Kuno von Steuben

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Kuno von Steuben

Liborius Konstantin Kuno von Steuben (* 9. April 1855 in Eisenach , † 14. January 1935 in Berlin ) was a Prussian general of the infantry in the First World War .

Life

Kuno came from the old noble family von Steuben , whose most famous ancestor was Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben . He was the eldest son of eight children of the Grand Ducal Saxon captain and later Prussian major general Arndt von Steuben (1826-1900) and his wife Julie Antoinette, born von Tschirschky and Bögendorff (1833-1903). After attending the Eisenach high school , he was accepted into the Oranienstein cadet house on August 3, 1868 at the age of 13 . On May 1, 1871, he moved to the Hauptkadettenanstalt in Berlin.

The commander of the Lower Rhine Fusilier Regiment No. 39 , to which Steuben was assigned as a graduate of the cadet institute, was the later infantry general Ernst von der Burg - most recently commanding general of the II Army Corps . Young Steuben received his first military impressions from him, who had already had an interesting military career, and was personally close to him. After only a year he became a battalion adjutant. Four years later, on September 27, 1879, he married Martha Wesener, the youngest daughter of his battalion commander Colonel Christian Wesener , in Düsseldorf .

After two years as an adjutant at the Geldern district command, Steuben attended the war academy . In 1893 he was assigned to the General Staff as a captain, of which he was a lieutenant general with brief interruptions . Already in his first assignments, with the 5th Army Corps and the 2nd Division , his great ability as a general staff officer became evident. Hard-working, conscientious, skillful in both written and oral expression, quick to make decisions, humble in nature, an excellent character, he enjoyed the special trust of his superiors. After a short time as company commander in the infantry regiment “Freiherr Hiller von Gärtringen” (4th Posensches) No. 59 , Steuben returned to the general staff - first to the general command in Hamburg-Altona , then to the general staff . Even after a few months in which he commanded the 1st Battalion of the 1st Nassau Infantry Regiment No. 87 in the Mainz fortress , he was reassigned to the General Staff.

As a tactics instructor and in the management of the general staff business at the War Academy, he developed an excellent teaching talent. Appointed Chief of Staff of the VIII Army Corps in Koblenz in 1902, Steuben initially held this position with Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich II of Baden , and later with his successor, General of the Artillery Gustav Adolf von Deines . On December 1, 1903, he reported about Steuben:

“Tactful, with the best manners and amiable straight character, strong-willed, absolutely reliable, rarely able to work, with a broad view, always clear tactical understanding and accurate, independent judgment. He fulfills his position excellently. He overcame an illness that lasted several months with iron energy, so that he was able to participate in the autumn exercises and maneuvers at full capacity again. Absolutely suitable for regimental commander and higher leadership positions. "

Field Marshal General and Army General Staff Chief Alfred Graf von Schlieffen commented: "A very excellent chief of the General Staff".

In 1904, Colonel Steuben became head of the maneuvering department in the General Staff, and in this position did great service. Schlieffen's successor, Army Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke , also gave Steuben his full confidence and appointed him as major general in the position of chief quartermaster . Moltke assessed Steuben on December 1, 1910 as follows:

“An officer who is equally distinguished by reason and character, with a wide, clear view, soldierly feeling and old Prussian disposition. His military talent, his excellent judgment, his keen interest in the service make him suitable as a senior troop leader. I definitely award him his qualification as a division commander. In the event of mobilization, he would be in his place as chief of the general staff of an army high command, for which not only his knowledge of major operations, but also his excellent form and tact make him particularly suitable. In the interests of the service, it is only desirable to remain in his current position, which he fulfills very well, until the point in time when he can be employed as a division commander. "

In the spring of 1911, Steuben took over command of the 36th Division in Danzig as Lieutenant General . Although he was alienated from the front line for a long time - he had not led a regiment or a brigade for a long time - he quickly found his way around the practice. His commanding general August von Mackensen characterized his activity as division commander on December 1, 1912 as follows:

“A medium-sized, impressive and appealing personality, who has understanding and character written on his forehead and whose appearance is characterized by excellent forms and unconditional tact. A clear view, accurate judgment, tenacious willpower, prudence and foresight, thorough knowledge and varied experience make Lieutenant General von Steuben an important soldier. When he was referred here, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army approved him as Chief of the General Staff of an Army High Command. Lieutenant General von Steuben rides safely and energetically. As a division commander he is completely at the height of his position, be it in the appropriate supervision of training or in the appropriate arrangement of exercises, be it as a conscientious judge or as an energetic leader. His discussions are characterized by clarity, certainty and content. She and his entire service activity, which is filled with old Prussian soldiery and yet takes modern times into account, has a highly stimulating and stimulating effect on the troops subordinate to him. He is an excellent and capable leader and commander of his division and is certainly called to do higher things. "

It aroused general astonishment when this highly tried and tested soldier, who was particularly well judged by all his superiors, was appointed to the head of the Royal War Academy in the autumn of 1913. Even if the directors of this old Prussian war school were almost all eminent men, the service career of the person concerned was normally completed with this position - none of the directors had got an army corps in peacetime. Chief of Staff von Moltke therefore asked Wilhelm II expressly to grant Steuben a patent as a general of the infantry when he was promoted to academy director, so that he could later be given the command of an army corps. Whether this would have happened in peacetime is an open question, which the outbreak of World War I prevented.

With the mobilization, Steuben became the commanding general of the XVIII on August 2, 1914 . Reserve Corps and shortly thereafter promoted to General of the Infantry on August 19, 1914. With his corps he was deployed on the Western Front in conjunction with the 4th Army . Together with his chief of staff, Colonel Friedrich von Studnitz and the commanders of the 21st Reserve Division , Lieutenant General Hermann von Rampacher and 25th Reserve Division , Lieutenant General Alexander Torgany he led his troops on August 22 and 23 to victory in Neufchâteau and was involved in heavy fighting on the 24th at Temblois and on the 25th Carignon. During the advance to the Marne , his troops advanced south via Grandpré west of the Argonne. After tactical retreat and the transition to trench warfare in space Servon formed Steuben with his association the right wing of the 5th Army in the eastern Champagne.

On June 25, 1915, the commander-in-chief of this army, the Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm , wrote about Steuben:

“A fresh, healthy and productive man. He only joined my army after the transition to trench warfare and was able to maintain an unfavorably chosen position vis-à-vis an excessively standing enemy and how to improve it in such a way that the losses were tolerable. Small, successful and offensive ventures designed with care and skill have encouraged and maintained a good spirit in the troops. Personally cold-blooded in battle, he takes good care of man and horse. After the war he will be able to use the experience gained in the course of the war to benefit the army in every position of service. Also useful as a commanding general in peace. He is very popular with his subordinates. "

The year 1915 brought the distinguished military leader the order Pour le Mérite for his outstanding work during the autumn battle in Champagne (September 22nd to November 6th) . In 1916 the general was in the heavy fighting for Verdun . Shortly before the end of these fighting, troops of the XVIII. Reserve Corps on September 3, 1916, under Steuben's command, took over the French positions on both sides of the Souville Gorge.

In the spring of 1917, Steuben took over command of the 11th Army in Macedonia as the successor to General Arnold von Winckler , which after its transfer to the Salonika Front consisted of German and Bulgarian troops.

On December 1, 1917 , the Commander-in-Chief, General of the Artillery Friedrich von Scholtz , assessed his outstanding work in this theater of war as follows:

“Fresh, efficient, active in many attack and defense battles, proven through calm and prudent leadership. By taking over command, he quickly restored the difficult situation west of Lake Ochrida that had been caused by the Austrians' hasty retreat in September of that year. He has the right kind in dealings with the Bulgarians. He wins their trust through his benevolent, purposeful manner in dealings with subordinates. He fills his position excellently and is also suitable as a commanding general in peace. "

Steuben also took energetic and cautious measures in the critical days of September 1918, when the crushing blow of the united army of the Entente brought about the collapse of the Bulgarian front. The attitude of the German military leadership and its troops in the weeks that followed, the retreat across the Danube, were exemplary. The political events at home and the armistice did not loosen the structure of Steuben's troops, who left Hungary with the last train on the morning of December 8, 1918. After the war ended on January 31, 1919, he retired from active service in the Prussian Army .

Military historians paid tribute to the military leader in an obituary: "General Kuno von Steuben was a seldom competent and dutiful leader, of iron calm and fresh determination, a general staff officer of the old Moltke school, a knightly and benevolent superior, whose memory will live on in the German fatherland." His military theoretical achievements with the title “Dr. phil hc. “. In 1931, at the invitation of the United States of America, he was invited to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown as a representative of his family , in which his father Gottlieb Arndt von Steuben had participated for the first time 50 years earlier.

After his death on January 14, 1935, Steuben found his final resting place in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin.

His three brothers also held high military positions: Berndt (1856–1930) as a colonel in the General Command of III. Army Corps, Ernst (1871–1938) as lieutenant colonel, Anton (1858–1928) as major general (including commander of the cadet houses in Plön and Wahlstatt, director of the Great Military Orphanages in Potsdam and Pretzsch Palace ).

Arndt (1881–1940), his only son, also started an officer career. He served as a lieutenant colonel and general staff officer.

Military background

On April 23, 1874 he was promoted to second lieutenant in the Lower Rhine Fusilier Regiment No. 39, Düsseldorf. On October 1, he was assigned to the Prussian War Academy in Berlin and was promoted to first lieutenant . He was next assigned to the Great General Staff on July 22nd. On November 27, 1893 he was appointed to the General Staff of the IX. Army Corps commanded, where he was promoted to major on October 18, 1894. From September 14, 1900 to April 21, 1902, he was a military teacher at the Royal Prussian War Academy in Berlin. From April 22 to August 17, 1902, he was head of department in the General Staff. On January 27, 1904, he was commanded for the Imperial Maneuvers in the General Staff. Four years after joining, he was promoted to major general. He was appointed lieutenant general on January 27, 1911.

From September 4, 1913 to July 31, 1914 he was director of the Prussian War Academy in Berlin. He was appointed Commander in Chief of the 11th Army in Macedonia on June 5, 1917. He succeeded August von Mackensen, who had commanded the troop contingent on the western front in the French campaign. During the First World War there were battles at Neufchateau, Tremblois and Charignon, trench warfare on the western front, autumn battle in Champagne in 1915, fighting off Verdun in 1916.

Awards

literature

  • Hanns Möller: History of the knights of the order pour le mérite in the world war. Volume 2: MZ. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Berlin 1935, pp. 375–376.
  • Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Christian Zweng: The knights of the order Pour le Mérite of the First World War. Volume 3: P-Z. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2011, ISBN 3-7648-2586-3 , pp. 362-363.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army and the XIII. (Royal Württemberg Army Corps for 1914 , Ed .: War Ministry , Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Son , Berlin 1914, p. 553
personal data
SURNAME Steuben, Kuno von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steuben, Liborius Konstantin Kuno Arndt von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the infantry in the First World War
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1855
PLACE OF BIRTH Eisenach
DATE OF DEATH January 14, 1935
Place of death Berlin