Oskar von Sperling

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major General Oskar von Sperling

Oskar Ernst Karl Sperling (born January 31, 1814 in Cölleda , † May 1, 1872 in Dresden ) was a Prussian major general .

Life

origin

He was the son of Ernst Wilhelm von Sperling (1782–1848) and his wife Wilhelmine Karoline, born von Wurmb (1793–1822) from the Embleben family. His father was Fideikommissherr in Balgstädt and Ostramondra . Lieutenant General Ferdinand Otto von Sperling (1821–1915) was his brother.

Military career

His entry took place on January 31, 1832 as an officer aspirant in the 31st Infantry Regiment , in which he received the patent as a second lieutenant on March 13, 1835 . Between 1838 and 1841 he was assigned to the General War School and was then employed as an adjutant in the topographical department of the General Staff. Briefly assigned to the Guards Artillery Brigade in 1848, Sperling took part in the Baden campaign in 1849 as an adjutant of the mobile infantry brigade of the "von Schack" division . He took part in the battle near Ladenburg, on the Federbach, in the case of failure from Rastatt and in the demolition of the rebellious federal fortress . He was made Prime Lieutenant in 1849 and transferred to the 29th Infantry Regiment . Promoted to captain on November 16, 1852 , he remained as an adjutant in the 15th Division until April 1857 . He then became company commander in the 32nd Infantry Regiment . In January 1858 he was transferred to the General Staff and promoted to major . In 1860/61 he acted as a military observer in Italy and attended the siege of Gaeta . On October 18, 1861, he became a lieutenant colonel and was employed as a staff officer in various large associations . In March 1863 he rose to Chief of the General Staff of the VI. Army Corps . In this position he took part in the campaign against Denmark in 1964 . On June 18, 1865 , he rose to the rank of colonel and took part in the campaign to Bohemia as part of the 2nd Army . For his general staff work in General Command VI., Which also intervened in the Battle of Königgrätz on July 3, 1866 , Sperling was awarded the order Pour le Mérite on September 16 . In 1868 he was promoted to major general with a patent dated July 3rd and was given command of the 19th Infantry Brigade in Poznan on June 18, 1869 .

On July 18, 1870 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the 1st Army under General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz and participated in the siege of Metz until the end of October 1870 . By cabinet order of September 6, he was entrusted with the leadership of the 29th Infantry Brigade for the duration of the sick Major General von Wedell's absence. In October 1870, Sperling fell ill with dysentery himself , but returned to the Manteuffel Army High Command in northern France on December 3 . When General von Goeben took over the leadership of the 1st Army on January 9, 1871, Sperling was at his side, while his deputy, Colonel von Wartensleben , the previous quartermaster of the 1st Army, was given the general staff post of the newly formed Southern Army in the Jura . Sperling still took part in the battle of Saint-Quentin , but after the hardships of the last fight felt compelled to bid his farewell. Kaiser Wilhelm I transferred him to army officers on May 27, 1871. To restore his health, Sperling took a cure in Switzerland from June 13 to September 20, 1871. After his return he received permission to stay in Dresden. On March 22, 1872 he received a bonus of 50,000 thalers before he died on May 1, 1872 in Dresden. Sperling was then buried in Bad Kösen .

He was considered a highly talented officer, wrote General von Moltke in his assessment in 1865: Colonel von Sperling was eager to gain war experience wherever the opportunity arose. It is an intelligent, prudent chief of the general staff, he was also proven by the successful management of this year's training trip. Will probably do a good job as a troop leader in a higher position.

family

He married Pauline von Klaß (1824–1899) on June 2, 1845 in Erfurt. She was the daughter of the future Prussian Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Klaß (1786–1850). The following children resulted from the marriage.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz: The operations of the 2nd Army 1870. ES Mittler and Son, Berlin 1873, footnote p. 301
personal data
SURNAME Sperling, Oskar von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sperling, Oskar Ernst Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian major general
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH Cölleda
DATE OF DEATH May 1, 1872
Place of death Dresden