Albert von Beckh

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Albert Beckh , from 1915 Ritter von Beckh (born February 15, 1870 in Nuremberg , † October 14, 1958 in Hersbruck ) was a German major general and SS group leader .

Life

family

He was the son of the Bavarian councilor Dr. med. Wilhelm Beckh and his wife Luise, née Mauz.

Beckh married Lilly Roell in 1898. The marriage produced a daughter. He later married Grete Bertram.

The writer Ernst Penzoldt was his nephew.

Military career

After attending the humanistic grammar school in Hof , Beckh joined the 14th Infantry Regiment "Hartmann" of the Bavarian Army in his hometown on August 9, 1890 as a three-year-old volunteer . He was assigned to the Munich War School in 1891/92 and then transferred to the 19th Infantry Regiment in March 1892 and promoted to Second Lieutenant . At the end of January 1894 he was transferred back and, from October 1896 to the end of September 1898, he was assigned to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion in Speyer . On September 19, 1900 Beckh was first lieutenant and at the same time as his promotion to captain on June 23, 1907 he rose to company commander .

First World War

With the outbreak of World War I , his regiment mobilized on August 2, 1914 and took part in the Battle of Lorraine in association with the 5th Infantry Division . Beckh was seriously wounded during the fighting for Nancy - Épinal and promoted to major on September 10, 1914 while he was in hospital . After his recovery at the beginning of December 1914, Beckh was first transferred to the replacement battalion of his regiment, and in the same month Beckh was appointed commander of the field infantry battalion in Nuremberg. On the instructions of the War Ministry of December 22, 1914, this part of the troops was on December 29, 1914 III. Battalion of the newly formed Reserve Infantry Regiment 23. After the regiment was mobilized on January 20, 1915, it took part in the 8th Reserve Division in the trench warfare in Upper Alsace and the first battle of Munster . Relocated briefly to the Eastern Front, Beckh fought here in the breakthrough battle of Lubaczów . During the Battle of Lviv he and his battalion succeeded in conquering the village of Maily, sometimes in close combat. For this achievement Beckh was on June 20, 1915 by King Ludwig III. entrusted with the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . With the award, the elevation to the personal nobility was connected and he was allowed to call himself "Ritter von Beckh" after the entry in the nobility register .

In July 1915 he returned with his association to Upper Alsace, took part in the trench warfare there and the second battle of Münster. From mid-July to mid-August 1916 he was deployed in the Battle of the Somme and the subsequent trench warfare at Roye- Noyon . In October 1916 Beckh and his regiment were transferred to the Romanian theater of war . Due to a wound he suffered there on December 2, 1916, Beckh was unable to work for the next few months and was not able to be used again until early March 1917. He then took over his III. Battalion, which at that time was engaged in trench warfare in the Transylvanian border Carpathians . In the following years he was also employed as deputy leader of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 23, Beckh was appointed regimental commander on September 3, 1917 because of his achievements. Relocated to the Western Front in October 1917, he took part in the Battle of Flanders and the ensuing trench warfare. After further combat activities at Armentières , Reims and Soissons , Beckh was in permanent defensive battles until the end of the war.

Weimar Republic

After the Armistice of Compiègne , he led the remnants of his association back home. From December 16, 1918 the regiment in Bayreuth was demobilized and four days later Beckh was transferred back to the 14th Infantry Regiment "Hartmann", which was also being demobilized. Beckh was involved in the formation of the Freikorps Oberland in April 1919 , as its leader he was active in the following period. With about 250 men he took part in the suppression of the Munich Soviet Republic . At the end of May 1919 he was transferred to the Provisional Reichswehr . He was initially commander of the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 48 and in the same function from August 5, 1919 with the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 47. With the formation of the Reichswehr, his previous regiment moved to the infantry regiment 21 up and Beckh came to the staff as a lieutenant colonel . There he was promoted to colonel on September 28, 1921 with effect from July 1, 1921 . From December 1, 1922 to July 31, 1925, Beckh was in command of this regiment, which was loyal to the Reich government in Berlin during the Hitler putsch . He was then appointed commander of Munich , promoted to major general on April 1, 1926, and finally retired from active service on January 31, 1927.

National Socialism

After his departure, Beckh worked for many years as the first President of the Bavarian War Association and in this function became the second President of the German Reich War Association "Kyffhäuser" in 1932 . From 1934 he was Oberlandesführer Bavaria as well as the regional leader of the Highland Association of the German Reich Warrior Association. He also became honorary president of the German Soldiers 'and Warriors' Union and remained in this position until his death in 1958. Beckh was a member of the NSDAP ( membership number 5,354,436) and had been an SS member since 1937 (SS number 279,975). Within the SS he rose to become SS-Gruppenführer. Towards the end of the Second World War he was on the staff of the SS Upper Section "South".

Works

  • History of the Kgl. Bayer. 14th Infantry Regiment and its main troops. Hofbuchdruckerei Bieling-Dietz. Nuremberg 1914.

literature

  • Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp: The Generals of the Army 1921–1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 1: Abberger-Bitthorn. Biblio Publishing House. Osnabrück 1993. ISBN 3-7648-2423-9 . Pp. 269-270.
  • Rudolf von Kramer, Otto von Waldenfels: VIRTUTI PRO PATRIA. The Royal Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order. Acts of War and Book of Honor 1914–1918. Self-published by the kb Military Max Joseph Order. Munich 1966. pp. 110, 263.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christian Klein : Ernst Penzoldt - Harmony from contradictions. Life and Work (1892–1955) . Cologne and Weimar (Böhlau) 2006, ISBN 3-412-34205-X , p. 382
  2. ↑ Harold J. Gordon Jr .: The Reichswehr and the Weimar Republic. Defense Publishing House Bernard & Graefe. Frankfurt am Main 1959. p. 416.
  3. ↑ Freikorps Oberland. in: Historisches Lexikon Bayern Online .
  4. ^ Ludwig Arndt, Military Associations in Northern Germany. Club life, badges, awards, monuments , Norderstedt 2008, p. 156
personal data
SURNAME Beckh, Albert of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beckh, Albert Ritter von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German major general and SS group leader
DATE OF BIRTH February 15, 1870
PLACE OF BIRTH Nuremberg
DATE OF DEATH October 14, 1958
Place of death Hersbruck