Georg Vivellence von Wedel
Georg Vivellence von Wedel (born October 17, 1710 in Malchow , † September 30, 1745 near Soor ) was a Prussian lieutenant colonel and knight of the order Pour le Mérite .
origin
The Wedel family belongs to the ancient Pomeranian nobility . His father Georg Wilhelm (* 1661; † 13 July 1731) was the district administrator of the Uckermark , chief court director and heir on Göritz, his mother was Marie Salome von Eickstedt († 1731) from the Eichstedt family. Lieutenant General Carl Heinrich von Wedel was his brother.
Military career
Wedel joined the Prussian military as a private corporal and joined the king's body regiment (No. 6) . After Friedrich II ascended to the throne , he was transferred to the Crown Prince Regiment as a major and became the commander of a grenadier battalion. On May 14, 1741 he received his promotion to lieutenant colonel.
After the unfortunate confrontation of Marschowitz in October 1744, the privations plagued Prussian army under Friedrich II crossed the Elbe at Neu-Kolin on November 8th and 9th, 1744 and thus became a natural obstacle between their own troops and the to bring the Austrians and Saxons to follow .
Lieutenant Colonel von Wedel and his grenadier battalion of about 400 men succeeded in preventing the following enemy from crossing the Elbe for several hours not far from the town of Teltschitz on November 19, 1744. Gradually the Prussians defended themselves against an almost tenfold superior force of the enemy. The resistance offered by von Wedel and his men was so effective that the enemy's intention to attack the king's army in the quarters was frustrated and the retreat could be continued in an orderly manner.
Von Wedel's military skill earned him the Pour le Mérite and the respect of both his king, who compared him to Leonidas, and his opponents.
In the Second Silesian War, Wedel was characterized further. In the Battle of Hohenfriedberg in June 1745, his battalion fought resolutely in the first infantry meeting on the right wing. The enemy was pushed back with the bayonet. A commendation from the king followed.
On the morning of September 30, 1745 Wedel fell in the battle of Soor during the first attack on the Graner Koppe. Prince Heinrich of Prussia dedicated a plaque on his Rheinsberg obelisk to him .
literature
- Christopher Duffy : Frederick the Great. The biography ("Frederick the Great"). Albatros-Verlag, Düsseldorf 2001, ISBN 3-491-96026-6 (former title Friedrich the Great - A Soldier's Life ).
- Anton Balthasar König : Georg Vivellence von Wedel . In: Biographical lexicon of all heroes and military figures who made themselves famous in the Prussian service . tape 4 . Arnold Wever, Berlin 1791, p. 195 ( Georg Vivellence von Wedel at Wikisource [PDF]).
- Julius Mebes : Contributions to the history of the Brandenburg-Prussian state and army. Volume 1, Lüderitz / Berlin 1861, p. 469
- Bernhard von Poten : Wedell, Georg v. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 41, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1896, pp. 403-405.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gustaf Lehmann: The knights of the order pour le mérite. Volume 1, Mittler , Berlin 1913, p. 16
- ^ Johann Friedrich Seyfart : Life and government history of Friedrich the other king in Prussia. Bohemia, 1788. Part 1, FN 175
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wedel, Georg Vivellence from |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prussian lieutenant colonel |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 17, 1710 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Malchow |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 30, 1745 |
| Place of death | with thrush |