Heinrich Zachariae

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Heinrich Zachariae
Heinrich Zachariae im Osmanischen Reich.jpeg
Artillery advisor Heinrich Zachariae
as a Lieutenant Colonel of the Ottoman Army
Birth date 7 July 1869
Place of birth Herbsleben, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, North German Confederation
Death date 22 June 1941 (aged 71)
Place of death Berlin-Nikolassee or Potsdam (Brandenburg), German Reich
Resting place Von Wangenheim family's resting place in Sonneborn (Gotha)
Allegiance Germany Prussian Eagle.jpg Kingdom of Prussia
 German Empire
 Weimar Republic
Service/branch War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army
Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).png Ottoman Army
War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Preliminary Reichswehr
Years of service 1888–1920
Rank Major (Imperial German)
Lieutenant Colonel (Imperial Ottoman)
Lieutenant Colonel (honorary)
Battles/wars World War I
Awards Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Red Eagle Order
Iron Cross
Relations ∞ 1901 Friederike von Wangenheim

Heinrich "Heino" Zachariae (also Zachariä; 7 July 1869 – 22 June 1941) was a German officer of the German Army as well as Lieutenant Colonel of the Ottoman Army during World War I.

Life

Heinrich Zachariae, 1915.jpeg
Heinrich Zachariae (center) with two German officers (possibly on a ship).jpg

Zachariae visited the Gymnasium in Gotha and the General German Educational Institution (Allgemeine Deutsche Erziehungsanstalt) Keilhau near Rudolstadt where he received his Abitur. He joined the Silesian Foot Artillery Regiment No. 6 (Schlesisches Fußartillerie Regiment Nr. 6) on 28 September 1888 as an officer candidate and was commissioned in January 1890. He was commanded for two years to the United Artillery and Engineering School (Vereinigte Artillerie- und Ingenieurschule) in Charlottenburg in 1892/1893.

In 1894, he was back with his regiment serving in the 6th Company. Later in that year, he was appointed adjutant of the 1st Battalion in Glogau until 1896. He was then commanded to the artillery workshop (Artillerie-Werkstatt) in Danzig. During his studies there, he completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter in the workshop. He particularly pursued his hobby of furniture carpentry and wood carving later in retirement. He particularly liked to copy furniture from castles and palaces of the Gothic style, e.g. the desk and swivel chair attributed to Martin Luther in the famous "Wartburg Room".

In 1897, he was commanded to the cannon foundry in Spandau and in 1898 transferred to the artillery design bureau (Artillerie-Konstruktionsbüreau) in Spandau as an executive assistant.[1] Later, he was commanded to the powder factory, also in Spandau. In 1903, he was transferred back to the artillery design bureau, once again an executive assistant, the job title was later changed to administrative member (Verwaltungsmitglied). He would serve there for the next years as an esteemed artillery expert. In 1909, he was appointed administrative director (Verwaltungsdirektor) of the artillery workshop in Danzig. In 1910/11, he was appointed administrative director of the artillery design bureau which he knew so well. Director was Lieutenant Colonel Neuland. Zachariae served under him until the beginning of World War I.

WWI

After Liège (Lüttich) in Belgium was conquered in August 1914, Major Zachariae was commanded to the city where he managed a cannon foundry. In May 1915, he was commanded to the Ottoman Army as an artillery advisor. In June 1915, he traveled via Austria, Bulgaria and Romania and arrived in Constantinople days later where he received the rank as a Lieutenant Colonel of the Ottoman Army (Osmanische Armee). At the end of November 1915, along with other Ottoman and German officers, he was commanded to August von Mackensen's High Command in Serbia. The Army Group "Mackensen" was stationed in the Balkans since 18 September 1915 with German, Austrian, Bulgarian and Ottoman troops. He later returned to his Ottoman headquarters of the "German Military Mission". After the Russian armistice in November 1917, Major Zachariae sailed in a cargo steamer across the Black Sea to South Russia, traveled by rail through Russia to East Prussia and in 1918, he was again employed in the Prussian Army.

Post-WWI

It is not known, where he served after the November Revolution, possibly with the artillery administration, possibly with the Freikorps. He then served with the Preliminary Reichswehr and retired in the spring of 1920. In Ludwigsruh, Landkreis Landsberg (Warthe), he had bought himself a small estate, a farm he called "Türkenhof" (Turks Farm) in memory of his time with the Ottomans, which he remembered fondly.

He regularly congratulated the emigrated Kaiser Wilhelm II in Haus Dorn on his birthday and always received a thank-you letter from his wife. In the 1930s, he moved to Berlin-Nikolassee. As a retiree, he was active in various veteran and historical committees.

As a native of Thuringia, he was a member of the Wachsenburg Committee, which was responsible for maintaining and expanding a military collection, in which he was in charge of the “Development of Artillery” department with valuable old cannons in large numbers: outdoors and in the Bastion Herzog Carl Eduard cannon hall, built in 1907 and expanded in 1938. Zachariae in particular had, through his activities, put together “a complete picture of the development of ordnance from the culverin or field snake [Feldschlange] to heavy naval guns”. On 31 May 1941 in Berlin-Nikolassee, Oberstleutnant a. D. Zachariae wrote to Fritz Sauckel, the Reich Governor (Reichsstatthalter) in Thuringia, and asked him for support for the military history collection at the Wachsenburg.

Family

Heinrich was the son of lord of the manor (Rittergut Edelhof in Herbsleben) Heinrich Zachariae (1840–1884) and his wife Friederike Wilhelmine Pauline, née von Henning auf Schönhoff (b. 19 February 1843 in Ringleben). He had two brothers and one sister. Brother Victor (b. 20 July 1870) was a cadet, an infantry officer (commissioned 1889), served in WWI and retired 1919 as a Lieutenant Colonel.[2]

Marriage

On 20 October 1901 in Sonneborn, 1st Lieutenant Zachariae married his fiancée Friederike "Frieda" Freiin von Wangenheim (b. 3 May 1878 in Sonneborn).[3] They had three children:

  • Hans Heinz (b. 4 August 1902 in Spandau), cavalry officer, severely wounded as Major at the Eastern Front, died on 14 August 1941 in Peredovik, main dressing station (Hauptverbandsplatz), Sanitäts-Kompanie (Sanko) 2/81
  • Annhilda (b. 1 April 1905 in Spandau), employed in the Reich Ministry of National Defense in Berlin
  • Lieselotte (b. 2 March 1907 in Spandau)

Promotions

  • 29 September 1888 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
  • 28 December 1889 Portepee-Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 16 January 1890 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
  • Summer 1896 Premierleutnant (1st Lieutenant) without Patent
    • 27 January 1898 Patent received
  • 19 June 1902 Hauptmann (Captain) without Patent (ernannt)
    • 18 July 1905 Patent received
  • 19 June 1914 Major
  • 10 June 1915 Ottoman Lieutenant Colonel
  • Spring 1920 Charakter als Oberstleutnant (Honorary Lieutenant Colonel)

Awards and decorations

Gallery

  • Hauptmann Heinrich Zachariae (Rangliste 1914).png
  • Heinrich Zachariae, decorations.jpeg
  • Oberstleutnant a. D. Heinrich Zachariae, Ehren-Rangliste des ehemaligen Deutschen Heeres, Berlin 1926.png
  • Oberstleutnant a. D. Heinrich Zachariae (Berliner Adreßbuch, 1941).png

References

  1. ↑ Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee, 1898, p. 478
  2. ↑ Danskernes Historie Online, pp. 160 ff. (Archive)
  3. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser, Teil A, 1938, p. 607
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