Gerd von Rundstedt Archives

Bloodied but unbowed, a group of wounded Red Army soldiers awaits evacuation after a grueling battle against strong German forces around the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

Gerd von Rundstedt

Sturgeon Catch 1942: The Siege of Sevastopol

by Ludwig Heinrich Dyck

By late October 1941, the armies of the Third Reich had swept deep into western Soviet Russia. Read more

In the close quarters of a rubble-strewn street in Aachen, American soldiers fire a 57mm antitank weapon against a distant German target. Urban warfare became a new concept for Allied armies, and they adapted during the advance into Germany. (National Archives)

Gerd von Rundstedt

The Battle of Aachen: Breaking Down the Door to Europe in WWII

By Flint Whitlock

By the autumn of 1944, German resistance in the West was quickly crumbling as the British and Americans approached the German border 233 days ahead of schedule. Read more

The SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler was formed during the 1930s as Hitler’s personal bodyguard and later grew into a division of the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the organization. In this photo from the early days of the Leibstandarte, soldiers pass in review as their commander gives the Nazi salute.

Gerd von Rundstedt

The Waffen-SS: Evolution of Armed Evil

By Allyn Vannoy

In 1933, before the Waffen-SS, there was a portion of the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel (SS), armed and trained along military lines and served as an armed force. Read more

In this March 11, 1945, image, troops and M4 Sherman tanks of the U.S. First Army cross the Ludendorff railroad bridge to the eastern bank of the great Rhine River. The last natural barrier along the western frontier of Germany, the Rhine was also crossed by Allied armies in other locations.

Gerd von Rundstedt

Assault on Ludendorff Bridge: The First Allied Crossing of the Rhine

By Jon Diamond

On a cold March evening in the Goldenrod Café in West Point, Nebraska, Mary Timmermann, a waitress there, picked up the telephone receiver when her boss told her it was Omaha calling long distance for her. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Otto von Knobelsdorff: Panzer Commander

By Harry Yeide

While many in the English-speaking world have heard of Erwin Rommel and Heinz Guderian, few today know the name of Otto von Knobelsdorff, a German panzer general who commanded troops in battles every bit as pivotal as his contemporaries did, in quantity and quality, and who also fought against General George S. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Nazi War Machine: Why the WWII German Army Was So Strong

By Michael E. Haskew

With the end of World War I, the German Army had not been defeated in the field. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

The Volkssturm: Last-Ditch Militia of the Third Reich

By Blaine Taylor

On October 18, 1944—the 131st anniversary of the Battle of the Nations’ victory over Napoleon in 1813—Reichsführer-SS (National Leader) Heinrich Himmler stepped up to a microphone to make a national radio address announcing the formation of the Nazi Party-controlled Volkssturm, or People’s Militia. Read more

The Germans often published pictures of their Atlantic Wall fortifications for propaganda purposes in hopes of dissuading the Allies from invading. This dramatic photo of a daunting 406mm naval gun at Battery Lindemann, between Calais and Cap Blanc-Nez, appeared in Signal, the German Army magazine.

Gerd von Rundstedt

Building the Atlantic Wall

By Allyn Vannoy

The popular image of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall (Atlantikwall) is one of massive bunkers and huge artillery pieces recessed in concrete casemates stretching the length of the Reich’s coastline. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Sherman Tanks vs. Tiger Tanks: Which Was Best at the Bulge?

by Michael D. Hull

When American soldiers landed in France in June 1944 as part of the great Allied crusade to liberate Europe, they were well trained, fully equipped, and brimming with confidence. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Miracle at Dunkirk

By Jon Diamond

Following the 76th anniversary of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, one is amazed at the number of articles and volumes written about the subject. Read more

Russians are guarded by their German captors in this German WWII painting. Captured Russian General Andrei Vlasov, disillusioned with Stalin’s Bolshevik politics, was given command of a German army made up of captured Russian soldiers.

Gerd von Rundstedt

General Andrei Vlasov & Hitler’s Third Reich

By Wil Deac

Andrei Andreievich Vlasov, one of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s favorite generals, played a key role in saving Moscow from Adolf Hitler’s armies during the winter of 1941-1942. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

The Wehrmacht in France: Decisions in a Time of Debacle

By Brooke C. Stoddard

May 10, 1940, marked the beginning of the war in western Europe. Nazi-controlled Germany invaded Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

The Italian Army in Russia: from Barbarossa to Stalingrad

By James I. Marino

The most successful Italian Army of World War II was a political creation of dictator Benito Mussolini. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

WWII Ordnance: The Marauding Marder

By William E. Welsh

On the second day of Adolf Hitler’s bold invasion of Russia in June 1941, the Germans were confronted with one of their most glaring shortcomings in weapons and armament. Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Operation Overlord’s Colonel Alexis von Roenne

During the early part of 1944, an event took place that would change the outcome of World War II. It seemed insignificant at the time, but would have a profound influence upon Operation Overlord, code name for the invasion of German-occupied France, as well as the resulting Battle of Normandy and the breakout that followed.;  Read more

The 'T' In the 36th Infantry 'Texas' Division also stood for 'tough'.

Gerd von Rundstedt

The 36th Infantry ‘Texas’ Division in WWII

by Richard A. Beranty

The U.S. 36th Infantry Division, known as the “Texas” Division, was inducted into federal service on November 25, 1940, at Camp Bowie, Tex., Read more

Gerd von Rundstedt

Field Marshals Erwin Rommel & Gerd von Rundstedt

by Michael Haskew

The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe was inevitable as the tide of World War II turned against Germany. Read more

From Around the Network

The 45th Infantry Division’s Desperate Defense at Anzio

WWII Letters: Corporal James. G. Delaney

Leclerc and Liberation

“Bomber” Harris and His Royal Air Force Bomber Command