Erich Prigge (1878–1955) was a German army officer, who served in both the
German Imperial Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...
and the
Ottoman Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.
Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and ultimately attained the rank of
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. Prigge is best known as the long-serving
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
to Marshal
Otto Liman von Sanders
Otto Viktor Karl Liman von Sanders (; 17 February 1855 – 22 August 1929) was an Imperial German Army general who served as a military adviser to the Ottoman Army during the First World War. In 1918 he commanded an Ottoman army during the Sin ...
(1914–19) and as a military memoirist.
Erich Richard Julius Prigge was born on 19 March 1878 at
Harsefeld
Harsefeld (in High German, in Low Saxon: Harsfeld; literally in ''horse field'') is a municipality situated south-west of Hamburg (Germany). Harsefeld has a population of c. 12,500 and belongs to the district of Stade, Lower Saxony.
Harsefeld i ...
in the Prussian
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover (german: Provinz Hannover) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.
During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, ...
. His parents were from bourgeois families of the
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...
, distinguished in business and provincial administration. He was primarily raised by paternal relatives in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
. He was a cousin once removed of
René König
René König (5 July 1906 – 21 March 1992) was a German sociologist. He was very influential on West German sociology after 1949.
Born in Magdeburg, he 1925 took up Philosophy, Psychology, Ethnology, and Islamic Studies at the Universities of ...
.
Military career
Education and pre-WWI years
Destined for a military career from an early age, Prigge attended a regional cadet school ( Kadettenschule), followed by two years’ instruction (1894-6) at the Central Cadet Institution (Hauptkadettenanstalt) at
Groß-Lichterfelde
Lichterfelde () is a locality in the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin, Germany. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Steglitz, along with Steglitz and Lankwitz. Lichterfelde is home to institutions like the Berlin Botanical G ...
. In 1896 he was posted to the 2. Rheinisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 9, stationed at
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
, later relocated to
Strassburg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eur ...
. Following a mandatory course at a War School ( Kriegsschule), in 1897 he received his commission as Sekondelieutenant. In 1904-6 he was posted to the Military Riding Institute ( Militärreitinstitut) in Hanover. Thereafter he served as an inspection officer (Inspektionsoffizier) at the War Schools in
Neisse
The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.Glogau. He was promoted to
Oberleutnant
() is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces.
Austria
Germany
In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...
on 1908 and transferred to the War School in
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
, where he served as a riding instructor (Reitlehrer). In January 1913 he was promoted to
Rittmeister
__NOTOC__
(German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...
Thorn
Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to:
Botany
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants
* ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species
Comics and literature
* Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...
.
In February 1914 Prigge retired from active duty in the
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.
The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...
prior to his transferral to the German Military Mission (Militärmission) to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. On arrival in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, he was appointed commanding officer of the Ottoman Cavalry Non-Commissioned Officers’ School at Ayazağa. As a Rittmeister in the Prussian army, he was accorded the one-higher rank of
Binbaşı
A ''binbashi'', alternatively ''bimbashi'', (from tr, Binbaşı, "chief of a thousand", "chiliarch") is a major in the Turkish army, of which term originated in the Ottoman army. The title was also used for a major in the Khedivial Egyptian a ...
(Major) in the
Ottoman Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.
Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...
.
First World War
On the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in Europe in August 1914, Prigge was appointed as an adjutant to Marshal Liman von Sanders, a post he retained, with brief interruptions, until the end of the war. After Liman von Sanders was appointed commander-in-chief of the newly created Ottoman Fifth Army in March 1915, Prigge served at its headquarters on the
Gallipoli Peninsula
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...
(First Class). In September 1915 he was instructed to write a semi-official account of the fighting, primarily to counter British propaganda. Completed even before the conclusion of combat operations, and based partly of personal observation, partly on official documentation and eyewitness reports, this narrative was published at the beginning of 1916 as ''Der Kampf um die Dardanellen'' (''The Struggle for the Dardanelles''). It is as one of the earliest published accounts of the campaign written by a combatant. After a few months on sale in Germany, a complaint from the Ottoman General Headquarters that its content compromised military security induced the German authorities to order the book’s confiscation. Later in 1916, a revised and expurgated version of Prigge’s text was anonymously published as ''Gallipoli, der Kampf um den Orient'' (''Gallipoli, the Struggle for the Orient''), attributed to 'an officer of the staff of Marshal Liman von Sanders'. Subsequently, Prigge remained with Liman von Sanders as his adjutant until 1919, apart from a tenth-month secondment to the Eastern Front in 1917. His final theatre of operations was in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, where Liman von Sanders commanded the Yıldırım Army Group (1 March-30 October 1918). In April 1918 Prigge was promoted to
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
temporarily without commission in the Prussian army, and correspondingly ranked as
Kaymakam
Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...
(
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...
) in the Ottoman Army. During the final phase of the campaign, he briefly served as acting chief of staff to the Army Group.
Interbellum
Following the
Armistice of Mudros
Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...
, Prigge returned to Germany in early 1919 and retired from the army with the rank of Major (ret.). He resided in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where he married and pursued diverse business interests. He was a member of the
Bund der Asienkämpfer
The Bund der Asienkämpfer (BdAK), more rarely mentioned as Bund Deutscher Asienkämpfer (BDAK), meaning "League of Asian Warriors" or "League of German Asian Warriors", was a Social welfare provision, social welfare organization for German veteran ...
, later serving as its vice-chairman (c.1932-4). He remained well connected in political-military circles and participated in diplomatic activities involving the
Republic of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and Balkan countries.
Second World War and after
During World War II he was conscripted into the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
as a reserve officer (1940–44) and exercised various administrative functions in
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
. After the war, he became managing director of the Badisches Hilfswerk and subsequently of the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
* Maj. Erich R. Prigge, ''Der Kampf um die Dardanellen'' (Verlag Gustav Kiepenheuer: Weimar 1916), pp. 112; English translation: P. Rance, ''The Struggle for the Dardanelles. The Memoirs of a German Staff Officer in Ottoman Service'' (Pen & Sword 2017), pp. 145–234.
* Anonymous .R. Prigge ''Gallipoli, Der Kampf um den Orient. Von einem Offizier aus dem Stabe des Marschalls Liman von Sanders'' (Verlag August Scherl: Berlin 1916), pp. 117; English translation: P. Rance, ''The Struggle for the Dardanelles. The Memoirs of a German Staff Officer in Ottoman Service'' (Pen & Sword 2017), pp. 235–306.
* Erich R. Prigge, "Die Kampfhandlungen in der Türkei" in: M. Schwarte (ed.), ''Der große Krieg 1914-1918'', 10 vols. (Leipzig 1921-33) IV (1922), pp. 413–84
* Erich Prigge, "Kiasim-Pascha", ''Orient Rundschau'' 14.5 (May 1933), p. 45