(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalfeldmarschall Ewald von Kleist
Born: 08 Aug 1881 in Braunfels, District Wetzlar, Lahn
Died: 16 Oct 1954 in Camp Vladimir near Moscow, USSR
Promotions:
Fähnrich (18 Oct 1900); Leutnant (18 Aug 1901); Oberleutnant (27 Jan 1910); Rittmeister/Hauptmann (22 Mar 1914); Major (01 Feb 1922); Oberstleutnant (01 Dec 1926); Oberst (01 Oct 1929); Charakter als Generalmajor (01 Jan 1932); Generalmajor (01 Oct 1932); Generalleutnant (01 Oct 1933); General der Kavallerie (01 Aug 1936); Generaloberst (19 Jul 1940); Generalfeldmarschall (01 Feb 1943)
Career:
Entered Army Service (13 Mar 1900)
Fahnenjunker in the 3rd Field-Artillery-Regiment Generalfeldzeugmeister (13 Mar 1900-03 Jan 1904)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of the Mounted Battalion of the 3rd Field-Artillery-Regiment, Brandenburg/Havel (03 Jan 1904-19 Dec 1911)
Detached to the Military Riding Institute (01 Oct 1909-30 Sep 1910)
Detached to the War Academy (01 Oct 1910-22 Jul 1913)
Transferred into the 14th Hussar-Regiment (19 Dec 1911-22 Mar 1914)
Rittmeister with the Staff & Leader of 3rd Squadron of the 1st Hussar-Regiment (22 Mar 1914-02 Aug 1914)
Leader of the Replacement-Squadron of the 2nd Hussar-Regiment (02 Aug 1914-05 Aug 1914)
Leader of the Replacement-Squadron of the 1st Hussar-Regiment schwarzer Leibhusar (05 Aug 1914-17 Oct 1915)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer of the 85th Landwehr-Division (17 Oct 1915-01 Dec 1915)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer of the 86th Infantry-Division (01 Dec 1915-01 Jan 1916)
Adjutant of the 171st Infantry-Brigade (01 Jan 1916-26 Jan 1916)
Transferred to the 85th Cavalry-Regiment (26 Jan 1916-02 Feb 1916)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer of the 85th Landwehr-Division (02 Feb 1916-03 Mar 1916)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer with the Staff of XVII. Reserve-Corps (03 Mar 1916-23 Apr 1916)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer of the 85th Landwehr-Division (23 Apr 1916-01 Jun 1916)
Acting 1st Adjutant of the 85th Landwehr-Division (01 Jun 1916-19 Jun 1916)
Acting-General-Staff-Officer of the 85th Landwehr-Division (19 Jun 1916-28 Jul 1916)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of the 86th Infantry-Division (28 Jul 1916-01 Aug 1916)
Transferred back to the 85th Cavalry-Regiment (01 Aug 1916-29 Oct 1916)
Ordinance-Officer with the General-Staff of XVII. Reserve-Corps (29 Oct 1916-13 Mar 1917)
While retaining previous position, transferred as Hauptmann into the Army General Staff (13 Mar 1917-01 Jun 1917)
Detached to the Artillery-Ranging-School Wahn (01 Jun 1917-03 Aug 1917)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of the Guards-Cavalry-Division (03 Aug 1917-15 Apr 1918)
Detached to General-Staff-Course Wahn (04 Jan 1918-11 Jan 1918)
Detached to Army-Group Deutscher Kronprinz (12 Jan 1918-14 Feb 1918)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of the 225th Infantry-Division (15 Apr 1918-14 Sep 1918)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of VII. Army-Corps (14 Sep 1918-05 May 1919)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of the 7th Reichswehr-Brigade (05 May 1919-01 Jun 1920)
General-Staff-Officer with the Staff of Infantry-Leader 10 (01 Jun 1920-01 Oct 1920)
1st General-Staff-Officer with the Staff of Infantry-Leader VI, Hannover (01 Oct 1920-01 Apr 1922)
Squadron-Chief in the 13th Mounted-Regiment (01 Apr 1922-01 Oct 1923)
Detached to Course for Staff-Officers to the Cavalry-School Hannover (16 Jul 1923-15 Aug 1923)
Detached to Cavalry-School Hannover (01 Oct 1923-01 Jan 1924)
General-Staff-Officer & Tactics-Instructor at the Cavalry-School Hannover (01 Jan 1924-01 Mar 1928)
Detached to the Staff of the 2nd Cavalry-Division (01 Mar 1928-01 Apr 1928)
Chief of Staff of the 2nd Cavalry-Division, Breslau (01 Apr 1928-01 Jul 1929)
Chief of Staff of the 3rd Division, Breslau (01 Jul 1929-01 Feb 1931)
Commander of the 9th Infantry-Regiment (01 Feb 1931-01 Jan 1932)
Commander of the 2nd Cavalry-Division, Breslau (01 Jan 1932-01 Oct 1933)
Military-Region-Commander Breslau (01 Oct 1933-01 Oct 1934)
Commander of Army-Service-Office Breslau (01 Oct 1934-01 May 1935)
Commander in Military-District VIII, Breslau (01 May 1935-21 Jun 1935)
Commanding General of VIII. Army-Corps & Commander in Military-District VIII (21 Jun 1935-04 Feb 1938)
Retired (mit der Erlaubnis zum Tragen der Uniform des Kavallerie-Regiments 8) (28 Feb 1938)
Placed to Disposal (Army) (01 Jul 1938)
Commanding General of XXII. Army-Corps (mot.) (26 Aug 1939-10 May 1940)
Commander of Panzer-Group Kleist (10 May 1940-30 Jun 1940)
Commanding General of XXII. Army-Corps (mot.) (30 Jun 1940-01 Nov 1940)
Commander-in-Chief of Panzer-Group 1 (01 Nov 1940-06 Apr 1941)
Commander of Panzer-Group Kleist (06 Apr 1941-00 Jun 1941)
Commander-in-Chief of Panzer-Group 1 (00 Jun 1941-25 Oct 1941)
Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Panzer-Army (25 Oct 1941-21 Dec 1942)
At the same time, Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group von Kleist (1st Panzer-Army, 17th Army & Group von Mackensen (00 Jan 1942-00 May 1942)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group A (22 Nov 1942-30 Mar 1944)
Withdrew to his Silesian Estate. From there to Lower Bavaria (30 Mar 1944-25 Apr 1945)
In US Captivity in Mitterfels near Krenzkirchen along with Generalleutnant Josef Rußwurm in POW Camp Trent Park in England. Transferred then to Yugoslavia, there, in Belgrade, condemned to 15 Years Imprisonment for Alleged War Crimes (25 Apr 1945-31 Aug 1946)
In Yugoslav Captivity (31 Aug 1946-1948)
Transferred to the USSR and there condemned to Life Inprisonment. Was in 30 different camps (1948-16 Oct 1954)
Died in Soviet Captivity (16 Oct 1954)

Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz (15) : am 15.05.1940 als General der Kavallerie und Kommandierender General des XXII Armee-Korps (mot.) (Panzergruppe Kleist)
- Eichenlaub (72) : am 17.02.1942 als Generaloberst und Oberbefehlshaber der Panzergruppe 1
- Schwerter (60): am 30.03.1944 als Generalfeldmarschall und Oberbefehlshaber der Heeresgruppe A (direkte Verleihung) (Kleist erhält die Schwerter aus der Hand Adolf Hitler)
- 1914 EK I : 27.01.1915
- 1914 EK II : 04.10.1914
- Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz
- Ehrenritter des Kgl. Preuss. Johanniter-Ordens: 00.00.1917
- Kgl. Preuss. Dienstauszeichnungskreuz
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Rechtsritter des Kgl. Preuss. Johanniter-Ordens: 00.00.1935
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I Klasse: 02.10.1936
- Spange zum EK I: 27.09.1939
- Spange zum EK II: 17.09.1939
- Grosskreuz des Kgl. Ungar. Verdienstordens mit Schwertern: 13.05.1941
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere“ III Klasse: 16.07.1942
- Komturkreuz des Kgl. Italien. Militärordens von Savoyen: 30.07.1942
- Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942“
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere“ II Klasse: 06.10.1942
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere“ I Klasse: 06.10.1942
- Wehrmachtsbericht: 10.04.1941 ; 13.04.1941 ; 26.08.1941 ; 27.08.1941 ; 11.10.1941 ; 12.10.1941 ; 22.11.1941; 30.05.1942; 19.08.1943 ; 09.10.1943


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