Walther von Brauchitsch
Küchler refused to use his soldiers to persecute Jewish and Polish civilians, explaining to the Gauleiter of East Prussia Erich Koch that the "German army is not a supplier for a killer gang". This made Himmler furious and Küchler was removed from command. In November 1939, Commander in Chief of the Army Walther von Brauchitsch appointed him to command the 18th Army, then being organised in northern Germany. It comprised five infantry divisions, as well as a motorized division and the 9th Panzer Division, and intended for operations against Holland.