Ernst Graf von Moy
| Ernst Graf von Moy | |
|---|---|
 Ernst (center, standing) with three of his six siblings | |
| Birth name | Ernst Siegfried Maximilian Maria Graf von Moy |
| Birth date | 26 March 1892 |
| Place of birth | Weilheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire |
| Death date | ⚔ 11 July 1916 (aged 24) |
| Place of death | Fleury near Verdun (Fort Douaumont), France |
| Allegiance |  German Empire
|
| Service/branch |  Royal Bavarian Army Imperial German Army
|
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Bavarian Military Merit Order |
Ernst Siegfried Maximilian Maria Graf von Moy (1892–1916) was a German officer of the Bavarian Army and the Imperial German Army, finally Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) in World War I.
Contents
Military career
Young chamberlain (Kammerjunker) Ernst Graf von Moy joined the Royal Bavarian Infantry Guard Regiment (Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment) and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the 12th Company (3rd Battalion under Major Karl Euler) on 25 October 1913.
WWI
On 12 August 1914, the village of Badonviller (Badenweiler) was inhabited by a strong French corps (Chasseurs à pied). Four Bavarian regiments were ordered to attack, but the French left the village early in the morning to attack themselves and met the Bavarian vanguard, the 2nd Battalion/Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment. The 1st Battalion and Major Euler's 3rd Battalion joined the comprehensive attack on the left flank. The 3rd Battalion got caught in a hidden ambush with French machine guns. Major Euler was ⚔,[1] with him 1st Lieutenant Franz Anton Kajetan Joseph Graf von Armansperg (1887-1914) and 1st Lieutenant of the Reserves Leo Freiherr von Mauchenheim genannt Bechtolsheim (1882-1914)[2] as well as many NCOs and enlisted men. 2nd Lieutenant Ernst Graf von Moy was severely wounded.
Death
Leading the 1st Company of the Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment, known as the "Leiber" (subordinated to the Alpenkorps), Graf von Moy was ⚔ on 11 July 1916 at the Western Front near Fleury during the Battle of Verdun. At his side fell
- Soldier Josef Eder,
- Gefreiter (Corporal) Johann Puchtler,
- Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Friedrich Luttenberger, and
- Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Josef Landsdorfer.
All were later buried at the German War Cemetery in Hautecourt-lès-Broville. The regimental history of the Bavarian Infantry Body Regiment reports on the day of death:
- “11 July 1916: From midnight, gas firing by the artillery. At the beginning of the day the destructive shooting began. 7.45 a.m. Line up for the storm. The front waves of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd companies overran the enemy line, in which the French were massed and ready to attack. The enemy holding in Fleury is forced to give way by bypassing it. The front line digs in at the day's destination, to the left without any connection. Apparently the regiments on the left didn't line up at all, but that didn't matter at first. Our own patrol of three men brings 2 machine guns and 70 prisoners from Filzlaus. The success of the day exceeded that of 23 June 1916. 24 officers and 1,500 Frenchmen were captured, 20 machine guns and two cannons were captured, apart from the large amount of ammunition and other spoils [...]. There, we smoked out the French brigade staff with the fire of our flamethrowers.”
Honorary commemoration
Lieutenant Ludwig Streil from the same regiment, who would also fight and fall in WWII and would receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, wrote a beautiful poem to honour him:
Und wieder gehts bei Fleury an,
Wir müssen nochmal stürmen,
Es möge jeden Leibersmann,
Der liebe Gott beschirmen.
Die Erste tritt zum Sturme an,
Ernst Moy an ihrer Spitze.
Der Boden fängt zu brodeln an,
Es speien die Geschütze.
Die Garbe wühlt, die Erde klafft,
Da gibts der Gräber viele,
Doch weiter jetzt mit frischer Kraft,
Fleury steht auf dem Spiele.
Fleury, versuchtes Höllennest,
Wir holen dich heute wieder.
Kämpft der dort drinnen noch so fest,
Wir ringen ihn doch nieder.
In Strömen muß das Leiberblut
Den schwarzen Boden netzen.
Es trifft wohl auch der Gegner gut,
Mit Blei und Eisenfetzen.
Es zuckt Graf Moy, das Blut rinnt rot,
Sein Kopf sinkt auf das Knie,
Und einer ruft "der Leutnant tot",
Es stürmt die Kompagnie.
And again it's on at Fleury,
We have to storm again,
May every Leibersmann,
Be shielded by the good Lord.
The first [company] steps up to storm,
Ernst Moy at their head.
The ground begins to bubble,
The guns are spitting.
The sheaf is rooting, the earth is gaping,
There are many graves there,
But now carry on with fresh strength,
Fleury is at stake.
Fleury, attempted hell's nest,
We'll get you back today.
No matter how firmly they may fight,
We will battle them down.
The Leiber's blood must flow in streams
Wet the black soil.
The opponent also gets well hit
With lead and scraps of iron.
Graf Moy twitches, the blood runs red,
His head sinks to his knee,
And someone shouts "the lieutenant is dead",
Now storms the company.
Family
Ernst was the son of Maximilian "Max" Maria Graf von Moy (b. 8 April 1862; d. 26 April 1933), Lieutenant Colonel and Senior Master of Ceremonies (Oberstzeremonienmeister) at the Royal Bavarian court, Chief Court Marshal as well as President of the Art Association (Kunstverein) in Munich, and his wife Elisabeth Sophie Marie, née von Waldburg-Zeil-Wurzach (1866–1950), daughter of Eberhard (II.) Franz Leopold Maria Fürst von Waldburg-Zeil-Wurzach (1828–1903) and Lady of Honour (Ehrendame) of the Bavarian Theresien Order.
Siblings
Ernst had six siblings, four sisters and two brothers, who also became officers:
- Karl Eberhard Maximilian Maria (1890–1950), commissioned with the Königlich Bayerisches 1. Schwere-Reiter-Regiment „Prinz Karl von Bayern“ on 8 February 1912 with Patent from 26 October 1911, 1st Lieutenant on 9 July 1915, retired as Rittmeister; ∞ 2 May 1916 Anna Elisabeth, widowed Gräfin von Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee, née Gräfin von Galen (1881–1970), 1 son (1917–1988)
- Wilhelm Luitpold Siegfried Maximilian Maria (1895–1977), commissioned with the Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment on 31 March 1915 without Patent
Awards and decorations
- Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Swords on 15 September 1915[3]
References
- ↑ Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leibregiment (1. Weltkrieg)
- ↑ Bernd F. Schulte: Neue Dokumente zu Kriegsausbruch und Kriegsverlauf 1914, p. 148
- ↑ Verordnungs-Blatt des Königlich Bayerischen Kriegsministeriums, July to December 1915, p. 1884
