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Third Supreme Command
The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, Supreme Army Command or OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' political authority in the empire. Formation and operation After the formation of the German Empire in 1871, the Prussian Army, Royal Saxon Army, Army of Württemberg and the Bavarian Army were autonomous in peacetime, each kingdom maintaining a separate war ministry and general staff to administer their forces. On the outbreak of war, the Constitution of the German Empire made the German Emperor Commander-in-Chief of the combined armies (''Oberster Kriegsherr'', Supreme Warlord). The Emperor's role as Commander-in-Chief was largely ceremonial and authority lay with the Chief of the German General Staff, who issued orders in the Emperor's name. The pre-war Chief of the General Staff was Colonel General Helmuth von Moltke (The Younge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan (german: Schlieffen-Plan, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on 4 August 1914. Schlieffen was Chief of the General Staff of the German Army from 1891 to 1906. In 1905 and 1906, Schlieffen devised an army deployment plan for a decisive (war-winning) offensive against the French Third Republic. German forces were to invade France through the Netherlands and Belgium rather than across the common border. After losing the First World War, German official historians of the and other writers described the plan as a blueprint for victory. (Colonel-General) Helmuth von Moltke the Younger succeeded Schlieffen as Chief of the German General Staff in 1906 and was dismissed after the First Battle of the Marne (5–12 September 1914). German historians claimed that Moltke had ruined the plan by meddling with it, ou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugo Von Freytag-Loringhoven
Hugo Friedrich Philipp Johann Freiherr von Freytag-Loringhoven (May 20, 1855 – October 19, 1924) was a Prussian general and a writer on military matters, being awarded the Pour le Mérite in 1916 for his work as a historian. Biography He was born on May 20, 1855 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of a diplomat, Karl von Freytag-Loringhoven (1811–1882). His family was Baltic German and originated in Westphalia. He entered the Imperial German army in 1877, a few years after German unification, as a lieutenant. From 1887 to 1896 he taught military history at the Prussian Military Academy in Berlin. He then worked for a while for Alfred von Schlieffen, later being described as "Schlieffen's favorite disciple",Robert E. Foley, Note 40, and in 1907 took command of the 12th Regiment of Grenadiers at Frankfurt an der Oder. In 1910 he became ''Oberquartiermeister'', and in December 1913 took command of the 22nd Division at Cassel. With the mobilisation of troops in 1914 for Wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adolf Wild Von Hohenborn
Heinrich Adolf Wild von Hohenborn (8 July 1860 – 25 October 1925) was an Imperial German Army officer who served as a general and Prussian Minister of War during World War I. Life During his term as minister of war, from 21 January 1915 to 29 October 1916, he was critical of Paul von Hindenburg and particularly his 'Arbeitspflichtprogramm' (forced labour program). Wild von Hohenborn promulgated the Judenzählung on 11 October 1916 but did not remain in office long enough to implement it as on 29 October he was dismissed from the High Command by Wilhelm II at Hindenburg's request. He continued to serve in the field as commander of the XVI Corps and retired on 3 November 1919 with the character of a General der Infanterie. Awards * Pour le Mérite: 2 August 1915 ** Oak Leaves: 11 October 1918 * Iron Cross (1914), 1st and 2nd Classes *Order of the Red Eagle *House Order of Hohenzollern * Order of the Griffon * Order of the Crown External linksBooks on and by Adolf Wild von ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aisne (river)
The Aisne ( , , ) is a river in northeastern France. It is a left tributary of the Oise. It gave its name to the French department of Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as Axona. The river rises in the forest of Argonne, at Rembercourt-Sommaisne, near Sainte-Menehould. It flows north and then west before joining the Oise near Compiègne. The Aisne is long. Its main tributaries are the Vesle, the Aire and the Suippe. The Battle of the Axona was fought near there between the Romans and the Belgae in 57 BC. Three Battles of the Aisne were fought in the Aisne valley during the First World War. Places along the river Departments and towns along the river include: * Meuse * Marne: Sainte-Ménehould * Ardennes: Vouziers, Rethel * Aisne: Soissons * Oise: Compiègne * Aisne: Berny-Rivière Navigation The river Aisne was used for commercial navigation as early as the Celtic period, and rafts were floated from a long distance above the present limit of navigation at Vailly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Battle Of The Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the west. The battle was the culmination of the Retreat from Mons and pursuit of the Franco-British armies which followed the Battle of the Frontiers in August and reached the eastern outskirts of Paris. Field Marshal Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), began to plan for a full British retreat to port cities on the English Channel for an immediate evacuation. The military governor of Paris, Joseph Simon Gallieni, wanted the Franco–British units to counter-attack the Germans along the Marne River and halt the German advance. Entente reserves would restore the ranks and attack the German flanks. On 5 September, the counter-offensive by six French armies and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) began. By ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers (, , ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategies of the French Chief of Staff General Joseph Joffre with Plan XVII and an offensive adaptation of the German deployment plan by Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The German concentration on the right (northern) flank, was to wheel through Belgium and attack the French in the rear. The German advance was delayed by the movement of the French Fifth Army (General Charles Lanrezac) towards the north-west to intercept them and the presence of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the French left. The Franco-British troops were driven back by the Germans, who were able to invade northern France. French and British rearguard actions delayed the Germans, allowing the French time to transfer forces on the eastern frontier to the west to defend Paris, culminating in the Fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerhard Tappen
Dietrich Gerhard Emil Theodor Tappen (3 July 1866 – 28 May 1953) was a German World War I general. Born in Esens, Tappen joined the Prussian Army in 1885 and became career officer with the artillery. At the start of the First World War, Tappen was a colonel in the Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL) in Koblenz, where he led the operations section which coordinated the German battle strategy. In September 1914 Tappen reported from a tour of inspection at the front that the French were too exhausted to begin an offensive, that a final push would be decisive and that more withdrawals would compromise the morale of the German troops, after the defeat on the Marne.Foley, R. T. (2007) 005 German Strategy and the Path to Verdun : Erich Von Falkenhayn and the Development of Attrition, 1870–1916, Cambridge: CUP. , p.99-100. In March 1915 Tappen served as chief of staff of the 7th Army under Josias von Heeringen, but soon returned to OHL. On 26 June 1915 Tappen was promoted to major-general ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934. During his presidency, he played a key role in the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933 when, under pressure from advisers, he appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Hindenburg was born to a family of minor Prussian nobility in Posen. Upon completing his education as a cadet, he enlisted in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards as a second lieutenant. He then saw combat during the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars. In 1873, he was admitted to the prestigious '' Kriegsakademie'' in Berlin, where he studied for three years before being appointed to the Army's General Staff Corps. Later in 1885, he was promoted to the rank of major and became a member of the Great General Staff. Following a f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Generalfeldmarschall
''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall''); in the Habsburg monarchy, the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, the rank ''Feldmarschall'' was used. The rank was the equivalent to ''Großadmiral'' ( en, Grand Admiral) in the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' and ''Kriegsmarine'', a five-star rank, comparable to OF-10 in today's NATO naval forces. Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary The rank existed in the Austrian Empire as ''Kaiserlicher Feldmarschall'' ("imperial field marshal") and in Austria-Hungary as '' Kaiserlicher und königlicher Feldmarschall'' - ''Császári és királyi tárbornagy'' ("imperial and royal field marshal"). Both were based on prior usage during the Holy Roman Empire. The Emperor-King held the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erich Von Falkenhayn
General Erich Georg Sebastian Anton von Falkenhayn (11 September 1861 – 8 April 1922) was the second Chief of the German General Staff of the First World War from September 1914 until 29 August 1916. He was removed on 29 August 1916 after the failure at the Battle of Verdun, the opening of the Battle of the Somme, the Brusilov Offensive and the entry of Romania into the war on the Allied side undid his strategy to end the war before 1917. He was later given important field commands in Romania and Syria. His reputation as a war leader was attacked in Germany during and after the war, especially by the faction supporting Paul von Hindenburg. Falkenhayn held that Germany could not win the war by a decisive battle but would have to reach a compromise peace; his enemies said he lacked the resolve necessary to win a decisive victory. Falkenhayn's relations with the Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg were troubled and undercut Falkenhayn's plans. Early life Falkenhayn was b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
General Of The Infantry (Germany)
General of the Infantry (german: General der Infanterie, abbr. ) is a former rank of the German army (). It is currently an appointment or position given to an OF-8 rank officer, who is responsible for particular affairs of training and equipment of the ''Bundeswehr'' infantry. Former rank in the German ground forces General of the Infantry was a former rank of General of the branch OF-8 in the German land forces ( Imperial Army, ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'') and also in the Prussian Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army. It was the third-highest general officer rank, subordinate only to Colonel General and Field Marshal. It is equivalent to a three-star rank today. The same rank was adopted by the Finnish Army ( fi, Jalkaväenkenraali) between the world wars. German cavalry officers of equivalent rank were called ''General der Kavallerie'' and those in the artillery corps were ''General der Artillerie''. In 1935 the Wehrmacht added the ranks of ''General der Panzert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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