All Topics  
Maximilian von Prittwitz

 
Maximilian Von Prittwitz

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Maximilian von Prittwitz
 
 
  Topics Maximilian von Prittwitz Topic Home

Maximilian von Prittwitz (November 27, 1848 – March 29, 1917) was a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 general
General

A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
.

twitz came from an extremely old aristocratic Silesian
Province of Silesia

The Province of Silesia was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919; the territory had been conquered from Habsburg Monarchy during the 18th century Silesian Wars....
 family in Bernstadt
Bierutów

Bierut?w [] is a town in Olesnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Bierut?w....
. His father was Gustav von Prittwitz, a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
 general, and his mother was Elizabeth von Klass.

He married Olga von Dewitz (August 30, 1848 - January 9, 1938), the daughter of the landowner Kurt von Dewitz, on May 19 1874.

r attending school in Oels, he joined an infantry regiment and fought in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War

The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Kingdom of Italy on the other, that resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states....
 and the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between Second French Empire and Kingdom of Prussia, while Prussia was backed by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Grand Duchy of Baden, History of W?rttemberg#The Kingdom...
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Maximilian von Prittwitz'
Start a new discussion about 'Maximilian von Prittwitz'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Maximilian von Prittwitz (November 27, 1848 – March 29, 1917) was a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 general
General

A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
.

Family

Prittwitz came from an extremely old aristocratic Silesian
Province of Silesia

The Province of Silesia was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919; the territory had been conquered from Habsburg Monarchy during the 18th century Silesian Wars....
 family in Bernstadt
Bierutów

Bierut?w [] is a town in Olesnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Bierut?w....
. His father was Gustav von Prittwitz, a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
 general, and his mother was Elizabeth von Klass.

He married Olga von Dewitz (August 30, 1848 - January 9, 1938), the daughter of the landowner Kurt von Dewitz, on May 19 1874.

Military career

After attending school in Oels, he joined an infantry regiment and fought in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War

The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Kingdom of Italy on the other, that resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states....
 and the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between Second French Empire and Kingdom of Prussia, while Prussia was backed by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Grand Duchy of Baden, History of W?rttemberg#The Kingdom...
. He rose steadily through the ranks of the German military for the next forty years, until he was appointed a Colonel General
Colonel General

Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world?s militaries. North Korea and Russia are two nations which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories....
 (Generaloberst) in 1913.

At the outbreak of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, he was made commander of the German Eighth Army
German Eighth Army

The 8th Army was a World War I and World War II field army....
, tasked to defend East Prussia
East Prussia

East Prussia refers to the main part of the Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Sea from the 13th century to 1945. From 1772?1829 and 1878?1945, the Province of East Prussia was a province of the Germany state of Prussia....
 from an expected Russian attack.

When the Russian advance threatened his rear, Prittwitz suggested a retreat to the west of the Vistula River. This meant the abandonment of East Prussia, which the German General Staff
German General Staff

The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German military a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly two centuries....
 found unacceptable. Prittwitz was replaced as Eighth Army commander by Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a German Generalfeldmarschall and statesman....
 in late-August 1914. Hindenburg, and his aide-de-camp, Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff

Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a Imperial Germany Army Officer , victor of Battle of Li?ge, and, with Paul von Hindenburg, one of the victors of the battle of Battle of Tannenberg ....
, succeeded in halting the Russian attack with victories at the Battle of Tannenberg
Battle of Tannenberg (1914)

The Battle of Tannenberg was a decisive engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I, fought by the Russian First Army and Second Army |Second Armies and the Eighth Army between 23 August and 2 September 1914....
 and the Battle of the Masurian Lakes
Battle of the Masurian Lakes

During World War I, there was:* First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, September 1914* Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, February 1915...
.

Meanwhile, Prittwitz retired to Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
, where he lived for three years before dying of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
. He was buried in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin.