Eugen von Falkenhayn (4 September 1853 – 3 January 1934) was a German

General of the Cavalry General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers ...

, commanding officer of the XXII Reserve Corps in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and Lord Chamberlain of Empress Auguste Viktoria.

Biography

Falkenhayn was born in Burg Belchau, West Prussia (Białochowo, Poland) to Fedor von Falkenhayn (1814–1896) and Franziska von Falkenhayn, née von Rosenberg (1826–1888). His brother Arthur (1857–1929) became tutor of Crown Prince Wilhelm while Erich (1861–1922), became Prussian minister of war and chief of the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

. His only sister Olga von Falkenhayn was the mother of Fieldmarshal

Fedor von Bock Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock (3 December 1880 – 4 May 1945) was a German who served in the German Army during the Second World War. Bock served as the commander of Army Group North during the Invasion of Poland ...

. Falkenhayn joined the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

on 2 August 1870 at the Cuirassier Regiment "Queen" (Pomeranian) No. 2 in

Pasewalk Pasewalk () is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal '' Amt'' ...

, he became a member of the Prussian General Staff in 1883 and

Military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in Paris in 1887. In 1889 he was attached to the military headquarter of

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

and became the educator of Prince Wilhelm and

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born ...

. He returned to the General Staff in 1894. In 1895 Falkenhayn became the commander of the 1. Guard Dragoon Regiment "Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland" and in 1898 Chief of Staff of the IX Army Corps. In December 1901 Falkenhayn took over the command of the 19. Cavalry-Brigade in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and the 11th Infantry Division in Breslau (Wrocław) on 15 April 1908. Falkenhayn retired on 2 May 1910, was promoted to "General der Kavallerie" and appointed Oberhofmeister (Lord Chamberlain) of Empress Augusta Viktoria. Steinfurth-Falkenhayn-0210g-50

Falkenhayn was reactivated in the beginning of

and became commanding general of the XXII Reserve Corps on 10 September 1914. His Corps fought in the Battle of Flandres, in the Battle of Gorlice-Tarnów, in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

as part of the Austrian III Army under General Kövess. In 1916 the XXII Reserve Corps was deployed at the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

and sent to the

Eastern Front (World War I) The Eastern Front or Eastern Theater of World War I (german: Ostfront; ro, Frontul de răsărit; russian: Восточный фронт, Vostochny front) was a theater of operations that encompassed at its greatest extent the entire frontier ...

to counter the Brusilov Offensive, it returned to Germany in November 1918 and Falkenhayn retired on 30 June 1919. Falkenhayn died in

Berlin-Lichterfelde Lichterfelde () is a locality in the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin, Germany. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Steglitz, along with Steglitz and Lankwitz. Lichterfelde is home to institutions like the Berlin Botanical Gar ...

on 3 January 1934.

Family

Falkenhayn married Louise von Dörnberg in 1893, his granddaughter Maria von Quistorp was the wife of

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...

Decorations and awards

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

* Order of the Crown III class * Knights Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern * Prussian Service Award * Commander of the Order o Albert the Bear * Order of Henry the Lion (II class) * Commander of the Order of the Griffon *

House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis The House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Haus und Verdienstorden von Herzog Peter Friedrich Ludwig'') or proper German Oldenburg House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Oldenburgische Haus- und Verdi ...

* Albert Order *

Order of the Crown (Württemberg) The Order of the Württemberg Crown (''Orden der Württembergischen Krone'') was an order of chivalry in Württemberg. History First established in 1702 as the St.-Hubertus-Jagdorden (Order of St Hubert), in 1807 it was renamed the "Ritterorden ...

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...

* Commander of the Order of the Crown (Italy) * Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau * Commander of the Order of Franz Joseph * Commander of the Order of the Crown (Romania) *

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

(28 August 1915) with Oak leaves (13 November 1915)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkenhayn, Eugen Von 1853 births 1934 deaths People from Grudziądz County People from West Prussia German untitled nobility Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)