Gotthard Heinrici

German general (1886-1971) · Germany · Historical Figures · Died at 84

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A German general whose name became shorthand for holding impossible lines: Heinrici earned the Wehrmacht's reputation as its best defensive tactician, the man they sent when retreat wasn't allowed and the front was already collapsing.

Historical Figures Other Germany Europe 20th Century

A life in dates

1971Died13 December 19711948“Hitler always tried to make us fight for every yard, threatening to court-martial anyone who didn’t.”In their wordsQuoted in B. H. Liddell Hart, The German Generals Talk (1948), ch. 15Read the whole statement

“When the Russians were found to be concentrating for an attack, I withdrew my troops from the first line under cover of night to the second line - usually about 2 kilometres behind.”In their wordsOn the Soviet push to Berlin. Quoted in B. H. Liddell Hart, The German Generals Talk (1948), ch. 15Read the whole statement

1945“It was like hitting an empty bag. The Russian attack would lose its speed because my men, unharmed, would be ready.”In their wordsOn his defensive tactics against Soviet attacks in 1945. Quoted in Cornelius Ryan, The Last Battle (1966)Read the whole statement

1886Born25 December 1886

Also in Deutsch

Photos 4

Gotthard Heinrici

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-120-09, Gotthard Heinrici

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-120-09, Günther v. Kluge, Gotthard Heinrici

Gotthard Heinrici (cropped)

In their own words 3

Gotthard Heinrici

3 statements, newest first

Hitler always tried to make us fight for every yard, threatening to court-martial anyone who didn’t.
1948, Quoted in B. H. Liddell Hart, The German Generals Talk (1948), ch. 15, Own words
When the Russians were found to be concentrating for an attack, I withdrew my troops from the first line under cover of night to the second line - usually about 2 kilometres behind.
1948, On the Soviet push to Berlin. Quoted in B. H. Liddell Hart, The German Generals Talk (1948), ch. 15, Own words
It was like hitting an empty bag. The Russian attack would lose its speed because my men, unharmed, would be ready.
1945, On his defensive tactics against Soviet attacks in 1945. Quoted in Cornelius Ryan, The Last Battle (1966), Own words

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Awards

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

House Order of Hohenzollern

Order of the White Falcon

Order of the Saxe-Ernestine

Hanseatic Cross

Military Merit Cross

Clasp to the Iron Cross

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918

Wehrmacht Long Service Award

Eastern Medal

Family

Parents

Gotthard Heinrici

Child Hartmut Heinrici

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About this person

Feodor August Gotthard Heinrici was born on 25 December 1886 and spent the Second World War becoming the German army's go-to expert when a position needed holding against long odds. By 1945, with the Reich crumbling, he was given Army Group Vistula - a formation scraped together from the shattered remnants of Army Group A and Army Group Center - and told to defend Berlin from Soviet forces pushing west from the Vistula River. It was the kind of assignment that defined his war: arrive late, inherit wreckage, delay the inevitable. He died on 10 December 1971.

Country

Germany