Balck, Hermann

     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Balck Balck
Jméno:
Given Name:
Hermann Hermann
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Georg Otto Hermann Balck
Fotografie či obrázek:
Photograph or Picture:
Hodnost:
Rank:
generál tankových vojsk General of the Tank Troops
Akademický či vědecký titul:
Academic or Scientific Title:
- -
Šlechtický titul:
Hereditary Title:
- -
Datum, místo narození:
Date and Place of Birth:
07.12.1893 Gdaňsk /
07.12.1893 Danzig /
Datum, místo úmrtí:
Date and Place of Decease:
29.11.1982 Asperg /
29.11.1982 Asperg /
Nejvýznamnější funkce:
(maximálně tři)
Most Important Appointments:
(up to three)
veliteľ divízie pancierových granátnikov Grossdeutschland Commander of Panzergrenadierdivision Grossdeutschland
Jiné významné skutečnosti:
(maximálně tři)
Other Notable Facts:
(up to three)
Jeden z 27 držiteľov Rytierskeho kríža k Železnému krížu s dubovými ratolesťami, mečmi a briliantami. One of 27 recipients of Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Související články:
Related Articles:
Zdroje:
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Balck
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Balck-Hermann-t24403#400754 Version : 0
     
Příjmení:
Surname:
Balck Balck
Jméno:
Given Name:
Hermann Hermann
Jméno v originále:
Original Name:
Georg Otto Hermann Balck
Všeobecné vzdělání:
General Education:
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Vojenské vzdělání:
Military Education:
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Důstojnické hodnosti:
Officer Ranks:
18.12.1913 praporčík
10.08.1914 poručík
01.05.1924 nadporučík
01.02.1929 rytmistr
01.06.1935 major
01.02.1938 podplukovník
01.08.1940 plukovník
01.08.1942 generálmajor
21.03.1943 generálporučík
12.11.1943 generál tankových vojsk
18.12.1913 Fähnrich
10.08.1914 Leutnant
01.05.1924 Oberleutnant
01.02.1929 Rittmeister
01.06.1935 Major
01.02.1938 Oberstleutnant
01.08.1940 Oberst
01.08.1942 Generalmajor
21.03.1943 Generalleutnant
12.11.1943 General der Panzertruppe
Průběh vojenské služby:
Military Career:
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Vyznamenání:
Awards:
Poznámka:
Note:
- -
Zdroje:
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Balck
www.tracesofwar.com
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Balck-Hermann-t24403#422071 Version : 0
Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler presents 4th Panzer Army Commander General of Panzer Troops [url=/topic/view/24403]Hermann Balck with the Brilliants to the Knight's Cross. 31.08.1944,


L to R: Colonel General Josef Harpe, Hermann Balck, unknown officer, Lieutenant Colonel Erik von Amsberg, Adolf Hitler, Field Marshal General Wilhelm Keitel, and Hitler's aide-de-camp (adjutant) SS-Hauptsturmführer Otto Günsche.


http://waralbum.ru/279195/

URL : https://www.valka.cz/Balck-Hermann-t24403#548177 Version : 0

Hermann Balck




Georg Otto Hermann Balck was born on 7 December 1893 in Danzig (present-day Danzig). He came from a family with a long military tradition (his father was Wilhelm Balck, Lieutenant General, holder of the Pour le Mérite order and author of a book on tactics).


After completing his education, he enlisted in the German Imperial Army towards the end of March 1913 and was assigned as a senior soldier (Oberjäger) to the 2nd Company of the Hanover Rifle Battalion 10. In April he enrolled in the officer's course and at the beginning of the following year he entered the military school in Hanover. He successfully completed the school in August 1914 and returned to his home unit as a newly-baked lieutenant. He was subsequently appointed platoon commander in his company, but after a week he became temporary aide-de-camp to the battalion commander. His unit was detached to the Western Front and engaged in heavy fighting on the Somme River. Here he was still lightly wounded in the right arm at the end of August, but decided to remain with the unit. He was subsequently awarded the Prussian Iron Cross II Class and the Royal Bavarian Cross of Merit with swords for his bravery in combat during October. During heavy fighting in late October he was again wounded, this time severely after being shot in the back, left ear and left thigh. He was awarded the Prussian Iron Cross I Class and the Royal Bavarian Order of Merit IV Class with swords, but had to be treated for his wounds until early February the following year.


After recovering, he was assigned to the 22nd Reserve Rifle Battalion, with which he took part in the fighting at Lvov. However, towards the end of June 1915 he was wounded again, this time in the right shoulder, but the injury was not serious, and he recovered with a reserve battalion from his home battalion, the 10th Rifle Battalion. In mid-September of the same year he was appointed commander of the 4th Company with the 22nd Reserve Battalion of Rifles with which he fought his way behind Russian lines and succeeded in destroying an advance enemy company. Towards the end of the war he commanded a machine gun company in the same battalion. In all, he was wounded seven times during the war and was even nominated in October 1918 for the Pour le Mérite, but the war ended before the submission went through processing.


After the end of the war, he and 4,000 other officers were allowed to continue their military service in the Reichswehr. He was initially assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment, where he again served as a company commander and adjutant to the battalion commander. In early 1923 he was assigned to the 18th Cavalry Regiment with whom he remained in various positions, except for short breaks, for 12 years. After his promotion to lieutenant, he entered training for general staff officers. On 1.2.1929 he was promoted to captain (Rittmeister). On 1.10.1934 he became commander of Frankfurt/Oder. Meanwhile, on 1.6.1935, he was promoted to major. On 15.10.1935, he was appointed commander of the Bicycle Battalion 1 (Radfahr-Bataillon 1), and remained in this position for three years, even after the battalion was reformed as the 1st Bicycle Detachment (Radfahr-Abteilung 1). In the meantime, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 February 1938. In November of the same year, he was given a senior position in the Inspectorate for Mobile Units (In 6).


After the campaign into Poland, he took command of Rifle Regiment 1 (Schützenregiment 1), which he led during the attack on France, where it was subordinate to, at that time still, General of Panzer Troops Heinz Guderian, who drove his troops through the Ardennes. Shortly after the start of the campaign, he received pins to both classes of the Iron Cross, for his part in the battles for Sedan and the bridgehead at Massa. 17.5.1940 he was mentioned in the report of the conscription:"In den Kämpfen südostwärts Sedan errang der Kommandeur eines motorisierten Schützenregiments Oberstleutnant Balck durch rücksichtslosen persönlichen Einsatz besondere Erfolge mit seiner Truppe," (in the fighting southeast of Sedan, Lieutenant Colonel Balck, commander of a motorized rifle regiment, through ruthless personal deployment, captured special successes with his troops). After the end of the campaign, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In August he was promoted to colonel and in October, exactly one year after he started with Rifle Regiment 1, he was appointed to the post of commander of Tank Regiment 3. He led the latter into the Battle of Greece. The regiment helped break the Metaxas Line and capture the city on 9 April 1941. It also helped bypass the Allied defenses on Mount Olympus. On 15 May 1941 he became commander of Tank Brigade 2 with which he remained until early July 1941.


He was then transferred again to the General Staff of the Ground Forces, where he was in charge of overseeing the motor vehicle situation in the Army with full authority. After four months he was appointed Chief of Mobile Troops (still at OKH).


On 16 May 1942, he was transferred to the east, where he became commander of the 11th Panzer Division, which operated in eastern Ukraine. Within the first two months, the division reported the destruction of 500 tanks, and Balck was promoted to major general on 1 August 1942. In November, the entire southern front was threatened with absolute collapse after the encirclement of 6th Army at Stalingrad. Balck and his division held back the Soviet advance, holding the corridor for the 1st Panzer and 4th Panzer Army to escape, which were soon bogged down in the Caucasus. For this he was awarded oak branches to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 December 1942. A Defence Force report of the same date states, amongst other things: "In den Kämpfen im Grossen Don-Bogen zeichnete sich die 11. Panzerdivision unter Führung des Generalmajors Balck besonders aus,"[/i:aaaa] (In the fighting in the Don Arc, the 11th Panzer Division under Major General Balck's command particularly distinguished itself. In January he was promoted to lieutenant general. In February 1943, he played an important role in the defeat of a large mechanized group (composed of four mechanized corps) under the command of Markian Mikhailovich Popov, for which he was awarded the Sword to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 March 1943. He was placed in the Command Reserve the same day.


After a few weeks, he was called up to replace the wounded Lieutenant General Walter Hörnlein as Großdeutschland Division Commander. He remained in the post after the division was reformed from a motorized division to Panzer Grenadier Division. On 30 June, after Walter Hörnlein's return, he was again placed in the command reserve. In early September he became commander of the XIV Tank Corps in the Salerno area. A month later, while visiting the frontline troops with his plane, he crashed, was severely wounded, and was subsequently placed in the officer reserve until fully healed.


After his recovery in November 1943, he was promoted to the rank of General of Tank Troops and was given command of XXXXth Tank Corps for a few days. He subsequently took command of XXXXVIII Panzer Corps, which he led into combat against the Soviets during the fighting in Ukraine. In July 1944, he took part in the defensive battles during the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive. Balck's corps was involved in an attempt to relieve the encircled XIII Army Corps in the area of the town of Brody, which ultimately ended in failure.


Balck had already been given command of 4th Panzer Army for a few days in late June and early July 1944, but he rejoined the army in August, which put him squarely in command of the troops he was targeting. The Russians, meanwhile, had already established two bridgeheads on the Vistula River. Balck, however, managed to reduce the size of one bridgehead and even destroy the second bridgehead completely. For this he was awarded brilliants to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 August 1944. On 5 September 1944, he was again mentioned in the conscription report:
"Im Weichselbrückenkopf, westlich Baranow, haben die unter dem Oberbefehl des Generals der Panzertruppen Balck, und dem Befehl der Generale der Panzertruppen Breith und Gräser sowie des Generals der Infanterie Recknagel stehenden Truppen im vergangenen Monat den Durchbruch massierter sowjetischer Kräfte vereitelt und den feindlichen Brückenkopf durch erfolgreiche Gegenangriffe eingeengt," (On the Vistula River bridgehead, west of Baranow, thanks to the "supreme orders" of Panzer General Balck, and the orders of Panzer Generals Brieth and Gräser, as well as the orders of Infantry General Recknagel, the available troops during the past month had thwarted the breakthrough of the massing Soviet forces and destroyed the enemy bridgehead through successful concentrated counterattacks.).


On 21 September 1944, he replaced Army Group G Colonel-General Johannes Blaskowitz as commander of Army Group G, who had been unable to stop the American attack in Alsace and the subsequent counterattack had failed as well. Balck did manage to win a victory at Métis, but the exchange could not change the overall situation. After the retreat of the 19th Army across the Rhine, he was recalled and placed in the command reserve on 23 December 1944. Shortly afterwards he was (thanks also to pressure from Heinz Guderian) appointed commander of 6th Army. In addition to it, the 1st and 3rd Hungarian Armies were also under his command. Thus, Balck's Army Group was formed, with which he fought around Budapest. After heavy fighting, he had to retreat westward, and eventually Balck and his unit surrendered to the American XX Corps in Styria.


Balck remained in captivity until 1947. He refused to cooperate with the US Army Historical Division's study of the war. In 1948, he was arrested for the murder of Lieutenant Colonel of Artillery Johann Schottke. The incident was that Schottke failed to provide artillery training and was subsequently found by Balck drunk. Balck had him executed by firing squad shortly thereafter. The problem was that the sentence and his expulsion took place without the decision of a military tribunal. Balck was found guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment. He served half of his sentence. In 1950, while still in France, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years hard labour for the destruction of the town of Gérardmer in November 1944.


In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he and his Chief of Staff, Major General Friedrich von Mellenthin, participated in various seminars and panel discussions with American generals and NATO leaders. He has also published an autobiography entitled Ordnung im Chaos (Order in Chaos). Georg Otto Hermann Balck died on 29.11.1982 in Asperg.


http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
www.historyofwar.org
http://ww2gravestone.com/people/balck-hermann/
https://en.wikipedia.org



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