Fedor von Bock Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock ( 3 December 1880 – 4 May 1945 ) was a German Field Marshal who served in the German army during the Second World War . As a leader who lectured his soldiers about the honor of dying for the German Fatherland , he was nicknamed " " Der Sterber " " ( literally , ambiguously , and ironically : " The Dier " ) . Bock served as the commander of Army Group North during the Invasion of Poland in 1939 , commander of Army Group B during the Invasion of France in 1940 , and later as the commander of Army Group Center during the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 ; his final command was that of Army Group South in 1942 . Bock is best known for commanding Operation Typhoon , the ultimately failed attempt to capture Moscow during the winter of 1941 . The " Wehrmacht " offensive was slowed by stiff Soviet resistance around Mozhaisk , and also by the " Rasputitsa " , the season of rain and mud in Russia . Once the full fury of the Russian winter struck , which was the coldest in over 50 years , the German armies quickly became unable to conduct further combat operations , with more casualties occurring due to the cold weather than from battle . The Soviet counteroffensive soon drove the German army into retreat , and Bock — who recommended an earlier withdrawal — was subsequently relieved of command by Adolf Hitler . A lifelong officer in the German military , Bock was considered to be a very " by the book " general . He also had a reputation for being a fiery lecturer , earning him the nickname " Holy Fire of Küstrin " . Bock was not considered to be a brilliant theoretician , but possessed a strong sense of determination , feeling that the greatest glory that could come to a German soldier was to die on the battlefield for the Fatherland . A monarchist , Bock personally despised Nazism , and was not heavily involved in politics . However , he also did not sympathize with plots to overthrow Adolf Hitler , and never filed official protests over the treatment of civilians by the " Schutzstaffel " ( SS ) . Bock was also uncommonly outspoken , a privilege Hitler extended to him only because he had been successful in battle . Bock — along with his wife and only daughter — were killed by a strafing British fighter - bomber on 4 May 1945 as they traveled by car toward Hamburg . Early life . Fedor von Bock was born in Küstrin , a fortress city on the banks of the Oder River in the Province of Brandenburg . His full name given at birth was Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor . He was born into a Prussia n Protestant aristocratic family whose military heritage is traceable to the time of the Hohenzollerns . His father — Karl Moritz von Bock — commanded a division in the Franco - Prussian War , and was decorated for bravery at the Battle of Sedan . His great - grandfather served in the armies of Frederick the Great , and his grandfather was an officer in the Prussian Army at Jena . His mother — Olga Helene Fransziska Freifrau von Falkenhayn von Bock — was of both German and Russian aristocratic heritage . The Prussian general Erich von Falkenhayn , the Chief of the General Staff during the first two years of World War One , was his maternal uncle . At the age of eight , Bock went to Berlin to study at the Potsdam and " Gross Lichterfelde " Military Academy . The education emphasized Prussian militarism , and he quickly became adept in academic subjects such as modern languages , mathematics , and history . He spoke fluent French , and to a fair degree English and Russian . At an early age , and largely due to his father , Bock developed an unquestioned loyalty to the state and dedication to the military profession . This upbringing would greatly influence his actions and decisions when he commanded armed forces during World War II . At the age of 17 , Bock became an officer candidate in the Imperial Foot Guards Regiment at Potsdam ; he received an officer ′ s commission a year later . He entered service with the rank of " Sekondeleutnant " . The tall , thin , narrow - shouldered Bock had a dry and cynical sense of humor ; he seldom smiled . His manner was described as being arrogant , ambitious , and opinionated ; he approached military bearing with an unbending demeanor . While not a brilliant theoretician , Bock was a highly determined officer . As one of the highest - ranking officers in the " Reichswehr " , he often addressed graduating cadets at his alma mater . His theme was always that the greatest glory that could come to a German soldier was to die for the Fatherland . He quickly earned the nickname " Holy Fire of Küstrin " . In 1905 , Bock married Mally von Reichenbach , a young Prussian noblewoman , whom he had originally met in Berlin . They were married in a traditional military wedding at the Potsdam garrison . They had a daughter , born two years after the marriage . A year later , Bock attended the War Academy in Berlin , and after a year ′ s study he joined the ranks of the General Staff . He soon joined the patriotic Army League and become a close associate of other young German officers such as Walther von Brauchitsch , Franz Halder , and Gerd von Rundstedt . In 1908 , he was promoted to the rank of " Oberleutnant " . World War I . By the time World War I began in 1914 , Bock was a " Hauptmann " . He served with the 4th Foot Guards Regiment as a battalion commander in January and February 1916 , and was decorated with the coveted " Pour le Mérite " for bravery . Major von Bock was assigned as a divisional staff officer in von Rupprecht ′ s army group on the Western Front and became a friend of the Crown Prince of Germany . Two days before the Armistice , he met with " Kaiser " Wilhelm II at Spa , Belgium , in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Kaiser to return to Berlin to crush the mutiny at Kiel . Weimar Republic . After the Treaty of Versailles was signed , limiting the German Army to 100 , 000 troops , Bock stayed on as an officer of the post - treaty " Reichswehr " , and rose through the ranks . In the 1920s , Bock was together with Kurt von Schleicher , Eugen Ott , and Kurt von Hammerstein - Equord a member of a secret group known as " Sondergruppe R " selected by and responsible to Hans von Seeckt that was in charge of helping Germany evade the Part V of the Treaty of Versailles , which had disarmed Germany . The officers of " Sondergruppe R " formed the liaison with Major Bruno Ernst Buchrucker , who led the so - called " Arbeits - Kommandos " ( Work Commandos ) , which was officially a labor group intended to assist with civilian projects , but were in reality thinly disguised soldiers that allowed Germany to exceed the limits on troop strength set by Versailles . Buchrucker ′ s so - called " Black " Reichswehr " " became infamous for its practice of murdering all those Germans who were suspected of working as informers for the Allied Control Commission , which was responsible for ensuring that Germany was in compliance with Part V . The killings perpetrated by the " Black " Reichswehr " were justifed under the so - called " Femegerichte " ( secret court ) system . These killings were ordered by the officers from " Sondergruppe R " . Regarding the " Femegerichte " murders , Carl von Ossietzky wrote : " Lieutenant Schulz ( charged with the murder of informers against the " Black " Reichswehr " " ) did nothing but carry out the orders given him , and that certainly Colonel von Bock , and probably Colonel von Schleicher and General Seeckt , should be sitting in the dock beside him " . Several times Bock perjured himself in court when he denied that the " Reichswehr " had anything to do with the " Black " Reichswehr " " or the murders they had committed . On 27 September 1923 , Buckrucker ordered 4 , 500 men of the Black " Reichswehr " to assemble outside of Berlin as the first preparatory step toward a " putsch " . Bock , who was Buckrucker ' s contract with the " Reichswehr " , was enraged , and in a stormly meeting berated Buckrucker for mobilizing the Black " Reichswehr " without orders . Bock stated the " Reichswehr " wanted no part in Buckrucker ′ s " putsch " and that " If von Seeckt knew you were here , he would screw his monocle into his eye and say " Go for him ! " " Despite Bock ′ s orders to demobilize at once , Buckrucker went ahead with his " putsch " on 30 September 1923 , which ended in total failure . In 1935 , Adolf Hitler appointed General von Bock as commander of the Third Army Group . Bock was one of the officer s not removed from his position when Hitler reorganized the armed forces during the phase of German rearmament before the outbreak of World War II . He remained a monarchist , and was a frequent visitor to the former " Kaiser " ′ s estate . Hitler reportedly said of him , " Nobody in the world but Von Bock can teach soldiers to die . " Bock himself told his troops , " The ideal soldier fulfills his duty to the utmost , obeys without even thinking , thinks only when ordered to do so , and has as his only desire to die the honorable death of a soldier killed in action . " " General " von Bock commanded the invasion of Vienna in March 1938 for the " Anschluss " and then the invasion of Czechoslovakia , before leading German armies into World War II . World War II . Invasion of Poland . By 25 August 1939 , Bock was in command of Army Group North in preparation for the invasion and conquest of Poland . The objective of Army Group North was to destroy the Polish forces north of the Vistula . Army Group North was composed of " General " Georg von Küchler ′ s 3rd Army , and " General " Günther von Kluge ′ s 4th Army . These struck southward from East Prussia and eastward across the base of the Polish Corridor , respectively . In five weeks , Poland was overrun by German and Soviet forces and Bock had linked Germany back to East Prussia . Following the success in Poland , Bock returned to Berlin to begin preparations for the upcoming campaign in the West . Invasion of France . Shortly after the conquest of Poland , on 12 October 1939 Bock was given command of Army Group B , with 29½ divisions , including three armoured divisions . These were tasked with advancing through the Low Countries and luring the northern units of the Allied armies into a pocket . Army Group B consisted of the 18th and 6th Armies . While his units were overrunning the Netherlands , in May 1940 , Bock attempted to call on the exiled former " Kaiser " — Wilhelm II — at Doorn , but Bock was unable to gain admittance : the German troops guarding the residence having been instructed to prevent such visits . Bock participated in the Armistice with France in late June 1940 . On 18 July 1940 , Bock was promoted to the rank of " Generalfeldmarschall " during a reception held by Adolf Hitler . For much of the summer of 1940 , Bock alternated his time between his headquarters in Paris and his home in Berlin . At the end of August , Army High Command transferred Army Group B to East Prussia ; this included Kluge ′ s 4th Army . On 11 September , Bock relinquished command of his occupation area in France to " Generalfeldmarshall " Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb . Invasion of Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ) . On 2 February , Bock met with Hitler and questioned whether the Russians could be forced to make peace even if the Red army was brought to battle and defeated , Hitler airily assured Bock that Germany ′ s resources were more than sufficient and that he was determined to fight . In preparation for Operation Barbarossa , on 1 April 1941 Army Group B was re - designated as Army Group Center in an official order from Army High Command which defined the organization of the invasion force . Deployed in Poland , Army Group Center was one of the three army formations which were to lead the invasion of the Soviet Union . It included the 4th and 9th Armies , the 3rd and 2nd " Panzer " Armies and " Luftflotte " 2 . On the left flank of Bock ′ s Army Group Center was Army Group North , commanded by Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ; on the right flank was Army Group South , commanded by Gerd von Rundstedt . Initially , the main objective of Army Group Center was to follow Napoleon ′ s route north of the Pripyat Marshes straight to Moscow . However , against the strong vocal opposition of von Bock , Hitler altered the original invasion plan , one of many changes he would make , both before the invasion and after it had already begun . Von Bock opposed any changes to the invasion plan of Moscow , because he wanted to occupy Moscow as soon as he could , hopefully before the onset of cold weather , so that his troops would be in warm quarters during the winter . The failure to do this caused the failure of the whole Soviet campaign . The new task of Army Group Center was to drive towards the cities of Minsk and Smolensk , and in great encirclements destroy the Soviet Armies stationed there . Army Group Center would then drive toward Leningrad , and along with Army Group North destroy the remnants of the Soviet Armies in the Baltic states and seize valuable ports for the supply of the campaign . Only after the bulk of the Soviet army was destroyed in Western Russia would Army Group Center then drive toward the Soviet capital . Hitler made this change conscious of the fact that despite capturing Moscow , Napoleon was defeated because he did not destroy the Russia n army . At 03 : 15 on 22 June 1941 , the first shots of Operation Barbarossa were fired ; Germany invaded the Soviet Union without formally declaring the war . At the outset of the campaign Bock remained at his desk in his headquarters waiting for the first reports from the front . Within an hour of the attack , the first reports began to arrive at Army Group Center headquarters . Elements of Heinz Guderian ′ s force had crossed the Bug River and were bypassing the city of Brest - Litovsk . Hermann Hoth ′ s tanks were heading for Grodno on the Nieman River to seize the important river crossings . Several reconnaissance units from the 4th and 9th Armies had already crossed the Bug and Desna Rivers . At 07 : 00 , Bock flew from Posen to an advance airfield near the headquarters of XIII Infantry Corps . There , Lieutenant General Erich Jaschke gave Bock a summary of the progress of the invasion . Following this meeting , Bock visited Guderian ′ s forward command post at Bokhaly . Guderian ′ s Chief of staff — Colonel Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein — greeted Bock , as Guderian had already crossed the Bug River several hours earlier with the 18th " Panzer " Division . Bock then visited Joachim Lemelsen , who gave an agitated report from the front . The roads on the Soviet side of the Bug River were already becoming too soft to support the weight of tanks . As a result , several tank columns had to be rerouted to cross a bridge farther south at Koden . This rerouting caused severe traffic congestion , as some ten thousand vehicles converged on this single crossing . Despite this , the first day of the invasion had been spectacularly successful . Soviet resistance was reported as being light and complete surprise was achieved . All along the front rapid progress was being made . On the second day of Barbarossa , Bock crossed the Bug River . Escorted by Major General Gustav Schmidt , he made his way to a company command post from where he observed German artillery firing on Soviet positions near Brest - Litovsk . Despite the fact that German " panzer " s had already crossed deep into Soviet territory , the defenders of the city were holding out stubbornly . Later that day Bock was presented with reports that Soviet resistance was stiffening all long the front , especially on Guderian ′ s southern flank . Meanwhile , Hoth ′ s forces were advancing with much more ease through the Baltic states and Belarus . The first two days of Army Group Center ′ s advance proved to be highly successful . Hoth ′ s armies advanced so quickly that Bock immediately contacted Walter von Brauchitsch , requesting the bypassing of Minsk in favor of attacking toward Vitebsk so that a drive could be made for Moscow . Initially , the change in plan was accepted but it was soon overruled by Hitler , who favored the encirclement and destruction of the large Soviet armies near Minsk . Bock wrote in his diary : Differences between Bock ′ s strategic intent and the intent of High Command repeatedly surfaced . Bock continued to favor a direct drive toward Moscow , bypassing Soviet armies and leaving them to be destroyed by infantry , which advanced well behind tank columns . Bock argued that if encirclement was truly necessary then instead of diverting his tanks north and south to encircle and destroy smaller Soviet armies , a larger encirclement should be made eastward toward the Dvina - Dnieper River basins . Hitler decided against this plan , and insisted that the pockets containing Soviet armies must be destroyed before advancing deeper into Russia . Bock , enraged by this decision , was quoted as saying : He hesitantly gave the order to abandon the drive toward Vitebsk and assist in the destruction of the pockets . On 25 June , Bock moved his headquarters from Posen to Kobryn , a town about northeast of Brest - Litovsk . On 30 June , the 4th and 9th Armies met each other near Slonim , trapping thousands of Soviet soldiers . However , many Soviet soldiers managed to escape eastward . Bock soon gave the order to disengage from the encirclement and prepare for a full - scale drive to the east . This order once again caused a confrontation between Bock and Brauchitsch . On 3 July , Bock ′ s forces were once again advancing eastward , with Guderian ’ s tanks crossing the Beresina and Hoth ′ s tanks crossing the Duna . This day marked the furthest distance covered by Bock ′ s troops in a single day , with over traveled . Four days later , Guderian ′ s tanks crossed the Dnieper , the last great obstacle before Smolensk . However , Guderian was soon ordered by Günther von Kluge to withdraw back across the river . Bock soon reversed this order , and Guderian was allowed to re - cross the river . Bock protested Kluge ′ s actions to High Command , to no avail . On 11 July , Bock moved his headquarters again to Borisov , a Soviet town near the Beresina River . Operation Typhoon . On 9 September , Army High Command instructed Bock to prepare an operational order for the assault on Moscow . Operation Typhoon was the code - name given to this new attack , which was to begin no later than 30 September . Bock carefully supervised the planning and preparation of the operation , and a few days later it was approved by the High Command . As part of the preparation for Operation Typhoon , Army Group Center would be reinforced and replenished with men and vehicles ; it would be composed of three infantry armies ( the 2nd , 4th , and 9th ) and three tank armies ( 2nd , 3rd , and 4th " Panzer " s ) . Colonel General Erich Hoepner would command the 4th " Panzer " Army , while the former two were outgrowths of Hoth ′ s and Guderian ′ s original " Panzer " Groups . The replenishment of Army Group Center for Operation Typhoon caused it to increase greatly in size : with almost 1 . 5 million soldiers , it was now larger than it was at the outset of Operation Barbarossa . Bock spent most of the remainder of September on inspection tours of his reinforced Army Group Center . On one occasion , Bock — along with Albert Kesselring — flew over Moscow . On 29 September , Bock held a conference with his senior commanders Strauss , Hoth , Kluge , Weichs , Hoepner , Guderian , and Kesselring . During the meeting the main operational plan was reviewed , with Bock again stressing that Moscow must be taken by 7 November , before the onset of the Russian winter , and to coincide with the anniversary of the Russian Revolution . The following day , Operation Typhoon began with attacks from Guderian ’ s and Hoth ’ s armored forces . Several days later , the infantry armies began to move toward Moscow . With less than 100 miles between the most advanced troops and Moscow , Bock estimated that his troops would enter the city in three to four weeks . Almost immediately , Bock ′ s forces encountered stiff Soviet resistance on the road to Moscow . The previous diversions of Army Group Center allowed the Soviets to reinforce the area between Smolensk and Moscow with the Russian 3rd , 10th , 13th , and 20th Armies , as well as elements of three other armies . German forces were outnumbered almost two to one . However , the superior tactics and training of the " Wehrmacht " — along with an element of surprise — resulted in significant gains despite the increasingly desperate measures employed by the Russians to stop the advance . The 2nd " Panzer " Army — along with the XLVIII " Panzer " Corps — attacked important rail junctions near Oryol and Bryansk . Hoepner ′ s 4th " Panzer " Army soon crossed the Desna River and gained access to deep Russian territory . Meanwhile , Hoth ′ s 3rd " Panzer " Army struck toward Rzhev on the Volga River . On 3 October , Guderian ′ s forces captured Orel and subsequently gained access to a paved highway which led to Moscow , some away . Meanwhile , elements of the 2nd " Panzer " Army reported that they had bypassed Bryansk and were heading toward Karachev . Bock ordered Guderian to press on toward Tula , but within hours this order had been reversed by High Command . The reversal of the order called for Guderian to attack Bryansk where — along with Vyazma — two massive encirclements of Soviet forces were occurring . Bock argued that the area between Orel and Tula remained relatively free of Soviet forces and that Tula could be captured within hours . Ultimately , Bock agreed to divert Guderian ′ s tanks toward Bryansk . Cold rain soon began to fall over the northern sectors of Army Group Center ′ s front , and the roads soon turned into quagmires as part of the Rasputitsa . Virtually the entire front became stuck ; the only vehicles capable of negotiating the mud were tanks and other tracked vehicles . However , these moved at a snail ′ s pace ( sometimes less than per day ) , and fuel consumption soared . This further aggravated the problem of already poor supply lines . Trucks soon became stuck in the mud , as soldiers tried desperately to free them . As the temperature continued to drop , Guderian requested a supply of winter clothing and anti - freeze for the vehicles . However , the increase in partisan activity behind the lines , along with the deteriorating weather conditions , made it increasingly difficult for these vital supplies to reach the front . In one two - day period , partisans made over sixty attacks on German truck convoys , outposts , and railway lines . Slight improvements in the weather soon made it possible for Bock ′ s forces to continue to seal the pockets around Bryansk and Vyazma . The dual encirclements of Soviet forces around Vyazma and Bryansk yielded some of the largest Soviet casualties since the beginning of Operation Barbarossa : some 650 , 000 prisoners were taken during these two encirclements , after which the Soviet armies facing Bock ′ s Army Group Center no longer had the advantage of superior numbers . The weather soon deteriorated again , with the roads once more turning into impassable , muddy quagmires . Since 30 September , Bock had lost some 35 , 000 men , 250 tanks and artillery pieces , and several hundred other vehicles , many of which were mired in the mud . Fuel and ammunition supplies became dangerously low . Despite these problems , the advance toward Moscow continued as Hitler became increasingly impatient . When advance units of the 4th " Panzer " Army reached Kaluga and Maloyaroslavets , German forces were within of Moscow . Guderian ′ s advance in the south was much slower . An attempt by his forces to capture Tula had failed , with considerable losses of men and tanks . However , other units captured Stalinogorsk and Venev , indicating the possibility of bypassing Tula . As Bock ′ s forces pressed on toward Moscow , panic struck in the capital . Hundreds of thousands of civilians began to evacuate the city while others were forced into emergency volunteer units . Martial law was instituted as looting and pillaging of deserted stores increased . Marshal Semyon Timoshenko was relieved of command in favor of Georgy Zhukov , who had been organizing the defense of Leningrad . The main bulk of the Soviet government was evacuated to Kuibyshev , southeast of Moscow ; however , Stalin remained in the capital after being reassured by Zhukov that the capital would not fall . The further Bock ′ s forces advanced , the stiffer Soviet resistance became . The paved roads leading to Moscow became craters under constant Russian artillery fire , rendering them impassable . This forced the German troops into the mud and Army Group Center soon became stuck once again . The goal of capturing Moscow by mid - October could no longer be achieved . However , the sheer weight of the German advance could not be fully stopped , and on 21 October units of the 9th Army captured Kalinin . As November arrived the mud soon turned into ice as temperatures dropped to −20 °F . While the ground hardened sufficiently enough to support vehicles , the cold weather added to the miseries of the German soldiers as many had not received winter clothing . Frostbite soon took its toll ; many soldiers were severely affected and had to be evacuated . On 20 November , Bock moved his field headquarters to an advanced forward position near the front lines . There he visited an artillery command post , where he could see the buildings of Moscow through his field glasses . Several days later , German forces crossed the Moscow - Volga Canal and reached Khimki but soon fell back due to Soviet resistance . On 29 November , elements of the 4th " Panzer " Army reached the western suburbs of Moscow . On 4 December , units of the 2nd Army reached Kuntsevo , a western suburb of Moscow . Several units of Guderian ′ s army bypassed Kolomna and reached the Moscow River . Meanwhile , the 3rd " Panzer " Army once again fought into Khimki . These were the last advances made by Army Group Center under Bock ′ s command . On 6 December , with the temperature at −50 °F , fresh Russian troops commanded by Zhukov launched a huge counterattack . All along the front near Moscow German troops retreated , destroying whatever equipment they could not salvage . Several days later , High Command ordered a halt to all offensive operations . Bock wrote in his diary : By 13 December , German forces had retreated more than from the capital . On 18 December , Bock was relieved of his command of Army Group Center . The official pretext of this decision was health problems . However , this was just one case out of some 40 high - ranking officers being relieved of their command following the failure to capture Moscow . Bock ′ s command of Army Group Center marked the closest the German army ever got to Moscow ; never again would the Soviet capital be threatened . Operation Blue . When Bock asked for permission to withdraw his exhausted troops in December 1941 , he was dismissed from his post as Commander of Army Group Center , to be reassigned to lead Army Group South in January 1942 , when " Generalfeldmarshall " Walter von Reichenau died of a heart attack . 1942 Summer Offensive , Eastern Front . On 28 June 1942 , Bock ′ s offensive split the Russian front into fragments on either side of Kursk . Three armies ( Weich ′ s 2nd Army , Hoth ′ s 4th Panzer , and Paulus ′ 6th Army ) — along with 11 " Panzer " Divisions — fanned out toward Voronezh and the Don River . Paulus ′ " Panzer " Divisions reached the Don on either side of Voronezh on 5 July . The Russians created a " Voronezh Front " under Vatutin , who reported directly to Moscow . Bock wanted to eliminate Vatutin ′ s forces before extending his own flank too deeply into the yawning void created by the strength and speed of the German offensive . Hitler was not pleased with Bock ′ s plan to delay the push toward Stalingrad . On 15 July , Hitler would blame him for the failure of " Operation Braunschweig " , the second part of the German offensive in Russia , and retire him indefinitely . The command of Army Group South was given to Maximilian von Weichs . While privately opposing the atrocities being committed against Soviet civilians , Bock never protested directly to Hitler , although at one time , he had a subordinate file a formal complaint ( " " Meine Herren , ich stelle fest : Der Feldmarschall von Bock hat protestiert " ! " — " gentlemen , I state : The field marshal von Bock has protested " ) . His nephew , Henning von Tresckow , tried in vain to win him for the military resistance against the Hitler regime . When his staff officers planned the assassination of Hitler during a visit to his Army Group , Bock intervened . On the other hand , he did not report the conspirators either . One of the reasons for Bock ′ s dismissal is believed to have been his expressed interest in supporting the Russian Liberation Movement , which Hitler was categorically against . Post 1943 . As an involuntarily retired Field Marshal , Bock felt he was made a scapegoat for the problems of Stalingrad . He was approached to join a coup against Hitler , but he believed any such move not supported by Heinrich Himmler — who controlled the " Waffen - SS " — was bound to fail ; he refused to move against the " Führer " . Death . With the Russians closing in on Berlin in 1945 , Bock was informed by Erich von Manstein that Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz was forming a new government in Hamburg . Bock started off for that city immediately , perhaps hoping for a new command . On 4 May 1945 , only a week before the war ′ s end in Europe , Bock ′ s car was strafed on the road to Kiel by a British fighter plane . He was killed along with his wife and daughter . At age 64 , Fedor von Bock became the only one of Adolf Hitler ′ s field marshals to die from enemy fire .