Curt Ernst von Morgen (1 November 1858 in Neiße – 15 February 1928 in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

) was a

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

and

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, later

General of Infantry General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was a recipient of

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

with Oak Leaves.

Explorer in Cameroon

Curt von Morgen was stationed in

German Kamerun Kamerun was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. Kamerun also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern ...

and undertook two research journeys to central Cameroon in 1889 and from 1890 to 1891. After the expeditions, Morgen returned to Germany but in 1894 he was tasked with the formation of the Kamerun Schutztruppe. He also led two military expeditions against the Abo north of Douala and the Kwe (Bakwiri) near

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the Southwest Region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous ...

The Middle East

In 1896-97, he followed as military observer the English Dongola-Expedition against the Mahdists. In 1897, he became Military Attaché in Istanbul. He followed as observer the

Greco-Turkish War (1897) The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War (), was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and the O ...

and prepared the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine in 1898.

Military service in Germany

On 27 January 1912, he was promoted to

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

and assigned as commander of the 81st Infantry Brigade in

. On 9 August 1913, when the emperor visited the town, he reported to him.

World War I

On mobilisation for

in August 1914, he became commander of the 3rd Reserve Division from Danzig, and promoted to

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

on the 19th of that month. He commanded this division as part of the 8th Army in the pivotal

Battle of Tannenberg The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 23 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russ ...

at the opening of the war on the Eastern Front, and at the subsequent

First Battle of the Masurian Lakes The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front 2–16 September 1914, during the Russian invasion of East Prussia. It took place only days after the Battle of Tannenberg where the German Eighth Army encir ...

. For his performance in this period, he was awarded the

on 1 December 1914. On 24 November 1914, he took over command of I Reserve Corps from

Otto von Below Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below (18 January 1857 – 9 March 1944) served as a Prussian general officer in the Imperial German Army during the First World War (1914–1918). He arguably became most notable for his command, along with the Aust ...

. He led this Corps for almost the entire war, only swapping places with Richard Wellman in command of XIV Reserve Corps in August 1918. With the I Reserve Corps, he fought in the

Battle of Łódź (1914) A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and in the Romanian campaign (1916-1917) in which he failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough after being

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee Defeated is an unincorporated community in Smith County, Tennessee ...

by the Romanians at Dragoslavele, 8 miles from the town of

Câmpulung Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , , Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'') is a municipiu, city in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is attested on the Fra Mauro map fro ...

. Von Morgen argued that much more of the Romanian Army could have been captured if a breakthrough would have been achieved at Câmpulung. He insisted that this would have achieved "a real victory, a

Cannae Cannae (now , ) is an ancient village of the region of south east Italy. It is a (civil parish) of the (municipality) of . Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is a Latin Catholic titular see (as of 2022). Geography The commune of Cannae i ...

, a Tannenberg".Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, ''Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania'', pp. 158 and 300 He was awarded the Oakleaves to the

(signifying a second award) on 11 December 1916.

Later life

After his retirement he became General of Infanterie and returned to Lübeck.

Family

His son Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen (1902–1932) was an early

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including n ...

. His daughter Elizabeth married in 1919 till 1923 the aircraft designer

Anthony Fokker Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker (6 April 1890 – 23 December 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer, aviation entrepreneur, aircraft designer, and aircraft manufacturer. He produced fighter aircraft in Germany during the First World War such ...

(1890-1939).

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

of 1914, 1st and 2nd class *

(1 December 1914) and Oak Leaves (11 December 1916) * Order of the Crown, 2nd class with Swords on rings * Knight's Cross, First Class of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

with oak leaves (Baden) *

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () 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 service to the kingdom, o ...

, 2nd class with Oak Leaves and Swords on rings * Knight's Cross Second Class

Order of the White Falcon Order of the White Falcon () is a grand-ducal order of the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, founded by Duke Ernest Augustus on 2 August 1732, and renewed in 1815 by Charles Augustus. Description In the early 20th century it had four classes a ...

* Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

(Netherlands) * Commander of the Order of St. Michael (Bavaria) * Knight's Cross, First Class of the Ducal

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

(Saxon duchies) *

Service Award A Service award was awarded by a country to a soldier or civilian for long service. It is comparable to a service medal but can be awarded to civilians as well as soldiers. Germany Kingdom of Bavaria * Königliches Ludwigsorden for 50 years' ser ...

(Prussia) * Grand Commander of the

Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg) Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Cross of Merit, First Class of the Lippe House Order with Swords * Commander Second Class of the

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 (Hunting Order of St Hubert), in 1807 it was renamed the (Knightly Order of the G ...

* Knight's Cross, First Class of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

(Württemberg) * Grand Officer of the

Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) The Order of Military Merit () is a Bulgarian Order (decoration), order during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Bulgaria, Republic of Bulgaria. It is the third highest order in the Republic of Bulgaria along with the Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria) ...

Order of the Double Dragon The Imperial Order of the Double Dragon () was an Order (decoration), order awarded in the late Qing dynasty. The Order was founded by the Guangxu Emperor on 7 February 1882 as an award for outstanding services to the throne and the Qing court. ...

, 3rd Degree, First Class * Commander of the

Order of the Crown (Romania) The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

* Officer of the

Order of the White Eagle (Serbia) The Order of the White Eagle () was a state order in the Kingdom of Serbia (1883–1918) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1945). It continues as a dynastic order, with appointments currently made by Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia. ...

* Gold Imtiaz Medal (Ottoman Empire) *

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh (, Modern ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i Iftikhar, this became the second highest order ...

, 2nd class (Ottoman Empire) *

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

, 2nd class (Ottoman Empire) *

Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross () was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design ...

of Lübeck (2 November 1915) * Gold

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal () translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoman Empire, through the ...

(Ottoman Empire)

References

* Hanns Möller: ''Geschichte der Ritter des Ordens pour le mérite im Weltkrieg'', Band II: M–Z, Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1935 * Florian Hoffmann: ''Okkupation und Militärverwaltung in Kamerun. Etablierung und Institutionalisierung des kolonialen Gewaltmonopols 1891–1914'', Göttingen 2007 + ''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. (Königlich Württembergischen) Armeekorps für 1914'', Hrsg.: Kriegsministerium, Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1914, S.82 * ''Lübecker General-Anzeiger'', Obituary in the Newspaper from Lübeck of 16th, 21 and 22 February 1928 « Reisen im Hinterlande von Kamerun 1889/91 » in Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin 1891, cahier 7. Durch Kamerun von Süd nach Nord. Reisen und Forschungen im Hinterlande 1889 bis 1891, F. A. Brockhaus, 1893, 451 p. ire en ligne [archive. À travers le Cameroun du Sud au Nord : voyages et explorations dans l'arrière pays de 1889 à 1891 (traduction, présentation, commentaire et bibliographie de Philippe Laburthe-Tolra), Université Fédérale du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Université de Haute-Bretagne, Rennes, 1971-1974, 2 vol. (XVIII-375 p.-19 p. de pl.), compte-rendu de Thierno Mouctar Bah (Université de Yaoundé), in Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer, 1984, vol. 71, no 262, p. 106-107, ire en ligne [archive Kriegs- und Expeditionsführung in Afrika, Berlin, 1893 Zeitskizzen, Berlin, 1919. Meiner Truppen Heldenkämpfe, Berlin, 1920. Cet article est partiellement ou en totalité issu de l’article de Wikipédia en allemand intitulé « Kurt von Morgen » (voir la liste des auteurs). (de) Florian Hoffmann, Okkupation und Militärverwaltung in Kamerun. Etablierung und Institutionalisierung des kolonialen Gewaltmonopols 1891–1914, Göttingen, 2007, 433 p. (). (en) « Kurt von Morgen » [archive], sur La machine prussienne (consulté le 19 août 2015). Notices d'autoritéVoir et modifier les données sur Wikidata : Fichier d’autorité international virtuel • International Standard Name Identifier • Bibliothèque nationale de France (données) • Système universitaire de documentation • Bibliothèque du Congrès • Gemeinsame Normdatei • WorldCat {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgen, Curt von 1858 births 1928 deaths People from Nysa, Poland Military personnel from the Province of Silesia German Army generals of World War I Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Officers of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Gold Imtiyaz Medal Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 2nd class Recipients of the Hanseatic Cross (Lübeck) Recipients of the Gold Liakat Medal German colonial people in Kamerun Explorers from the German Empire 19th-century German explorers