(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:
F�hnrich (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 Ru�wurm 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 erh�lt 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 f�r Frontk�mpfer
- 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. Rum�n. Orden �Michael der Tapfere� III Klasse: 16.07.1942
- Komturkreuz des Kgl. Italien. Milit�rordens von Savoyen: 30.07.1942
- Medaille �Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942�
- Kgl. Rum�n. Orden �Michael der Tapfere� II Klasse: 06.10.1942
- Kgl. Rum�n. 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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