Franz von Will

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Franz Ritter von Will

Franz Will , since 1871 Knight von Will , (born March 19, 1830 in Sankt Martin (Pfalz) , † February 15, 1912 in Würzburg ) was a Bavarian major general .

Life

He was born to the landlord Jakob Will and his wife Klara, née Rieth. At the age of 12 he was accepted into the Bavarian Cadet Corps and in 1848 was transferred as a sub-lieutenant to the 1st Field Artillery Regiment of the Bavarian Army . On October 11, 1853 he became a lieutenant and on March 27, 1860 a captain .

Sankt Martin (Pfalz), birthplace of the general, Tanzstraße 11
Sankt Martin (Pfalz), memorial plaque on the house where he was born

In the 4th Field Artillery Regiment , Will took part in the German War in 1866 , where he was awarded the Knight's Cross First Class of the Order of Military Merit . On February 1, 1870, Will advanced to major in the 3rd field artillery regiment "Queen Mother" . He took part in the war against France in 1870/71 in the ranks of the 1st Army Corps . He fought near Sedan , Orléans , on the Loire and took part in the siege of Paris . For the fighting near Sedan he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. His determined and decisive behavior as artillery commander in the battle near Ormes ( fighting following the battle near Artenay ) on October 11, 1870, was honored by King Ludwig II with the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . Associated with this was the elevation to the personal nobility and he was allowed to call himself “Knight of Will” after being entered in the nobility register .

In 1872 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and on December 1, 1878 to colonel and commander of the 2nd field artillery regiment "Horn" . In this position, Will remained until his retirement on July 30, 1883, he in the character as a major general received. On his 70th birthday he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Military Merit.

Will was married to Marie Wilhelmine Friederike von Crailsheim since 1872 . He died in Würzburg in 1912 and the magazine Das Bayerland wrote in an obituary: "A brave and dashing, dutiful, yet benevolent and just commander was buried with him." As early as 1902, the St. Martin Warrior Association had the house where he was born (Tanzstrasse 11, former Gasthaus "Zur Krone" ) have a memorial plaque put up.

literature

  • Viktor Carl: Lexicon of Palatinate personalities. Hennig, Edenkoben 2004, ISBN 3-9804668-5-X , p. 948.
  • Bavaria's Book of Heroes and Honor: Decorated and praised by the Bavarian Army that marched to France. E. Huber, Munich 1872, p. 65 ( online ).

Web links

Bavarian artillery in action near Ormes

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg Hiltl: The French War of 1870 and 1871. 6th edition, Belhagen & Klasing, Bielefeld 1892, p. 630 ( online ).
personal data
SURNAME Will, Franz von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Will, Johann Franz von; Will, Franz Ritter von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bavarian Major General, Knight of the Military Max Joseph Order
DATE OF BIRTH March 19, 1830
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint Martin (Palatinate)
DATE OF DEATH February 15, 1912
Place of death Wurzburg