Original Color Photographs of Günther Blumentritt by Walter Frentz

General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt (Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe D) in a picture taken in September 1944 by Walter Frentz, during Ritterkreuz award ceremony with Hitler at the Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze in Rastenburg, East Prussia. General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 September 1944 as Chef des Generalstabes of Heeresgruppe D / Oberbefehlshaber West for his exceptional staff leadership and operational planning during the critical first four months of the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. Serving under successive commanders including Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt and later Generalfeldmarschall Günther von Kluge amid the chaotic defense against the massive Allied landings on 6 June 1944, Blumentritt demonstrated outstanding initiative by coordinating the rapid redeployment of German reserves, organizing counterattacks such as those around Caen and in the bocage country, and maintaining operational coherence despite severe disruptions from Allied air superiority, naval gunfire, and the disintegration of the front following the American breakout at Operation Cobra and the subsequent encirclement threat in the Falaise Pocket. Frequently acting in the absence of his superiors or under extremely difficult command circumstances, exacerbated by Hitler's rigid no-retreat orders, communication breakdowns, and the July 20 Plot fallout that temporarily sidelined him, Blumentritt orchestrated the skillful withdrawal and reorganization of battered divisions from the Normandy battlefield toward the Seine and ultimately the German frontier, preventing total collapse of the Western Front and buying precious time for the establishment of new defensive lines. His meticulous planning, calm diplomacy in inter-service coordination with the Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS, and ability to adapt to rapidly deteriorating situations under relentless pressure were explicitly cited as the reasons for the high award, recognizing a career staff officer who, though more accustomed to headquarters roles, proved decisive in one of the Wehrmacht's most desperate defensive campaigns of the war.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1574014&hilit=blumentritt#p1574014
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/2314/Blumentritt-G%C3%BCnther-General-der-Infanterie.htm
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-a-b/#&gid=1&pid=41