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Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist

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Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881 - 1954) was a leading German Field Marshal during World War II. In 1939 he was recalled to active duty at the age of fifty eight.

In 1942 he was sent to command troops in the Caucasus in order to capture important oil wells in the area. He was promoted to field marshal in 1943. He was relieved of his command in March 1944 for ordering the 8th Army to retreat when it was in danger of destruction by the Soviets, in explicit violations of Hitler’s orders.

He was captured by United States forces in 1945. He was sent to communist Yugoslavia to face alleged war crimes charges in 1946. In 1948 he was then sent to Russia where he died in captivity in 1954.