Arthur von Lindequist

Arthur von Lindequist
Birth name	Arthur Axel Heinrich August von Lindequist
Birth date	17 October 1855(1855-10-17)
Place of birth	Wostevitz (Island Rügen), Regierungsbezirk Stralsund, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation
Death date	1 November 1937 (aged 82)
Place of death	Greater Berlin, German Reich
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Preliminary Reichswehr
Years of service	1874–1920
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Iron Cross Pour le Mérite
Relations	∞ 1891 Lili von Hahn

Arthur Axel Heinrich August von Lindequist (sometimes also Artur; 17 October 1855 – 1 November 1937) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army in World War I and the Preliminary Reichswehr, finally Lieutenant General and knight of the order "Pour le Mérite". On 17 December 1918, Arthur von Lindequist was placed at disposal of the German Army (zur Disposition gestellt), but was apparently not re-activated by the Reichswehr. On 21 January 1920, his request for final retirement was granted.

Life

General Arthur von Lindequist and General Peter Freiherr von Hofmann (Austria) greet Kaiser Wilhelm II before departure at Brzezany station.

Five knights of the order "Pour le Mérite" from left: Major Ferdinand Herold, Major Just-Friedrich von Seelhorst, Generalleutnant Arthur von Lindequist, Major Walter von Delius and Oberst Karl Hans Gebhard Graf von der Schulenburg (1867–1950).

After his education in the cadet corps, von Lindequist joined the 1st Grand Ducal Hessian Infantry (Life Guards) Regiment No. 115 of the Prussian Army in Darmstadt as an officer cadet on 23 April 1874 and was promoted to second lieutenant in October 1875. For three years, starting on 1 May 1882, von Lindequist was assigned to the Kulm Cadet House as an educator. After his return and service in his home regiment, he was promoted to first lieutenant in November 1885. As such, he served as adjutant of the Darmstadt I district command from 1 January 1888 to 31 December 1889. He was promoted to captain and took over the 5th Company in his home regiment at the same time on 18 November 1890. He later commanded the Guards Life (1st) Company.

Shortly after being promoted to major in 1901, von Lindequist was appointed commander of the I. Battalion/Anhaltisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93 in Dessau. In the next year, he took over the II. Battalion/Anhaltisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93 in Zerbst. With his promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1907, he was transferred to the staff of the Infanterie-Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm" (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 116 in Gießen. On 9 August 1910, after being promoted to colonel, von Lindequist was appointed commander of the 1. Hannoversche Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 in Hannover. On 10 August 1913, he was appointed commander of the 40. Infanterie-Brigade (subordinated to the 20. Division/X. Armeekorps) in Braunschweig.

WWI

Generalmajor von Lindequist was in charge of 40th Infantry Brigade as the 2nd German Army marched into Belgium, participating initially in the action against the Liege Fortress. As the brigade continued on to Namur, the general was wounded by grenade shrapnel and was forced to convalesce back to Germany. After a four-month rehabilitation, von Lindequist returned to the field to head up a reserve infantry brigade. He and his 87th reservists were transferred in the Spring of 1915 to the Eastern Front as part of the force making its way from Lemberg (Lviv, Ukrakine) to the Brest-Litovsk region. Later that summer, von Lindequist was assigned to head up the renowned 3rd Guards Division as they engaged Russian troops throughout Galicia. In April 1916, the division headed west to the Champagne region of France and participated in the Battle of the River Somme during the summer months. After that devastating engagement, 3rd Guards returned to the Eastern Front and fought defensive skirmishes along the River Narajiwka in support of the Südarmee. Back to the Western Front in November 1916, where the division immediately began preparations for participation in the Battle of Arras, Spring 1917. Following heavy losses, the division moved to Flanders and fought in the area of Passchendaele from October through November. Von Lindequist was promoted to Generalleutnant in early November 1917, just in time to lead his soldiers into battle against British tanks at Cambrai. In recognition of his battlefield successes and leadership during that battle, Kaiser Wilhelm personally awarded General von Lindequist the Pour le Merite medal in December of 1917. Although he had served at the rank of Generalleutnant for only three months, von Lindequist was selected in February 1918 to command XIV. Reserve Corps. Subordinate to Seventeenth Army, von Lindequist's reservists took part in the large-scale Spring Offensive of 1918. In early June, he was transferred to VII. Reserve Corps headquarters to lead those soldiers in fighting along the River Marne and Champagne. Lindequist brilliantly lead his corps troops as they fought in support of Germany's orderly retreat during the autumn months, again receiving recognition from OHL with the awarding of the PLM Oakleaves. After hostilities ceased in November 1918, the war-weary general brought his reservists back to Germany for demobilization and was placed on the active reserve list himself in late December.

Family

Descent

Arthur was the son of Olof von Lindequist (1824–1902), a farmer and then a railway official, and his wife Anna, née Hoffmann (1824–1909), daughter of lord of the manor Friedrich Wilhelm Hoffmann in Nieder-Gläsersdorf. He had five siblings, among them Dr. jur. h. c. Wilhelm Friedrich "Fritz" Ferdinand Olof von Lindequist, Governor of German South-West Africa. Generaloberst Oskar Fromhold Friedrich Olof von Lindequist was a second cousin.

Marriage

On 8 June 1891 in Darmstadt, Captain von Lindequist married his fiancée Friederike Sophie Marie Lili von Hahn (1865–1935), daughter of Privy Senior Tax Councillor Johann August Friedrich von Hahn (1828–1892). They would have one daughter:

• Anka Friederike Marie Luise Auguste (1893–1977); ∞ 1921 Eberhard Kurt Felix von Briesen (1878–1958)

Promotions

• 23 April 1874 Portepee-Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Infanterie-(Leibgarde-)Regiment Nr. 115
• 12 October 1875 Sekonde-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 12 November 1885 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
• 18 November 1890 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 18 January 1901 Major
• 20 July 1907 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 9 August 1910 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1 October 1913 Generalmajor (Major General)
• 6 November 1917 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General)

Awards and decorations

• Hesse Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Knight 2nd Class (GHVP3b/HP3b)
  • according to ranking list 1894 Swords for the Knight's Cross II. Class received (GHVP3b⚔/HP3b⚔)
• Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz; DA)
• Hesse Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Knight 1st Class with the Crown (GHVP3a.mKr/HP3a.mKr)
• House Order of Albert the Bear, Commander II. Class (AB2b)
• Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Johanniter-Orden on 8 August 1904
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class
• Grand Ducal Hessian Ludwig (Ludewig) Order, Knight's Cross 2nd Class (GHL3b/HL3b)
• Hesse Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Cross of Honour or Ehrenkreuz (HP3) on 12 September 1910
• Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow (mit der Schleife)
• Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, Commander II. Class (NO2b)
• Order of Henry the Lion (Herzoglich Braunschweigischer Orden Heinrichs des Löwen), Commander's Cross 1st Class (BrH2a)
• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Swords to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 6 October 1915
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class with Swords on 13 September 16
• Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves
  • Pour le Mérite on 23 December 1917 as Lieutenant General and Commander of the 3. Garde-Infanterie-Division
    • for the tank battle at Cambrai. The division fought for the town and forest of Bourlon from 20 to 30 November 1917 and was able to withstand heavy British attacks.
  • 121st Oak Leaves on 7 November 1918 as Lieutenant General and Commander of the VII Reserve Corps
    • for the defensive battles in the Hunding-Brunhild Line from 25 October to 1 November 1918
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black
• Knight of Justice (Rechtsritter) of the Johanniter-Orden
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords (FEK)