Gustav von Schrötter

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Gustav Georg Hermann von Schrötter (born December 26, 1830 in Landeshut , Province of Silesia , † September 12, 1919 in Frankfurt (Oder) ) was a Prussian lieutenant general .

Life

origin

He was the son of the real Secret Higher Justice Council and Oberappellatinspräsident in Bromberg Gustav Georg Theodor von Schroetter (1798-1882) and his wife Johanna Sophie, née Augustin (1805-1870). His brother Waldemar Georg Emil (1842-1894) became a Prussian major general.

Military career

Schrötter attended high schools in Frankfurt (Oder), Bromberg, Berlin and Köslin . He then studied at the University of Berlin Jura . On October 7, 1849, he joined the Guard Artillery Brigade of the Prussian Army as a one-year volunteer . Here Schrötter advanced to Portepeefähnrich on June 8, 1850 and attended the United Artillery and Engineering School from October 1850 to the end of September 1853 for further training . In the meantime, he was promoted to secondary lieutenant , and on March 28, 1854, he was appointed adjutant of the combined fortress artillery department under position à la suite . Schröter then graduated from the War Academy for three years on October 1, 1858, and was commanded as Prime Lieutenant because of his good results to accompany Prince Karl von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen . With Karl, who later became King of Romania , Schrötter made a long journey to France , Algiers and Spain . On May 1, 1863 Schrötter received his command to the trigonometric department of the General Staff . There he was promoted to captain in mid-March 1864 and served as a battery chief in the Guard Field Artillery Regiment for almost two months .

With a position à la suite, Schrötter was appointed military educator (military governor) of his eldest son Wilhelm, who later became Kaiser Wilhelm II, on December 22nd, 1865 by the then Crown Prince Friedrich . He was given preference over the second proposed candidate, Alfred von Waldersee . The choice on him was u. a. fallen on the recommendation of Stockmar ("[a] handsome elegant man") and the Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke ("thoroughly educated man"). Schrötter took up his position on January 1, 1866.

Schrötter gave the young prince his first knowledge of uniforms, weapons and branches of service. The prince, on the other hand, received his civil upbringing primarily from the grammar school teacher Georg Ernst Hinzpeter . According to all sources, the relationship between the future emperor and his tutor, who also taught him horse riding, was very good. Wilhelm's biographer John Röhl later judged: "Schrötter perhaps embodied an ideal for him [Wilhelm] that he should look for throughout his life." In addition, Röhl puts forward the theory that in the relationship with Schrötter "a psychological basis for the unusually close Relationship was established that connected the future emperor with all members of his military environment. "

Upon release from his relationship as military governor, Schrötter was transferred to the General Staff on August 6, 1867. There he was promoted to major on March 22, 1868 and transferred to the General Staff of the 1st Division on November 25 . In this position Schrötter took part in the battles at Colombey , Noisseville , Amiens and Saint-Quentin and the siege of Metz in 1870/71 during the war against France . Awarded both classes of the Iron Cross , Schrötter was placed à la suite of the General Staff on October 18, 1871 after the Peace of Frankfurt and appointed director of the Metz War School. From April 6, 1872 to March 10, 1876, he was employed as a Plenipotentiary at the German Embassy in London , where he was responsible for maintaining the military-political relations between the German Empire and the United Kingdom .

After his dismissal from London Schrötter was commander of the Lower Silesian Field Artillery Regiment. 5 in Sprottau and in that capacity on 22 March 1876 for Colonel promoted. In position à la suite of his regiment, he was commissioned on September 22, 1877 with the command of the 10th field artillery brigade in Hanover and on November 13, 1877, Schrötter was appointed commander of this large unit . He was promoted to major general on September 13, 1882 and was made Knight of Honor of the Order of St. John on September 2, 1884 . Having been given the character of Lieutenant General Schrötter was put up for disposal on October 9, 1886 with the statutory pension .

In recognition of his many years of service, Schrötter was awarded the Star for the Order of the Crown, 2nd Class on January 18, 1896, and the Star for the Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves, on December 25, 1910 .

In 1918/19 Schrötter, as an old man of almost ninety years of age, witnessed the fall of his former ward from the German imperial throne and his flight into exile in Holland at the end of the First World War.

Wilhelm II described his tutor decades later, when he was writing down his memoirs as an old man in the 1920s, as a man “of a simple, unpretentious nature, whom I greatly admired. He [Schrötter] happily managed to convey his pupil's knowledge [...] [of military matters] and to keep alive and deepen his interest, which was aroused early on by the example of his grandfather and father. "

family

Schrötter married Lina Wilhelmine Ludovika Auguste von Oldenburg (1843–1890) in Beisleiden on July 25, 1870 . The following children were born from the marriage:

  • Georg Gustav Botho (born June 21, 1872), former lieutenant colonel. D.
  • Johanna Adolfine Christiane (born December 8, 1873)
  • Hildegard Marie Friederike Jeannette (born January 12, 1876) ⚭ 1916 Otto Mauer, pastor
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Georg (born June 3, 1877), captain

literature

Imagery

A contemporary depiction of Schrötter can be found in John Röhl: Wilhelm II., 1859 to 1888 , p. 139.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Röhl: Wilhelm II. P. 138. Moltke continues with the characterization: “[He is] what one calls lovable Schwerenöther [sic!] Cultivates all favorite poems, ranks [sic!] Very nicely all kinds of celebrations small. Performances etc. for which he knows how to deliver the necessary [sic!] Carmina and speeches. ” In the same place there are characterizations as poetic, as“ phlegmatic, reserved and closed ”as well as “ excellent person who is always loved by all his comrades and respected ” (Moltke) or as“ honesty and bravery even with a touch of stubbornness ”(Stockmar).
  2. ^ Franz Herre: Kaiser Wilhelm II. Monarch between the times. 1993, p. 20.
  3. ^ A b John Röhl: Wilhelm II. P. 141.
  4. ^ Wilhelm: From my life, 1859-1888 , 1927, p. 22.
  5. ↑ Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of noble houses, 1905. Sixth year, p.588
personal data
SURNAME Schrötter, Gustav von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schrötter, Gustav Georg Hermann von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian lieutenant general
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1830
PLACE OF BIRTH State hat , Province of Silesia
DATE OF DEATH September 12, 1919
Place of death Frankfurt (Oder)