The Remarkable Story of Georg Stumme in World War II

Georg Stumme was born on July 29, 1886 in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire. He joined the German Army in 1906 and fought in World War I. After the war, he remained in the military, rising through the ranks of the Reichswehr. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Stumme was promoted to Oberst (Colonel). He continued his ascent, becoming Generalmajor (equivalent to a one-star or brigadier general in Allied armies) in 1936. In 1938, Stumme was appointed commander of the 2nd Light Division. In 1939, Stumme led the 2nd Light Division into Poland during the German invasion. After the unit was converted into the 7th Panzer Division on October 18, 1939, he relinquished command to Erwin Rommel in 1940. Stumme was then appointed commander of XL. Armeekorps on February 15, 1940, which became XL Corps (motorized) in September 1940. He led this corps in the 1940 Ardennes campaign during the Battle of France. For his bravery, Stumme was promoted to General der Kavallerie on June 1, 1940 and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In early 1941, Stumme and the XL Corps went to Bulgaria where they fought alongside General Siegmund List and the 12th Army. He then took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece. Stumme led the attack of the right flank of the 12th Army. His two divisions drove west separately into Yugoslavia and then wheeled south, meeting at Monastir on April 9. He was promoted to General der Panzertruppe (General of Panzer Troops) for his performance in the Balkans campaign. During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Stumme served under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock in Army Group Centre. On October 18, 1941, Stumme and his troops captured Mozhaisk. He then participated in Fall Blau (Case Blue) to lead the advance of the 6th Army with his renamed XL. Panzerkorps. In June 1942, Soviet forces captured some German operational plans. Hitler blamed Stumme, relieved him of command on July 21, 1942, and ordered him court-martialed. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment, but Bock secured his release. Ulrich von Hassell, a German diplomat, called it a "grotesque game of tin soldiers which Hitler plays with the generals" in his diary. Göring promised Stumme a new command, and he was sent to North Africa as a replacement for the ailing Erwin Rommel. Stumme joined the Deutsches Afrika Korps in North Africa just as the British launched the Second Battle of El Alamein offensive in October 1942. On October 24, 1942, Stumme was riding in a car for an inspection near the front line when a bullet struck his driver, Colonel Andreas Buechting, in the head. Stumme was later found dead on the track, with no bullet wounds. One theory is that the 56-year-old general, who suffered from chronic high blood pressure, may have had a heart attack during the ambush. The Allied troops discovered his body. Stumme has been described by historian Samuel Mitcham as a "competent but pleasure-loving general", who cultivated a convivial relationship with his officers, unlike the hard-driving Rommel. He was killed at the age of 56 during the Second Battle of El Alamein. The circumstances of Stumme's death remain somewhat mysterious. One account states that before his demise, he was seen outside his car, hanging onto it as the driver sped out of the line of fire. The Allied troops later discovered his body on the track, deceased but with no bullet wounds. Stumme's military career spanned both World Wars. He fought in the First World War and stayed with the Reichswehr after the war. Stumme rose through the ranks of the German Army, becoming a general by 1938. He commanded troops during the invasions of Poland, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, and the Soviet Union. Stumme briefly commanded the Axis forces at the beginning of the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, shortly before his death. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Thank you for watching!, and if you enjoyed this video, please subscribe and share it. Your support is greatly appreciated, and you can find details on how to support my channels through PayPal in the description box below.