General Dietrich von Saucken

[Centurion40]

Never heard of him before, but sounds like an admirable officer.  I'm surprised that he wasn't shot by the Nazis.



https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/von-saucken-to-hitler.html?src=fba&type=int&page=who

He had strolled in casually, wearing his cavalry sword (forbidden in Hitler's presence), and had given him a slightly apathetic military salute, instead of the Nazi salute which had been compulsory for all officers in Hitler's presence since the previous year.

von Saucken was eyeing his boss with open loathing. Hitler casually threw in "and you will be reporting to Gauleiter Forster" – the local Nazi party leader.

This was not going to work with von Saucken. A Prussian general taking orders from some party functionary?

von Saucken gave Hitler a withering look. The facial equivalent of "get lost, corporal". Hitler didn't notice, he was staring at his maps on the table.

Dietrich von Saucken leaned over the table and slammed his hand down on it. That got Hitler's attention.

von Saucken looked him in the eye and said "I have no intention, Herr Hitler, of taking orders from a gauleiter!"

[Sir Slash]

Great read. Thanks Centurion.

[bob48]

Good find, 40C.

[ArizonaTank]

Never heard of this guy, so thanks for posting. 

Of course its really hard to tell with such a short article, but IMHO this guy represents the "other" evil in the German political-military structure of the time.

That would be the old Prussians who were happiest when the army ruled the country.  The guys who pushed the world into WWI, and then kept it going.  Guys like Falkenhayn, Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and Moltke.  These guys thought that somehow their military discipline and hard work was its own morality.  The kind of morality that means for the beauty of plan 'of course you invade Belgium.' 

The story that illustrates this for me happened on the eve of the German invasion of Belgium.  The Kaiser had gotten some information from his ambassador to Britain, that there might be a diplomatic way out of war.  So he calls von Moltke, Chief of the General Staff, to the palace, and tells him to pause the invasion plan.  von Moltke refuses, telling him the plan was already in motion, was too intricate and complex to change and could not be stopped; in short, 'don't screw with the plan boss.'  The Kaiser undeterred then sent his own staff out to try and stop the invasion.  They even resorted to calling units directly via telephone, or riding out in cars to try and stop units from crossing into Belgium.  von Moltke refused to help.  Sadly, the information from Britain turned out to be a misunderstanding, but the exercise just illustrates for me how these guys thought...  the plan and its intricacies and beauty of staff work, was more important than a chance for peace.   

[Centurion40]

Yeah, good call and good story for some icing on the cake.  Man the Kaiser must have been pissed.

[Boggit]

Good story.