Bernhard von Hartz

Bernhard von Hartz
Birth name	Bernhard Josef/Joseph Maria von Hartz
Birth date	12 April 1862(1862-04-12)
Place of birth	Regensburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Confederation
Death date	20 August 1944 (aged 82)
Place of death	Dorfen, Bavaria, German Reich
Allegiance	Kingdom of Bavaria German Empire
Service/branch	Royal Bavarian Army Imperial German Army
Years of service	1881–1914 1914–1919
Rank	General of the Infantry (General der Infanterie)
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1894 Pauline Auguste Benzino

Bernhard Josef Maria von Hartz (1862–1944) was a German officer of the Bavarian Army and the Imperial German Army in World War I, finally General der Infanterie.

Career (chronology)

Great-grandfather Geheimrat Dr. med. Bernhard Joseph von Hartz (1760–1829)

Tunic

Grave of Pauline von Hartz

• Bavarian Cadet Corps (Kadettenkorps München)
• 6 August 1881 Portepee-Fähnrich (Cadet Officer)
  • joined the Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment (Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment)
  • Attended the war school in Munich
  • 1883 Certificate of maturity to become an officer (Zeugnis der Reife zum Offizier)
• 1883 Sekondeleutnant/Second-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant) without patent
• 9 April 1884 Sekondeleutnant/Second-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant) with patent
• 13 June 1892 Premierleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 1892–1895 War Academy (Kingdom of Bavaria), 24th course
• 17 March 1897 Hauptmann (Captain)
  • Commander of the 12. Kompanie/III. Bataillon/Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment
  • 1899 Zentralstelle des Generalstabs in München and Generalstab des I. Armee-Korps
  • 1900 Bayerisches Kriegsministerium in München (Personnel Affairs Section or Abteilung für Allgemeine Armee-Angelegenheiten)
    • He also served as a member of the Senior Examination Committee for candidates for the higher military administrative service (Mitglied der Ober-Examinations-Kommission für Kandidaten des höheren Militär-Verwaltungsdienstes)
  • 1903/04 in the General Staff of the 5. Division in Nürnberg
• 21 September 1904 Major
  • Bayerischer Generalstab, Zentralstelle in München
  • 1905 Detached from Bavarian General Staff to the Grand General Staff (Großer Generalstab) in Berlin
  • 28 August 1906 Battalion Commander (III.) in the Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment
• 11 September 1907 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • Head of Department at the Central Office of the General Staff
  • Detached once again from the Bavarian General Staff to the Grand General Staff (Großer Generalstab) in Berlin
  • 24 January to 25 March 1910 Delegated with the leadership of the Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment (mit der Führung beauftragt)
• 7 March 1910 Oberst
  • 26 March 1910 to 30 September 1912 Commander of the Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment
• 1. October 1912 Generalmajor
  • 1 October 1912 to 27 March 1913 Commander of the 2. Königlich Bayerische Infanterie-Brigade in München
  • 28 March 1913 Detached once again from the Bavarian General Staff to the Grand General Staff (Großer Generalstab) in Berlin
  • 2 August 1914 Senior Quartermaster (Oberquartiermeister) on the General Staff of the 6th Army
• 19 May 1915 Generalleutnant
  • 7 September 1915 to 7 February 1917 Commander of the 2. Königlich Bayerische Infanterie-Division
  • 8 February 1917 with effect from 25 January 1917 Bavaria's military liaison (Bayerischer Militärbevollmächtigter) at the Great HQ (Großes Hauptquartier Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs)
  • 7 April to 10 May 1918 Leader of the Generalkommando z. b. V. Nr. 57 (in representation of the Commanding General)
• 11 May to 13 December 1918 Leader of the Generalkommando z. b. V. Nr. 57
  • replaced General der Kavallerie Rudolf Ritter von Frommel who had fallen severly sick with Pneumonia and was not able to return to duty
• January 1919 Retired with Charakter als General der Infanterie
  • other sources state retired in January 1919, received Charakter als General der Infanterie on 11 February 1919

Family

Bernhard Josef Maria was the son of Premierleutnant a. D. Bernhard Kaspar von Hartz (1831–1912) and his wife Hildegard, née Litzlkirchner (1841–1906). His older sister Emilie (b. 5 May 1861; d. 22 August 1861), named after the grandmother, died shortly after birth. His grandfather, who he was named after, was Dr. med. Bernhard Joseph von Hartz (1803–1862), Stabsarzt of the Bavarian Army (Artillerie-Korpskommando). His great-grandfather was Geheimrat Dr. med. Bernhard Joseph von Hartz (1760–1829), personal physician to the King of Bavaria Maximilian I. Joseph, elevated to nobility in 1825.

Marriage

On 2 August 1894, Sekondeleutnant von Hartz married in München his fiancée Pauline Auguste Benzino (b. 12 January 1872 in Kusel; d. 22 November 1937 in Berlin), with whom he had two children:

• Erika Hildegard Klementine (b. 30 August 1895 in München)
• Helmut Karl Ludwig (b. 10 April 1900 in München)
  • One of Helmut's cousins was Herbert Karl Maria Peter Emil Friedrich Bernhard Joseph Leonhard von Hartz (1905–1989), son of Hauptmann Karl Johann von Hartz (1873–1911), Oberstleutnant of the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Blood Order.

Awards and decorations (incomplete)

• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class (BMV4)
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, Knight's Cross 1st Class (JpS5a) on 21 February 1901
• China Commemorative Medal (China-Denkmünze) in Steel for non-combatants
• Jubiläumsmedaille für die bayerische Armee (1905)
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)
• Bayerisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz, II. Class for 24 years (BD2)
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 3rd Class (BMV3) on 8 March 1910
• Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class (PRAO3/PrA3)
• Albrechts-Orden of Saxony, Commander (Komtur) II. Class (SA2b) on 28 July 1911
• Bavarian Order of Saint Michael, Honour Cross (Ehrenkreuz) on 27 October 1911
• Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, Knight II. Class (ÖEK2) on 13 February 1912
• Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, Knight's Cross on 30 December 1913
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 2nd Class with Swords (BMV2⚔) on 7 September 1914
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 7 September 1914
  • 1st Class on 7 October 1914
• Württemberg Order of the Crown, Commander with Swords (WK2b⚔) on 17 December 1914
• Albrechts-Orden of Saxony, Commander (Komtur) 1st Class with Swords (SA2a⚔) on 8 December 1914
• War Merit Cross (Brunswick) on 21 August 1915
• Friedrich Cross (Friedrich-Kreuz) on 21 August 1915
• Hessian Bravery Medal (Großherzoglich Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille; HT) on 21 August 1915
• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Swords and Star
  • 2nd Class with Swords on 13 December 1916
  • Star on 1 January 1918
• Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond; TH) on 12 May 1917
• Bulgarian Order of Bravery, 1st Class (BT1) on 24 August 1917
• Bayerisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz, I. Class for 40 years (BD1) on 15 November 1917
  • war years counted double
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 1st Class with Swords (BMV1⚔) on 28 February 1918
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

Gallery

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