Karl von Plettenberg

Karl von Plettenberg (1852–1938)

Karl Freiherr von Plettenberg (born December 18, 1852 in Neuhaus ; † February 10, 1938 in Bückeburg ) was a Prussian infantry general , commanding general of the Guard Corps and adjutant general of Wilhelm II.

Life

origin

Karl came from the Westphalian noble family Plettenberg from the Sauerland . An ancestor was first mentioned in the 11th century. His father Eugen von Plettenberg was a major and squadron chief , his mother Minette, née von der Borch . In addition to Karl, there were three siblings: Eugen (who died at the age of 18), Jenny and Minette.

Military career

Karl von Plettenberg to the right of Kaiser Wilhelm II. (Middle) (1913)

After his education in the cadet house in Bensberg , Plettenberg joined the 5th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 53 of the Prussian Army in Cologne in 1870 . With this he took part in the war against France as a second lieutenant in 1870/71 and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. He then attended the War Academy and was transferred to the 1st Guard Regiment on foot . There he acted as company commander after being promoted to captain . With promotion to major on March 24, 1890, he was transferred to Bückeburg to the Westphalian Jäger Battalion No. 7 . There Plettenberg acted as commander from November 18, 1890 to June 15, 1894 and then came to Potsdam in the same position in the Guard Jäger Battalion . In this position he became lieutenant colonel on June 16, 1896 . In 1898 he was appointed commander of the 1st Guards Regiment on Foot. From 1902 he acted as the inspector of the hunters and riflemen and at the same time was entrusted with the management of the business of the commander of the riding police corps . On June 24, 1906, he took over command of the 22nd Division in Kassel . On April 12, 1910, Plettenberg was appointed general of the infantry and at the same time the commanding general of the IX. Army Corps in Altona , on March 1, 1913, he finally took over the leadership of the Guard Corps.

Kaiser Wilhelm II. (Center) with Karl von Plettenberg (right) (1914)

At the beginning of the First World War , he marched into Belgium with his corps in the formation of the 2nd Army in August 1914 . Afterwards his troops fought successfully against the French 5th Army under Charles Lanrezac in the battle of St. Quentin and the Marne . His corps moved after Aisneschlacht by Flanders and stood in the Battle of Ypres in the section of the corps group of General Fabeck . At the beginning of May 1915, his troops relocated to the Eastern Front took part in the 11th Army in the Battle of Gorlice-Tarnów . On May 14, 1915, Plettenberg was awarded the Pour le Mérite , the highest Prussian order of bravery (oak leaves awarded in September 1915) and on January 27, 1916, the 1st Guard Regiment was put on foot à la suite .

After criticizing the warfare of Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg during the material battles on the Western Front , Plettenberg had to resign on January 24, 1917. The ceremony under Black Eagle and the swords to the en sautoir to be worn Grand Cross of the Red Eagle with oak leaves and the crown Plettenberg became the officers of the army added, and on February 6, 1917 for discussion provided. Plettenberg is one of the few generals who have received the three highest awards at the time.

After his retirement he returned to Bückeburg, where Plettenbergstrasse is still named after him today. He was also the owner of around 80 acres of the former Stockum manor , with which the family had been enfeoffed on April 16, 1494. He died on February 10, 1938 in Bückeburg and was buried in the local cemetery. His death was reported in the New York Times , among others .

family

In 1887 Plettenberg married Klara Countess von Wedel (1865–1938), a distant relative from the Bodelschwingh-Plettenberg line. They had four children together:

Walter (* / † 1888)
Karl-Wilhelm (1889–1914), lieutenant in the 1st Guards Regiment on foot , who died on August 30, 1914 near Colonfay / Le Sourd in the Battle of St. Quentin .
Kurt (1891–1945), general representative of the former Prussian royal family. He belonged to the inner circle of resistance from July 20, 1944 and threw himself out of a window before an interrogation at Gestapo headquarters on March 10, 1945.
Luise Minette Mathilde Klara (* 1900) ⚭ June 10, 1927 in Hanover Gisbert Freiherr von Ledebur . The marriage ended in divorce in 1960.

Awards

literature

Schmidt, Eberhard: Kurt von Plettenberg: In the circle of the conspirators around Stauffenberg - a way of life. Munich, ISBN 978-3-7766-2735-0 .
Hanns Möller: History of the knights of the order pour le mérite in the world war. Volume II: M-Z. Bernard & Graefe publishing house, Berlin 1935, pp. 138–140.
Fredrich Schulte-Kramer: The Stockum manor. Sunderner Homeland Gazette 18:14.

Web links

Commons : Karl von Plettenberg - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Gen. from Plettenberg . In: The New York Times . February 13, 1938, ISSN 0362-4331 , p. 49 ( nyti.ms [accessed October 31, 2018]).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa Prussian War Ministry (ed.): Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army and the XIII. (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps for 1914. ES Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1914, p. 47.

personal data
SURNAME	Plettenberg, Karl von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Prussian general of the infantry
DATE OF BIRTH	December 18, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH	Neuhaus Castle near Paderborn
DATE OF DEATH	February 10, 1938
Place of death	Buckeburg

[1] Gen. from Plettenberg . In: The New York Times . February 13, 1938, ISSN 0362-4331 , p. 49 ( nyti.ms [accessed October 31, 2018]).

[Rangliste1914-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa Prussian War Ministry (ed.): Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army and the XIII. (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps for 1914. ES Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1914, p. 47.