Ernst Busch | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ernst_Bernhard_Wilhelm_Busch.jpg) Busch as Generaloberst | |
| Birth name | Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Busch |
| Born | 6 July 1885 Essen, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 17 July 1945 (aged 60) Camp Aldershot, United Kingdom |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  German Army |
| Years of service | 1904–45 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands | VIII Army Corps 16th Army Army Group Centre |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Signature | &sq=&lang=&file=File:Generalfeldmarschall_Ernst_Busch_signature.svg) |
Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Busch (6 July 1885 – 17 July 1945) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) during World War II who commanded the 16th Army (as a Generaloberst) and Army Group Centre.
During World War I, Busch served as an infantry officer and was retained in the postwar army of the Weimar Republic. He steadily rose in seniority and by 1936 was a general and commander of the 23rd Infantry Division. During the invasion of Poland, he commanded VIII Army Corps. In 1940, he was appointed commander of the 16th Army; he led it during the 1940 Battle of France and Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union.
By October 1943, Busch was the commander of Army Group Centre but he was dismissed in June 1944 after the collapse of his command during the Red Army's Operation Bagration. He was later the commander of Army Group Northwest in the final months of the war and died as a prisoner of war in England.