Heinz Guderian (aka Fleet Heinz and Heinz the Hurricane) is a German general, a participant in both world wars and the author of several books. Despite active participation in the military operations of Nazi Germany, Guderian managed to avoid charges during the Nuremberg Trials.

Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was born on June 17, 1888 in the small town of Kulm, in West Prussia. Today the district is part of Poland and is called Chełmno. The roots of the Guderian family tree go back to Prussia, several generations of his family were either landowners or lawyers. The first military man in the family was the father of the future general, Friedrich Guderian Heinz.

In 1890, a younger brother, Fritz, was born, and a year later, his father was transferred to serve in Colmar. There, 6-year-old Heinz went to school, but soon the family was again forced to move. In St. Avold, where Heinz Sr. received a new appointment, there was no school, so both sons continued their studies in another city.

Since both boys dreamed of a military career, it was decided to send them to the cadet corps of Karlsruhe, from where Guderian was transferred in 1903 to the city of Gross-Lifterfelde, to a similar corps, but for an older age, which he graduated in 1907.

After that, the young man was sent by Fenrich (candidate officer) to Lorraine, where he ended up in a battalion under the command of his father. After six months of study at a military school in Metz, Heinz received the rank of lieutenant, in which he remained until the outbreak of the First World War.



During the First World War, Guderian served in the signal troops and was awarded several times. In the period from 1919 to 1939, Heinz changed several duty stations and even visited the Soviet Union - as part of the inspection, he visited the Kama tank school near Kazan.

The Reichswehr valued Guderian as a military specialist and a thoughtful theorist in the field of using tanks during military operations. The man lectured to the officers and carefully studied the military operations of Napoleonic armies, as well as German tactics during the last war. It was he who was the main proponent of the opinion that tanks should act as a separate combat unit, and not as part of the infantry.

In 1937, the first book in the biography of Heinz, the book “Attention, tanks! The history of the creation of tank troops. The military man completed his peacetime service as commander of the XIX Army Corps.



During the Polish campaign, the man commanded the 19th Motorized Corps and as a result received the Iron Cross 1st degree, as well as the Knight's Cross. Heinz became one of the participants in the meeting of German and USSR troops in the city of Brest-nad-Bug - this moment was even captured in a photo of that time.

During the German invasion of France, Guderian earned himself a dubious reputation. The military preferred to use blitzkrieg tactics, and this brought good results, but Heinz did not always consider it necessary to notify the army command about the actions. However, neither this nor even the temporary removal from command of Ewald von Kleist prevented Guderian from receiving the rank of Colonel General in the summer and becoming the head of the 2nd Panzer Group.

After the attack on the Soviet Union, Heinz managed to capture Smolensk in July 1941, but then Hitler changed his plans and ordered Guderian to go to Kyiv. The skillful command of the general allowed the army of the Third Reich to repel the attack of the Red Army, which eventually led to the formation of the "Kyiv cauldron", which included the entire Southwestern Front of the Soviet troops.

Then things didn't go so well. Guderian was ordered to advance on Moscow, and in November 1941, the 2nd Panzer Group, having taken Orel and Mtsensk, attacked Tula and Kashira, but lasting results were not achieved. The Wehrmacht troops were unable to enter Moscow. The German command was poorly aware of the size of the city and did not realize that there were not enough forces either to encircle the city or to attack it frontally.

When the Red Army launched a counter-offensive, Guderian asked for permission to withdraw his troops, but was refused, a challenge to which led nowhere. Having disobeyed the instructions of the headquarters, Heinz withdrew part of the troops, for which on December 26, 1941 he was removed from command and transferred to the command reserve.

However, in February 1943, after the defeat of fascist troops at Stalingrad, Adolf Hitler realized that he could not do without Heinz’s experience, and personally asked Heinz to take the position of chief inspector of armored forces. His responsibilities now included rebuilding the battered tank army, as well as managing the design and production of tanks. The new position gave Heinz the opportunity to avoid bureaucratic delays and contact Hitler directly.

Operation Citadel was the last major German offensive in the East and aimed to restore the initiative of the German army. The USSR troops were aware of Germany's plans, and they began to strengthen the defense.

On May 3, 1943, a meeting was held to review the operation plan. During the discussions, Guderian's imbalance prevailed over prudence, and he challenged Field Marshal von Kluge to a duel, the conflict with whom began during the operation to capture Moscow - he contributed to the removal of Heinz in 1941. However, the duel did not happen in the end, since Hitler personally prevented it.



"Citadel" violated 2 of the 3 principles of tank operations set out by the military in the book "Attention, Tanks!" According to his recommendations, the terrain should be open and without fortified defenses, and the enemy’s actions should be a complete surprise. In a conversation with the Fuhrer on May 14, 1943, Guderian pointed out the pointlessness of the plan, with which the Fuhrer was inclined to agree. As a result, “Citadel” was postponed until July, but in the end it still ended in the defeat of the German troops.

In July 1944, an assassination attempt was made on the Fuhrer. After this, Heinz received the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Ground Forces, but in March 1945, the general once again entered into an argument with Hitler. The result was that Heinz was relieved of his post and sent on leave.

On May 10, 1945, Guderian Heinz was captured by the US Army and taken to Nuremberg. At the trial, the general passed as a witness - despite the desire of the USSR to charge him with executions of captured soldiers of the Red Army in 1941, the allies did not approve of such a move.

In 1946, Heinz, as a US prisoner of war, was imprisoned in Allendorf, from which he was released 2 years later. After that, Guderian was often invited to meetings of British veterans, where he and his former opponents analyzed past battles. In the early 1950s, Heinz became a military adviser and helped form the Bundeswehr.



Heinz Guderian died on May 14, 1954. The cause of death was liver disease, which the man had suffered from since 1951.