Günther von Kluge

Who was Günther von Kluge?

Günther Adolf Ferdinand “Hans” von Kluge was a German military leader who served in World War I and World War II. Born into a Prussian military family in Posen in 1882, Kluge was a staff officer with the rank of captain by 1916 at the Battle of Verdun. He ultimately rose to the rank of field marshal in the Wehrmacht, which was conveyed at the 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony. Generalleutnant Wolfgang von Kluge was his younger brother, and another German officer, Oberstleutnant Karl Ernst Rahtgens, was his nephew.

Kluge campaigned on the Eastern and Western fronts, and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Although Kluge was not an active conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, his nephew was, and Kluge himself was previously involved with the German military resistance. He committed suicide on 17 August 1944, after having been replaced by Walter Model and recalled to Berlin for a meeting with Hitler in the aftermath of the failed coup.