Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
| Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 5 September 1876 |
| Died | 29 April 1956 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance | |
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 1895–1938; 1939–1942 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb (born Wilhelm Josef Franz Leeb; 5 September 1876 – 29 April 1956) was a German field marshal and a war criminal during World War II. In Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, Leeb commanded Army Group North and provided close cooperation to the SS Einsatzgruppen, the mobile killing squads primarily tasked with exterminating the Jewish population as part of the Holocaust.
Leeb was a beneficiary of Adolf Hitler's corruption scheme for senior Wehrmacht officers, receiving regular extra-legal, secret payments throughout the war and one-time gifts of 250,000 Reichsmark in 1941 and of an estate valued at 638,000 Reichsmark in 1943. Following the war, Leeb was tried in the High Command Trial, as part of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to three years.
Born in 1876, Wilhelm Leeb joined the Bavarian Army in 1895 and served in China during the Boxer Rebellion. Between 1907 and 1913, he attended the Bavarian War Academy and served on the General Staff. At the outbreak of World War I, Leeb joined the Bavarian army and served on the Eastern Front. He distinguished himself at the battle of Gorlice-Tarnow, the capture of the fortress Przemyśl and during the campaign in Serbia, and in 1915 was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph. As receipt of the order conferred a title of nobility, Leeb's surname changed to "Ritter von Leeb". After the war, Leeb remained in the Reichswehr, the army of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of Adolf Hitler to power, Leeb commanded the military district covering Bavaria.
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