Gerhard von Schwerin

Gerhard Graf von Schwerin
File:Schwerin2.jpg Graf Gerhard von Schwerin
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Heer
Rank	General der Panzertruppen
Battles / wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work	politician

Gerhard ("Gerd") Helmuth Detloff Graf von Schwerin (23 June 1899 – 29 October 1980) was a German army General in World War II. As General der Panzertruppe, he was tasked with defending the city of Aachen while in command of the 116th Panzer Division "Windhund" (the "Greyhound Division").

By the time the 3rd US Armored Division reached Aachen on 13 September 1944, the once-formidable 116. Panzer-Division had been reduced to 600 men, 12 tanks, and no artillery pieces. When he contemplated surrender to Allied forces in order to prevent civilian casualties and to protect the city's artifacts (the city was the ancient resting place of Charlemagne's empire, or the First Reich), Adolf Hitler had him removed and sent Colonel Gerhard Wilck to defend the city with around 5,000 Volkssturm.

In May 1950, he was appointed as chief advisor on military issues and security policy to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and head of the covert government agency Dienststelle Schwerin (with the code name "Zentrale für Heimatdienst"), responsible for preparations for German rearmament. However, after he talked to the press about his work, he was replaced by Theodor Blank in October 1950. Schwerin subsequently was active as an advisor on military policy for the parliamentary group of the liberal Free Democratic Party of Germany.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Silver
• Infantry Assault Badge
• "Afrika" Cuffband
• Eisernes Kreuz 2. and 1. Klasse
• Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern
  • Ritterkreuz (17 Jan 1942)
  • 240th Eichenlaub (17 May 1943)
  • 41st Schwerter (4 November 1943)
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 27 October 1943

Notes

Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.

References

• Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Wien, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Rass, Christoph; Rohrkamp, René; Quadflieg, Peter M. (2007). General Graf von Schwerin und das Kriegsende in Aachen. Ereignis, Mythos, Analyse. Aachen: Shaker. ISBN 978-3-8322-6623-3.
• 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.
• Searle, Alaric (2003). Wehrmacht Generals, West German Society, and the Debate on Rearmament, 1949-1959, Praeger Pub.