Georg Stumme

Georg Stumme
Birth date	29 July 1886(1886-07-29)
Place of birth	Halberstadt, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	⚔ 24 October 1942 (aged 56)
Place of death	Outpost Snipe, El Alamein, Kingdom of Egypt, North Africa
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1906–1942
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	2nd Light Division 7th Panzer Division XXXX Army Corps Panzer Army Africa
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Poland Campaign Battle of France Balkans Campaign Operation Barbarossa Case Blue Second Battle of El Alamein Defense of Outpost Snipe
Awards	Iron Cross Cross for Merit in War Wound Badge East Front Medal Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1910 Mathilde Woldag ∞ 1930 Meta Volprecht

Georg Stumme (29 July 1886 – 24 October 1942) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally General der Panzertruppe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Life (chronology)

• March 1906 Abitur in Osterode/Harz
• 19 March 1906 Joined the 2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57 in Neustadt, Upper Silesia
  • Basic training, then commanded to War School
• Summer 1907 1st Battery/I. Battalion/2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57
• 1911 Adjutant II. Battalion/2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57 in Gleiwitz
• 1915 Appointed battery leader in his regiment
• 3 December 1916 After injury and recovery transferred to general staff training
• 18 August 1918 Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General Staff of the Divisions-Kommando 303 (the former 303. Infanterie-Division) under Erich Böhme
• 12 December 1918 Return to the 2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57 for demobilization
• 1919/20 Officer with the Border Protection East (Grenzschutz Ost)
• 1920 Rittmeister in the staff of the Reiter-Regiment 10 in Züllichau/Posen
  • as such commanded to the Command Post VI in Breslau
• 16 May 1920 Commander of the 1st Squadron/Reiter-Regiment 10 in Torgau
• 1 October 1923 Hauptmann i.G. in the staff of the 3. Kavallerie-Division in Kassel (as of 1927 in Weimar)
• 1 October 1929 Staff 2. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment in Osterode/East Prussia
• 1 October 1931 Commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment in Tilsit/East Prussia
• 1 October 1934 Commander of the Cavalry Command Stettin
  • 15 October 1935 renamed 1. Reiter-Brigade, still in Stettin
• 1 April 1936 Higher Cavalry Officer 1 in Berlin
• 10 November 1938 Commander of the newe 2nd Light Division in Gera
  • The 2nd Light Division was formed in Gera on 10 November 1938. At the beginning of the war, the division was subordinate to the XV Army Corps and took part in the Polish Campaign with it. From the Groß-Strehlitz / Oppeln area, the division advanced across the Warta-Pilica sector to Kielce and then turned to the western edge of the forest area near Lysa Gora. From 8 to 12 September 1939, the division took part in the encirclement of Radom and, after its completion, was transferred to the 8th Army in the Bzura sector. From here, the 2nd Light Division took part in the encirclement battles west of Modlin. The division remained in this area at the end of the Polish Campaign and was then transferred back to the garrison in Gera.
• 18 October 1939 The 2nd Light Division was redesignated as 7th Panzer Division
  • At the start of the Western Campaign, the division was subordinate to the XV Army Corps as part of the 4th Army. From 10 May 1940, the division broke through the southern Belgian fortifications through the Ardennes, west of Maspelt, east of Espeln and north of Dürler. On 12 May 1940, the division reached the Meuse near Dinant and crossed it the following day. On 15 and 16 May 1940, the division broke through southern Belgium and reached the French border. By 18 May 1940, it had broken through the French border fortifications, advanced to Avesnes and across the Sambre, and fought in the Cambrai area on 19 and 20 May 1940. On 21 May 1940, the division was hit by a British tank counterattack near Arras, which it was able to repel with heavy losses. Fighting around Arras and north of the Loretto Heights followed until 24 May 1940. By 30 May 1940, the division had advanced into the area northwest of Lille. The division was then moved to the area west of Arras for refreshment. At this point, the division still had 84 battle Panzer. On the night of 5 June 1940, the division moved to the Somme near Abbéville. For the second phase of the Western Campaign in France, which was now beginning, the XV Army Corps, to which the division was subordinate, had the task of advancing westward parallel to the English Channel in order to occupy the most important ports and prevent further embarkations to England. The division broke through the Weygand Line on the Somme and advanced westward. There were heavy battles at Fécamp and St. Valéry and finally again on the Cotentin peninsula in front of Cherbourg. Brittany was then broken through and the Loire was won at Ancenis. This is where the division was on 21 June 1940, the day of the armistice. The division then moved to the area around Bordeaux to secure the demarcation line and then to the area northeast of Chartres (south of Paris). The division remained there until 24 July 1940, when it would prepare for the planned Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen „Seelöwe“), the landing in England, west of Paris.
• 26 January 1940 Delegated with the leadership of the XXXX. Armeekorps
• 1 June 1940 Commanding General of the XXXX. Armeekorps
  • 15 September 1940 Reclassified as XXXX. Armeekorps (motorized)
  • In mid-February 1941, the division moved to the Bonn-Bad Godesberg area and from the beginning of June to its preparation area for the Operation Barbarossa southeast of Lötzen in East Prussia. As part of the XXXIX Panzer Corps, the division belonged to Panzer Group 3 or Army Group Center. From 22 June 1941, the division broke through the border fortifications and then forced the crossing of the Niemen in the tank battle of Olita. The division then advanced to Vilna. This was followed by pursuit battles as far as the Daugava, the crossing of the Beresina and the advance on Vitebsk by 5 July 1941.
  • By 27 November 1941, the remnants of the division had reached the Volga-Moskva canal near Yachroma, where it was able to form a small bridgehead. On 29 November 1941, the division had to abandon the bridgehead. On 6 December 1941, the Russian winter offensive began in the area of ​​the division. From 7 December, the division had to withdraw. It was not until 18 December 1941 that it was able to take up a new position north of Yaropoletz. The division defended itself in this defensive position on the Lama and Bol. Ssestra until 14 January 1942. The division then withdrew to the so-called "Königsberg" line, about 30 km north of Gshatsk.
• 15 January to 15 February 1942 Taken ill: Hypertensive heart disease associated with chronic high blood pressure
• 16 February 1942 Return to the XXXX. Armeekorps (mot.) as Commanding General
• 28 June 1942 Relieved of duty due to the Reichel incident
  • The Reichel affair had serious consequences for Stumme (also for his Chief of the General Staff Gerhard Paul Franz). He was sentenced to five years in fortress prison on 22 July 1942 by a military court. Thanks to the intercession of numerous officers and an understanding Hermann Göring, the verdict was overturned and he was released at the end of August 1942 and eventually transferred to North Africa.
• 15 September 1942 Placed at disposal of the Panzerarmee Afrika
• 19 September 1942 Stumme arrives at army headquarters
• 20/22 September 1942 Delegated with the (deputy) leadership of the Panzerarmee Afrika (which included the famed Afrika Korps)
  • 1 October 1942 renamed German-Italian Panzer Army (Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee)

Death

Unlike Erwin Rommel, General Stumme travelled without the protection of an escort and radio car. On 24 October 1942, it was day two of the Second Battle of El Alamein, the enormous British-led offensive in Egypt, Stumme and Colonel Andreas Büchting (b. 17 January 1896 in Danzig), his chief signals officer (Nachrichtenführer Panzer-Armeeoberkommando Afrika), drove to the El Alamein front to explore the situation. On the way to the command post, the Kübelwagen came into the open near height 28 and was attacked by British machine guns and anti-tank guns. Büchting was killed by a shot in the head. Stumme, possibly wounded, jumped out of the car and apparently was holding onto the side of the back-roaring car while the driver drove out of range. He suffered a heart attack and fell, unnoticed by the driver, from the car.

He was found dead along the track the next day. He was known to have high blood pressure. Since this happened in the face of the enemy, he is officially considered fallen. He was replaced for one day by General von Thoma and then by Rommel, who returned on 25 October 1942, while the subordinated Afrika Korps was still commanded by General der Panzertruppe Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma. On 26 October 1942, Stumme's widow was officially informed by General Paul Adolph Wilhelm Otto (Military District Command IX). He was given a military burial in North Africa. Stumme now rests in the German war cemetery in Tobruk.

Oberbefehlshaber

On 27 October 1942, as a special honour, the Upper Command of the Army (OKH) decided not to classify Stumme in the Führer's official obituary (issued in December 1942) as "at disposal of a Panzer army" but instead as commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber) of an army.

Family

Georg was the son of wine wholesaler Gustav Stumme and his wife Therese, née Göhte.

Marriages

In April 1910, 2nd Lieutenant Stumme married his fiancée Mathilde Woldag who died still young on 22 May 1926. They had two children:

• Ilse (b. 14 April 1912); ∞ Dr. med. vet. Peitzer (Berlin-Wilmersdorf)
• Barbara (b. 11 April 1915), technical assistant with the Panzer Army in Africa (Wehrmachtshelferin), at the time of her father's death in military hospital (2. Kriegslazarett/Kriegslazarett Abteilung 602) in Voula-Ellinikon, Athens. It is not known, if she was wounded and flown or shipped out or if she was temporarily serving there.

On 27 May 1930, widower Major Stumme married Meta Volprecht (b. 11 June 1900). They also had two children:

• Peter (b. 14 June 1931)
• Gert (b. 14 January 1938)

Promotions

• 19.3.1906 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 17.11.1906 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 16.8.1907 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 14.2.1906
• 8.10.1914 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 18.10.1915 Hauptmann (Captain)
  • 1920 renamed Rittmeister when transferred to the cavalry of the Reichswehr
  • 1923 renamed Hauptmann i. G. (Captain in General Staff) when transferred to divisional staff
• 1.5.1927 Major with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.10.1926
• 1.2.1931 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 1.8.1933 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1.8.1936 Generalmajor (Major General)
• 20.4.1938 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) with effect and RDA from 1.4.1938
• 1.6.1940 General der Kavallerie (General of the Cavalry)
  • 4.6.1941 reclassified / redesignated as General der Panzertruppe

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Saxe-Meiningen Cross for Merit in War (SMK) on 24 July 1915 (83rd award)
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black
• Baltic Cross (Baltenkreuz)
• Silesian Eagle Order (Schlesischer Adler-Orden), II. Grade (possibly / presumably with Swords)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 20 December 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class for 25 years
  • 1st Class on 2 October 1936
• Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords
• Bulgarian War Commemorative Medal 1915–1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918) with Swords
• Sudetenland Medal
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
• Bulgarian Order of Military Merit, Officer's Cross on statute ribbon
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 July 1940 as General der Kavallerie and Commanding General of the XXXX. Armeekorps

Gallery

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