World War II
47-422: Ernst Busch may refer to: Ernst Busch (field marshal) (1885–1945), German field marshal Ernst Busch (actor) (1900–1980), German singer and actor [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
94-604: A Leutnant (second lieutenant). In 1913, he was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) and received further training at the War Academy. During World War I , Busch served mostly on the Western Front , initially as a company commander. Within months of the beginning of the war, he had been awarded both the first and second classes of the Iron Cross . In 1915, he was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) and then appointed
141-622: A battalion commander in the 56th Infantry Regiment. He fought in several battles across the Artois, Flanders, and Champagne sectors of the front. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords in 1917 and the following year received the Pour le Mérite . After the war, Busch was retained in the postwar Reichsheer . He mostly served in a series of staff positions for
188-569: A few civilians were honored: Pierre Louis Maupertuis (1747), Francesco Algarotti (1747) and Voltaire (1750). In January 1810, during the Napoleonic wars, King Frederick William III decreed that the award could be presented only to serving military officers. In March 1813, the King added an additional distinction, a spray of gilt oak leaves attached above the cross. Award of the oak leaves originally indicated extraordinary achievement in battle, and
235-539: A third of all awards in World War I went to generals and admirals. Senior officer awards tended to be more for outstanding leadership in combat than for individual acts of bravery. Junior officers (army captains and lieutenants and their navy equivalents) accounted for only about a fourth of all awards. Several famous U-boat commanders, including Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière ( U-35 ), Walther Schwieger ( U-20 ) Otto Hersing ( U-21 ) and Otto Weddigen , received
282-455: Is an example of a decoration often conferred for accomplishment in many fields, including the arts and sciences. Belgium awards either its Order of Leopold or Order of the Crown for outstanding accomplishments in the arts and sciences, and may award its Civil Decoration for lesser accomplishments in these fields. Only a small number of persons have received both the military and civil classes of
329-482: Is not a state order. The revived civil order of the Pour le Mérite is awarded for achievements in the arts and sciences. Active membership is limited to 40 German citizens, ten each in the fields of humanities, natural science, and medicine and the arts. Honorary membership can be conferred on foreigners, again to the limit of 40. When a vacancy occurs, the remaining members select a new inductee. Among famous recipients of
376-491: The Pour le Mérite . The Pour le Mérite became extinct as a result of Kaiser Wilhelm II 's abdication as king of Prussia and German Emperor on 9 November 1918. This marked the end of the Prussian monarchy and it was never awarded thereafter; however the honour continued to be recognized for, and worn by, previous recipients. In 1842, King Frederick William IV of Prussia , appointed Alexander von Humboldt Chancellor of
423-494: The Pour le Mérite . However, unlike the military class of the order, the class of the order for achievements in the arts and sciences did not come to an end. The members re-established their order as an autonomous organization, with revised rules and processes for nomination. The awarding of new memberships resumed in 1923. Recipients included Albert Einstein (1923), Käthe Kollwitz (1929) and Ernst Barlach (1933). During
470-703: The Blue Max ( German : Blauer Max ), is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia . The Pour le Mérite was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle , the Order of the Red Eagle and the House Order of Hohenzollern , among the highest orders of merit in the Kingdom of Prussia . The order of merit
517-536: The 23rd Infantry Division . During the tensions of 1938 between Hitler and the two senior officers in the Wehrmacht , Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg and Generaloberst Werner von Fritsch , Busch sided with Hitler. At this stage of his career, Busch was a General der Infanterie (General of Infantry) and was commander of Wehrkreis VIII . On the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Busch
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#1732856126175564-705: The 16th Army. Six months later, he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross he had been awarded during the campaign in France. On 28 October 1943, Generalfeldmarshall Gunther von Kluge , the commander of Army Group Centre, was injured in a vehicle accident and Busch was named as his replacement. Army Group Centre controlled 76 divisions across four field armies. Fifty-four of these divisions were infantry, which included six from Hungary, and there were also five Panzer divisions. However, few divisions were at full strength and over
611-595: The 700,000 troops of Army Group Centre were outnumbered by 2,500,000 Soviet soldiers. When the Soviet summer offensive of 1944, Operation Bagration , began on 22 June, Army Group Centre's 34 divisions were overwhelmed by nearly 120 Red Army divisions. His army commanders immediately sought permission to withdraw to the Dnieper River but this was denied by Busch, who insisted their positions be held. Within two days, most of his divisions were effectively destroyed. Having overseen
658-631: The German award, the design of the modern Austrian award is unlike that of its imperial predecessor. France has the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for significant contributions to the arts and literature. In Poland the Gloria Artis Medal has been established for the same purpose. Other countries also may recognise accomplishments in the arts and sciences, but with more general orders also awarded for accomplishments in other fields. France 's Légion d'honneur
705-705: The King of Prussia, the President of Germany acted as head of the order. After the Second World War , the civil class was re-established in 1952. This version of the Pour le Mérite is still active today. The Pour le Mérite is still an order into which a person is admitted into membership, like the United Kingdom's Order of the British Empire , and is not simply a medal or state decoration . The Pour le Mérite
752-675: The Order of Merit with powers to recommend candidates to this new civil class of the Order Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts ( Orden Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste ), with the three sections: humanities , natural science and fine arts . When a vacancy occurred the Academy of Arts and Sciences nominated three candidates, one of whom the king appointed. In November 1918 the Kingdom of Prussia came to an end, and with it that state's sponsorship of
799-585: The Red Army began its winter offensive in January 1942, several parts of his army became encircled and Staraya Russa was nearly lost. Busch had to resort to his reserve to ensure his forces could hold onto the city. The commander of Army Group North, Generaloberst Georg von Küchler , became dissatisfied with Busch's performance and wanted to relieve him of command. Permission to do so was denied. The Red Army offensive shifted focus towards Army Group Centre which relieved
846-836: The arts and sciences. The sovereign of the Commonwealth realms confers the Order of Merit and Order of the Companions of Honour . The Republic of Austria confers the Austrian Decoration of Honour for Science and the Arts , founded in 1955. Like the Order Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, this was in a sense a revival of an earlier imperial award, in this case the Austro-Hungarian Decoration of Honour for Art and Science ( Österreichisch-Ungarisches Ehrenzeichen für Kunst und Wissenschaft ), which existed from 1887 to 1918. Unlike
893-503: The award continued to increase during the war; by early 1917, it generally required destroying 16–20 enemy airplanes, and by war's end the approximate figure was 30. However, other aviation recipients included zeppelin commanders, bomber and observation aircrews, and at least one balloon observer . Recipients of the "Blue Max", a nickname of the order, were required to wear the award whenever in uniform. Although many of its famous recipients were junior officers, especially pilots, more than
940-711: The award was established. This grade of the award was given to those who, through their actions, caused the retreat or destruction of an army. There were only five recipients of the Grand Cross of the Pour le Mérite : King Wilhelm I in 1866, Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia (later Emperor Frederick III ) and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia in 1873, Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1878, and Helmuth Graf von Moltke in 1879. The Pour le Mérite gained international fame during World War I . Although it could be awarded to any military officer, its most famous recipients were
987-804: The civil class of the Pour le Mérite in the first group of awards in 1842 were Alexander von Humboldt , Carl Friedrich Gauss , Jakob Grimm , Felix Mendelssohn , Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and August Wilhelm Schlegel . Foreign recipients in the "class of 1842" included François-René de Chateaubriand , Michael Faraday and Franz Liszt . Later recipients included Theodor Mommsen (1868), Charles Darwin (1868), Thomas Carlyle (1874), William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1884), Joseph Lister (1885) Johannes Brahms (1887), Giuseppe Verdi (1887), Hubert von Herkomer (1899), Camille Saint-Saëns (1901), John Singer Sargent (1908), Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1910), Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1911), Sir William Ramsay (1911), and Max Planck (1915). New members of
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#17328561261751034-591: The coming months Busch amalgamated several of them. Others were low quality, particularly the Hungarian divisions and also the eight Luftwaffe Field Divisions that were also part of two of his armies. By June 1944, his command numbered 38 infantry divisions. Busch had to contend with several attacks when the Red Army commenced its winter operations in late 1943. He showed little independence in exercising his command and often deferred to Hitler's orders without protest. When fighting around Vitebsk threatened to cut off one of
1081-494: The divisions of Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt 's 3rd Panzer Army , he had to seek Hitler's permission to allow it to withdraw. Hitler declined and the division was only saved when Reinhardt, on his own initiative, ordered it to retreat. In May 1944, Busch also conceded to Hitler's instructions to transfer his LVI Panzer Corps to Army Group North Ukraine despite this leaving his own command with minimal tanks. An increased build-up of Soviet forces opposite Army Group Centre
1128-548: The era of National Socialism in Germany (1933–45), the order was re-absorbed into the state honours system, and the list of its members was reviewed and revised according to the policies of the new government. A number of Jews and other perceived dissidents or "enemies" of the state were deprived of their awards by the Nazi regime. They included Einstein (who resigned his membership in the order in 1933, and refused invitations to renew it after
1175-425: The few lower ranking recipients of the oak leaves were mainly general staff officers responsible for planning a victorious battle or campaign). In early 1918, it was proposed to award the oak leaves to Germany's top flying ace , Manfred von Richthofen , but he was deemed ineligible under a strict reading of the regulations (he had already received his Pour le Mérite without oak leaves in January 1917 ). Instead of
1222-420: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ernst_Busch&oldid=932817810 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ernst Busch (field marshal) Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Busch (6 July 1885 – 17 July 1945)
1269-621: The invasion of the Soviet Union, commenced in late June 1941, the 16th Army controlled seven infantry divisions. Assigned to Army Group North , and operating on its southern flank during the advance into the Baltic States and Russia, it captured Staraya Russa in August. By December, the 16th Army had been considerably expanded, and Busch now had nine infantry divisions along with two motorised divisions, with one more in reserve, under his command. When
1316-491: The left flank of General der Panzertruppe Heinz Guderian 's XIX Panzer Corps . During the later stages of the fighting in France, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and this was followed by a promotion to Generaloberst on 19 July 1940. Once the campaign in France was completed, Busch's 16th Army remained in the country until early 1941, when it was transferred to Poland. When Operation Barbarossa ,
1363-592: The loss of 250,000-300,000 men (25 full divisions), the biggest defeat for Germany on the Eastern Front, Busch was relieved of his command by Hitler on 28 June. He was replaced by Field Marshal Walter Model who managed to stop the advance of the Red Army, but not until it reached the Vistula. In the meantime, Busch became depressed after his sacking which effectively came about because of his adherence to Hitler's orders. Having gradually returned to favour with Hitler, Busch
1410-535: The military award was a blue-enameled Maltese Cross with golden eagles between the arms (which is based on the symbol of the Johanniter Order ) and the Prussian royal cypher and the words Pour le Mérite ("For Merit" in French ) written in gold letters on the body of the cross. The ribbon was black with edge stripes of silver-white. The order consisted of only one class, both civil and military, until 1810. Only
1457-412: The next several years, including a period as Inspector of Transport Troops and as a battalion commander in the 9th Infantry Regiment. An ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler , he received a series of rapid promotions from 1933. He soon held the rank of Oberst (colonel) and was commander of 9th Infantry Regiment, which was based at Potsdam , and in 1935 was promoted to Generalmajor and given command of
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1504-407: The oak leaves Prussia awarded von Richthofen a slightly less prestigious honor, the Order of the Red Eagle , 3rd Class with Crown and Swords. This was still a high honour, as the 3rd Class was normally awarded to colonels and lieutenant colonels, and von Richthofen's award was one of only two of the 3rd Class with Crown and Swords during World War I. In 1866, a special military Grand Cross class of
1551-694: The order. Besides Prussia, several other states of the former German Empire also conferred similar awards for the arts and sciences. These included the Kingdom of Bavaria 's Maximilian Order for Art and Science ( Maximiliansorden für Kunst und Wissenschaft ), the Duchy of Anhalt 's Order of Merit for Science and Art ( Verdienstorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst ), and the Principality of Lippe 's Lippe Rose Order for Art and Science ( Lippische Rose, Orden für Kunst und Wissenschaft ). A number of other countries have founded similar high civic honours for accomplishments in
1598-549: The pilots of the German Army Air Service ( Luftstreitkräfte ), whose exploits were celebrated in wartime propaganda . In aerial warfare, a fighter pilot was initially entitled to the award upon downing eight enemy aircraft. Aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke were the first airmen to receive the award, on 12 January 1916. It was awarded to Germany's highest-scoring ace, Manfred von Richthofen , in January 1917. The number of aerial victories necessary to receive
1645-480: The pressure on the 16th Army. Busch was able to relieve his encircled troops although it took several months and required his army to be reinforced. For the remainder of 1942 and into 1943 the 16th Army's sector was relatively quiet, with the Red Army directing its offensive operations against the 18th Army , which was besieging Leningrad . On 1 February 1943, Busch was promoted to Generalfeldmarshall but this owed more to Hitler's patronage than to his leadership of
1692-555: The recipient, unless renounced or revoked. New awards of the military class ceased with the end of the Prussian monarchy in November 1918. German author Ernst Jünger , who died in 1998, was the last living recipient of the military class award. A civil class for merits in sciences, humanities, and arts was established in 1842 by King Frederick William IV . The civil class was revived as an independent organization in 1923 ( Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste ). Instead of
1739-1306: The revised order in 1923 included Albert Einstein (1923), Gerhart Hauptmann (1923), Richard Strauss (1924), Wilhelm Furtwängler (1929), and Käthe Kollwitz (1929). Among those inducted in 1952 were Otto Heinrich Warburg , Otto Hahn , Paul Hindemith , and Emil Nolde . Later recipients include Arthur Compton (1954), Hermann Hesse (1954), Albert Schweitzer (1954), Thomas Mann (1955), Oskar Kokoschka (1955), Carl Orff (1956), Erwin Schrödinger (1956), Thornton Wilder (1956), Werner Heisenberg (1957), Lise Meitner (1957), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1957), Felix Bloch (1959), Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1961), Karl Jaspers (1964), Otto Klemperer (1967), Carl Zuckmayer (1967), Henry Moore (1972), Karl Popper (1980), Carlos Kleiber (1990), Witold Lutosławski (1993), Rudolf Mößbauer (1996), Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (1997), Umberto Eco (1998), Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1999), Wim Wenders (2005), James J. Sheehan (2006), and Svante Pääbo (2008). More recent recipients were Gidon Kremer (2016), Emmanuelle Charpentier (2017), Heinz Holliger (2018), Sir Christopher Clark (2019), and Herta Müller (2021). As of 2021 , 14 Nobel Prize laureates were member of
1786-692: The war and died as a prisoner of war in England. Busch was born on 6 July 1885 at Essen in the Ruhr district of Germany. In 1904, having graduated from the Gross Lichterfelde Cadet Academy, he joined the Imperial Army as a Fahnenjunker (officer cadet). He was initially posted to the Westphalian 13th Infantry Regiment but was later assigned to the 57th Infantry Regiment, in which he was commissioned
1833-662: The war), Kollwitz, and Barlach. Such actions were later repudiated by both the order and the postwar German government. In 1952, the order was re-established again in West Germany with assistance of Federal President Theodor Heuss , – now as an independent organization with state recognition and the President of the German Federal Republic as Protector of the Order. However, unlike the somewhat similar Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit), also established by Heuss, it
1880-515: Was a German Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) during World War II who commanded the 16th Army (as a Generaloberst ) and Army Group Centre . During World War I , Busch served as an infantry officer and was retained in the postwar army of the Weimar Republic . He steadily rose in seniority and by 1936 was a general and commander of the 23rd Infantry Division . During the invasion of Poland , he commanded VIII Army Corps . In 1940, he
1927-453: Was appointed commander of the 16th Army; he led it during the 1940 Battle of France and Operation Barbarossa , the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. By October 1943, Busch was the commander of Army Group Centre but he was dismissed in June 1944 after the collapse of his command during the Red Army's Operation Bagration . He was later the commander of Army Group Northwest in the final months of
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1974-679: Was commander of the VIII Army Corps which participated in the invasion of Poland as part of the 14th Army . It captured the city of Kraków , reached the Vistula River and advanced as far as Lviv . During the campaign in Poland, he was twice awarded the Clasp to the Iron Cross . The following year Busch led the 16th Army , which consisted of 13 infantry divisions, during the Battle of France and covered
2021-481: Was founded in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia . It was named in French, which was the leading international language and the favoured language at Frederick's court. The French name was retained, despite the rising tide of nationalism and increasing hostility between the French and Germans during the 19th century, and indeed many of its recipients were honoured for acts performed in wars against France. The insignia of
2068-469: Was largely ignored by Busch. Despite some of his subordinates' efforts to reduce their frontage, he refused to let them do so and blindly reiterated Hitler's orders that there be no retreat. In particular, the towns of Vitebsk, Orsha , Mogilev , and Bobruisk were to be held in force. Busch had attempted to query this with Hitler but was rebuffed and ridiculed. This only strengthened Busch's resolve to follow Hitler's directives without question. By mid-June,
2115-880: Was recalled to duty on 20 March 1945 when he became head of Army Group Northwest . Tasked with defending the portion of German coastline along the North Sea, he had few resources and lacked the respect of many men under his command. Busch surrendered to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery on 4 May 1945. He died in a prisoner of war camp in Aldershot , England, on 17 July 1945, and was initially buried at Aldershot Military Cemetery before his remains were later re-interred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery . Notes Citations Bibliography Pour le M%C3%A9rite The Pour le Mérite ( German: [puːɐ̯ lə meˈʁiːt] ; French: [puʁ lə me.ʁit] , lit. ' For Merit ' ), also informally known as
2162-404: Was the highest royal Prussian order of bravery for officers of all ranks. The Pour le Mérite was awarded strictly as a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement, rather than as a general marker of social status or a courtesy-honour, although certain restrictions of social class and military rank were applied. The order was secular, and membership endured for the remaining lifetime of
2209-402: Was usually reserved for high-ranking officers. The original regulations called for the capture or successful defence of a fortification, or victory in a battle. By World War I , the oak leaves often indicated a second or higher award of the Pour le Mérite , though in most cases the recipients were still high-ranking officers (usually distinguished field commanders fitting the criteria above;
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