Ernst Gruson

Ernst Gruson (born March 10, 1869 in Halberstadt , † January 4, 1962 in Quedlinburg ) was a German major general .

Life

Gruson was the son of a Prussian prime lieutenant who had died as a company commander during the Franco-Prussian War at the Battle of Gravelotte .

After graduating from high school on April 1, 1889, he joined the 4th Magdeburg Infantry Regiment No. 67 of the Prussian Army as a flag junior . In April 1897 Gruson was transferred to the 10th Lorraine Infantry Regiment No. 174 and, after his promotion to Prime Lieutenant on September 10, 1890, used as an adjutant of the 1st Battalion. He then graduated from the Prussian War Academy from October 1899 to July 1902 . On April 10, 1906, when he was promoted to captain, he was also appointed company commander . Gruson also held this position after his transfer on October 1, 1912 to the 5th Hanover Infantry Regiment No. 165 .

With the outbreak of the First World War, Gruson first moved into neutral Belgium as chief of the 12th company of his regiment and took part in the fighting that led to the conquest of Liège . He managed to capture the Belgian general and governor Gérard Leman at Fort Loncin . He then fought in the battles of the Sette, Mons and Le Cateau . On September 1, 1914, Gruson was appointed commander of the III. Battalion and promoted to major four days later . At the end of the month he was wounded in the fighting on the Aisne by a bullet that struck his right forearm. In the further course of the war, Gruson was appointed commander of the 4th Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 72 on March 30, 1917 and was awarded the highest Prussian valor award, the Order Pour le Mérite , for his achievements on June 6, 1918 .

After the armistice of Compiègne he led his regiment back home, where it was demobilized in Torgau on December 24, 1918 . Gruson was then transferred on January 10, 1919 to the 5th Hanover Infantry Regiment No. 165, of which he had already belonged before the war. After this regiment had also been demobilized, Gruson put through the former III. Battalion raised the Gruson Volunteer Battalion named after him. With the Freikorps he took part in the fighting against the Spartakists in Chemnitz in the summer . Then it was named III. Battalion integrated into the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 8 of the Provisional Reichswehr . On January 1, 1920, Gruson's appointment as head of the Dresden liaison office of the Army Peace Commission followed. In this capacity he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 30, 1920 with RDA from October 1, 1920 .

On April 1, 1922, Gruson was retired from active service with the character of a colonel and permission to wear the uniform of the 4th Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 72. He received the character of major general on August 27, 1939, the so-called Tannenberg Day.

Gruson last lived in Quedlinburg, in the so-called Villa Mummental , which at that time was called Gruson's Villa.

literature

• Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Christian Zweng: The knights of the order Pour le Mérite of the First World War. Volume 1: A-G. Biblio Publishing House. Osnabrück 1999. ISBN 3-7648-2505-7 . Pp. 542-544
• Hanns Möller: History of the knights of the order pour le mérite in the world war. Volume I: A-L. Bernard & Graefe publishing house. Berlin 1935. pp. 415-417.
• R. Lohmann: Experiences in a critical time - From the diary of Major General a. D. Ernst Gruson in April 1945 in: Quedlinburger Annalen - Heimatkundliches Jahrbuch for the city and region of Quedlinburg. Volume 7, ed. from the Friends of Historical Collections Quedlinburg eV, Quedlinburg 2004, ISSN  1436-7432 .

Web links

• Article on Ernst Gruson in the local history yearbook for the city and region of Quedlinburg
• History of Villa Mummental