Eduard von Westhoven

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Eduard von Westhoven (born April 9, 1873 in Spandau , † December 11, 1937 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf ) was a German officer , most recently major general of the Reichswehr .

Life

After training in the cadet corps, Westhoven joined the 2nd Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 32 in Meiningen as an ensign on February 20, 1892 . Here he was promoted to Second Lieutenant on January 27, 1893 and used as Adjutant of the 1st Battalion. Then he worked in the same function until October 1, 1901 at the district commandant's office in Meinigen, was in the meantime promoted to lieutenant on August 18, 1900 and as such was commanded to the War Academy until July 1904 . After a short service at the district command , Westhoven was assigned to the General Staff for two years from March 22, 1905 . Subsequently, he was transferred to the Army General Staff while at the same time being promoted to captain as senior quartermaster adjutant . After another year he was assigned to the Great General Staff and on March 24, 1909, he was assigned to the II Army Corps in Stettin as the Second General Staff Officer . Westhoven held this post until September 9, 1910 and then took over as chief of the 8th company in the "Hiller von Gärtringen" infantry regiment (4th Posensches) No. 59 in Deutsch-Eylau . Westhoven gave up this command on March 21, 1913 and became the first general staff officer to join the 5th Division in Frankfurt (Oder) . It was here that he was promoted to major on October 1, 1913 .

First World War

After the outbreak of the First World War , his division mobilized and entered France via neutral Belgium . During the Battle of Mons on August 23 and 24, 1914, the British Expeditionary Force was defeated. After the subsequent battle of Le Cateau , the division pursued the retreating enemy beyond the Marne and in the ensuing battle formed the protection of the gap between the 1st and 2nd armies . On the retreat that followed, the division covered the transition from II. And III. Army Corps from the left bank to the right bank of the Aisne before going into trench warfare.

In November 1914, Westhoven was transferred to the General Staff of VI, who was lying before Verdun . Reserve Corps , where he was employed as the first general staff officer. After eleven months, Westhoven joined the General Staff of the 7th Army under Colonel General Josias von Heeringen in Laon . On July 12, 1916, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the X Reserve Corps . Westhoven held the same function from February 4 to August 26 with the V Reserve Corps and then until November 15, 1917 with the VII Reserve Corps .

Then Westhoven joined the troop service and was appointed as the successor to the sick major Karl von Rettberg as commander of the Leibgarde Infantry Regiment (1st Grand Ducal Hessian) No. 115 , which at that time was engaged in defensive battles in Flanders . During the spring offensive of 1918 , his regiment with the 2nd Army was involved in the breakthrough between Gouzeaucourt and Vermand , then fought at Hargicourt and Villeret and then took up the pursuit of the enemy through the summer area . After fighting at Bouchavesnes the storming of the Marrieres forest and the heights of Maurepas followed. From March 27 to 29, 1918, it was used by Cerisy and Morcourt and then went into trench warfare in the line reached southeast of Thennes near Amiens . Westhoven was awarded the Pour le Mérite on April 1, 1918 by Wilhelm II for his excellent performance in commanding the regiment and his exemplary bravery .

On May 8, 1918 Westhoven gave up command of his regiment and became Chief of the General Staff of the V Army Corps , which commanded a section between the Meuse and the Moselle . From there he came to the 6th Army on September 17, 1918 as chief quartermaster and remained at this post after the end of the war.

Reichswehr

After returning home, Westhoven was reappointed Chief of the General Staff of the V Army Corps on December 30, 1918. In this function he organized the border protection on the Brandenburg and Lower Silesian-Poznan border against the Poles. Then followed his takeover in the Reichswehr, where Westhoven held the position of first general staff officer on the staff of the 1st Cavalry Division from May 16, 1920 to April 30, 1921 . Then he came to Swidnica for staff of 7. (Prussian) Infantry Regiment and was shortly thereafter on June 16, 1921 Chief of Staff of Command Wroclaw appointed and on 1 July 1921, Colonel promoted. Most recently, Westhoven was in command of the Breslau Fortress from May 1, 1923 to March 31, 1926. He then resigned from active service and was given the character of major general.

Awards

literature

  • Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Christian Zweng: The knights of the order Pour le Mérite of the First World War. Volume 3: P-Z. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2011, ISBN 3-7648-2586-3 , pp. 526-527.
  • Hanns Möller: History of the knights of the order pour le mérite in the world war. Volume II: M-Z. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Berlin 1935, pp. 494–495.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army and the XIII. (Royal Württemberg Army Corps for 1912 , Ed .: War Ministry , Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1912, p. 221
  2. ↑ Friedrich Wilhelm Deiß: The Hessians in World War 1914-1918 according to reports and records from fellow combatants with the support of the Hessian State Archives , Dr. Wilhelm Glaß & Co. Verlaganstalt Charlottenburg, p. 27
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Ed .: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn Verlag , Berlin 1924, p. 113
personal data
SURNAME Westhoven, Eduard von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, most recently major general in the Reichswehr
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH Spandau
DATE OF DEATH December 11, 1937
Place of death Berlin-Wilmersdorf