(July 10, 1883–February 5, 1948)

German General

A spit-and-polish soldier of the old school, Blaskowitz incurred Adolf Hitler’s wrath by denouncing SS (Schutzstaffeln, or protection squads) atrocities in Poland. This defiance cost him any significant commands until late in World War II, yet he still rendered useful service in France and Holland. But, having displayed an unwelcome degree of independence, Blaskowitz never received his well-deserved marshal’s baton.

Johannes Blaskowitz was born in Peterswalde, Silesia, on July 10, 1883. He commenced his military career by becoming a cadet at age 16, subsequently serving with the 18th Infantry Regiment. He fought throughout World War I, commanded a infantry company by 1918, and received the Iron Cross for bravery. Blaskowitz’s good performance secured him a place in the postwar Reichswehr, through whose ranks he rose for two decades. His honesty and professionalism held him in good stead in 1938, when Adolf Hitler, now running Germany, sacked virtually all his senior generals yet retained him. Blaskowitz never joined the Nazi Party, but he apparently admired the Führer, even shaving his long mustache to resemble Hitler’s. Early in 1939 he commanded German forces that occupied Austria and Czechoslovakia. He was then promoted to general of infantry and granted command of the Eighth Army just prior to World War II.

When hostilities commenced in September 1939, Blaskowitz led the Eighth Army during the advance across southern Poland. His movements were masterful, but Hitler grew displeased when he retreated slightly in the face of a Polish counterattack. Nonetheless, Blaskowitz received the prestigious Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross), gained promotion to colonel-general, and was installed as commander in chief of occupied Poland. In dealing with civilians, this proud, traditional soldier kept a tight rein over his men. For this reason, he was shocked and outraged when SS units, over which he had no control—or respect—began murdering Jews and plundering Polish shops. Stung by these atrocities, Blaskowitz composed a harsh memorandum protesting SS misbehavior and demanding the units be prosecuted for war crimes. He repeated this request in February 1940 and was especially keen on pressing charges against Hitler’s henchman, Josef Dietrich. However, the general’s complaints were coolly received in Berlin, and Chief of Staff Alfred Jodl dismissed them as naive. When knowledge of Blaskowitz’s missives became known to the Führer, the general found himself on a military blacklist. To Hitler, the last thing the Third Reich needed was generals questioning Nazi sensibilities.

After the fall of France in May 1940, Blaskowitz was slated to receive command of the Ninth Army for occupation purposes, but Hitler vindictively blocked the appointment. Instead, Blaskowitz obtained a relatively minor position as governor of northern France. That fall he transferred south to another insignificant command, that of the First Army on the southwestern coast between Brittany and the Spanish border. Blaskowitz possessed strategic and tactical talents of a high order, but thanks to his political unreliability, he had no outlet for their employment until 1944. That May, following the appointment of Gerd von Rundstedt as commander in chief in the west, Blaskowitz became head of Army Group G. With this relatively small command, consisting of the First and 19th Armies, he was tasked with defending southern France from an imminent Allied offensive. The invasion of northern France commenced on June 6, 1944, with the landings at Normandy, and two months later a similar effort was mounted against Blaskowitz.

On August 15, 1944, the Allies unleashed Operation Anvil/Dragoon against the Riviera coastline. The 7th Army under Gen. Alexander M. Patch stormed ashore and quickly overcame weak German resistance. Blaskowitz, knowing he was badly outnumbered—and lacking control of the air—brought up units, stabilized his front, and led a tenacious fighting withdrawal northward to prevent encirclement. His performance was masterful and prevented the VI Corps under Gen. Lucian K. Truscott from cutting off his retreat. Still, the August 23–28 Battle of Montelimar was a bloodbath, and the Germans departed southern France after losing 75,000 prisoners and 4,000 vehicles. The Americans then hotly pursued Blaskowitz up through the Vosges Mountains before pausing to regroup. There the Germans were also reinforced by the 5th Panzer Army under Gen. Hasso von Manteuffel. Blaskowitz correctly wanted to entrench his battered forces, but Hitler ordered him to counterattack Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army immediately. Both Manteuffel and Blaskowitz realized the futility of this directive, but the Führer had spoken. Their attack caught the Americans in disarray, following their recent charge across France, and pushed them back to the vicinity of Luneville on September 18–20, 1944. At that point, resistance stiffened and the attack was suspended. Hitler, furious over this failure, summarily relieved Blaskowitz and replaced him with another skillful leader, Gen. Hermann Balck.

Blaskowitz remained unemployed for several months into the winter, until Hitler suddenly recalled him in December 1944. His orders were to attack in the vicinity of Alsace-Lorraine in support of the ongoing Ardennes offensive. On New Year’s Day 1945, Blaskowitz did as ordered against tremendous odds. Army Group G hit Gen. Jacob Dever’s 7th Army, and severe fighting erupted before this last German offensive in the west was finally contained. Subsequently, American maneuvers brought about the creation of the so-called Colmar pocket, wherein thousands of German troops were trapped. However, Blaskowitz was suddenly transferred at the height of battle and sent to Holland, where he succeeded Gen. Kurt Student as commander of Army Group H. For the next three months, he conducted a stubborn fighting withdrawal against the British 8th Army, receiving from Hitler the swords to his Iron Cross. To the bitter end he also ruled his troops with an iron hand, threatening to execute any soldier for desertion. But the general also demonstrated great humanity by allowing Allied airdrops of food and medicine to the starving Dutch population. Blaskowitz finally surrendered on May 8, 1945, having instructed his troops to destroy their own minefields. He was unique in being the only senior German general of this talent not elevated to field marshal. Hitler’s grudge thus deprived the Third Reich of one of its finest military leaders.

After the war Blaskowitz was taken into custody and charged as a minor war criminal for executing deserters. He died on February 5, 1948, hours before his trial, when he apparently threw himself out of a second-story window. The manner of his demise has given rise to theories that he was actually murdered by former SS officers, still resenting complaints he filed against them in 1939. Blaskowitz was nonetheless a fine strategist, an outstanding tactician, and was regarded by many historians as the “field marshal without baton.” His handling of Army Group G on its 500-mile retreat from France, pursued by superior enemy forces with complete control of the air, remains a military masterpiece.

Bibliography

Brett-Smith, Richard. Hitler’s Generals. London: Osprey, 1976; Breuer, William B. Operation Dragoon: The Allied Invasion of Southern France. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1987; Doherty, J. C. The Shock of War: Unknown Battles that Ruined Hitler’s Plan for a Second Blitzkrieg in the West, December–January, 1944–1945. Alexandria, VA: Vert Milon Press, 1997; Engler, Richard. The Final Crisis: Combat in Northern Alsace, January, 1945. Hampton, VA: Aegis Consulting Group, 1999; Griziowski, Richard J. The Enigma of General Blaskowitz. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1997; Humble, Richard. Hitler’s Generals. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974; Kemp, Anthony. The Unknown Battle: Metz, 1944. New York: Stein and Day, 1981; Mitcham, Samuel W. The Desert Fox in Normandy: Rommel’s Defense of Fortress Europe. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1997; Pommoise, Lise M. Winter Storm: War in Northern Alsace, November 1944–March 1945. Paducah, KY: Turner, 1991; Rickard, John N. Patton at Bay: The Lorraine Campaign, September–December, 1944. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999; Whiting, Charles. America’s Forgotten Army: The Story of the U.S. Seventh. Staplehurst, UK: Spellmount, 1999; Whiting, Charles. Operation Nordwind: The Other Battle of the Bulge. Chelsea, MI: Scarborough House, 1990; Wilt, Alan F. The French Riviera Campaign of August, 1944. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University, 1981.