Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz (2 May 1852 – 18 April 1937) was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław),

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, who served with distinction during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on both the

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and Western Fronts.

Biography

Gallwitz grew up in a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

family in Breslau. In 1891, he married Friedrike. They had a daughter and son Werner, who became a lieutenant general in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Gallwitz was a First World War corps commander (

Guards Reserve Corps The Guards Reserve Corps (german: Garde-Reserve-Korps / Garde RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I. Formation Guards Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 as part of the mobilisation of th ...

) on the Western Front, but he was almost immediately transferred east to join the Eighth Army under Hindenburg. In 1915, he took command of ''Armee-Gruppe'' Gallwitz (later redesignated Twelfth Army) and participated in the Galicia offensive alongside Mackensen, who commanded the Eleventh Army. Towards the end of 1915, Gallwitz succeeded Mackensen as commander of the Eleventh Army, as the latter campaigned against

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 Hungar ...

. In 1916, he moved back to the Western Front and defended against the British attack in the Battle of the Somme. He took over command of 2nd Army and of ''Heeresgruppe'' Gallwitz - Somme''Heeresgruppe'' or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander. controlling the 1st and 2nd Armies. From 1916–18, he commanded the Fifth Army in the west, most notably engaging the Americans during the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

. Following his retirement from the army, Gallwitz served as a deputy in the Reichstag (1920–24) for the

German National People's Party The German National People's Party (german: Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) was a national-conservative party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the Nazi Party, it was the major conservative and nationalist party in Wei ...

Awards and decorations

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 ...

(24 July 1915), Oak Leaves added on 28 September 1915 * Grand Cross of the

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 Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King ...

(23 December 1917) *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

First and Second class

References

;Notes ;Bibliography

Sources

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External links

* 1852 births 1937 deaths Military personnel from Wrocław People from the Province of Silesia German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War German untitled nobility German Army generals of World War I German Roman Catholics Generals of Artillery (Prussia) German monarchists Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) {{Germany-army-bio-stub