(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm List
Born: 14 May 1880 in Oberkirchberg near Ulm, Württemberg
Died: 16 Aug 1971 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria (Bayern)
Promotions:
Fähnrich (08 Feb 1899); Leutnant (07 Mar 1900); Oberleutnant (09 Mar 1908); Hauptmann (22 Mar 1913); Major (26 Sep 1919); Oberstleutnant (01 Oct 1923); Oberst (01 Mar 1927); Generalmajor (01 Nov 1930); Generalleutnant (01 Oct 1932); General der Infanterie (01 Oct 1935); Generaloberst (20 Apr 1939); Generalfeldmarschall (19 Jul 1940)
Career:
Entered Army Service (15 Jul 1898)
Fahnenjunker in the Bavarian Pioneer-Detachment, later 1st Bavarian Pioneer-Battalion (15 Jul 1898-21 Mar 1900)
Transferred into the 3rd Pioneer-Battalion (21 Mar 1900-01 Oct 1904)
Detached to the Artillery & Engineer School (01 Oct 1902-30 Sep 1904)
Adjutant of the 3rd Bavarian Pioneer-Battalion (01 Oct 1904-30 Sep 1911)
Detached to the War Academy, Munich (01 Oct 1908-30 Sep 1911)
Detached to the 1st Bavarian Infantry-Regiment König & to Fortification Ingolstadt (30 Sep 1911-01 Oct 1912)
Detached to the Central-Office of the Bavarian General Staff (01 Oct 1912-19 Mar 1914)
Transferred to the Central-Office of the Bavarian General Staff (19 Mar 1914-02 Aug 1914)
Transferred into the General-Staff of II. Bavarian Army-Corps - taken badly ill in Winter 1915 (Operation) (02 Aug 1914-31 May 1916)
Detached to the Bavarian War Ministry (31 May 1916-21 Aug 1916)
Chief Supply Officer (Ib) in the General-Staff of Army-Detachment von Strantz (21 Aug 1916-08 Feb 1917)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of the 8th Bavarian Reserve-Division (08 Feb 1917-18 Mar 1918)
Detached to the Bavarian War Ministry (18 Mar 1918-01 Oct 1919)
With the Staff of Group-Command 4 (01 Oct 1919-16 May 1920)
With the Staff of Military-District-Command VII (16 May 1920-01 Oct 1920)
Leader-Staff-Officer with the Staff of Infantry-Leader VII (Ritter von Epp) (01 Oct 1920-01 Oct 1922)
With the Staff of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1922-01 Apr 1923)
Commander of III. Jäger-Battalion of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1923-01 Oct 1924)
Chief of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of the 7th Division & Director of Subsidiary-Leadership-Training in Military-District-Command VII, Munich (01 Oct 1924-01 Sep 1926)
Transferred into the Army-Training-Department (T 4), RWM (01 Sep 1926-01 Mar 1927)
Chief of the Army Training Department (T 4), RWM (01 Mar 1927-01 Feb 1930)
Commander of the Infantry-School, Dresden (01 Feb 1930-01 Oct 1933)
Commander of the 4th Division & Commander in Military-District IV, Dresden (01 Oct 1933-01 Oct 1935)
Commanding General of IV. Army-Corps & Commander in Military-District IV, Dresden (01 Oct 1935-04 Feb 1938)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group-Command 2, Kassel (04 Feb 1938-01 Apr 1938)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group-Command 5, Vienna (01 Apr 1938-26 Aug 1939)
Commander-in-Chief of the 14th Army (26 Aug 1939-13 Oct 1939)
Commander-in-Chief of the 12th Army (13 Oct 1939-15 Oct 1941)
At the same time, Wehrmacht-Commander South-East (01 Jul 1941-15 Oct 1941)
Taken ill, underwent an Operation (15 Oct 1941-03 Jul 1942)
Führer-Reserve OKH (03 Jul 1942-10 Jul 1942)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group A (10 Jul 1942-10 Sep 1942)
*Keitel in the Headquarters of the Army-Group delivered to the Generalfeldmarschall Hitler's request for List's resignation (10 Sep 1942)
*Left the Army-Group - The dismissal was for halting the expansion of Operations to the Caspian Sea. The Leaderless Heeresgruppe was led by Hitler himself over OKH (12 Sep 1942)
Führer-Reserve OKH (10 Sep 1942-30 Apr 1945)
In US Captivity at his Residence in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (30 Apr 1945-13 May 1947)
Reading of the indictment in the Nuremberg Follow-Up Trials, Case VII (South-East Generals) (13 May 1947)
Condemned to Life Imprisonment in Landsberg by the International Military Tribunal, mainly due his responsibility in the Partisan Fighting under his area of Command in the Balkans (19 Feb 1928-24 Dec 1952)
Released early due to ill health (24 Dec 1952)

Awards & Decorations:
- Ritterkreuz: am 30.09.1939 als Generaloberst und Oberbefehlshaber der 14. Armee
- RK des Kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Bayer. Prinz-Regent-Luitpold Jubiläums-Medaille
- Kgl. Bayer. Militär-Verdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Schwertern und mit der Krone
- RK II. Klasse des Kgl. Württembg, Friedrichs-Orden mit Schwertern
- k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Verdienstkreuz III Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration
- RK des Kgl. Bulgar. Militär-Verdienstorden
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918, in Schwarz
- Kgl. Bayer. Dienstauszeichnungskreuz II Klasse
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13.03.1938
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 mit Spange “Prager Burg”
- Eichenlaub zur Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung I Klasse
- Spange zum EK I: 00.09.1939
- Spange zum EK II: 00.09.1939
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere” III Klasse: 24.06.1942
- Kgl. Rumän. Orden “Michael der Tapfere” II Klasse: 24.06.1942


Back to ABR Homepage