Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg

Freiherr von Geyr was born in 1886 in Potsdam into the Prussian military aristocracy and hailed from a family that produced two Prussian Field Marshals. He enlisted in the German Army in 1904. During World War I, he served on various fronts and achieved the rank of captain. Post-war, he continued his military career, reaching the rank of Oberst in 1932 and Generalmajor in 1935. Between 1933 and 1937, von Geyr served as a military attaché to the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands, residing in London. Upon his return, he was promoted to Generalleutnant and assumed command of the 3rd Panzer (armored) Division in 1937.

From September 1 to October 7, 1939, Geyr commanded the 3rd Panzer Division during the invasion of Poland, where it stood as the most numerically powerful Panzer Division with 391 tanks. Notably, Geyr’s division earned praise from Hitler for its victory at Kulm. Following this success, he was promoted to General der Kavallerie of the XXIV Panzer Corps on February 15, 1940. In 1940, Geyr led the XXIV Panzer Corps during the Invasion of France. During the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, Geyr’s XXIV Panzer Corps, part of General Heinz Guderian’s Second Panzer Army, played a crucial role and received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on July 9, 1941.

By November 1941, Geyr’s Panzer Corps commanded the 3rd, 4th, and 17th Panzer Divisions, the panzer regiment from the 18th Panzer Division, and the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland, leading the advance of Army Group Centre during the Battle of Moscow.

From July 21, 1942, to September 30, 1942, Geyr commanded the XXXX Panzer Corps during the fighting in the Caucasus. He was relieved of his command in a cadre shakeup at the end of September 1942.

In the spring of 1943, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt tasked Geyr with preparing a force of 10 Panzer and motorized infantry divisions. On November 19, 1943, Geyr’s command became Panzer Group West, responsible for training and forming all armored units in the west. This force constituted the main German tank force in France, ready to counterattack in the event of an Allied landing on the northern French coast.

The Allied invasion of Normandy occurred on June 6, 1944. By June 8, Geyr moved three panzer divisions northward against British and Canadian forces advancing on Caen. However, on June 10, 1944, Royal Air Force aircraft attacked his newly established headquarters at La Caine in Normandy, resulting in Geyr being wounded and the cancellation of the planned counterattack.

Despite his reinforced tank units holding off the British advance for an additional month, Geyr was relieved of his command on July 2, 1944, after supporting Rundstedt’s request for a strategic withdrawal from Caen. He was succeeded by Heinrich Eberbach on July 4 and served as Inspector General of Armored Troops until the closing phase of the war.

Between 1945 and 1947, Geyr was held in American captivity. During this time, he participated in the work of the U.S. Army Historical Division, where, guided by Franz Halder, German generals wrote operational studies on World War II for the U.S. Army, first as prisoners of war and later as employees.

After his release, Geyr authored a memoir, “Erinnerungen eines Militärattachés, London 1933–1937” (1949), recounting his years in London as a military attaché. This memoir was later translated and published, along with additional material covering his life through World War II, under the title “The Critical Years” (1952). In the early 1950s, Geyr played a role in the development and establishment of the newly formed German Army (Bundeswehr) in West Germany.

Geyr passed away in Irschenhausen near Munich. He was married to Anais Krausse, and their daughter, Blanche Freiin Geyr von Schweppenburg, married Curt-Christoph von Pfuel. Curt-Christoph von Pfuel served as a Prussian assessor, member of the Council of Europe, and the last Fideikommiss, Lord of Ahrensfelde. Blanche Freiin Geyr von Schweppenburg lived from March 24, 1918, to May 21, 2003, while Curt-Christoph von Pfuel lived from September 2, 1907, to August 5, 2000.