who proposed a coup against
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in 1937.


Career

After his cadet training, Georg von Sodenstern joined the 3rd Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 62 as an ensign on 13 March 1909. He was promoted to lieutenant on 27 January 1910. In 1914, he went into World War I with his regiment as a company officer. On 25 February 1915, he was promoted to ''
Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...
''. He was promoted to captain on 18 August 1917. After the First World War, he joined the
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
and deployed in the 27th Infantry Regiment. He then became a company commander in the 6th Infantry Regiment. In 1924, he was transferred to Kassel as a staff officer for Group Command 2. In 1925, he joined the General Staff of Infantry Leader III in Potsdam. In 1926, he was transferred to the Army Organization Department in Berlin. The following year, he was assigned directly to the Troops Office and was promoted to major on 1 February 1928 . In 1931, he was then appointed adjutant to the chief of the troop office. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1932 and colonel on 1 September 1934. On 15 October 1935, he took over as commander of the newly formed 65th Infantry Regiment in Delmenhorst . He resigned in August 1937 and became Chief of Staff of the VI Army Corps in Munster. After being promoted to major general on 1 March 1938, von Sodenstern became Chief of the General Staff at Group Command 2 on 1 December 1938. He then became Chief of Staff of Army Group C under
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb (5 September 1876 – 29 April 1956) was a German field marshal and war criminal in World War II. Leeb was a highly decorated officer in World War I and was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph which gra ...
, which was responsible for defending the western border during the invasion of Poland . On 1 February 1940 he was promoted to
Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...
. On 6 February 1940, he became Chief of Staff of Army Group A under
Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German field marshal in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered th ...
, with which he took part in the western campaign . On 1 August 1940 he was promoted to
General der Infanterie General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...
. Due to Rundstedt's appointment as Commander-in-Chief West in October 1940, he remained active in the West until early 1941. At the beginning of the attack on the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, he became Chief of the General Staff of Army Group South and served under von Rundstedt ,
Walter von Reichenau Walter Karl Ernst August von Reichenau (8 October 1884 – 17 January 1942) was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Reichenau commanded the 6th Army (Wehrmacht), 6th Army, during the invasio ...
, and
Fedor von Bock Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock (3 December 1880 – 4 May 1945) was a German 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 ...
. When the Army Group was divided up for the forthcoming summer offensive in early July 1942, he was appointed Chief of Staff of Army Group B under
Maximilian von Weichs Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von und zu Weichs an der Glon (12 November 1881 – 27 September 1954) was a field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into an aristocratic family, Weichs ...
. In July 1943, he was transferred to the
Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches and ...
. On 13 August 1943, he was reactivated and in the west became supreme commander of Army Group Felber, from which he raised the 19th Army. In this function he was responsible, among other things, for the German measures in the Italian occupation area in southern France when Italy left the war. At the end of June 1944, von Sodenstern was replaced by
Friedrich Wiese Friedrich Wiese (5 December 1892 – 13 February 1975) was a German general in the Wehrmacht who commanded the 19th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Iron ...
and left the Wehrmacht with honor.


Post military

From 1946, he worked on studies on the Second World War as part of the German department of the United States Army 's war history research group. From 1954, Sodenstern presided over a “ working group for defense research ” as a figurehead, with
Jürgen Rohwer Jürgen Rohwer (24 May 192424 July 2015) was a German military historian and professor of history at the University of Stuttgart. Rohwer wrote over 400 books and essays on World War II naval history and military intelligence, which gained him w ...
actually doing the work. Sodenstern died on 20 July 1955 in Frankfurt am Main.


Awards and decorations

* Iron Cross (both classes) * Cross for Merit in War * Austrian Military Merit Cross *
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
on 19 July 1940 as ''
Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...
'' and Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe A * German Cross in Gold on 2 January 1943


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sodenstern, Georg Von 1889 births 1955 deaths German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I People from Hesse-Nassau Military personnel from Kassel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Reichswehr personnel