On 8 April 1942 assessed as: ‘Blameless, self-possessed character. Adept, quiet type. Imposes his will. Forward looking with very good tactical sense and ability. Quick to make decisions and give orders. Commits himself tirelessly against the enemy. An above-average regimental commander.’
CSDIC (UK) opinion: An old cavalry man who had been forcibly motorised. Enjoyed the panzer battles in the North African desert, repeatedly emphasising that a ‘true’ soldier fought honourably, as in North Africa, unlike the war in Russia. Cramer’s colleagues considered him incompetent. Assessed by the British as ‘anti-Nazi’ and a pro-monarchist in favour of restoring the Kaiserreich under Rupprecht von Bayern, Cramer spent most of his time at Trent Park alone in his room, presumably because of his severe asthma.
14. GENERAL DER PANZERTRUPPE LUDWIG CRÜWELL
Born Dortmund, 20.3.1892. Prot. Entered Army 6.3.1911. WWI: Service at front and Staff; 1918 Oberleutnant. Reichswehr: Mainly Staff appointments; 1.3.1936 Oberst. WWII: 23.10.1939 Senior QM, 16.Armee; 1.12.1939 Generalmajor; 1.8.1940–15.8.1941 CO, 11.Pz.Div.; 14.5.1941 awarded Knight’s Cross; 1.9.1941 awarded Oak Leaves, Generalleutnant and Cmmdg Gen, Deutsches Afrika Korps; 17.12.1941 General der Panzertruppen; 29.5.1942 shot down on reconnaissance flight west of Tobruk, PoW; 22.8.1942–16.6.1944 Trent Park, then Clinton Camp, USA. Repatriated April 1947. In the 1950s was considered a likely prospect for the post of General-Inspekteur der Bundeswehr but declined on grounds of ill-health (see Meyer, Heusinger, p. 556 and letter from Adolf Heusinger to Berndt Crüwell, 27.9.1958). Died Essen, 25.9.1958.
His superiors considered him to be outstandingly positive. General Werner Kempf wrote of him on 28 October 1941: ‘Outstanding person. Exemplary, brave. Great tactical knowledge and ability, very prudent, very fast to make decisions, tirelessly active. Led outstandingly and achieved great successes.’ In his opinion of 12 April 1942 Rommel concurred with the foregoing.
CSDIC (UK) opinion: He headed the ‘Nazi clique’, and was a follower and admirer of Hitler, whom he had met twice. An ‘ignorant, stupid, sentimental, narrow-minded, conceited, vain and self-satisfied type of Prussian senior officer. He seems to regard himself as a second Frederick the Great. He never tires of boasting about his capture of Belgrade five days after the invasion of Yugoslavia, and the fact that he was promoted full General over the heads of 130 Lieutenant-generals.’ (see e.g. SRX 1153, 9.10.1942, TNA WO208/4161). Otherwise, his only interest besides military affairs were horse-riding and his four young children. The British do not appear to have been aware of his avid interest in reading history.
15. GENERALLEUTNANT WILHELM DASER
Born Germersheim/Pfalz, 31.8.1884. RC. Entered Army 6.7.1903. WWI: 15, 18 and 30.Bav.Res.Reg. longest period as Regimental Adjutant, finally Hauptmann and Battalion Cdr. Reichswehr: Comp. and Battalion Cdr. WWII: 26.8.1939 Oberst, as CO, Inf.Reg.388 attached to 3.Gebirgsdivision at Murmansk; physical breakdown, 22.9.1941 reported sick; 1942/43 Feldkommandant, France, 15.12.1942–10.6.1943 Oberfeldkommandant, 670 Lille, then Feldkommandant, 454 southern sector Eastern Front; from 15.5.1944 CO, 70.Inf.Div. (composed of walking sick/stomach/intestinal problems) Walcheren Is., Holland; 6.11.1944 PoW Walcheren; 9.11.1944 Trent Park; May 1945 transferred USA. Repatriated 10.12.1949. Died Ingolstadt, 14.7.1968.
Assessed positively as regimental commander. Last assessment 24.10.1943 also good: ‘Has proved himself as Feld Kommandant (district commander of occupation troops) particularly in clearance and evacuation tasks… stands on the ground of the National Socialist worldview.’
16. GENERALLEUTNANT KURT DITTMAR
Born Magdeburg, 5.1.1891. Prot. Entered Army 6.3.1909. WWI: Mainly Pionierbataillon.4; 1918 Hauptmann and Battalion Cdr, III.Inf.Reg.165. Reichswehr: Pioneer officer, field and Staff. WWII: Oberst, CO, Pionier-Schule II; 15.3.1940 Pionierführer, 1.Armee; 1.4.1940 Generalmajor; 20.2.1941–11.10.1941 CO, 169.Inf.Div.; from 1.4.1942 General, zbV, OKH radio broadcaster explaining Army reports; 25.4.1945 PoW; 18.5.1945 Trent Park. Repatriated 15.5.1948. Died Stadtoldenburg, 26.4.1959.
Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz, C-in-C, 1.Armee, summed up Dittmar on 26 February 1941 as: ‘Mentally and physically active personality with good soldierly and human qualities. Fighting with 1.Armee he was extraordinarily prudent and independent. Filled the post of Army Engineer-Leader 1 especially well.’
Dittmar’s radio commentaries were comparatively realistic assessments of the military situation. Goebbels considered him clever and praised his reporting skills but brought him to heel in July 1944 for speaking too pessimistically in his latest programme and having ‘fallen in love with the truth’. Goebbels, Tagebücher, Vol. II, 14.1.1944, p. 88 and Vol. 13, 14.7.1944, p. 112.
No detailed CSDIC (UK) opinion available but was considered by Allied interrogators to be a long-winded bore whose image of himself was as the ideal Prussian officer and gentleman. His offer of collaboration was rejected as pure opportunism.
17. GENERAL DER PANZERTRUPPE HEINRICH EBERBACH
Born Stuttgart, 24.11.1895. Prot. Entered Army 1.7.1914. WWI: Platoon Leader, Inf.Reg.122; 25.9.1915 severely wounded, PoW (of French); 1917 returned to Germany via Switzerland; 1918 served with 8th Turkish Army in Palestine, final rank Oberleutnant. Reichswehr: 13.12.1919 entered police; 1.8.1935 transferred into Army; 1.10.1937 Oberstleutnant; 10.11.1938 CO, Pz.Reg.35. WWII: 4.7.1940 awarded Knight’s Cross; 1.8.1940 Oberst; from 2.7.1941 CO, 5.Pz.Brigade; 31.12.1941 awarded Oak Leaves; 6.1.1942–25.11.1942, CO, 4.Pz.Div.; 1.3.1942 Generalmajor; 1.1.1943 Generalleutnant; 28.2.1943–14.10.1943 and 25.11.1943–1.6.44 Inspector of Panzertruppen (1.8.1943 General der Panzertruppen); 15.10.1943–24.11.1943 commander various Panzerkorps on Eastern Front; from 7.7.1944 C-in-C, Pz.Gruppe West (5.Pz.Armee); 22.8.1944 Leader, 7.Armee; 31.8.1944 PoW near Amiens; 6.9.1944 Trent Park. Repatriated 6.1.1948. Died Notzingen, 13.7.1992.
During the war Eberbach received very positive assessments from his superiors. On 1 March 1944 Guderian said of him: ‘Lively, open character brimming with confidence. Convinced National Socialist active in recruitment. Outstandingly proven in battle as regimental and then divisional commander, commmanding general and leader of Army section. Gutsy, superior panzer leader able to handle the most difficult situations. One of our best, an example of effective leadership by example.’ In the column ‘His Strong Points’ Guderian noted, ‘Brave, loyal, firm’.
CSDIC (UK) opinion: ‘A strong character with clear-cut views. Has kept aloof from politics. Supported Nazis some years, although never a Party member. Has realised that the Nazi Government is a criminal body to whom he feels no longer bound by his oath. Said that he was in agreement with the Generals’ revolt.’ Although increasingly critical of the regime he would not participate in making propaganda broadcasts to the German people or similar operations.