Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb

German field marshal and war criminal (1876–1956)

Fame55.5
Momentum0.0
Germany rank#226

Source-basedStable

Fame55.5
Momentum0.0
Germany rank#226
Journalists rank#239
Wikipedia15.7K

Lived 1876–1956, aged 80Germany

Germany JournalistsJournalist

Wikipedia
51 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Germany
#226
Journalists
Era
1876–1956
Aged 80
Awards
10
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

A Wehrmacht field marshal who laid siege to Leningrad and was later convicted at Nuremberg for war crimes — not for what he did himself, but for passing down the orders that his units carried out against Soviet civilians and Jews.

Biography

About

Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb earned his nobility title through decorated service in World War I, receiving the Military Order of Max Joseph. In 1940 he commanded Army Group C during the Battle of France, breaking through the Maginot Line. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Leeb led Army Group North through the Baltic States to Leningrad, where his forces began the siege that would strangle the city. Units under his command committed atrocities against civilians and worked directly with SS Einsatzgruppen death squads murdering Jewish populations. Hitler paid him secretly: 250,000 Reichsm…

Gallery