Richard Hentsch

Friedrich Heinrich Richard Hentsch (born December 18, 1869 in Cologne , † February 13, 1918 in Bucharest ) was a Saxon colonel in the First World War .

Life

After completing his private education in Berlin in 1888 came Hentsch as a cadet in the Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich II. Von Baden" (4th Royal Saxon) no. 103 in Bautzen and was there on January 22, 1890 to second lieutenant promoted. He later studied at the Prussian War Academy . In 1899 he was assigned to the General Staff for two years and was finally transferred there in 1902. From 1912 to 1914 Hentsch served as a major in the general staff of the XIX. (II. Royal Saxon) Army Corps in Leipzig . On April 1, 1914, he was reassigned to the General Staff and on April 20, 1914, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

First World War

Colonel Richard Hentsch's tomb in the Bucharest Cemetery of Honor

As such, at the outbreak of the First World War , he took over the post of head of the intelligence department of the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army and was one of the closest advisers to General Staff von Moltke . His pessimistic situation reports from the Battle of the Marne contributed to the termination of the planned operation. From July to September 1915 he was assigned to the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army . On September 12, 1915 he was appointed senior quartermaster in Army Group Mackensen and promoted to colonel on January 17, 1916.

An investigation into Hentsch's role during the Marne Battle carried out in 1917 exonerated him, but he was stylized as a scapegoat for breaking off the battle in order to relieve the Supreme Army Command from criticizing the operational plans.

On March 1, 1917, Hentsch became Chief of the General Staff of the Military Administration of occupied Romania . For his services he received the Pour le Mérite on September 23, 1917 .

Hentsch died on February 13, 1918 in Bucharest of the consequences of a biliary operation .

literature

• Markus Pöhlmann : Richard Hentsch , in: Gerhard Hirschfeld, Gerd Krumeich, Irina Renz (eds.): Encyclopedia First World War , Schöningh, Paderborn 2004, ISBN 3-506-73913-1 , pp. 551f.
• Scott Di Marco, Spencer Tucker: Richard Hentsch , in: Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts (Ed.): The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History , Santa Barbara 2006, pp. 870f.
• Thilo Vogelsang:  Hentsch, Friedrich Heinrich Richard. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-428-00189-3 , p. 566 f. ( Digitized version ).