Bodo Zimmermann (26 November 1886 – 16 April 1963) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

general during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He also was one of the few recipients of both

German cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

es (in Gold and in Silver).

Biography

Bodo Zimmermann was born in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

in November 1886. He began his cadet training in 1906, joining the Royal Army of Prussia. Zimmermann served in an infantry regiment of the 34th Division. From 1907 to 1914 he served in the regiment with the rank of ''

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

'' (

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

). In 1915, shortly after the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. During the war he received the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

for his exemplary actions. Zimmermann was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1920 shortly before leaving the army. After the war he ran a publishing house which specialised in military literature and instructional manuals. Shortly before the

began in 1939, Zimmermann was reintegrated in the new armed forces of Nazi Germany, the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

. As major, Zimmermann served in the High Command of the 1st Army, on the Western Front. In October 1940, he was appointed ''Generalstabsoffizier'' at the headquarters of

Army Group D Army Group D () was a German Army Group which saw action during World War II. Army Group D was formed on 26 October 1940 in France, its initial cadre coming from the disbanded Army Group C. On 15 April 1941, the status of Army Group D was upgr ...

, under the command of

Erwin von Witzleben Job Wilhelm Georg Erwin Erdmann von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''Wehrmacht'' and ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commander in Chief in the West), during the Second World ...

. Zimmermann was promoted to the rank of ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

'' (lieutenant colonel) on 1 August 1941, under the command of

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...

. On 1 December 1942, Zimmermann was appointed

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. On 15 February 1943, he received the

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Silver, for his services. In the Fall of 1944, Zimmermann became ''Chef der Führungsabteilung'' on the western sector. On 5 June (the day before

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

) Zimmerman the Operations Officer at

OB West ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' ( German: initials ''OB West'') (German: "Commander-in-Chief n theWest") was the overall commander of the '' Westheer'', the German armed forces on the Western Front during World War II. It was directly subordinate to t ...

in France received a message from Hans Speidel at Rommel’s headquarters that the Fifteenth Army was on alert. But he did not put the Seventh Army defending Normandy on alert ''"because of the weather"''. On 25 September 1944, Zimmerman received the

in gold. He was promoted to the rank of ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' on 1 December 1944. On 1 May 1945 Zimmermann was promoted to the rank of ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language 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 ...

''. After the war ended, he remained a prisoner until 1947. After 1948, Zimmerman published ''Geschichte des Oberbefehlshaber West'' and ''Ideas on the Defense of the Rhine and Western Germany as an outpost area of Western Europe''. Zimmermann died in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

in 1963.Dermot Bradley, Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp, ''Die Generale des Heeres 1921–1945'', Osnabrück 1994

Decorations

of 1914, 1st and 2nd class * Deutsches Kreuz ** in Gold, on 25 September 1944 ** in Silver, on 15 February 1943 *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

References

Sources

* Dermot Bradley, Kar-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp, Die Generale des Heeres 1921–1945, Band 3, Osnabrück 1994

External links

* Bodo Zimmermann o
lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmermann, Bodo 1886 births 1963 deaths Military personnel from Metz Military personnel from Alsace-Lorraine German Army personnel of World War I Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross