Falaise: The Flawed Victory - The Destruction of Panzergruppe West, August 1944

Dramatis Personae – Senior German Commanders

Adolf Hitler

Commander-in-Chief, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW – the Armed Forces High Command)

Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel

Chief of Staff OKW

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl

Chief of Operations Staff OKW

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt

Commander-in-Chief West or Oberbefelshaber West (OB West) (until 2 July 1944)

Generalfeldmarschall Günther von Kluge

Replaced von Rundstedt, as C-in-C West and Rommel as commander Army Group B (until 18 August 1944)

Generalfeldmarschall Walther Model

Replaced von Kluge as C-in-C West and commander Army Group B

General Günther Blumentritt

Chief of Staff to C-in-C West

Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

Commander Army Group B (until 17 July 1944 when wounded)

General Friedrich Dollmann

Commander 7th Army (until 28 June suicide/heart attack)

General Geyr von Schweppenburg

Commander Panzergruppe West (until 6 July 1944)

General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Eberbach

Replaced Schweppenburg as commander Panzergruppe West/5th Panzer Army (until 9 August) then Panzergruppe Eberbach, also succeeded Hausser as commander 7th Army (until 31 August when captured)

SS-Obergruppenführer Josef ‘Sepp’ Dietrich

Commander I SS Panzer Corps, replaced Eberbach as commander Panzergruppe West/5th Panzer Army

SS-Obergruppenführer Hermann Priess

Replaced Dietrich as commander I SS Panzer Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser

Commander II SS Panzer Corps, then succeeded Dollmann as commander 7th Army (until 20 August 1944 when wounded)

SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm ‘Willi’ Bittrich

Replaced Hausser as commander II SS Panzer Corps

General der Fallschfirmtruppen Eugen Meindl

Commander II Parachute Corps

General der Flakartillerie Wolfgang Pickert

Commander III Flak Corps

General der Artillerie Wilhelm Fahrmbacher

Commander XXV (25th) Corps in Brittany, interim commander (12–18 June 1944) LXXXIV (84th) Corps following Marcks’ demise

General der Panzertruppen Hans von Funck

Commander XLVII (47th) Panzer Corps

General der Panzertruppen Walter Krüger

Commander LVIII (58th) Panzer Corps

General der Infanterie Erich Straube

Commander LXXIV (74th) Corps

General der Panzertruppen Adolf Kuntzen

Commander LXXXI (81st) Corps

General der Artillerie Erich Marcks

Commander LXXXIV (84th) Corps (until 12 June 1944 killed in action)

Generalleutenant Dietrich von Choltitz

Replaced Marcks as commander LXXXIV Corps (until 28 July) then Commandant Paris (until 25 August 1944 when captured)

Generalleutenant Otto Elfeldt

Replaced von Choltitz as commander LXXXIV Corps (until 20 August 1944 when captured)

General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder

Commander LXXXVI (86th) Corps