Ferdinand Heim
| Ferdinand Heim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 February 1895 Reutlingen, German Empire |
| Died | 14 November 1971 (aged 76) Ulm, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1914–45 |
| Rank | Generalleutnant |
| Commands held |
14th Panzer Division 48th Panzer Corps Boulogne fortress garrison |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Ferdinand Heim (27 February 1895 – 14 November 1971) was a World War II German general.
Heim served during World War I and the post-war German army. He reaching the rank of Oberst in June 1939, just before the start of the Second World War.
On September 3, 1940, Heim was appointed Chief of Staff to General Walther von Reichenau while the Sixth Army was concentrated on the Cotentin Peninsula awaiting the Invasion of Britain. He was subsequently prominent in the planning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa).
On 1 July 1942, he was commander of the 14th Panzer Division taking part in the Second Battle of Kharkov and at the battle of Rostov. On November 1, 1942, he was given command of XLVIII Panzer Corps which was then part of the German 6th Army, at the Battle of Stalingrad.
Heim's XXXXVIIIth Panzer Corps was placed behind the Romanian 3rd Army at the beginning of the Soviet Operation Uranus "to check the enemy attack" along Paulus's left flank. Heim's 48th Panzer Corps, consisting of "two badly weakened divisions", was surrounded and barely broke out to the west. "Hitler made him a scapegoat and relieved him of his position...despite the obvious lack of fighting experience, equipment and strength in Heim's Rumanian and German divisions.."
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Wikipedia