Johannes Block (17 November 1894 – 26 January 1945) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at division and corps level.

Johannes Friedrich Gustav Block was born on 17 November 1894 in Büschdorf, a village near Halle (Saale)[a] in the Prussian Province of Saxony as the son of Richard Block, a factory owner, and Bertha, née Beil.

[1] Block was wounded in the fighting at Verdun on 18 July 1917, and after his recovery, he returned to Infantry Regiment No.

On 1 June 1918, Block was commanded as the leader and instruction officer of a training course for Turkish troops in the Yildirim Army Group, but this assignment was cut short by illness (malaria) in mid-July 1918.

Block then served in a Freikorps formation before being retained in the Reichswehr, initially in Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 40 and then Infanterie-Regiment 120.

[b][1] After the Nazis came to power, Block returned to the army on 1 July 1934 as a Hauptmann with a seniority date of 1 September 1931.

He was named commander of the 1st Battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 4 of the 32nd Infantry Division on 1 February 1937, with his seniority date as Major adjusted to 1 November 1935.

On 14 March 1940, Block was named commander of Infanterie-Regiment 202 of the 75th Infantry Division, leading the regiment in the Battle of France in 1940 and in the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

[1] Block was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross on 22 November 1943 in recognition for the actions of his troops in the defensive battles by Krivoy Rog.

He was transferred to the Führerreserve (Leaders Reserve) in late December and attended a course for commanding generals from 5 to 25 January 1944.