Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen

Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen
Birth name	Ludwig Alexander Friedrich August Philipp Freiherr von Falkenhausen
Birth date	13 September 1844(1844-09-13)
Place of birth	Guben, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation
Death date	4 May 1936 (aged 91)
Place of death	Görlitz, Gau Silesia, German Reich
Resting place	Invalids' Cemetery (Invalidenfriedhof), Berlin, Germany
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia German Confederation North German Confederation German Empire
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army
Years of service	1862–1902 1914–1918
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	Garde-Grenadier Regiment 4 29th Infantry Brigade XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps 6th Army
Battles/wars	Second Schleswig War German War of Brothers Franco-German War World War I
Awards	Iron Cross (1870) Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves Black Eagle Order
Relations	I ∞ 1868 Helene von Waldow und Reitzenstein II ∞ 1902 Alice Petzold
Other work	Representative in the Reichsrat (Imperial Council)

Ludwig Alexander Friedrich August Philipp Freiherr von Falkenhausen (13 September 1844 – 4 May 1936) was a German officer of the Prussian Army and the Imperial German Army, finally Generaloberst, commander-in-chief of an army and Governor General in WWI.

Life

• 1852 Private school
• 3.5.1856 Cadet school in Potsdam
• 2.5.1859 Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute in Groß-Lichterfelde near Berlin
• 6.5.1862 Transferred to the 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß as 2nd Lieutenant (received this rank because of his outstanding performance as a cadet)
• 1.10.1865 to 27.7.1868 Commanded for studies to the War Academy
  • 15.5.1866 Received leave from the academy and commanded as adjutant of the replacement battalion of his regiment in preparation for the German War of Brothers
    • Regimental adjutant of the Combined Guards Reserve Infantry Regiment as part of the Main-Armee
  • 15.11.1866 Return to the Prussian War Academy
• 1.8.1868 Return to his regiment
• 1.10.1868 to 31.5.1869 Commanded to serve in the Guards Field Artillery Regiment
• 1.6.1869 Return to the 12th Company/1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß
• 15.9.1869 to 31.12.1870 Adjutant of the 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß
  • Franco-German War
    • Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat; Battle of Beaumont; Battle of Sedan; Siege of Paris
• 3.6.1871 Adjutant of the 28. Division (Karlsruhe)
• 22.3.1872 Transferred to the Fusilier Regiment No. 40 while retaining his command with the 28. Division
• 20.11.1873 Transferred to the General Staff of the Army under transfer to the General Staff of the XIV Army Corps (Karlsruhe)
• 21.1.1875 Transferred to the general staff of the 16th Division (Trier)
• 10.5.1879 Transferred to the general staff of the VIII Army Corps (Koblenz)
• 3.12.1885 Commander of the 1st Battalion (Köln) of the 5. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 65
• 5.2.1887 Entrusted with the management of business as Chief of the General Staff of the Guard Corps (Garde-Korps) and transferred to the General Staff of the Army
• 22.3.1887 Appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Guard Corps (Berlin)
• 11.6.1890 Commander of the "Königin Augusta" Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 4 (Koblenz)
• 18.6.1892 Delegated with the leadership of the 29th Infantry Brigade (Cologne)
• 28.7.1892 Appointed commander of the 29. Infanterie-Brigade
• 18.4.1893 Transferred to the officers á la suite of the army (Offiziere á la suite der Armee) and placed at disposal of the chief of the general staff of the army for use as senior quartermaster
  • 17.6.1893 At the same time a member of the study commission of the War Academy
• 27.3.1894 Appointed senior quartermaster (Ober-Quartiermeister) under transfer to the general staff of the army (Generalstab der Armee)
• 15.11.1894 with effect from 1.12.1894 Commanded to the War Ministry for service
• 27.1.1895 Director of the General War Department in the War Ministry
  • 8.2.1895 Appointed deputy representative in the Federal Council
  • 2.3.1895 Released from his position as a member of the War Academy's study commission
• 27.1.1897 Commander of the 2. Garde-Infanterie-Division (Berlin)
  • his successor was Gustav von Kessel
• 25.3.1899 with effect from 1.4.1899 Delegated with the leadership of the XIII. (Württembergisches) Armee-Korps (Stuttgart)
• 3.7.1899 Commanding General of the XIII. (Württembergisches) Armee-Korps
• 8.3.1902 Placed at disposal (z. D.) with the statutory pension
  • Residence: Wiesbaden, later Munich and Schmargendorf-Berlin

WWI

• 28.8.1914 with effect of 2.9.1914 Commanding General of the Replacement Corps (Ersatz-Korps) of the 6th Army (3 Replacement Divisions)
  • Flank protection in Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen), fighting at the front (Nancy-Epinal)
• 15.9.1914 Commander-in-Chief of the Army Group "Falkenhausen" (Armee-Abteilung "A")
  • 1914/15 Battles on the Delmer Ridge and south of Duß
  • 1915/16 Trench battles in Lorraine
• 27.1.1916 Placed á la suite of the "Königin Augusta" Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 4
• 15.4.1916 Commander-in-Chief of Coastal Defense (Hamburg)
  • When English landings in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein were suspected in the spring of 1916.
• 28.8.1916 Commander-in-Chief of the 6th Army as successor of Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
  • 1916/17 Trench battles in Flanders and Artois
  • 1917 Trench battles in French Belgian Flanders and Artois, battles in front of the Siegfried Front; Spring Battle of Arras
• 22.4.1917 Governor General in Belgium in Brüssel (replaced Freiherr von Bissing); Otto von Below took command of the 6th Army
  • In the difficult and politically responsible post in Brussels, Freiherr von Falkenhausen earned the trust not only of all German authorities but also of the Belgian population because of his balanced and measured judgment.
• 26.11.1918 Mobilization provision repealed (retired)

Family

Ludwig was the only son of the Prussian Lieutenant General z. D. Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Eduard Alexander Freiherr von Falkenhausen (1821–1889) and his wife Katharina, née von Rouanet (1825–1907; ⚭ 21 September 1843 in Guben), daughter of the military doctor and lord of the manor Karl Ludwig von Rouanet.

Marriages

On 17 September 1868 in Königswalde, 2nd Lieutenant Freiherr von Falkenhausen married his fiancée (born im Potsdam) Helene Julie Auguste Ferdinande von Waldow und Reitzenstein (1847–1886). They would have four children:

• Friedrich Karl Alexander Cäsar (b. 21 August 1869; d. 30 March 1946), reserve officer of the Ulanen-Regiment "Kaiser Alexander II. von Rußland" (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3, politician and Secretary of State (Staatssekretär)
• Katharina Helene Margarete Elsa (b. 27 July 1872; d. 8 January 1949); ∞ Königswalde 12 July 1898 Johann Georg Adolf Ritter von Deines (1845–1911), Prussian General der Kavallerie and Adjutant General of Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Hedwig (b. 26 December 1875; d. 30 December 1875)
• Karl (b. 21 October 1878; d. 24 October 1878)

Two days after his first retirement, on 10 March 1902, widower General der Infanterie a. D. Freiherr von Falkenhausen married Alice Petzold (1863–1947) from Chemnitz.

Promotions

• 6.5.1862 Seconde-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 13.11.1869 Premier-Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant)
• 22.3.1872 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 18.10.1879 Major
• 22.3.1887 Oberst-Lieutenant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 21.7.1889 Oberst (Colonel)
• 28.7.1892 General-Major (Major General)
• 16.6.1896 Generallieutenant (Lieutenant General)
• 14.9.1900 General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry)
• 24.12.1914 Generaloberst

Awards, decorations and honours

• Commemorative Cross for the Campaign of 1866 (Erinnerungs-Kreuz für den Feldzug von 1866)
• Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class on 13 September 1870
• War Commemorative Medal of 1870–1871 (Kaiserliche Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71; KD70/71) with 3 Battle Clasps
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion (Orden vom Zähringer Löwen), Knight's Cross I. Class with Swords (BZL3a⚔/BZ3a⚔) in 1874
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (RAO4)
• Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Johanniter-Orden on 18 February 1881
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz; DA/PDK)
• Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow (mit der Schleife)
• Knight of Justice (Rechtsritter) of the Johanniter-Orden in 1888
• Swedish Order of the Sword, Commander 2nd Class (SS2b) on 31 August 1888
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class on 19 September 1888
• Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Commander (JMuL3/JM3)
• Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Order of Leopold, Commander (ÖL2)
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class (JVAS3/JV3)
• Russian Order of Saint Anna (Sankt-Annen-Orden), 2nd Class with Diamonds (RA2mBr) in December 1889
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, Commander's Cross (BMV2b) in January 1890
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion, Commander's Cross I. Class with Oak Leaves (BZL2a.mE/BZ2a.mE) in May 1893
• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 27 January 1894
• Anniversary Oak Leaves (Jubiläums-Eichenlaub „25“ 1870/1895) to the Iron Cross 2nd Class
• Star to his Prussian Order of the Crown 2nd Class on 14 October 1895
• Friedrichs-Orden, Commander's Cross (Kommenturkreuz) 1st Class [with Star] (WF2a) in February 1896
• Star to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 12 September 1896
• Saxon Albert Order (Albrechts-Orden), Grand Cross (SA1) in October 1896
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, Grand Commander's Cross (BMV2a) in January 1897
  • as of Rangliste 1906 declared as 2nd Class with Star (BMV2mSt)
• Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)
• Knight of the Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class (ÖEK1) in April 1897
• The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Siam (Orden der Siamesischen Krone), Grand Officer's Cross (SK1) in November 1897
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 1st Class (PKrO1) on 15 January 1899
• Red Eagle Order, 1st Class with Oak Leaves (PRAO1mE) on 13 September 1899
• Friedrichs-Orden, Grand Cross (WF1)
• Grand Ducal Hessian Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous (Verdienstorden Philipps des Großmütigen), Grand Cross (GHVP1/HP1)
• China Commemorative Medal (China-Denkmünze) in Steel for non-combatants
• Württemberg Order of the Crown, Grand Cross (WK1) on 8 March 1902
• Red Eagle Order, Grand Cross with Oak Leaves (PRAOG.Kr.mE) on 8 March 1902

WWI

• Repetition Clasp 1914 to the Iron Cross 1870, 2nd Class
• Iron Cross (1914), 1st Class on 15 September 1914
• Swords to his Red Eagle Order Grand Cross with Oak Leaves (PRAOG.Kr.mE⚔)
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 1st class with Swords (BMV1⚔)
• Order of Berthold the First (Großherzoglich-Badischer Orden Berthold des Ersten), Grand Cross with Swords (BBI1⚔)
• Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves
  • Pour le Mérite on 23 August 1915
  • Oak Leaves on 15 April 1916
• Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cross of Merit for Distinction in the War (Mecklenburg-Strelitzisches Verdienstkreuz für Auszeichnung im Kriege), 2nd and 1st Class (MStMV1)
  • II Class with the inscription "For Bravery" (MStMV2T)
• Oldenburg Friedrich-August-Kreuz, 2nd and 1st Class (OK1)
• Bremen Hanseatic Cross (Bremisches Hanseatenkreuz; BH)
• Lübeck Hanseatic Cross (Lübeckisches Hanseatenkreuz; LübH/LüH)
• Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz; HH)
• Saxon Military Order of St. Henry, Knight's Cross (SH3) on 15 September 1915
• Swords to his Württemberg Order of the Crown Grand Cross (WK1⚔)
• Princely Schwarzburg Cross of Honor (Fürstlich Schwarzburgisches Ehrenkreuz), I. Class with Swords and the Crown (SEK1⚔Kr)
• Golden Star and Swords to his Albrechts-Orden of Saxony Grand Cross (SA1gSt⚔)
• Austria-Hungary Military Merit Cross, 1st Class with the War Decoration (ÖMV1mKD/ÖM1K)
• Grand Cross of the Bavarian Military Merit Order with Swords (BMV G.Kr.⚔/BMV.G.Kr⚔)
• Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond; TH)
• Great Silver and Golden İmtiyaz Nişanı (Große Goldene Imtiyaz-Medaille) with Sabers TJ1⚔/TI1⚔)
• Knight of the Black Eagle Order (SAO) on 27 January 1917
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords

Honours

• Honorary Doctorate (Dr. phil. h. c.), Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität Berlin on 19 December 1915
• Since December 1915, Falkenhausen has been the namesake of the Falkenhausen School (Falkenhausenschule) in Kehl, which was founded in the same year. The Kehler local council wanted to honor him for his services in sparing the city from a French attack.
• The former Friedrichrodaer Straße in Berlin-Lankwitz and Berlin-Marienfelde has been named after him since 11 March 1937.

Writings

• Ausbildung für den Krieg, Mittler und Sohn, Berlin 1902/1904
  • Part I: Die Grundlage für den höheren Führer, 1902
  • Part II: Die Übungen der Truppen, 1904
• Die Grundlage für den höheren Führer, 1902
• Zeitfragen der Kriegsführung und Ausbildung, Berlin 1908
• Der große Krieg der Jetztzeit – Eine Studie über Bewegung und Kampf der Massenheere im 20. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1909
  • Der Krieg der Jetztzeit, second, revised and improved edition, Berlin 1911
• Kriegführung und Wissenschaft, Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Berlin 1913
• Flankenbewegung und Massenheere – Der Gedanke von Leuthen in Anwendung auf die Gegenwart
• Erinnerungen aus dem Weltkrieg (Memories from the World War)

Further reading

• Benoît Majerus: Von Falkenhausen zu Falkenhausen – Die deutsche Verwaltung Belgiens in den zwei Weltkriegen, 2006