Gerd von Rundstedt
German generalfeldmarschallWikipedia
9
MENTIONS
7
EPISODES
7
PODCASTS
Search complete. 9 mentions across 7 episodes found for "Gerd von Rundstedt".
Oct 15, 2026
Peter RobinsonHOST
... was the only reasonable thing to do.
Victor Davis HansonGUEST
And when you, and when you were dealing with people like von Bock or Guderian or Rundstedt, who were masters at encirclement, they lost an entire four-million person army.
Victor Davis HansonGUEST
They lost 50-
Peter RobinsonHOST
Because Stalin was a bonehead.
Eli AmdurHOST
But Rommel, the most accomplished general in history up until that point, or certainly alive on Earth, was not allowed to, to take charge of the tanks and ammunitions that were only 18 miles away, because Adolf Hitler was a micromanager and would have no decisions made without his consent, and he was asleep at 5:00 in the morning with strict instructions not to be awakened until he woke up that day.
Eli AmdurHOST
The information had to go from the front up to Rommel, up to his boss, Von Rundstedt, up to his boss, Adolf Hitler.
Eli AmdurHOST
S- Hitler was asleep, Von Rundstedt was in Paris buying shoes for his wife, and Rommel was unable to make the decision that a lieutenant should have been able to make.
Eli AmdurHOST
Meanwhile, the Allies invading were able to make decisions, were able to ad-lib, and that day was a success.
Mark PainterHOST
On December 15th,
Mark PainterHOST
the day before the operation was to begin, Rundstedt's order of the day to the soldiers involved called on them to, quote, give their all and make superhuman sacrifices for our fatherland and our Fuhrer.
Mark PainterHOST
On that same day, President Roosevelt nominated generals George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Hap Arnold, and Dwight Eisenhower to the newly created rank of General of the Army.
Mark PainterHOST
He also nominated U.S. Navy Admirals William Leahy, Ernest King, and Chester Nimitz to the comparable naval rank of Fleet Admiral.
20 MINS LATER
Mark PainterHOST
In France and Belgium, French speakers call it the Battle of the Ardennes, which is a more logical name.
Mark PainterHOST
German speakers usually call it the Ardennes Offensive.
Mark PainterHOST
In 1944, some Germans were calling it the Rundstedt Offensive, as Gerd von Rundstedt was commander-in-chief of the Western Front at the time.
Mark PainterHOST
Reportedly, Rundstedt himself was offended when he heard it called that since he had opposed the idea and had tried to talk Hitler out of it.
Tom GulleyHOST
It's back there.
Tom GulleyHOST
In December of 1944, the German army, under the command of German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northern France.
Tom GulleyHOST
Now, on the 16th of December, it amassed 29 divisions, totaling 250,000 men, at a weak point in the Allied lines during the early stages of the ensuing Battle of Sabolch.
Tom GulleyHOST
And they made significant headway toward the Meuse River during a severe winter.
speaker_0NARRATOR
He also believed the strategic plan to throw back an invasion attempt was fatally flawed.
speaker_0NARRATOR
His direct superior, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, German commander in chief in the West, had already formulated a plan for defending against an Allied landing.
speaker_0NARRATOR
By May of 1944, 58 of the over 300 Wehrmacht divisions were stationed in France and the low countries.
speaker_0NARRATOR
10 of these divisions were the powerful and mobile Panzer divisions.
Michael WeyersHOST
He is to use the forces at his disposal, above all Kampfgruppe von Tettau.
Michael WeyersHOST
Under his Operations and Training Officer, Generalleutnant Hans von Tettau, Model also contacts Oberbefehlshaber West, Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt.
Michael WeyersHOST
He asks for reinforcements for Arnhem, more anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled artillery, and infantry.
Michael WeyersHOST
All these orders are in place before midnight on September 17th.