Otto Kreß von Kressenstein

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Otto Kreß von Kressenstein (1912)

Paul Otto Felix Freiherr Kreß von Kressenstein (born September 13, 1850 in Germersheim , † February 19, 1929 in Munich ) was a Bavarian colonel general and minister of war .

Life

family

Otto came from the old Nuremberg patrician family Kreß von Kressenstein . According to the dance statute , the family was one of the new sexes eligible for advice in the free imperial city and was represented on the city council for centuries. In 1530 the Kreß received a confirmation of nobility from Emperor Charles V with the title of Kressenstein . In 1817 she was registered in the baron class of nobility in the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Joseph Freiherr Kreß von Kressenstein (* 1821), Otto's father, died as a Bavarian major on February 6, 1871 as a result of a serious wound sustained in the Franco-German War . His mother Karoline Sophie (1824–1910), daughter of a Bavarian officer and lady of honor of the Bavarian Order of Theresa , was born in Stetten . Otto was the second of the couple's three children. His older sister Anna Eugenie Emilie (* 1849) married the later Bavarian colonel and chamberlain Franz Freiherr von Tautphöus. His younger brother Friedrich (1855–1920) died as a Bavarian infantry general .

Military background

Kreß attended the Bavarian Cadet Corps in Munich, which he successfully completed in 1869. He then joined the 2nd Chevaulegers Regiment "Taxis" of the Bavarian Army in Bamberg as an officer aspirant and took part in the 1870 war against France as a second lieutenant . There he was involved in the battles near Weissenburg , Wörth , Toul and Sedan and the siege of Paris . In May 1871 he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class for special bravery.

At the age of 23 Kreß was promoted to first lieutenant and used as regimental adjutant . From 1874 to 1877 he graduated from the War Academy , which made him qualified for the general staff, the higher adjutantage and the subject. There followed changing assignments in the military and general staff service. In 1885 he was promoted to captain in the general staff and from 1888 he commanded a squadron in the 2nd heavy rider regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este" . In 1897 he took command of the 6th Chevaulegers regiment “Prince Albrecht of Prussia” in Bamberg, which his grandfather had led half a century earlier, and formed it into an elite regiment. According to his ideas, the cavalry had to fight dismounted and according to infantry principles their training should also take place. In his opinion, the effectiveness of modern automatic weapons prohibited the rider attacks stipulated in the regulations.

As a major general , Kreß commanded the 4th Cavalry Brigade from January 26, 1902 to March 10, 1904 and was promoted to Lieutenant General Inspector of the Cavalry . From April 19, 1906 to May 21, 1910 he was in command of the 1st Division . As general of the cavalry and commanding general of III. Army Corps in Nuremberg, he concentrated his work on training the interaction of the individual branches of service. On February 16, 1912, Kreß took over the management of the War Ministry as successor to Carl von Horn . In addition to the supreme command in the army, he was also entrusted with the management of the army administration and the military cabinet. In the government and in parliament he resolutely represented the interests of the army. But Kreß also advocated good, humane treatment of the soldiers and showed understanding for the workers in the armaments factories. Therefore he also had the trust of the Bavarian Social Democrats , who often supported him in parliament .

During the First World War , there were tensions in the cabinet because of domestic politics, which ultimately led to the resignation of the Interior Minister. Relations with the Reich also turned out to be difficult, as the measures that became necessary with the duration of the war increasingly burdened Bavaria. The relationship with King Ludwig III also suffered . which led to the resignation of Kress as Minister of War. On December 8, 1916, after another disagreement in the cabinet, he resigned. King Ludwig III. appointed him a short time later the owner of the 6th Chevaulegers Regiment "Prince Albrecht of Prussia" and honored him with further awards.

In retirement, he settled in Munich and worked intensively on military specialist literature. Kreß died in Munich at the age of 78 after a long illness. He was buried in the Kraftshof near Nuremberg in the Kreß family crypt.

Marriage and offspring

Otto Kreß von Kressenstein married Karoline Johanna von Orff (1855–1912), the daughter of General Karl von Orff, in Würzburg in 1879 . With her he had two sons who also started the career of officers. Franz Otto (1881–1957), the younger son, became general of the cavalry and commanded the XII from 1936 to 1938 . Army Corps of the Wehrmacht .

Honors

Georg Fürst dedicated the march to Otto Kress von Kressenstein “General Freiherr von Kress-Marsch”.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Othmar Hackl: The Bavarian War Academy (1867-1914). CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. Munich 1989. ISBN 3-406-10490-8 . P. 503.
personal data
SURNAME Kress von Kressenstein, Otto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kreß von Kressenstein, Paul Otto Felix Freiherr (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bavarian Colonel General and Minister of War
DATE OF BIRTH September 13, 1850
PLACE OF BIRTH Germersheim
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 1929
Place of death Munich