Otto von Lossow

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Otto von Lossow
Otto von Lossow II.jpg
Birth name Otto Stephan Hermann von Lossow
Birth date 14 January 1868
Place of birth Hof, Kingdom of Bavaria
Death date 25 November 1938 (aged 70)
Place of death Munich, Bavaria, German Reich
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
Service/branch Fahne der Bayerischen Armee.png Royal Bavarian Army
Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).png Reichswehr
Years of service 1886–1924
Rank Generalleutnant
Battles/wars Boxer Rebellion
World War I
March to the Feldherrnhalle
Awards Iron Cross
Red Eagle Order
Bavarian Military Merit Order

Otto Stephan Hermann von Lossow (15 January 1868 – 25 November 1938) was a German officer of the Bavarian Army, the Imperial German Army and the Reichswehr, finally Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General).

Life

Otto von Lossow.jpg
Otto von Lossow III.jpg
Otto von Lossow IV.jpg

Lossow attended the Bavarian Cadet Corps and then entered the Bavarian Army on 21 July 1886 serving with the Infanterie-Leib-Regiment. On 1 October 1892, he was named adjutant of the District Command (Bezirkskommando) in Rosenheim. On 1 October 1894, he returned to his regiment in Munich. From 1 October 1895 to September 1898 (28th course), he was commanded to the Bavarian War Academy and earned qualifications as a general staff officer and teaching specialist. In 1899, he was appointed to the Bavarian General Staff in Munich. In 1900, he joined the East Asian Expeditionary Force (Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps) and served as adjutant of the 2. Ostasiatische Infanterie-Brigade under Generalmajor Hermann Carl Wilhelm Freiherr von Kettler (1846–1928). He returned to the Bavarian Army in 1902.[1] On 16 April 1902, he was transferred from his regiment to the Central Office of the Bavarian General Staff. On 16 may 902, he was transferred to the General Staff of the Bavarian I. Armee-Korps.

On 21 September 1904, he was named commander of the 1st Company of the Infanterie-Leib-Regiment. On 28 August 1906 with effect from 1 October 1906, von Lossow was transferred to the General Staff of the Bavarian 4th Division. On 1 October 1908, he was transferred for two years to the Prussian Great General Staff (Großer Generalstab), at the same time he was named military member of the Bavarian Senate at the Reich Military Court. On 1 October 1910, he was transferred to the 8. Infanterie-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich II. von Baden and was named commander of a battalion. On 21 January 1911, von Lossow was put at disposal (z. D.) with pension and the right to wear the uniform of the general staff.

As part of the German military mission, von Lossow served as a military instructor at the Ottoman War Academy from 1911 and later as a Ottoman lieutenant colonel in the general staff of the Ottoman Army. In order to be able to actively participate on the side of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Wars (1912–13), he was provisionally released from the Bavarian army and from his Bavarian citizenship in October 1912 at his own request. The Battle of Lüleburgaz (28 October – 2 November 1912) was the largest battle in Europe between the Franco-German War and the First World War. As the commander of an Ottoman infantry division, after the defeat of the Ottoman army at Lüleburgaz in Eastern Thrace on 31 October 1912, von Lossow rallied the in disorder retreating army in the last line of defense. The Bulgarians continued to push the Ottomans on the entire front. The 6th division managed to breach the Ottoman lines on the right flank. After another two days of fierce combat, the Ottoman defence collapsed and on the night of 2 November the Ottoman forces began a full retreat along the entire frontline. The Bulgarians again didn't immediately follow the retreating Ottoman forces and lost contact with them, which allowed the Ottoman army to take up positions on the Çatalca defence line just 30 km west of Constantinople. The Bulgarians counted 20,000 killed and wounded, the Ottomans 22,000 killed and wounded as well as 2,800 men and 50 guns captured.

Horrified by the weak morale and effectiveness of the Ottoman Army, von Lossow published the memorandum “Thoughts on Reforms in Turkey” in May 1913. This contributed to the appointment of Otto Liman von Sanders as head of the German military mission in Constantinople. On 26 January 1914, von Lossow returned to the Bavarian Army and the Central Office of the Bavarian General Staff. During the First World War, von Lossow was initially Chief of General Staff in the I Reserve Corps on the Western Front.

In July 1915, Colonel von Lossow was sent as a military attaché to the Ottoman Empire, which was allied with the German Empire. As such, he protested – albeit unsuccessfully – against the Young Turk regime's policy towards the Armenians, “a new form of mass murder, that is letting the entire Armenian nation starve through complete closure.” On 19 April 1916, Generalmajor von Lossow was appointed German military plenipotentiary in Constantinople. Together with the Ottoman Minister of War Enver Pasha, he visited the Turkish army's theaters of war. He reported to the German government about the military situation in Turkey, brokered arms contracts for German industry and influenced the filling of positions. For example, he suggested the appointment of German general Erich von Falkenhayn at the head of the Ottoman 6th Army.

As a result of the revolutions in Russia and the collapse of the Russian Empire, von Lossow was authorized on 29 April 1918 to negotiate a preliminary peace with the Transcaucasian government in Tiflis on behalf of the German Empire. At the time, the Imperial government hoped to establish a German protectorate in the Caucasus. After the collapse of the Transcaucasian Federation in May 1918, Georgia declared its independence and asked von Lossow for German protection.

Von Lossow, who had a heart condition as a result of repeated malaria infections, considered retiring after the end of the war. However, he decided otherwise and was accepted into the Reichswehr. There he was initially commander of the infantry school in Munich. In 1921, von Lossow became commander of Military District VII. At the same time, from the beginning of 1923, he was commander of the 7th Reichswehr Division and regional commander of the Reichswehr in Bavaria. He worked with patriotic, anti-communist military associations, had them trained and sometimes supplied with weapons by the Reichswehr. He wanted to reinforce his division with volunteers in the event of a civil war or another war with France. Von Lossow was also impressed at times by the leader of the National Socialists, Adolf Hitler. However, after rebelling against state power during the “national demonstration” in Munich on 1 May 1923, he distanced himself from Hitler and the military associations.

On the evening of 8 November 1923, von Lossow was arrested by Hitler in the Bürgerbräukeller, together with the General State Commissioner Gustav von Kahr and the commander of the Bavarian State Police, Hans von Seißer. Hitler interrupted General State Commissioner Kahr's speech by firing a pistol shot at the ceiling. Von Lossow had previously learned of such an intention and therefore issued a secret order that the garrison could only obey the orders of the city commandant, General Jakob von Danner. As a result of a breakdown at police headquarters, additional people were successfully arrested. But when Hitler wanted to take control of the Maximilian II barracks on von Lossow's alleged orders, the officer from the barracks day service opened the secret order and the matter was over. So the next day, 9 November 1923, there was only the familiar March to the Feldherrnhalle.

After the failed Hitler putsch, the Bavarian government and the Reich government reached a compromise, whereby the agreement between Munich and Berlin was restored. Von Lossow then resigned on 18 February 1924. At the Hitler trial in February/March 1924, von Lossow was questioned in detail as a witness. He then withdrew from public life.

Lossow affair

Together with von Kahr and the Bavarian police chief Hans von Seißer, von Lossow formed a kind of “triumvirate” in Munich. However, their goal was not to separate Bavaria from the Reich, but rather to establish a “national autocracy” throughout Germany from the “Bavarian order cell”. Although General Hans von Seeckt was angry about the open refusal to obey orders, he refused to carry out the imperial execution against Bavaria – in accordance with the slogan "Troops don't shoot at troops" that had already been issued during the Kapp Putsch in 1920.

State commandant Otto von Lossow had been given the task of enforcing the Reich government's ban on the Völkischer Beobachter, but he rejected this out of conviction. Hans von Seeckt then suggested that he retire. Despite various attempts at mediation, von Lossow could not be persuaded to do so. He was then relieved of his duties by Reich President Friedrich Ebert and von Seeckt on 19 October 1923 and Major General Freiherr Kreß von Kressenstein was entrusted with the leadership of the 7th Division and the duties of commander in Military District VII. However, on 20 October 1923, the Bavarian State Ministry decided to take direct command of the 7th (Bavarian) Division (sworn in to the Bavarian government) and appointed von Lossow as division commander, contrary to the Reich constitution.

After a compromise between the Bavarian government and the Reich government, the agreement between Munich and Berlin was restored and the 7th Division was put back under Reichswehr command. Von Lossow then resigned on 18 February 1924 and was honorably discharged with effect from 29 February 1924. This is how the “Lossow affair” came to an end. After his retirement, he went to Turkey and later came back to Munich. Like his brother Paul, he enjoyed visiting the thermal baths in Baden near Zurich, as can be seen from a letter from 1935.

Family

Otto was the son of the later mayor of Lindau and district administrator of Bavarian Swabia Oskar Wilhelm Heinrich von Lossow (1832–1894) and his wife Emilie Luise Johanna, née Schrön (1834–1926).[2] He had three siblings. His older brother privy councilor (Geheimrat) Dipl.-Ing. Paul Hans Oskar von Lossow (1865–1936) became a professor of mechanical engineering at the TH Munich and was a passionate genealogy and family history researcher.

Otto himself never married; his passion was the military. Brother Paul, Knight of Justice (Rechtsritter) of the Johanniter-Orden, was married (twice[3]) and father of four children; he named his first child "Otto" (Dr. med. Otto Hans Gustav Maximilian von Lossow) in honour of his brother.

Walter von Lossow was a distant cousin and one of many officers of the von Lossow family.

Promotions

  • 21.7.1886 Portepee-Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 9.3.1888 Second-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
  • 20.6.1896 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 9.3.1902 Hauptmann (Captain) without Patent
    • Patent received on 28 October 1902[4]
  • 9.3.1908 Major without Patent
    • Patent received on 7 March 1909
  • 1911 Lieutenant Colonel of the Ottoman Army (Military Instructor of the Osmanische Armee)
  • 26.1.1914 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with Patent from 1.10.1913
  • 30.11.1914 Oberst (Colonel)
  • 12.4.1916 Generalmajor without Patent[5]
    • Patent received on 16 June 1920[6]
  • 1.7.1921 Generalleutnant

Awards, decorations and honours

  • Royal Order of Francis I (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies), Knight's Cross 2nd Class (Sic.Fr.3b/ScF3b)[7] on 18 August 1891
    • Wilhelm Freiherr von Leonrod and Second-Lieutenant Karl Euler received the award on the same day.
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords (BMV4⚔)
  • China Commemorative Medal (China-Denkmünze) for combatants with two battle clasps "Fouphing" und "Huolu"
  • Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), Knight's Cross 2nd Class (JpS5b/JV6), permission to accept and wear on 14 July 1904
  • Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 4th Class (PKO4)
  • Saxon Albrechts-Orden, Knight 1st Class (SA4a; Prussian: SA3a)
  • Prinz-Regent-Luitpold Jubiläums-Medaille in 1905
  • Cross of Military Merit (Spain), White Decoration, 1st Class (SpMV1/SMV1), permission to accept and wear on 10 March 1906
  • Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PrA4/RAO4), permission to accept and wear on 16 September 1908
  • Leopold II Regency Medal, 1909
  • Bavarian Long Service Cross (Königlich Bayerisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz), II. Class for 24 years (BDK2/BD2)
  • Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion (Orden vom Zähringer Löwen), Knight's Cross I. Class (BdZL4/BZ3a)
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 3rd Class with the Crown on 26 January 1914
  • Ottoman Osmanie-Orden (Osmanije), 2nd Class (TürkO2/TO2), permission to accept and wear on 6 July 1914
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), Officer's Cross with Swords on 11 October 1914
  • Ottoman honor dagger for officers (Enveriye-Dolch)
  • Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
    • 2nd Class on 16 October 1914
    • 1st Class on 14 November 1914
  • Prussian Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Swords[8]
  • Bulgarian Order of Saint Alexander, Grand Officer Cross with Swords
  • Ottoman Liakat Medal in Gold with Swords/Sabers (TürkL2⚔/TL2⚔)
  • Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond; TürkH/TH)
  • Ottoman Medschidie-Orden, 1st Class in March 1917
  • Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary), 2nd Class with the War Decoration in April 1917
  • Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 2nd Class with Swords
  • Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal 1918 (Goldene Hochzeits-Jubiläumsmedaille 1918)
  • Crown Prince Rupprecht Medal in Silver on 18 May 1925
  • Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords

Honours

  • Portrait bust of the Major General by Georg Kolbe (1917)
  • Portrait bust of the Generalleutnant a. D. by Arno Breker (1935)

References

  1. ↑ Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee, 1902, p. 1129
  2. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Uradeligen Häuser, 1911, p. 424
  3. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Adeligen Häuser, 1942, Teil A, p. 299
  4. ↑ Verordnungs-Blatt des Königlich Bayerischen Kriegsministeriums, 1902, p. 185
  5. ↑ Verordnungs-Blatt des Königlich Bayerischen Kriegsministeriums, 1916, p. 808
  6. ↑ Ernst Kabisch: Die Führer des Reichsheeres 1921–1931, Verlag Dieck & Co., Stuttgart 1931
  7. ↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königreiches Bayern, 1895, p. 49
  8. ↑ Verordnungs-Blatt des Königlich Bayerischen Kriegsministeriums, July to December 1916, p. 3844
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