In this first biography of the German generals of the Atlantic Wall, Peter Margaritis explores the life and career of Marcks, one of the leading officers in France and the mastermind behind Operation Barbarossa.
General der Artillerie Erich Marcks was born June 6, 1891, in Berlin, the son of a historian. After three semesters studying philosophy, he joined the army in October 1910. Twenty years later, he became the communications officer of the Ministry of the Armed Forces before working directly for Chancellor Franz von Papen.
Marcks then became Press Officer to General Kurt von Schleicher, elected Chancellor of Germany in 1932. This ended up a political mistake because Von Schleicher’s radical views on sweeping social reform quickly became unpopular with everyone. He was especially hated by the National Socialist Party, which he repeatedly attacked politically. When von Schleicher’s reforms lost the backing they desperately needed to pass, he became a political outcast. With no chance of getting any cooperation from any other government members, he was forced to resign. As fate would have it, in the next election, Hitler was appointed to succeed him. One to carry a grudge, Hitler never forgot his political enemies and by association, their underlings.
Eventually, von Schleicher was murdered by Hitler’s SS henchmen during the Blood Purge of June 20th, 1934. Because of Marcks’ association with him, he was thereafter looked upon by the Nazi party with suspicion. Although no one ever doubted Marcks’ capabilities as a unit commander, his past would keep him from getting an army command, something that Marcks never forgave.
During the campaign of France in 1940, he worked on the staff of the 18th Army. His swift capture of the Seine River bridges on June 13th prevented them (and later parts of Paris) from having to be shelled. He also voiced his opposition of the bombing of the city of Bruges, believing that even in time of war, historical monuments must be preserved.
He then began work on creating the master invasion plan of the Soviet Union. When the invasion began on June 22, 1941, Marcks commanded the 101st Light Division moving into Ukraine. Just four days later, he was severely injured in the leg by shrapnel, which resulted in amputation. He also suffered some head injuries, especially to his eyes.
After he recovered and fitted with a prosthesis, he was reassigned to command the 337th Infantry Division around Paris, the 66th Corps, then the 87th Corps in the north of Brittany. He was finally appointed commander of the 84th Infantry Corps in August 1943. In the meantime, two of his three sons were killed on the Russian front.
On Friday, June 2nd, standing on a long, sandy bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, gazed out into the English Channel and famously uttered these prophetic words: “If I know the British… If I know the British, they’ll go to church next Sunday for one last time, and come Monday…” He paused and added “After Tuesday, they won’t have another chance for the tides until the 28th-29th of June… So I think we’ll be welcoming them on Monday, right HERE,” he concluded, poking his cane in the sand.
Two mornings after D-Day, a wrecked landing craft slowly washed up onto a sandbar at the mouth of the Vire River. The vessel had shell holes up and down its sides and was battered within from fire and then drifting ashore.
Slowly, men of the 352nd Infantry Division approached the craft, weapons at the ready. They climbed into the craft and found no one in it—alive. Looking in the interior, they came across five dead American naval officers and a beachmaster. Beneath his body, held by his dead hand, was a waterlogged briefcase full of documents stuck together.
Despite the damage from saltwater and muck, the infantrymen realized the importance of their find. The briefcase was taken to 84th Corps intelligence. The officers were amazed. Though there was some damage to the documents, they soon realized that they had the entire plan of operations for the U.S. VII Corps. Interpreters were able to make out all of the plans for the landing and the breakout of Overlord and Neptune.
The information was taken to General Marcks, who poured over it happily. He ordered copies made and distributed to all of his divisional commanders. The originals were sent to Rommel at Heeresgruppe B, and then on to von Rundstedt. Despite the immense value of this intelligence gold mine though, one nagging question stayed in Marcks’ head. What good was it to know the enemy’s plans if you did not have the resources to stop them?
He did not get to ponder the question too long. Four days after his men had discovered the secret plans, Marcks met his destiny. Foreshadowing Rommel’s own fate, during an early morning inspection at the front, his car was strafed by Allied Typhoons northwest of Saint-Lô, not far from his headquarters. As the Allied fighters attacked, his driver pulled over to the side of the road. Both he and Hauptmann Raben scrambled out of the car and scattered for cover. Unable to scurry out of it in time because of his wooden leg, Marcks was caught in the strafing run, and a 20-mm shell hit him in the right groin, cutting his femoral artery. His driver pulled him into the ditch and tried to tend to him, but Marcks bled to death, dying at 9:45 a.m. He was buried at the war cemetery at nearby Marigny.
Enrich Marck’s and his role in the defence of the Atlantic Wall is explored in the new book, Countdown to D-Day, due to be released June 2019.
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