Karl Ludwig d'Elsa (born 1 November 1849 in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

– died 20 July 1922 in Tannenfeld bei Nöbdenitz,

Löbichau Löbichau is a municipality in the district Altenburger Land, in Thuringia, Germany. The ''Ostthüringer Zeitung'' (OTZ) has its head office in the municipality.

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

) was a Royal Saxon army officer who was a

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German '' Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank w ...

in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and awarded the

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

Life and Military Career

Karl Ludwig d'Elsa was born on 1 September 1849 in

in the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

, the son of Ludwig Ferdinand d'Elsa (1806–1882), an Oberstleutnant ( Lieutenant Colonel), and Huberta Louise (née von Brandenstein, died 1911). d'Elsa joined the Cadet Corps in Easter 1864 and on 1 April 1869 was appointed as an ensign in the 101st (2nd Royal Saxon) Grenadiers "Emperor William, King of Prussia" of the

Royal Saxon Army The Royal Saxon Army () was the military force of the Electorate (1682–1807) and later the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies ...

. From October 1869 to April 1870 he was assigned to the military school in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

and promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 29 July 1870. From 1 September 1870 he was adjutant of the first battalion of his regiment, with whom he participated in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

. He participated in the battles of St. Privat, Beaumont and Sedan, and the Siege of Paris. For his service in the Franco-Prussian War, he was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1870). After the war d'Elsa received further training from 1 October 1871 to 1 March 1872 at the Military Riding Institute Dresden. From 24 June 1873 to 17 April 1875 he was regimental adjutant in his parent regiment, and then of the 45th (1st Royal Saxon) Infantry Brigade. In 1874, he was promoted to

1st Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a sen ...

. From 1878 to 1881 he was assigned as a company commander in the Corps of Cadets. On 1 April 1881 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and was assigned as company commander of the 2nd Company of the 100th (1st Royal Saxon) Life Grenadiers. Two years later he became the company commander of the 1st Company of the regiment. In 1887, d'Elsa was adjutant of the

XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps The XII (1st Royal Saxon) Army Corps / XII AK () was a Saxon corps level command of the Saxon and German Armies before and during World War I. The Corps was formed as the Royal Saxon Corps on 1 April 1867 and headquartered in Dresden. Initially, ...

, and in 1889 he was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. In 1892 he became commander of the 13th (2nd Royal Saxon) Jäger Bataillon. In 1893 he became lieutenant colonel, and in 1895 he was appointed as chief of General Army Section at the Saxon Ministry of War. After D'Elsa was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1896, he commanded the 101st (2nd Royal Saxon) Grenadiers "Emperor William, King of Prussia", after which he led as a

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

(promoted 1899) the 48th (4th Royal Saxon) Infantry Brigade (1900–1902) and the 64th (6th Royal Saxon) Infantry Brigade (1902–1904). From 4 September 1902 d'Elsa served as ''General à la suite'' of George, King of Saxony and his promotion to

Generalleutnant () is the German-language 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 ...

on 23 April 1904 serving as adjutant general. From 19 June 1904 d'Elsa served as commander of the 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) Division; he was promoted to

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 Impe ...

on 23 September 1908. On 29 March 1910 he was appointed commanding general of

, one of the top three peacetime positions in the Saxon contingent of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

World War I

Karl d'Elsa was in command of

at the outset of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, part of the predominantly Saxon 3rd Army on the right wing of the forces that invaded

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as part of the

Schlieffen Plan The 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. Schlieffe ...

offensive in August 1914. He led the XII Corps at the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

and

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

. On 17 April 1916 he was given command of '' Armee-Abteilung A'' on the Western Front but was placed on inactive reserve status on 4 January 1917. He was decorated with the

on 1 September 1916.

Later life

D'Elsa was placed on inactive reserve status in early 1917. On 23 January 1918, he was promoted to the rank of ''Charakter'' of

(an honorary rank). After the armistice, the Allies wanted to try d'Elsa as a war criminal for his alleged role in atrocities committed against Belgian civilians. From 1918 to 1922, d'Elsa was president of the Saxon War Veterans' Association. He retired from the Army on 21 January 1920. D'Elsa died on 20 July 1922 at Tannenfeld bei Nöbdenitz, in the

Löbichau Löbichau is a municipality in the district Altenburger Land, in Thuringia, Germany. The ''Ostthüringer Zeitung'' (OTZ) has its head office in the municipality.

district of

Honours

; National * : ** Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Saxony''Rangliste der Königlich Sächsischen Armee für das Jahr 1913'', Hrsg.: Sächsisches Kriegsministerium, Abteilung für die persönlichen Angelegenheiten, C. Heinrich, Dresden 1913, S.9 **Knight Grand Cross in the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

, with Swords on Rings **Commander 2nd Class of the Military Order of St. Henry on 3 May 1915 ** Royal Saxon Cross Service Award ;Foreign

Family

D'Elsa was married twice, firstly in 1875 to Margarethe Anna Elise (née Andrée). After her death in 1888, he remarried in 1891 to Caroline Charlotte (née von Stieglitz). He had three sons, Walther, Karl and Johann, and three daughters, Elisabeth, Margarethe Dorothe and Priska.

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 An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:dElsa, Karl Ludwig 1849 births 1922 deaths Military personnel from Dresden German Army generals of World War I German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Grand Crosses of the Order of Franz Joseph Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class Crosses of Military Merit Military personnel of the Kingdom of Saxony Colonel generals of Saxony