Alexander von Linsingen

Alexander Adolf August Karl von Linsingen (10 February 1850 – 5 June 1935) was a German general during World War I.

Alexander von Linsingen
Born	10 February 1850 Hildesheim, Kingdom of Hanover
Died	5 June 1935 (aged 85) Hannover, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	German Empire
Years of service	1868–1918
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadiers "King Frederick the Great" 81st Infantry Brigade 27th Division II Corps South Army Army of the Bug Heeresgruppe Linsingen
Battles/wars	World War I First Battle of the Marne First Battle of Ypres Brusilov Offensive Battle of Kowel
Awards	Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves

Military service

Linsingen joined the Prussian Army in 1868 and rose to Corps Commander (II Corps) in 1909.[1] He was one of the very few top German generals not to have served on the general staff.

At the beginning of World War I, Linsingen was a Corps commander in the First Battle of the Marne. Transferred to the Eastern Front where German and Austrian armies were threatened by a Russian offensive in Galicia, Linsingen took command of South Army (1915). He defeated the Russian armies in the Battle of Stryi in 1915, capturing 60,000 Russian prisoners. He was awarded the Pour le Mérite on 14 May 1915 and the Oakleaves (for a second award) on 3 July 1915.[2]

In 1915, he took command of the Army of the Bug and was concurrently commander of Heeresgruppe Linsingen. In June 1916, his Army Group faced the Brusilov offensive. After an initial retreat, he checked the Russian advance at the Battle of Kowel.[3] He was promoted to Colonel-General, the second highest rank for a general in the Imperial German Army (4 stars). In 1917-1918 and especially after the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, he led the German advance into the Ukraine.
On 31 March 1918, his Army Group was disbanded and von Linsingen became the Military Governor of Berlin (June 1918). Alexander von Linsingen died on 5 June 1935 and is interred at the Neuen St. Nikolai-Friedhof in Hannover, Germany.

Decorations and awards

• Iron Cross of 1870, 2nd class
• Order of the Crown, 2nd class with Star (Prussia)
• Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)
• Service Award (Prussia)
• Commander 2nd Class of the Order of Albert the Bear (Anhalt)
• Knight's Cross 2nd Class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with Oak Leaves (Baden)
• Military Merit Order, 2nd class with Star (Bavaria)
• Grand Cross with Gold Crown in the House Order of the Wendish Crown (Mecklenburg)
• Grand Commanders Cross of the Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg)
• Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
• Iron Cross of 1914, 1st class
• Pour le Mérite (14 May 1915); Oak Leaves added on 3 July 1915
• Order of the Black Eagle (27 January 1917)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle with Swords (27 January 1917)

Glossary

• Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.[4]
• Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
• Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

References

1. "Biography on The Prussian Machine". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
2. "Pour le Mérite". Retrieved 30 October 2012.
3. "Who's Who on www.firstworldwar.com". Retrieved 30 October 2012.
4. Cron 2002, p. 84

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Newspaper clippings about Alexander von Linsingen in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW