Günther von Kluge

Günther von Kluge (Hans Günther von Kluge) (October 30, 1882 – August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. He was born into a Prussian military family. Kluge was the master of blitzkrieg and became a Field Marshall of Germany in July 1940.

During World War I he was a staff officer, and in 1918 was at the battle of Verdun.

By 1936 he was a Lieutenant general and in 1937 took command of Sixth Army Group which became the German Fourth Army which he led in Poland during 1939. He opposed the plan to attack westward. He led the Fourth Army in its attack through the Ardennes that culminated in the fall of France.

He was commander of Army Group Center on the Russian Front and became commander of the German forces in the West (Oberbefehlshaber West). On October 27, 1943, Kluge was badly injured when his car overturned on the Minsk-Smolensk road. He was unable to return to duty until July 1944.

The head of the German military resistance, Henning von Tresckow, served as his chief of staff of Army Group Center. Kluge was somewhat involved into the military resistance. He knew about von Tresckow's plan to shoot Hitler during a visit at Army Group Center. Kluge however refused any support to the conspirators of the July 20 plot as soon as he found out that Hitler had survived Stauffenberg's assassination. He was appointed as von Rundstedt's replacement as Commander-in-chief West. He later committed suicide.