Johann Karl Hermann Gronau, from 1913 von Gronau, commonly known as Hans von Gronau (6 December 1850, in Alt Schadow – 22 February 1940, 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 o ...

) 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 ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, and

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

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 ...

World War I

At the outbreak of

, Gronau was recalled from retirement to take command of the newly formed IV Reserve Corps as part of the

1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Communist Party of China unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Arm ...

, commanded by General

Alexander von Kluck Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck (20 May 1846 – 19 October 1934) was a German general during World War I. Early life Kluck was born in Münster, Westphalia on 20 May 1846. He was the son of architect Karl von Kluck and his wife Elisabeth ...

. The army was the right wing of the forces that invaded

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

as part of the

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 ...

offensive in August 1914. His main objective was to cover the vulnerable right flank of the army. On 5 September, when the French 6th Army launched its surprise attack on Ourcq, a tributary of River Marne, they were brought under heavy fire by German guns. As darkness fell, von Gronau knew that he had won the necessary time to save the 1st Army from a surprise attack and retreated. Next day on 6 September, when the French attacked again, they found the German positions to be empty. In September 1915, Gronau was appointed to command of XXXXI Reserve Corps, swapping places with

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

Arnold von Winckler Arnold von Winckler (Neisse, 17 February 1856 – Bad Freienwalde, 24 July 1945) was a Prussian military officer, and a general in World War I. He was the son of Lieutenant General Ewald Fedor von Winckler (1813–1895) and joined the Prussian a ...

. The corps was upgraded to form ''Armee-Gruppe'' Gronau on 20 September 1915. Gronau remained in concurrent command of the corps and the ''Armee-Gruppe''. It served as part of the

Army of the Bug The Army of the Bug (german: Bugarmee / Armeeoberkommando Bug / A.O.K. Bug) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I named for the Bug River. It was formed against Russia on 8 July 1915 and served exclusively on the Eastern ...

throughout its existence. On 18 September 1916 the command was upgraded to form the

Armee-Abteilung Gronau Armee-Abteilung Gronau (Army Detachment Gronau) was an army level command of the German Army in World War I. It was formed from ''Armee-Gruppe'' Gronau on 18 September 1916 and was disbanded on 27 March 1918. It served on the Eastern Front thr ...

. It remained on the Eastern Front until dissolved on 27 March 1918. On 4 October 1916 he was awarded the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by 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 Order of the Red Eag ...

for military bravery. He was awarded the oak leaves,signifying a second award, on 6 August 1918.

Family

On 23 February 1890 Gronau married Luise Gerischer (20 July 1867 – 25 June 1926). The marriage produced three sons. His oldest son was the flight pioneer Wolfgang von Gronau who crossed the Atlantic Ocean from East to West flying a Dornier Wal D-1422 landing in the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

on 26 August 1930.

Awards

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 es ...

(1870) II class *

(1914) I class *

(4 October 1916) and Oak Leaves (6 August 1918) *

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

I class with Oak Leaves * Order of the Crown I class

Glossary

*''Armee-Abteilung'' or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army. *''Armee-Gruppe'' or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task. *''Heeresgruppe'' or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gronau, Hans von 1850 births 1940 deaths Generals of Artillery (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) German Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Brandenburg Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class People from the Province of Brandenburg Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class