Heinrich of Bavaria (1884–1916)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, photo by court photographer Dittmar (1916)
Title page of the biography of Maximilian Pfeiffer, Munich, 1917

Henry of Bavaria (* 24. June 1884 in Munich , † 8. November 1916 in the County of Arges / Romania ) was Prince of Bavaria, came from the noble family of Wittelsbach and was a highly decorated officer in the Bavarian army in the First World War .

Life

Heinrich was the only son of Prince Arnulf of Bavaria and his wife Therese Princess von und zu Liechtenstein. The prince was raised by Gebhard Himmler, Heinrich Himmler's father . The Bavarian prince later became Heinrich Himmler's godfather.

After graduating from a humanistic grammar school , he joined the infantry body regiment of the Bavarian Army as a lieutenant in 1901 at the age of 17 . Four years later he switched to the 1st Heavy Cavalry Regiment "Prince Karl of Bavaria" . In 1907, Prince Heinrich was promoted to first lieutenant before he became captain three years later . From 1910 to 1912 Heinrich graduated II and III. Course at the War Academy , which did not give him any special qualifications.

In June 1911 he survived a car accident unharmed and then donated the Marian column in Höhenkirchen.

After attending the military academy, Heinrich became squadron chief . As head of the 2nd  Squadron , he went to the First World War on August 3, 1914 . He led one of the few classic cavalry attacks on the western front in the middle of the enemy and was wounded by a lance. After his recovery, he realized that it was in the trench warfare was nothing more to order for the cavalry, and enlisted in the infantry.

Promoted to major in January 1915 , he took over the III. Battalion of the Infantry Leib Regiment, which was subordinate to the newly established German Alpine Corps . Heinrich was section commander on the front line in the Carnic Alps south-east of Innichen in the Puster Valley. He was extremely popular among the local population.

In the Battle of Verdun he managed to take the village of Fleury and the heights to the west of it. He set up his command post in the basement of a house when it was hit by an artillery shell. The house above collapsed and buried the prince and his men. After hours one of his comrades-in-arms managed to break a hole in a wall and get help to rescue the victims. When he was relieved of the front line on June 24, 1916, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for his brave behavior and military service. In addition, he was given the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order No. 117 (number during the First World War) “because of the evidence of extraordinary, death-defying bravery given in the heavy fighting near Fleury and later on the Rothen Tower Pass in Romania Determination and exemplary influence on the troops ”. In September / October 1916 he proved himself again in the fighting on the Red Tower Pass. During an exploration at Monte Sate (Romania / north. Sălătrucu, about 60 km southeast of Sibiu / Transylvania ) on November 7, 1916, despite warnings about snipers, he renounced cover and was seriously wounded by a rifle bullet while walking back. He succumbed to his injuries the following day. His last words are said to have been "Noblesse oblige!"

Günther von Pechmann , a front officer of the Leibregiment, later wrote in his war memoirs: "The KBIL (Royal Bavarian Infantry Leibregiment) had not only lost one of its bravest leaders, but also its best carer."

Heinrich is buried in the Theatine Church in Munich.

Dedications

The "Prince Heinrich March" was probably shortly after he took over the III. Battalion dedicated to the composer Georg Fürst - who himself was a member of the Infantry Body Regiment. The march was played to him for the first time in Bruneck / South Tyrol on June 7, 1915.

In November 1916, after the news of his death, the chapel erected by Austro-Hungarian soldiers in May 1916 on the Obstanserboden in the Carnic Alps was given the name “ Prince Heinrich Chapel ”.

The "Prinz-Heinrich-Kaserne" was built in Lenggries in 1935/36. It took on the 2nd Battalion of the 100 Mountain Infantry Regiment. After the Second World War , the US forces took over the barracks. In 1971 the Bundeswehr came to the property with the Luftwaffe's FlaRakBtl 33 . In 2002, the Bundeswehr finally gave up the "Prinz-Heinrich-Kaserne" with the dissolution of FlaRakGruppe 33.

The hiking trail from Kartitsch via the Winklertal – Obstans – Pfannspitze – Kinigat and descent via theerschbaumertal is also known as the “Prince Heinrich Memorial Trail ”.

literature

  • Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen , Friedrichfranz Feeser : The Bavaria book of the world wars 1914-1918. Chr. Belser AG. Publishing house, Stuttgart 1930.
  • Rudolf von Kramer, Otto Freiherr von Waldenfels: The royal Bavarian military Max-Joseph-Order. Acts of War and Book of Honor. Self-published by the kb Militär-Max-Joseph-Order, Munich 1966.
  • Maximilian J. Pfeiffer: Prince Heinrich of Bavaria. The life picture of an early completed. Manz, Munich 1917.
  • Ludwig Wiedemayr: The World War II scene in East Tyrol. The communities on the Carnic Front in the eastern Puster Valley. Verlag Osttiroler Bote , Lienz 2007, ISBN 978-3-900773-80-9 .
  • Hadumod Bußmann : I wasn't afraid of anything in life. The unusual story of Therese Princess of Bavaria. 5th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-406-61353-1 , p. 236 f., P. 241, p. 254 and p. 265.
  • Othmar Hackl : The Bavarian War Academy (1867-1914). CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-406-10490-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinrich Himmler. Tabular curriculum vitae in the LeMO ( DHM and HdG )
  2. ↑ Othmar Hackl : The Bavarian War Academy (1867-1914). CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-406-10490-8 , p. 402.
  3. ↑ Rudolf von Kramer, Otto Freiherr von Waldenfels: The royal Bavarian military Max Joseph order. Self-published by the kb Militär-Max-Joseph-Order, Munich 1966, p. 315.
  4. ↑ Bavarian list of losses No. 331. German lists of losses of February 21, 1917. P. 17641: difficult to use. † November 8th, 2016.
  5. ^ Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, Friedrichfranz Feeser: The Bavaria Book of World Wars 1914-1918. Chr.Belser AG Publishing House, Stuttgart 1930.
  6. ↑ Prinz-Heinrich-Marsch ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)
  7. ↑ Prinz-Heinrich-Kaserne ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Bavaria, Heinrich von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bavaria, Heinrich Luitpold Prince of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince of Bavaria
DATE OF BIRTH June 24, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1916
Place of death Argeș County , Romania