Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb
1876–1956
○ Convicted war criminal · natural death
Wehrmacht field marshal who directed the encirclement of Leningrad
In September 1941 he believed Leningrad was about to fall, but the city did not surrender.
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb was a German field marshal and one of the Wehrmacht's senior operational commanders in the Second World War. In 1941 he led Army Group North through the Baltic states toward Leningrad, completing the land encirclement and directing the operational pressure that sustained it. Forces under his command committed crimes against civilians and cooperated with the SS in the murder of Jews. Convicted after the war in the High Command Trial for transmitting the Barbarossa Decree and its criminal application by subordinate units, he was sentenced to time served and released.
Career Timeline
- 1895Entered the Bavarian Army
- 1914–1918Served on the Eastern Front and in the Serbian campaign during the First World War
- 1930–1933Commander of the 7th Division
- 1939–1941Commander of Army Group C
- 1941.06–1942.01Commander of Army Group North, directing the attack and encirclement of Leningrad
- 1948Convicted in the High Command Trial and released after a sentence of time served