Wilhelm List Siegmund Wilhelm Walther List ( 14 May 1880 – 17 August 1971 ) , was a German field marshal during World War II , and at the start of the war was based in Slovakia in command of the 14th Army . Early life and career . List was born in Oberkirchberg ( now a part of Illerkirchberg ) near Ulm , Württemberg , Germany in 1880 and entered the Bavarian Army in 1898 as a cadet . In 1900 , he was promoted to " Leutnant " ( Lieutenant ) and in 1913 he joined the general staff as a " Hauptmann " ( Captain ) . He served as a staff officer in World War I . After the war , List stayed in the Reichswehr and most of his assignments were as an administrator . In 1927 , he was promoted to Oberst , in 1930 he was promoted to " Generalmajor " ( Equivalent to a US Brigadier General ) and in 1932 he was promoted to " Generalleutnant " ( Major General ) . In 1938 , after the " Anschluss " of Austria , List was made responsible for integrating the " Bundesheer " into the " Wehrmacht " . In 1939 , List commanded the German 14th Army in the invasion of Poland . From 1939 – 1941 , he commanded the German 12th Army in France and Greece . In 1941 , he was Commander - in - Chief South - East . In July 1942 , he was Commander - in - Chief of Army Group A on the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union . Poland , 1939 . It was List ′ s task to advance his army into southern Poland immediately on the outbreak of hostilities , to form the extreme southern wing of an encircling manoeuver carried out by the German forces aimed at trapping the Polish field army in the general region of Warsaw . He didn ′ t fulfill this mission , although he met advance elements of the German XIX " Panzer " Corps — under General Heinz Guderian — a short distance south of Brest - Litovsk , on 17 September 1939 . Following the conclusion of the fighting in Poland , which was accelerated by the occupation of the eastern part of the country by Soviet forces ( as agreed to in the Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact ) , List and his army remained posted as occupying forces on Polish territory . France , 1940 . During the huge German offensive against France and the Low Countries May to June 1940 , the 14th army remained in Poland , but this was not the case with its commander . In May 1940 List commanded the 12 : th German army during the fall of France . The 12th army was a unit of the German Army Group A , under command of Gerd von Rundstedt . It was this Army Group that successfully forced the Ardennes and then made the imperative break - through on 15 . May 1940 , which spread panic in the French forces and cutted the British expeditional forces off their supply lines . After this successful campaign List was among the twelve generals that Hitler promoted to " Generalfeldmarshall " ( Field Marshal ) 19 . July 1940 . ( This was the first occasion when Hitler appointed Field Marshals due to military achievement ) In early 1941 , German troops were being steadily massed on the Eastern frontier of the Third " Reich " , in preparation for Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the Soviet Union . OKW believed that before Barbarossa could be launched it would be necessary to eliminate the possibility of interference from Greece by militarily subduing this country , in an operation codenamed Operation Marita . Field Marshal List was delegated to negotiate with the Bulgarian General Staff , and a secret agreement was signed allowing the free passage of German troops through Bulgarian territory . On the night of 28 / 29 February 1941 , German troops — including List , who now commanded the 12th Army — took up positions in Bulgaria , which the next day joined the Tripartite Pact . Greece , 1941 . The invasion of Greece , and of Yugoslavia , started on 6 April 1941 . List ′ s 12th Army consisted of four armored divisions and 11 motorized infantry divisions , and totally overmatched the defending forces . Belgrade was occupied by German forces on 13 April , and Athens on 27 April . The Balkan interlude ended with the evacuation of British forces on 28 April . Caucasus campaign and dismissal , 1942 . In early July 1942 , List took command of Army Group A , newly formed from the split of Army Group South during the Germans ′ summer offensive named Case Blue . His orders were to take Rostov and then advance into the Caucasus as far as Baku to capture the oil - rich region . German forces made good progress for two months , advancing almost to Grozny , about from Rostov . However , by the end of August their advance had ground to halt , chiefly due to critical shortages of fuel and ammunition as the army group outran its supply lines . Soviet resistance had also stiffened considerably , and matters were made worse for the Germans by the removal in mid - August of most " Luftwaffe " combat units to the north to support the 6th Army ′ s drive on Stalingrad . Hitler was angered by the loss of momentum , and when List proposed moving some stalled spearhead units to another , less advanced portion of the front to assist in destroying stubborn Soviet forces , Hitler relieved him of command on 9 September and placed Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist in charge of Army Group A . List spent the rest of the war at his home and never returned to active duty . Capture and trial . List was captured by the Allies after the war . In 1947 , List and 11 former subordinates were brought before a U . S . military court , charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity — primarily the reprisal killing of hostages in retaliation for partisan activity . List was convicted in this Hostages Trial . He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 1948 . List was released from prison in December 1952 , officially because of ill health . However , he lived for another 19 years , dying on August 17 , 1971 . References .