German general during World War II
Gotthard Heinrici |
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Gotthard_Heinrici_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Gotthard_Heinrici_%28cropped%29.jpg) |
Birth name | Gotthard Fedor August Heinrici |
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Nickname(s) | Unser Giftzwerg (lit. "our venomous dwarf"; "our nasty little man") |
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Born | (1886-12-25)25 December 1886 Gumbinnen, Kreis Gumbinnen, Province of East Prussia, German Empire (present-day Gusev, Gusevsky District, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia) |
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Died | 10 December 1971(1971-12-10) (aged 84) Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany |
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Buried | Bergäcker Cemetery |
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Allegiance | German Empire
Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
Nazi Germany (1933–1945) |
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Branch | Imperial German Army
Reichsheer
German Army |
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Years of service | 1905–1945 |
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Rank | Generaloberst |
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Commands | 16th Infantry Division 14th Company, 13th Württembergish Infantry Regiment III Battalion, 3rd Prussian Infantry Regiment XII Army Corps XXXXIII Army Corps 4th Army 1st Panzer Army Army Group Vistula |
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Battles/wars | |
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Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
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Relations | Georg Heinrici (uncle) Gerd von Rundstedt (cousin) |
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Signature | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Gotthard_Heinrici_signature.svg/100px-Gotthard_Heinrici_signature.svg.png) |
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Gotthard Fedor August Heinrici (German: [ˈɡɔthaʁt haɪnˈʁiːtsi]; 25 December 1886 – 10 December 1971) was a German general during World War II. Heinrici is considered to have been the premier defensive expert of the Wehrmacht. His final command was Army Group Vistula, formed from the remnants of Army Group A and Army Group Center to defend Berlin from the Soviet armies advancing from the Vistula River.