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A very Able general who was sidelined after Poland .

1)Who saved him?
2)Did hw kill himself, or was he murdered?

Jay Hambleton

jayhamblet wrote:A very Able general who was sidelined after Poland .

1)Who saved him?
2)Did hw kill himself, or was he murdered?

Jay Hambleton

Hi Jayhamblet,

You retired Col Gen Blaskowitz a bit too early. After the defeat of Poland Blaskowitz became C in Chief of occupied Poland, but his responsibilities were curtailed when Hans Frank became governor general. On 14 May 1940 Blaskowitz was named commander of the newly activated 9th Army for the final offensive in France. After the fall of France Blaskowitz became Military Governor of Northern France then was named commander of 1st Army on the SW coast of France until May 44, when Rundstedt named him to command Army Group G in the south of France. After directing a skillful withdrawl against overwhelming odds Blaskowitz surprised the Allies with counteroffensives on Sept 1944 and Jan 1945. On 28 Jan 1945 he was named commander of AG H in Holland, were he served until taken prisoner on 8 May 1945.

While a prisoner he testified at the Military Trials in Nuremberg and was also indicted as a minor war criminal. According to the most reliable accounts Blaskowitz killed himself just before his scheduled trial by diving over the railing of a prison gallery, breaking his neck.

The story that he was murdered by former members of the SS in prison is of doubtful authority.

Regards,

Oscar

You are right sir! Had forgotten about withdrawal from southern france. He was very very good at his job. Would have done well (as if it would have helped) in russia. So - do you think he offed himself? I have a hard time with the line that he did so, and as you know, he irritated a few people! Do you have any reading to recommend on the matter?

Best

Jay Hambleton

jayhamblet wrote:You are right sir! Had forgotten about withdrawal from southern france. He was very very good at his job. Would have done well (as if it would have helped) in russia. So - do you think he offed himself? I have a hard time with the line that he did so, and as you know, he irritated a few people! Do you have any reading to recommend on the matter?

Best

Jay Hambleton

Hi Jay,

I really can't comment on the circumstances which led to Blaskowitz death because I haven't read anything in depth on Blaskowitz. The information on Blaskowitz I got from various internet sources and from a biographical encyclopedia which can only cover so much. There's a book on Blaskowitz which could be very enlightening; Enigma of General Blaskowitz by Richard Giziowski. We are also privilidged to have Mark C. Yerger as a forum member. Yerger has written numerous books about the Waffen SS and could be a very helpfull person to ask for information.

Regards,

Oscar

Hello:
I just finished reading The Enigma of General Blaskowitz, and I enjoyed it very much. It is a fascinating book and the author goes into details regarding Blaskowitz's death. There seems to be little hard evidence Blaskowitz was murdered, but several inconsistencies which make one wonder. There seems to more evidence to suggest Blaskowitz was troubled by having been charged by the war-crimes tribunal, and the inability of the Allies to locate a copy of his report from Poland, which tried to stop the genocide being committed there. (One was eventually found among Himmler's papers). Blaskowitz was also deeply troubled by the possibility that he would have to testify against his fellow officers. He was a deeply honorable, religious, and concientious soldier, and I believe he ended his life rather than suffer any further indignities or do any harm to others.
I suggest you read the book. It was recommended to me by Sid Gutteridge of this site, and I am very glad I read it. Best wishes.

Have read book- Will cotact Mark.

Thnx

JH

Blaskowitz was one of the few General officers to become known for his opposition to the Final Solution.

Rudi Tuzla wrote:Blaskowitz was one of the few General officers to become known for his opposition to the Final Solution.

I heard that him protesting against Hans Frank's and the way he handled Poland was the reason that he never became a field marshal.

I have several pictures from a SS officers "scrapbook" that my grandfather obtained when he captured him in WW2. One of the pictures is of "Blaskowits Kaserne" Blaskowits barracks? Thought I might do some research on this site, I will try to post pictures if anybody is interested.

bbroer

Hello bbroer:
I would be interested to see those pics. Blaskowitz was an interesting guy. Best wishes.

Hello to all ; a little complement ............................

Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz in Warsaw 1939.

Source: Warschau 1939: Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz mit Offizieren - R02499. eBay Auction.

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little more............................

Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz in Warsaw 1939.

and other officers ..................

With von Weichs and Blaskowitz is Hans Felber, Chef des Generalstabes der 8. Armee. In the background (with moustache), Paul von Hase, Kommandeur der 46. Infanterie-Division (thanks grtaveland)...........................

Source: Warschau 1939: Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz mit Offizieren - R02499. eBay Auction.

Cheers. Raul M .

Nice picture, Raul!!

Thanks John . All the best. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; a little more ............................

Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz in Warsaw 1939.

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/73 ... e9358b.jpg.

Cheers. Raul M .