Hermann Balck

For the 13th century Teutonic Knight, see Hermann Balk.

Hermann Balck
Hermann Balck
Born	7 December 1897(1897-12-07) Danzig-Langfuhr
Died	29 November 1982(1982-11-29) (aged 84) Asperg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Tatsinskaya Raid
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
Relations	William Balck (father)

Hermann Balck (7 December 1897 – 29 November 1982) was a career German army officer who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. His father was Generalleutnant and Knight of the Order Pour le Mérite William Balck.

Biography

Balck was born in Danzig - Langfuhr, he entered the Imperial German army in 1913 as an officer candidate. He served as a company grade officer in World War I, ending in command of a machine-gun company. His unit was closely involved in the German Schlieffen Plan, and led the Sedan crossing. Balck was nominated for the Pour le Mérite in October 1918.

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Balck was in the OKH (High Command of the German Army) and in late October of that year was transferred to the command of Schützenregiment 1 (motorized rifle regiment 1) in 1. Panzerdivision where he served during the Battle of France.

During the winter and spring of 1940 and 1941, he commanded Panzerregiment 3 during the Battle of Greece, and later 2. Panzerbrigade. He returned to staff duties in the Inspectorate of Armoured Forces in the OKH in July 1941. In May 1942, Balck went to the Eastern Front and commanded the 11. Panzer Division in Ukraine and southern Russia. He was removed into officer reserve, but immediately given command of Panzergrenadierdivision Grossdeutschland in the east. After a brief spell in Italy he came to command the 48th Panzer Corps in the east in December 1943, and finally 4th Panzer Army from August 1944. During this time his Division or Panzerkorps engaged in the defense against the Soviet breakthrough at Stalingrad, and the attempt to relieve Stalingrad in late 1942, the defense against the Soviet breakthrough across the Dnieper, and the counterattack at Zhitomir in 1943, as well as the defense against the Soviet winter/spring offensive in western Ukraine in 1944. In July 1944 Balck commanded the 48. Panzerkorps during the initial phase of the Soviet Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive. Balck was closely involved in the failed defense, and the unsuccessful attempt to relieve the encircled 13. Armeekorps at Brody which was destroyed.

He was transferred from command of the 4th Panzer Army in Poland to the command of Army Group G in the Alsace region of France in September 1944. In late December Balck was relieved of his command and transferred back to the Eastern Front and demoted to command Army Group Balck in Hungary. Balck was captured in Austria by American troops on 8 May 1945.

After the war he became a depot worker. In 1948 he was arrested, tried and convicted for murder for the execution by firing squad, without proper trial, of the artillery commander Lieutenant-Colonel Johann Schottke, who was found drunk on duty, on 28 November 1944 near Saarbrücken. This incident occurred while Balck was serving as commander of Army Group G on the western front. He served half of his sentence.

Career assessment

Balck in 1943

Balck was a prime example of a class of German officers who rose rapidly through the ranks during the war, together with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and Gerneralobersts Erhard Raus and Josef Harpe. Balck started the war as an Oberstleutnant (lieutenant-colonel) in 1939 and ended it as a General der Panzertruppe (lieutenant-general of the armored troops). Balck is often described as a very gifted commander of armoured troops, and his handling of 11. Panzerdivision and 48. Panzerkorps during 1942-3 would support this view.

Many of the battles Balck participated in are described in Generalmajor Friedrich von Mellenthin's Panzer Battles. Friedrich von Mellenthin was Balck's chief of staff for a long time and a fervent admirer of Balck with whom he had a very good working relationship. Balck's own autobiography is entitled Ordnung im Chaos [1].

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (15 October 1914)
  • 1st Class (26 November 1914)
• Hohenzollernorden mit Schwertern (3 December 1917)
• Bayerisches Militärverdienstkreuz mit Schwertern (15 November 1914)
• Österreichischer Militärverdienstorden 3rd Class (28 February 1916)
• Bulgarischer Tapferkeitsorden 3. Class mit Schwertern (2 December 1941)
• Verwundetenabzeichen (1914) in Gold (10 May 1918)
• Panzer Badge in Silver (14 October 1940)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (12 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (13 May 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
  • Knight's Cross on 3 June 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Schützen-Regiment 1
  • 155th Oak Leaves on 20 December 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of the 11. Panzer-Division
  • 25th Swords on 4 March 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 11. Panzer-Division and XXXXVIII. Armeekorps
  • 19th Diamonds on 31 August 1944 as General der Panzertruppe and acting commander of the 4. Panzerarmee
• Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht

Dates of rank

20 September 1916:	Leutnant (Second Lieutenant)
1 May 1924:	Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
1 February 1929:	Rittmeister (Captain of Cavalry)
1 June 1935:	Major (Major)
23 January 1938:	Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
1 Oberst 1940:	Oberst (Colonel)
15 July 1942:	Generalmajor (US Equivalent - Brigadier General)
21 January 1943:	Generalleutnant (Major General)
12 November 1943:	General der Panzertruppe (Lieutenant General of Armoured Troops)

Works

• Balck, Hermann (1981). Ordnung im Chaos / Erinnerungen 1893 - 1948. Biblio, Osnabrück. ISBN 3-7648-1176-5.

References

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges (in German). Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 0-88740-580-0.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 - 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham - Huppertz (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939 - 1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Williamson, Gordon (2006). Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients 1941-45. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-644-5.
• Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2004. ISBN 3-924309-53-1.

External links

• Hermann Balck in the German National Library catalogue (German)
• Biography at the Bundesarchiv
• Additional information on General der Panzertruppe Hermann Balck appears at Mike Miller / Axis Biographical Research

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Walter Scheller	Commander of 11. Panzer Division 16 May 1942 – 4 March 1943	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Eberbach	Commander of XLVIII Panzer Corps 15 November 1943 – 19 August 1944	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring	Commander of 4. Panzer-Armee 5 August 1944 – 21 September 1944	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Fritz-Hubert Gräser
Preceded by General Johannes Blaskowitz	Commander of Heeresgruppe G 21 September 1944 – 23 December 1944	Succeeded by General Johannes Blaskowitz
Preceded by General Maximilian Fretter-Pico	Commander of 6. Armee 23 December 1944 – 8 May 1945	Succeeded by none