Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt

Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt , 1875-1953, German field marshal. He proved his exceptional abilities in World War I. In World War II he commanded in the Polish campaign (1939), in the French campaign (1940), and in Russia (June-Dec., 1941). From Mar., 1942, to Mar., 1945, except for a brief period in 1944, he was supreme commander in the West. He launched a deadly counteroffensive on Dec. 16, 1944 (see Battle of the Bulge ). After the war he was held by the British for possible prosecution as a war criminal. In 1949 he was released because of ill health.

Rundstedt, (Karl Rudolf) Gerd von (1875–1953) German field-marshal. He was called from retirement in 1939 to take command in the Polish and French campaigns of World War II. In 1941 he commanded the invasion of the Soviet Union but was dismissed after he had withdrawn from Rostov against Hitler's orders, in order to improve his chances of resisting a Soviet counter-offensive. From 1942 to 1945 he commanded the forces occupying France and launched the Battle of the Bulge in the ARDENNES Campaign in December 1944. Relieved of his command in March 1945, he was captured by US troops in May but released in 1949 on grounds of ill health.