Fritz Theodor Carl von Below (23 September 1853 – 23 November 1918) 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 ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

during the

First World War 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 commanded troops during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne ( or , 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a French Third Republic, Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the German Empire, German armies in France. The Entente ...

, and the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

in 1918.

Biography

Born in Danzig (

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and from 1878 to 1919. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773, formed from Royal Prussia of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

), von Below, the son of Prussian Major General Ferdinand Adolf Eduard von Below (1812–1870), attended the Prussian Cadet Corps and was transferred to the

1st Foot Guards (German Empire) The 1st Foot Guard Regiment or 1st Guards Regiment of Foot () was an infantry regiment of the Royal Prussian Army formed in 1806 after Napoleon defeated Prussia in the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt. It was formed by combining all previous Foot Gu ...

on 19 April 1873 as a 2nd Lieutenant due to his excellent achievements as a cadet. He was appointed to the command of XXI Corps in 1912. In this capacity, he fought along with the 6th Army on the Western Front at the beginning of World War I. His corps was transferred in 1915 to the Eastern Front where it participated in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Below was awarded the

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 ...

on 16 February 1915 for successful campaigns on the Western Front and in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Von Below was elevated to command of the 2nd Army on 4 April 1915. In 1916 the 2nd Army bore the brunt of the Allied attack in the

. Reinforcements increased the size of the 2nd Army to such an extent that a decision was made to split it. The 1st Army was reformed on 19 July 1916 from the right (northern) wing of the 2nd Army. Below took command of 1st Army and 2nd Army got a new commander ''General der Artillerie''

Max von Gallwitz Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz (2 May 1852 – 18 April 1937) was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław), Silesia, who served with distinction during World War I on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Biography Gallwitz grew up in a Catho ...

, who was also installed as commander of ''armeegruppe Gallwitz-Somme'' to co-ordinate the actions of both armies. Below was awarded the Oakleaves to the Pour le Mérite (signifying a second award) on 11 August 1916 for his success in operations during the

. Von Below was appointed to command the 9th Army in June 1918, still on the Western Front. He had contracted pneumonia and its former commander, ''General der Infanterie'' Johannes von Eben, remained in provisional command. Fritz von Below died in Weimar on 23 November 1918, shortly after Germany had signed the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

. He is buried in the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Family

Von Below was the cousin of Otto von Below, another German commander during the war. The two generals are often confused. His brother Nikolaus Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand (1855–1915) was a Major General of the Prussian Army, another brother was General der Infanterie Ernst von Below (1863–1955)

Glossary

* ''Armee-Abteilung'' or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army. * ''Armee-Gruppe'' a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a task. * ''Heeresgruppe'' or

Army Group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

in the sense of a number of armies under one commander.

References

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Below, Fritz Von 1853 births 1918 deaths Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery German Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Gdańsk Military personnel from the Province of Prussia Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)

Fritz Fritz is a common German language, German male name. The name originated as a German diminutive of Friedrich (given name), Friedrich or Frederick (given name), Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Fred ...