Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist

Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (August 8, 1881 – November 13 or 16 1954) was a leading German Field Marshal during World War II.

Born into an aristocratic family in Braunfels an der Lahn, von Kleist was educated in a German military school and served as a lieutenant of hussars and a regimental commander in World War I. After the war he served as a commander of a cavalry division from 1932 to 1935. Semi-retired, in August 1939 he was recalled to active duty at the age of fifty eight.

In the Battle of France he commanded Panzer Gruppe von Kleist, consisting of XLI and XIX Panzer Corps, the two southernmost armoured corps in the drive to the English Channel.

In 1942 he was sent to command troops in the Caucasus in order to capture important oil wells in the area. Von Kleist was promoted to field marshal in 1943. He was relieved of his command in March 1944 for ordering the 8th Army to retreat when it was in danger of destruction by the Soviets, in explicit violations of Hitler’s orders.

Von Kleist was captured by United States forces in 1945. He was sent to communist Yugoslavia to face alleged war crimes charges in 1946. In 1948 he was then sent to Russia where he died in captivity in 1954.