Herrmann Gustav Karl Max von Fabeck (6 May 1854 – 16 December 1916) 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 **Ge ...

'' General der Infantarie'' during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He commanded the 13th Corps in the 5th Army and took part in the

Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...

on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

and also commanded the new 11th Army on the Eastern Front. Subsequently, he commanded several German armies during the war until his evacuation from the front due to illness in 1916 and died on 16 December. A competent and highly decorated commander, von Fabeck is a recipient of 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 ...

, Prussia's and Germany's highest military honor.William E. Hamelman: ''The History of the Prussian Pour le Mérite Order, Volume III (1888–1918)'' Matthäus Publishers, 1986

Life

Fabeck was born 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 constitu ...

in 1854, when it was the capital of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. He was the son of Prussian Lieutenant-General Hermann von Fabeck (1816–1873) and wife Bertha, née von dem Borne (1829–1910). By the time he was 17 years old he was already a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

in the 1st Footguards Regiment (german: 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß). From 1878 to 1879 he attended the

Prussian Military Academy The Prussian Staff College, also Prussian War College (german: Preußische Kriegsakademie) was the highest military facility of the Kingdom of Prussia to educate, train, and develop general staff officers. Location It originated with the '' ...

. In 1882 he was appointed to the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

and was promoted to captain in 1884. From 1886 he served in the General Staff of the 28. Division in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

. On 24 October 1887 married Helene von Seldeneck (born 7 October 1863 in Karlsruhe, † 13 July 1938 in Cologne), the daughter of William and Julie (nee Brandt Von Lindau) von Seldeneck, chamberlain of the

Grand Duke of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subse ...

. The couple had four daughters Ilse, Maria, Margaret, and Hildegard. He became a staff officer to the VI Army Corps in Breslau in 1889 and shortly thereafter was promoted to Major. From 1893 he served in the regiment ''Grenadier König Friedrich Wilhelm II. (1. Schlesisches ) Nr. 10 '' in Schweidnitz. In 1896 he was a Lieutenant Colonel Chief of Staff of the XI. Army Corps in Kassel. In 1898 he was promoted to Colonel and received his first command: the ''Infanterie-Regiments „Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig“ (Ostfriesisches) Nr. 78'' in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

. From 1901 he led the 25th Infantry Brigade in the

13th Army Division The Southern Army Division ( sv, Södra arméfördelningen, 13. förd), was a division of the Swedish Army that operated in various forms from 1941 until 2000. Its staff was located in Kristianstad Garrison in Kristianstad. The unit was disband ...

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

. He was promoted to Major General that same year. In 1906 Fabeck was promoted to lieutenant general and commander of the 28th Army Division in

. In 1910 he was appointed general of the infantry and commanding general of the XV Army Corps in

Strasbourg 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 ...

. In 1913 he assumed the same position at the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

. He met

Fritz von Loßberg Friedrich Karl "Fritz" von Loßberg (30 April 1868 – 4 May 1942) was a German colonel and later general, of the First World War. He was an operational planner, especially of defence, who served as chief of staff in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th armies ...

as the chief of staff. Loßberg helped Fabeck to have a united staff officers before the war.

World War I

At the beginning of World War, the XIII Army Corps commanded by von Fabeck was part of Germany's 5th Army which was commanded by

Crown Prince Wilhelm Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last ''Kaiser'', the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schles ...

. It participated in the mobile battles known as the

. During the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the Firs ...

, Fabeck made his move with newly formed 5 divisions with backups of heavy reserve artillery. It was job of

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

to fight back them. In March 1915 von Fabeck briefly commanded the newly formed 11th Army, which was quickly transferred from the Western to the Eastern fronts with whom he fought in Lithuania. In April 1915 he replaced the injured Alexander von Kluck as commander 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 ...

. In September 1915 von Fabeck got command of the 12th Army, with whom he transferred to the Eastern Front. He was also attached

à la suite À la suite (, ''in the entourage f') was a military title given to those who were allotted to the army or a particular unit for honour's sake, and entitled to wear a regimental uniform but otherwise had no official position. In Prussia, these w ...

to Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 129 on 27 January 1916. Before he fell ill in October 1916 von Fabeck was the commander of 8th Army for a few weeks. General von Fabeck was awarded the

for outstanding military leadership during the 1914–15 campaigns in Flanders and northern France,Max von Fabeck
at ''The Prussian Machine'', Retrieved 6 June 2012 as well as in recognition of successful operational planning in the battles at

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

, Le Cateau and the

Ourcq river The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of Aisne, Oise, and Seine-et-Marne. It flows southwest through the towns of ...

. He received a personal telegram from the

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

congratulating him on the award.Max von Fabeck – Orden Pour le Mérite
at pourlemerite.org, Retrieved 4 June 2012.

Death

In October 1916 von Fabeck became seriously ill and he committed suicide on 16 December 1916 at

Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

Awards

* Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of WürttembergPreußisches Kriegsministerium: ''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. (Königlich Württembergischen) Armeekorps für 1914'' (Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn, 1914) p. 1160 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer Lion * Bavarian Military Merit Order * Grand Cross of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous * Grand Cross of the Order of Red Eagle with Oak Leaves *

Order of the Crown of Prussia The Royal Order of the Crown (german: Königlicher Kronen-Orden) was a Prussian order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an honour equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, membership could only be conferred upon commissioned officers (or civ ...

, 1st class * Prussian Service Award Cross * Grand Cross of the Albert Order with Gold Star * Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania *

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 ...

(1914), 1st and 2nd class * Commander of the Military Merit Order of Württemberg on 1 November 1914

Otto von Moser Otto von Moser (31 March 1860 – 11 October 1931) was a German army officer, originally from Stuttgart in Württemberg, who ended his army career as a lieutenant general. After the First World War he settled at Isny im Allgäu, near the frontie ...

: ''Die Württemberger im Weltkriege'', Second Expanded Edition (Stuttgart: Chr. Belser AG, 1928) p. 109 *

23 August 1915

Dates of ranks

* Fähnrich—1 October 1871 *

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...

—18 October 1871 *

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. Tr ...

—18 October 1879 *

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

—12 July 1884 *

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 indicato ...

—19 November 1889 *

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 Swedi ...

—27 January 1896 *

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

—24 May 1898 *

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-s ...

—14 November 1901 *

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 ...

—27 January 1906 *

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 Imp ...

—13 January 1910

References

Literature

* Holger Afflerbach: ''Kaiser Wilhelm II. als oberster Kriegsherr im Ersten Weltkrieg. Quellen aus der militärischen Umgebung des Kaisers 1914–1918'' Deutsche Geschichtsquellen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Band 64. (München: Oldenbourg, 2005) * Ian F. W. Beckett: ''Ypres. The First Battle, 1914.'' (Harlow: Pearson/Education, 2004) * Robert T. Foley: ''German Strategy and the Path to Verdun. Erich Falkenhayn and the development of Attrition 1870–1916'' (Cambridge University Press, 2005)

External links

Stammbaum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabeck, Max von 1854 births 1916 deaths Military personnel from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg German Army generals of World War I Generals of Infantry (Prussia) German military personnel who committed suicide Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)