The Wehrmacht's defensive specialist on the Eastern Front
On 16 April 1945, he pulled the main body out of the forward trenches before the Soviet bombardment, preserving the deeper defensive line.
Gotthard Heinrici was a senior German army commander in the Second World War who gained a reputation as the Wehrmacht's leading specialist in defensive operations. He fought in the invasion and occupation of the Soviet Union, bearing command responsibility as war crimes and ideological orders shaped the conduct of the campaign. As commander of Army Group Vistula in 1945, he anticipated the Soviet main thrust and built a defense in depth around the Seelow Heights, but tactical skill could not reverse Germany's defeat.
Career Timeline
- 1905Entered the Prussian Army
- 1914–1918Served on the Western and Eastern Fronts in the First World War; staff officer
- 1937–1940Commander of the 16th Infantry Division
- 1940–1941Commander of XII Army Corps; fought in the French campaign and invasion of the Soviet Union
- 1942–1944Commander of the 4th Army; directed defensive operations on the Eastern Front
- 1944–1945Commander of the 1st Panzer Army; led retreating operations through Poland and Slovakia
- 1945.03–04Commander of Army Group Vistula; directed the defense at the Seelow Heights and before Berlin
- 1945–1948British prisoner of war; released in 1948