Wilhelm List

Wilhelm List is handed the indictment in the Hostage Trial in 1947

Siegmund Wilhelm List (May 14, 1880 - August 17, 1971), was a German field marshal during World War II.

He was born at Bavaria in 1880 and entered the Army in 1898 as a cadet. In 1900 he was promoted to Leutnant and in 1913 he joined the general staff as a Hauptman. He served as a staff officer in the First World War.

After the war List stayed in the Reichswehr and most of his assigments were as an administrator. In 1927 he was promoted to Oberst, in 1930 he was promoted to General-Major and in 1932 he was promoted to General-Leutnant. In 1938 after the Anschluss he was made responsible for integrating the Bundesheer into the Wehrmacht.

During 1939 he commanded the German 14th Army in Poland. From 1939 to 1941 he commanded the German 12th Army in France and Greece. During 1941 he was Commander-in-Chief South-East. In July 1942 he was Commander-in-Chief of Army Group A on the Eastern Front with Russia.

List's moderate approach as a commander and his refusal to commit his exhausted troops to another assault caused Hitler to relieve him of his command. List spent the rest of the war at his home and never returned to being an active army officer.

List was captured by the allies after the war and was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Hostages Trial at Nuremberg. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 1948. In December 1952 List was released from prison because of ill health. He died on August 17 1971.