Julius Karl von Groß called von Schwarzhoff

Julius Karl von Groß called von Schwarzhoff (1850–1901)

Grave monument at the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin

Julius Karl von Groß called von Schwarzhoff (born September 7, 1850 in Magdeburg , † April 16, 1901 in Beijing ) was a Prussian major general and chief of the general staff of the Army High Command in East Asia.

Life

origin

His parents were the general of the infantry Julius von Groß (1812-1881) and his wife Berta, born von Lettow (1821-1910). As a result of the Prussian name and coat of arms association with the von Schwarzhoff family, from February 6, 1835, he carried the name of Groß called von Schwarzhoff.

Military career

Groß attended high school in Magdeburg and after graduating on April 1, 1870, joined the 2nd Guard Regiment on foot in the Prussian Army . During the war against France he took part in the battles at St. Privat , Beaumont and Sedan and the siege of Paris . Awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class, he graduated from the War Academy in Berlin for three years from 1874 , where he showed a talent for foreign languages. On January 2, 1878, he was transferred to the Guard Rifle Battalion , was promoted to Prime Lieutenant in 1879 and posted to Switzerland in 1879 to take part in the maneuvers. In May 1880 he was assigned to the General Staff , and in 1882 he was promoted to captain .

From 1885 to 1887 Groß was assigned to the embassy in Paris and worked as military advisor to the ambassador of the German Empire Georg Herbert zu Munster during the deliberations on the Hague Peace Conference . His influence, which he unfolded there in the negotiations, was significant because, as a soldier as well as a politician, he was able to illuminate the issues to be dealt with from all sides. His remarks, through which he convincingly clarified his views on the disarmament question to the Assembly in French, contributed most to the fact that it was finally rejected. His proposals for the expansion of the Geneva Convention that he made there were also very noteworthy . For its activity the Faculty of Law, he was awarded the University of Konigsberg , the honorary doctorate . Upon release from his command, Groß was transferred to Cologne on October 22, 1887 as a company commander in the 5th Rhenish Infantry Regiment No. 65 . When he was promoted to major on November 13, 1888, he was transferred to the Great General Staff and reassigned to the General Staff of the Army. After various general staff assignments, Groß was as a colonel from July 20, 1897 to April 17, 1900, in command of the infantry regiment "Grand Duke of Saxony" (5th Thuringian) No. 94 . He was then promoted to major general as commander of the 33rd Infantry Brigade in Altona.

Groß received command of the 1st East Asian Infantry Brigade on July 9, 1900 and was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps on August 12, 1900. His position in the Far East was a very difficult one. However, despite all the divergent efforts there, he managed to bring the allies together again and again for joint action. Groß was killed on April 16, 1901 in the fire of the Winter Palace in Beijing, which served as the headquarters of the Army High Command. His remains were transferred to Germany and buried in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin.

Field Marshal von Waldersee said of him: “Appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Army High Command in East Asia through the trust of His Majesty, he has achieved his difficult position through rare loyalty to duty, through his clear, all-encompassing mind, excellent military and diplomatic knowledge in a brilliant way filled, acquired through his personal kindness and genuine comradeship the love and trust of all who came into contact with him. The army high command mourns the army for the best one! "

literature

• Biographical yearbook and German necrology. 1901, Volume 6, p. 318.

Web links

• Federal Archives