Magnus von Eberhardt (6 December 1855 – 24 January 1939) was a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

military officer and a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

General der Infanterie General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...

'' 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 ...

. He received the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

(Prussia's and Germany's highest military honor) with Oakleaves (signifying a second award) and was a ''Rechtsritter'' (Knight of Justice) of the ''Johanniterorden'' (Order of Saint John).

Pre war

Magnus von Eberhardt was born on 6 December 1855 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 ...

. He began his military career in 1874 (at age 19) as a ''Sekonde-Lieutenant'' in the 93rd (Anhalt) Infantry Regiment at

Zerbst Zerbst () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg regio ...

World War I

At the outbreak of the war, von Eberhardt was Military Governor of

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 Eu ...

, then in the German Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. On 1 September 1914 he took command of the temporary ''Corps Eberhardt'' named for him. On 1 December 1914 it was established as XV Reserve Corps and on 1 September 1916 it was renamed as ''XV Bavarian Reserve Corps''. On 16 October 1916, he transferred to command X Reserve Corps. In August 1918, he temporarily took command of 7th Army from

Max von Boehn Max Ferdinand Karl von Boehn (16 August 1850 − 18 February 1921) was a German officer involved in the Franco-Prussian War and World War I. He held the rank of ''Generaloberst'' in World War I. Life Early life Max von Boehn was born in Bromber ...

on the Western Front before going on to command 1st Army just before the end of the War. Von Eberhardt was awarded the

on 20 May 1917. He was awarded the Oakleaves on 22 September 1917.

Post war

In 1919, von Eberhardt was appointed to the defense of Eastern Prussia as commander of the Kulmer Land Defence Forces. In the spring of 1919, he received the order to withdraw from the territory of Soldau and Polish troops took possession. Von Eberhardt died in Berlin on 24 January 1939 at the age of 83. He was interred in the

Invalidenfriedhof The Invalids' Cemetery (german: Invalidenfriedhof) is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin. It was the traditional resting place of the Prussian Army, and is regarded as particularly important as a memorial to the German Wars of Liberation ...

References

Bibliography

* 1855 births 1939 deaths German untitled nobility German Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Berlin Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery People from the Province of Brandenburg {{Germany-army-bio-stub