Rudolf von Horn (General, 1866)

Viktor Sigismund Rudolf von Horn (born July 9, 1866 in Nieder-Giersdorf , † February 4, 1934 in Berlin-Friedenau ) was a German artillery general and president of the Kyffhäuserbund .

Life

origin

He was the son of the Prussian Major General Rudolf von Horn (1833–1905) and his wife Ida, née Großer (* 1840). His grandfather was the Prussian Lieutenant General Rudolf von Horn (1798–1863).

Military career

Horn visited the cadet corps and was transferred on April 14, 1885 as a second lieutenant to the field artillery regiment "General-Feldzeugmeister" (1st Brandenburg) No. 3 of the Prussian army in Brandenburg an der Havel . From October 1, 1887 to September 30, 1889 he was sent to the United Artillery and Engineering School in Berlin. From October 1, 1892 to July 21, 1895, he was assigned to the War Academy and on April 1, 1896 to the General Staff, as well as being promoted to Prime Lieutenant on September 14, 1893 . With simultaneous promotion to captain , Horn was transferred to the General Staff on April 1, 1896. On January 27, 1902, he came as a battery chief in the field artillery regiment "von Peucker" (1st Silesian) No. 6 in Breslau . Then Horn was from April 24 to April 9, 1906 first general staff officer in the general staff of the 37th Division . As a major (since March 16, 1905) he then acted as the commander of the I. Department of the Kurmärkische Field Artillery Regiment No. 39 in Perleberg and became a lieutenant colonel on March 22, 1912 . On October 1, 1912, he was transferred to the staff of his main regiment and on October 18, 1912, he was appointed regimental commander. On April 22nd, Horn was promoted to colonel .

With the outbreak of World War I , Horn and his regiment initially took part in the invasion of neutral Belgium and were deployed at Tirlemont , Mons , Le Cateau and on the Somme . He fought with distinction in the Battle of the Marne and then entered the ordered retreat to the Aisne . There he spent the following months in trench warfare and was appointed commander of the 56th Field Artillery Brigade of the newly formed 56th Division on March 5, 1915 . Initially deployed in Champagne , the large association moved to the Eastern Front in May 1915 . In Galicia, Horn led his brigade across the San , fought at the Jaroslau bridgehead , the breakthrough battle of Lubaczów and the battle of Lemberg, and advanced to the bow . The Allied Austrians honored him by awarding him the Military Merit Cross II. Class with war decoration and Wilhelm II awarded Horn with the Order of the Crown, II. Class with Swords. At the end of June 1915, Horn moved to the Western Front and took part in the autumn battle in Champagne . In May 1916 the brigade outside Verdun was used in the fighting over the "dead man". In mid-July she moved into new positions in the Artois and fought in the Battle of the Somme from the end of August . After heavy losses, the brigade had to be pulled from the front in early September. After a rest and refreshment phase, the large association was back on the Somme from mid-November 1916. In the course of the reorganization, Artillery Commander 56 was formed from the brigade staff on February 18, 1917, which Horn continued to head. In this function he was to become major general on August 18, 1917 and commander of the 185th division on February 3, 1918 . During the defensive battle between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin from September 5 to October 8, 1918, Horn was able to stand out in particular: despite being wounded, he managed to bring the enemy attack to a standstill. For this he was awarded the order Pour le Mérite on September 21, 1918 .

After the end of the war, Horn was initially the commander of the 5th Field Artillery Brigade and was then accepted into the Reichswehr . From July 20, 1919, he acted as Artillery Commander 27 and from October 1, 1919 as Artillery Commander V. On January 16, 1920, Horn was appointed commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and on April 1, 1920, he was simultaneously charged with taking on the business of the Commander in military district VI. After Horn had become lieutenant general on December 18, 1920 , he was appointed commander of the 3rd division and commander in military district III in Berlin on August 4, 1921 . Horn was on January 31, 1926 Presentation of the character adopted as a general of artillery and retired.

After retiring from active service until shortly before his death, Horn was President of the Reich Warrior Association Kyffhäuser . He died of complications from a gallbladder operation.

family

Horn married Dorothea Countess von der Groeben (* 1884) on December 16, 1905 in Allenstein .

literature

• Dermot Bradley (Ed.): The Generals of the Army 1921-1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 6: Hochbaum – Klutmann. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2002, ISBN 3-7648-2582-0 , pp. 143-144.
• Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of the letter aristocratic houses. 1916. Volume 10, Verlag Justus Perthes, Gotha 1916, p. 441.
• Hans Möller: History of the knight of the order »Pour le Mérite« in the world war. Volume 1: A-L. Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1935, pp. 511-512.