Major Gen. Heinz Günther Guderian, of the Federal Republic of Germany, made a three-day visit to Fort Knox in April 1973.
The son of famed German armor Gen. Heinz Guderian was met with an honor ceremony and greeted by Maj. Gen. William Desobry upon his arrival to Godman Army Airfield. Also there to greet Guderian was Brig. Gen. George Patton, assistant commandant of the U.S. Army Armor School, and Lt. Col. Wolfgang Hartelt, a U.S. Army Armor RMC German liaison officer.
Accompanied by his aide, Lt. Col. Walter Klenke, Guderian toured Fort Knox facilities and ranges during his visit and addressed the Armor Officers Advanced Course on "German Armor Troops Today and the Future." The visit also included a tour of the Patton Museum, where he gifted a map from his father's collection that was used as a battle plan for the Eastern Front and parts of Europe during the Second World War.
A decorated WWII veteran, Guderian served as commander of combat troops in the West German Bundeswehr and for NATO before retiring in 1974. He wrote an authoritative and acclaimed history about his former unit, From Normandy to the Ruhr: With the 116th Panzer Division in WWII. Guderian and Patton, both sons of famous World War II generals who in turn made their own contributions to military history, died the same year, in 2004.
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