Army High Command in East Asia
The Army High Command in East Asia was a command authority of the German Army during the Boxer Rebellion (1900-1901). It existed only a few months to coordinate and lead the operations of the US , German , English, French, Italian, Japanese and Russian troops.
history
At the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion, an Allied force under Sir Edward Hobart Seymour initially failed to reach Beijing in June 1900 , where the legation district was besieged by the rebels. The United States , the German Empire , Great Britain , France , Italy , Japan and the Russian Empire then decided to send a joint force to China .
In Germany, on July 3, 1900, the East Asian Expeditionary Corps with a strength of approx. 19,000 men and 861 guns was set up under Lieutenant General Emil von Lessel from volunteers. The Allied contingents increased the number of soldiers to 64,000 men.
On August 12, 1900, Field Marshal Alfred von Waldersee was appointed Commander in Chief . He took command on September 27, 1900. To lead this force, a staff was added to him, which was called "Army High Command in East Asia". However, Beijing had already been captured on August 14, 1900, so that the actual purpose of the army was no longer applicable. She now undertook expeditions to fight the boxers inland and punitive operations. The troops were deployed in China for over six months before both the German East Asian Expeditionary Corps and the Army High Command were disbanded on May 17, 1901 by imperial order. It was succeeded by the East Asian Occupation Brigade .
organization
Although the troops were multinational, the Army High Command remained a German command authority. In support of Waldersee, Major General Julius von Groß gen. Von Schwarzhoff acted as Chief of Staff and Major General Georg von Gayl as Quartermaster General . The close staff of the Army High Command also included eight general staff officers and eleven adjutants . To coordinate the military planning and operations , the Army High Command consisted of six representatives from the respective military contingents. Otherwise, the structure of the command followed that of a typical army command of the German Empire .
literature
- Edgar Graf von Matuschka: Organization history of the army 1890 to 1918 , in: From the discharge of Bismark to the end of the First World War, 1890–1918 , Munich 1983, pp. 157–282 (= German military history 1648–1939. Edited by the Military History Research Office , Vol. 3). ISBN 3-88199-112-3
Web links
- Personnel of the "Army High Command in East Asia" , at: www.boxeraufstand.com (as of May 18, 2010)
Individual evidence
- ^ Edgar Graf von Matuschka: Organization history of the army 1890 to 1918 , in: From the discharge of Bismark to the end of the First World War 1890-1918 , Munich 1983, p. 209
- ^ Edgar Graf von Matuschka: Organization history of the army 1890 to 1918 , in: From the discharge of Bismark to the end of the First World War 1890-1918 , Munich 1983, p. 210