Kurt Rackow
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Kurt Rackow (20 August 1893 – 6 October 1923) was a German military officer and ''
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 ...
'' recipient who served in the
Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...
,
Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...
, and
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
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 ...
and the
German Revolution of 1918–19 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 ...
. Rackow's most famous action was leading the capture of
Fort Vaux Fort Vaux (), in Vaux-Devant-Damloup, Meuse (department), Meuse, France, was a polygonal fort forming part of the ring of 19 large defensive works intended to protect the city of Verdun. Built from 1881 to 1884 for 1,500,000 francs, it housed ...
during the
Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
.


Early life and career

Born on 20 August 1893, Rackow was introduced into the Cadet Corps at an early point of his life. He joined the Imperial German Army's 158th
Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...
Infantry Regiment as ''
Fahnenjunker ''Fahnenjunker'' (short Fhj or FJ, ; ) is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of some former German armed forces. In earlier German armed forces it was also the collective name for many officer aspirant ranks. It was established by the ''Pre ...
'' (officer cadet) in 1912. By the time
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 ...
broke out in 1914, he had risen to second lieutenant. Rackow took part in the initial German invasion of Belgium and France. He served with distinction as adjutant, fighting at
Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
, St. Quentin, and taking part in the
First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...
,
First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...
, and the
First Battle of Artois The First Battle of Artois (17 December 1914 – 13 January 1915) was fought during the First World War between the French and German armies on the Western Front. The battle was the first offensive move on the Western Front by either side after ...
. In September 1915, he was appointed commander of the 158th Paderborn Infantry Regiment's 3rd company. With this unit, he participated in the
Second Battle of Champagne The Second Battle of Champagne (, utumn Battle in the First World War was a French offensive against the German army at Champagne that coincided with the Third Battle of Artois in the north and ended with a French defeat. Battle On 25 Sep ...
during which he was wounded twice. In the first case, he was hit by shrapnel in his right foot, but fought on, only to be heavily wounded north of Le Mesnil three days later. He was hospitalized, and returned to the 3rd company in February 1916.


Battle of Verdun

At this point, the 158th Paderborn Infantry Regiment was part of the German force that attempted to capture Verdun. Leading the regiment's 1st company, Rackow was ordered to assault the heavily fortified French-held
Fort Vaux Fort Vaux (), in Vaux-Devant-Damloup, Meuse (department), Meuse, France, was a polygonal fort forming part of the ring of 19 large defensive works intended to protect the city of Verdun. Built from 1881 to 1884 for 1,500,000 francs, it housed ...
on 2 June 1916. Rackow personally led the attack, but he and his men were subjected to "murderous shelling" as well as heavy machine gun fire. In order to facilitate a breakthrough, Rackow ordered German pioneers with specifically modified flamethrowers to attack the defenders at the fort's northwestern double gallery at about 5 a.m. The flamethrowers proved ineffective against the fortifications and caused few casualties, but still surprised the French. The machine guns were thus silenced, allowing Rackow and about thirty men to slip across the moat. They were the first Germans to reach Fort Vaux's superstructure. Regardless, the French quickly resumed their machine gun fire, trapping Rackow and his comrades next to the fort from about 5 a.m. Rackow and his isolated group shouted for support, but their comrades did not hear them. Even though they were located just away, the "terrible din" of the constant artillery bombardment drowned out their voices. The French continued to target Rackow's party, but they managed to hold out. In the afternoon, German pioneers of the Reserve Pioneer Battalion No. 20 led by Lieutenant Ruberg finally located a weak point in the fortification and detonated several demolition charges, forcing the French defenders to retreat. This allowed further German forces to cross the moat, reinforcing Rackow's group. At this point, the Germans held the fort's exterior defenses as well as the superstructure. As the highest-ranking officer present, Rackow assumed command of the further assault. He ordered Lieutenant Ruberg to open the way into the fort's depths by destroying a steel door at the northeastern corridor. Although Ruberg accomplished the task, he was wounded by the explosion of his charges and the French used the ensuing hesitation among the Germans to blockade the corridor. As result, the situation at Fort Vaux had become a stalemate. The French were cut off from support, but the Germans could not advance any further. Rackow and his men were thus forced to stay on the fort's roof, besieging the French below. Already decimated by the initial assault on the fortifications, Rackow's force suffered further losses as French artillery targeted their position. The Germans had to withdraw from the roof on the night of 3 June. The Imperial German Army continued to attack on the following days, but they were unable to dislodge the French. Fort Vaux's garrison was eventually forced to surrender on 7 June after having exhausted their water supplies. The Germans lost 2,742 soldiers killed in action during the battle for the fort, while the French suffered about 100 fatal casualties. For his role in the capture of Fort Vaux, Rackow was promoted to
Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
(senior lieutenant) and 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 ...
'', Germany's highest
order of merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
, by
Crown Prince Wilhelm Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, an ...
at
Stenay Stenay () is a commune in north-eastern France. It lies in the Meuse department, which is located in the Lorraine portion of the Grand Est region. Its inhabitants are called ''Stenaisiens''. History In 679, the assassinated king Dagobert ...
on 7 June 1916. He was one of Germany's youngest knights of the ''Pour le Mérite'', along with
Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...
and . On the occasion of Rackow's bestowal, the three posed with the Crown Prince for a "famous" photo. He continued to serve with the 158th Paderborn Infantry Regiment for the rest of the war.


German Revolution and later life

In the course of the
German Revolution of 1918–19 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 ...
, Rackow joined
Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...
Gabcke in late May 1919. The paramilitary group was supposed to keep order in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
, and Rackow led one of its sub-units until August 1919. He then joined the
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
, Germany's new military, and led the 54th Infantry Regiment's 9th company until early June 1920. He retired from the military in late June 1920, married, and acquired a manor, namely ''Rittergut Groß Moltzow'' at Kreife. He died on 6 October 1923 in an accident.


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Works cited

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rackow, Kurt 1893 births 1923 deaths German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Accidental deaths in Germany 20th-century Freikorps personnel