the height of battle and sent to Holland,
where he succeeded Gen. Kurt Studentas
commander of Army Group H. For the next
three months, he conducted a stubborn fight-
ing withdrawal against the British 8th Army,
receiving from Hitler the swords to his Iron
Cross. To the bitter end he also ruled his
troops with an iron hand, threatening to exe-
cute any soldier for desertion. But the general
also demonstrated great humanity by allow-
ing Allied airdrops of food and medicine to
the starving Dutch population. Blaskowitz fi-
nally surrendered on May 8, 1945, having in-
structed his troops to destroy their own mine-
fields. He was unique in being the only senior
German general of this talent not elevated to
field marshal. Hitler’s grudge thus deprived
the Third Reich of one of its finest military
leaders.
After the war Blaskowitz was taken into
custody and charged as a minor war criminal
for executing deserters. He died on February
5, 1948, hours before his trial, when he appar-
ently threw himself out of a second-story win-
dow. The manner of his demise has given rise
to theories that he was actually murdered by
former SS officers, still resenting complaints
he filed against them in 1939. Blaskowitz was
nonetheless a fine strategist, an outstanding
tactician, and was regarded by many histori-
ans as the “field marshal without baton.” His
handling of Army Group G on its 500-mile re-
treat from France, pursued by superior enemy
forces with complete control of the air, re-
mains a military masterpiece.Bibliography
Brett-Smith, Richard.Hitler’s Generals.London: Os-
prey, 1976; Breuer, William B. Operation Dragoon:
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Unknown Battles that Ruined Hitler’s Plan for a
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Carbondale: Southern Illinois University, 1981.DEBOUGAINVILLE, LOUIS-ANTOINE
de Bougainville, Louis-Antoine
(November 12, 1729–August 20, 1811)
French Army Officer; French Naval Officer; Explorer
B
ougainville made his reputation as an
active officer in the French and Indian
War. He received some blame for the
fall of Quebec but went on to gain distinction
as a high-ranking naval officer and world-fa-
mous explorer.
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville was born in
Paris on November 12, 1729, the son of a
noble king’s councilor whose family lineage
dated back to the fourteenth century. He stud-
ied law and briefly practiced in the Parlement
of Paris, but young Bougainville developed a