Johannes Blaskowitz

Johannes Blaskowitz
Blaskowitz in the 1930s
Birth name	Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz
Born	(1883-07-10)10 July 1883 Paterswalde, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	5 February 1948(1948-02-05) (aged 64) Nuremberg, Allied-occupied Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (1901–1918)  Weimar Republic (1918–1933)  Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Service / branch	German Army
Years of service	1901–1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands	8th Army, 9th Army, 1st Army, Army Group G, Army Group H
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Wola Cyrusowa Battle of the Bzura Siege of Warsaw (1939) Battle of France Case Anton Operation Lila Operation Dragoon Siegfried Line campaign Lorraine Campaign Operation Nordwind
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German Generaloberst during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After joining the Imperial German Army in 1901, Blaskowitz served throughout World War I, where he earned an Iron Cross for bravery.

During WWII, Blaskowitz led the 8th Army during the Invasion of Poland and was the Commander in Chief of Occupied Poland from 1939 to 1940. He wrote several memoranda to the German high command speaking out against SS atrocities, and he handed out death sentences to SS members for crimes against Polish civilians. Based upon these actions against the SS, Adolf Hitler personally limited Blaskowitz's future advancement. He commanded Army Group G during the Allied invasion of Southern France and Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. Blaskowitz later commanded the remnants of Army Group H as it withdrew to Northern Netherlands before surrendering to Allied forces.

After the war, he was charged with war crimes in the High Command Trial at Nuremberg. He died by suicide during the trial on 5 February 1948.^[1]