Georg von Küchler
| Georg von Küchler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 30 May 1881 |
| Died | 25 May 1968 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance | |
| Years of service | January 1900 – 1944 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Leningrad |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Georg Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von Küchler (30 May 1881 – 25 May 1968) was a German Field Marshal and war criminal during the Second World War. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
After the end of the war he was tried in the High Command Trial, as part of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials. On 27 October 1948 was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Soviet Union. He was released in 1953.
Born in 1881, Küchler entered the Imperial Army in 1900. He studied at the Prussian Military Academy, before joining the General Staff in Berlin in 1913. During World War I he commanded an artillery battery on the Western Front and then became a staff officer of an infantry division. In 1919 he joined the Freikorps and fought the Red Army in Poland. In 1938 he supported Adolf Hitler in his removal of Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch from power.
On the outbreak of World War II, Küchler assumed command of the 3rd Army. During the invasion of Poland, Küchler’s troops captured Danzig. In 1940 he was supportive of Nazi racial policy and ordered on 22 February a halt to any criticism of "ethnic struggle being carried out in the General Government, for instance that of the Polish minorities, of the Jews and those regarding Church matters". His order explained that the "final ethnic solution" required unique and harsh measures.
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