2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

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Elwyn W
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2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#1

Post by Elwyn W » 04 Aug 2014, 05:15

The first one was an ObstLt v Zitzewitz, Chef of XVIII Res Korps under v Steuben 6 months after the beginning of the horrific Battle of Verdun. He was not listed by Zweng. The clip comes from the Gliederung at the back of Band 14 Die Tragödie v Verdun Das Ringen um Fort Vaux of the Schlachten d Weltkrieges series.

I found a number of candidates:

Obst Otto Kmdr of FüsRgt Nr 90 in late 16
Obst [can't find first name] v Zitzewitz of LIR94
Obst Coelestin of GrRgt Nr 2 in late 18
ObstLt Kurt Ulanen Rgt Nr 3/Btl Kmdr RIR 211/Ulanen Rgt Nr 4

The second one was ObstLt Kurt Auer v Herrenkirchen. He was first Chef of XVIII Korps, then Chef of XVIII Res Korps, presumably after v Zitzewitz. Would anyone have his dates at the two Korps, both were key units in the Battle of Verdun. Wegner also listed his last post as "Lt. Ehrenrangliste" under 10 Inf Brig. What is "Lt."?. The 1926 Ehrenranliste just listed him as Kmdr of 10 Inf Brig.


Cheers
Elwyn
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Glenn2438
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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#2

Post by Glenn2438 » 04 Aug 2014, 09:40

Hi Elwyn,

LIR 94 is Friedrich: 1914 Major (27.1.11 Hh) Commander of II./I.R. 43

COS of XVIII. Reserve-Korps must have been Joachim: 1914 Major (10.9.10 N3n) of the General Staff and military attaché in Rome.

According to Wegner, Auer was at XVIII. Res.-Korps from 7 Sep 16.

Lt. means laut (according to)

Regards
Glenn


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Elwyn W
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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#3

Post by Elwyn W » 04 Aug 2014, 15:37

Thank you very much, Glenn.


A third one, if I may:

ObstLt FrHr vd Wenge, Chef off Krafft's Alpenskorp who had just returned from the East as reinforcement into the Verdun cauldron. What was his first name? I couldn't find him in 1926 Ehrenrangliste or the 1914 Bavarian or Saxon rangliste.

Chhers
Elwyn

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Glenn2438
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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#4

Post by Glenn2438 » 04 Aug 2014, 18:37

Elwyn,

Oberst Gustav Frhr. v. d. Wenge Graf von Lambsdorff, later char. Generalleutnant.

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Glenn

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Elwyn W
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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#5

Post by Elwyn W » 05 Aug 2014, 04:46

Hmmm, I had ruled him out as he was Chef of an Armee but somehow it fits...?

He was CdS AOK 9 which was dissolved circa 31.07.16. Alpenkorps was sent back to France in 03.16 and thrown into Verdun 06.16. he was then Chef for the next few months and then became Chef of 32 Inf Brig 06.09.16?

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Elwyn

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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#6

Post by Glenn2438 » 05 Aug 2014, 11:31

Hi Elwyn,

as indeed had I. The issue is, however; he was the one and only serving field officer of that name (never mind General Staff Officer) in the entire German armed forces of the time. Interestingly, though we have seen him on orbats as on the staff of the Alpenkorps, it is not mentioned in his post war entry in the Offizier-Stammliste of the 1. GRzF.

Perhaps he was "double-hatting"?

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Glenn

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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#7

Post by UweS » 08 Aug 2014, 22:48

hello Elwyn,

here are the war-dates of the three chiefs of staff:

Zitzewitz, von
(Maj. / 18.06.15 OTL / 18.04.18 Ob.)
02.08.1914 – 10.10.1914 Mil.-Attaché in Rom
10.10.1914 – 02.03.1915 Ia 43. RID
02.03.1915 – 29.05.1915 Ia 10. EID
09.06.1915 – 20.09.1915 CdG Etap.-Insp. 5
20.09.1915 – 08.11.1916 CdG XVIII. RK
08.11.1916 – 10.01.1917 Kdr LIR 74
10.01.1917 – 04.02.1917 Beauftr. des GenQM
05.02.1917 – 13.12.1917 CdG Etap.-Insp. Woyrsch
13.12.1917 – 04.07.1918 OQM AOK 7
04.07.1918 – 11.11.1918 CdG OK Küste

Auer von Herrenkirchen
(Maj. / 18.06.15 OTL /22.03.18 Ob.)
02.08.1914 – 24.12.1914 Ia IX. AK
24.12.1914 – 10.05.1916 CdG XVIII. AK
10.05.1916 – 07.09.1916 Kdr IR 166
07.09.1916 – 25.10.1917 CdG VIII. RK
26.10.1917 – 27.10.1917 CdG III. AK
01.12.1917 – 04.03.1918 CdG GK 60
16.03.1918 – 22.05.1918 Kdr IR 87
22.05.1918 – 27.05.1918 Kdr KSK 30

Wenge Graf von Lambsdorff, Freiherr von der
(Ob. / 27.01.17 GM)
02.08.1914 – 19.05.1915 CdG X. AK
19.05.1915 – 24.11.1915 CdG AOK 6
24.11.1915 – 30.07.1916 CdG AOK 9
24.11.1915 – 29.08.1916 CdG HG Prinz Leopold
08.09.1916 - 01.11.1917 Kdr 32. IB
02.11.1917 - 11.09.1918 Kdr 30. ID

with best regards

Uwe

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Elwyn W
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Re: 2 General Staff Chefs during Battle of Verdun

#8

Post by Elwyn W » 08 Aug 2014, 23:13

Thank you, Uwe.

That was very kind of you.

Cheers
Elwyn

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