Guderian, Heinz Günther Jr.

Guderian, Heinz Günther Jr., born 11-08-1914 in Goslar, was a German officer in the Wehrmacht and later a Generalmajor and Inspector of Panzer Troops in the West German Bundeswehr and NATO. He was the son of World War II Generaloberst der Infanterie, Heinz Guderian and Margarete, born Goerne, who was the daughter of Generalarzt Ernst Goerne.    Heinz Günther Guderian entered the German Army as an officer cadet on 01-04-1933. He was promoted to second leutnant in 1935 and served as a Zugführer (platoon leader), battalion and regimental adjutant and company commander in Panzer Regiments 1 and 35 under commander of Generalfeldmarschall der Kavallerie, Maximillian Weichs

and 35^th commander Generaloberst der Panzer, Hans Georg Reinhardt.   He saw combat during the invasion of Poland and was wounded  twice during the Battle of France in 1940. He graduated from the General Staff College in 1942 and served as a Staff Officer in various armored units until being assigned as the Operations Officer for the 116^th Panzerdivision, “The Greyhounds” under General der Panzertruppe, Graf Gerhard “Gerd” von Schwerin

   in May 1942, a position he held until the end of the War.

   The 116^th Panzer Division participated in the following battles: Normandy, Arnhem, “Bridge too Far”, Aachen, the Hürtgen Forest, the Ardennes Offensive “Battle of the Bulge” (see MacAuliffe),    the Reichswald and the Ruhr Pocket, where Field Marshal, Kommandeur XXXXI Panzergruppe, Walter Model

   committed suicde . The last commander of the division was Siegfried von Waldenburg, who surrendered to the US forces. Von Waldenburg   died age 74, on 27-03-1973 in Hanover. After the creation of the Bundeswehr, Guderian returned to the army and was given command of 3^rd Panzerbattalion and later 14^th Panzerbrigade. He also served in a variety of staff assignments, culminating in service as Inspector of Panzer Troops, the same job his father held during World War II, for the Bundeswehr. He retired in 1974. Guderian’s WWII decorations include the Iron Cross Second and First Classes, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, the Wounds Badge in Silver.

After the war he received the Federal German Grand Cross of the Order of Merit on 21-12-1972.

  Heinz Günther died at the very old age of 90, on 25-09-2004 and is buried in the family grave of the Guderians on the cemetery Hildesheimerstrasse in Goslar. Close neighbours are the Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur von Dniep, Ernst Adolph, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Chef Heeresgruppe “Kurland”,  Friedrich Foertsch, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 10^th Panzer Grenadier Division, Karl Kossmann,     Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 404^th Infanterie Division, Adolf Hüttmann, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur Ersatz Division in Brünn, Gustav “Iron Gustav” Wagner   and the SS Obergruppenführer, Reichsminister of Food and Agriculture, Walther Darré.

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