World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseSiegmund Wilhelm List was born to a doctor. He was a veteran of WW1, serving as a staff officer in the Great War. During the inter-war years, he remained in the Germany Army and became an active member of the para-military Freikorps. In 1930, he was promoted to the rank of major general and became the head of the Dresden Infantry School. Although critical of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi policies, he remained loyal to his duty as a military officer, partly remaining true to the Prussian military tradition and partly to safeguard his career. At the eve of military conflict, he was the commander of the German 14th Army occupying Austria and Czechoslovakia. He led the 14th Army in Poland, then in the following year led the 12th Army in France. His successes in France led to the award of the rank of Field Marshal. In 1941, he led the 12th Army into Yugoslavia and Greece. In 1942, he was appointed the commander of Army Group A on the Russian Front in charge of capturing Russian oil fields in the Caucasus region. He was dismissed by Hitler on 9 Sep 1942, against the advice of his advisors, for not making the kind of progress that Hitler expected. List remained in his home in Garmish-Partenkirchen for the remainder of the war.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, List was tried and convicted for war crimes, among the many supporting arguments included documents signed by List that authorized the SS to commit atrocities against Polish Jews. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Feb 1948, but was released in Dec 1952 for health reasons.

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