Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz
1843–1916

Wilhelm Leopold Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (August 12, 1843 – April 19, 1916) also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian Field Marshal and military writer. Download high resolution version (506x694, 211 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (506x694, 211 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... Replica of the marshals baton of Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen (Third Reich) Generalfeldmarschall ( ) (general field marshal, usually translated simply as field marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Empire. ...

Military career

Goltz was born in Bielkenfeld, East Prussia (later renamed Goltzhausen; now Ivanovka, near Polessk, Kaliningrad Oblast)[1], into an impoverished noble family. His father spent some nineteen years in the Prussian Army without rising above the rank of lieutenant, and his efforts at farming were similarly unfruitful, and he eventually succumbed to cholera while on a trip to Danzig (now Gdansk) when Colmar was six years old. ^[1] East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... Polessk (Russian: Полесск, German: Labiau (until 1945), Polish: Labiawa, Lithuanian: Labguva) is a small city in the Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia. ... Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: , Kaliningradskaya Oblast; informally called Yantarny kray (, meaning amber region) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) on the Baltic coast. ... For alternative meanings of Gdańsk and Danzig, see Gdansk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation) The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... For alternative meanings of Gdańsk and Danzig, see Gdansk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation) Motto: Nec temere, nec timide (Neither rashly nor timidly) Voivodship Pomeranian Municipal government Rada miasta Gdańska Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Area 262 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 461 400 (2003) Ranked 6th 1 035 000 1761/km² Founded...

Goltz entered the Prussian infantry in 1861 as a second lieutenant with the 5th East Prussian Infantry Regiment Number 41, in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad).^[2] From 1864–1864 he was on border duty at Thorn (Toruń), after which he entered the Berlin Military Academy, but was temporarily withdrawn in 1866 to serve in the Austrian war, in which he was wounded at Trautenau. In 1867 he joined the topographical section of the general staff, and at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was attached to the staff of Prince Frederick Charles, commanding general of the Prussian Second Army. He took part in the battles of Vionville and Gravelotte and in the siege of Metz. After its fall he served under the Red Prince in the campaign of the Loire, including the battles of Orleans and Le Mans. Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Former German name of the city of Kaliningrad. ... Kaliningrad (Russian: ; Lithuanian: Karaliaučius; German  , Polish: Królewiec; briefly Russified as Kyonigsberg), is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Motto: Durabo (Latin: I will last) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship County city county Established 13th century City rights 1233 Government  - Mayor MichaÅ‚ Zaleski Area  - City 115. ... Motto: Durabo (Latin: I will last) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship County city county Established 13th century City rights 1233 Government  - Mayor MichaÅ‚ Zaleski Area  - City 115. ... Trutnov is a city in Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. ... For discussion of land surfaces themselves, see Terrain. ... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with South German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III François Achille Bazaine Patrice de Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta Otto von Bismarck Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at wars beginning 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000... Prince Friedrich Karl Nicholas of Prussia (20 March 1828-15 June 1885) was the son of Karl of Prussia (1801-1883) and his wife Marie Louise of Saxe-Weimar (1808-1877). ... Combatants Prussia France Commanders Helmuth von Moltke François Achille Bazaine Strength 188,332 732 guns 112,800 520 guns Casualties 20,163 dead, wounded, missing or captured 7,855 dead or wounded, 4,420 captured The Battle of Gravelotte (August 18, 1870) was a battle of the Franco-Prussian... Combatants Prussia France Commanders Prince Friedrich Karl François Bazaine Strength 134,000 180,000 Casualties unknown 180,000 surrendered The Siege of Metz lasting from September 3 – October 23, 1870 was a crushing defeat for the French during the Franco-Prussian War. ... The Siege of Orl ans was the first French victory of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War and turning point of great war between France and England. ... Battle of Le Mans Conflict Franco_Prussian War Date January 10 – 12 1871 Place Le Mans, France Result Prussian victory The Battle of LeMans was a Prussian victory during the Franco_Prussian War which ended French resistance in western France. ...

Goltz was appointed professor at the military school at Potsdam in 1871, promoted to captain, and placed in the historical section of the general staff. It was then that he wrote Die Operationen der II. Armee bis zur Capitulation von Metz (The Operations of the Second Army until the surrender of Metz) and Die Sieben Tage von Le Mans (The Seven Days of Le Mans), both published in 1873. In 1874 he was appointed first general staff officer (Ia) of the 6th Division, and while so employed wrote Die Operationen der II. Armee an der Loire (The Operations of the Second Army on the Loire) and Léon Gambetta und seine Armeen (Léon Gambetta and his armies), published in 1875 and 1877 respectively. The latter was translated into French the same year, and is considered by many historians to be his most original contribution to military literature. Potsdam is the capital city of the federal state of Brandenburg in Germany. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The German General Staff, (Großer Generalstab, literally, Great General Staff) was an institution whose rise and development gave the German military a decided advantage over its adversaries. ... Painting of Léon Gambetta by Léon Bonnat Léon Gambetta (April 2, 1838 - December 31, 1882), French statesman, was born at Cahors. ...

Goltz stressed how, despite the rapid initial victory against the Imperial French forces at Sedan, the new French Republic had been able to mobilise national will for a Volkskrieg ("War of the People") which dragged on for many more months (the Siege of Paris, the campaign on the Loire and the partisans behind German lines, the latter tying down 20% of German strength), the implication being that it was therefore unrealistic to expect a quick victory over France in any future war. The views expressed in the latter work were unpopular with the powers that be and led to Goltz's being sent back to regimental duty for a time, but it was not long before he returned to the military history section. In 1878 Goltz was appointed lecturer in military history at the military academy at Berlin, where he remained for five years and attained the rank of major. He published, in 1883, Roßbach und Jena (new and revised edition, Von Rossbach bis Jena und Auerstadt, 1906), Das Volk in Waffen (The Nation in Arms), both of which quickly became military classics, and during his residence in Berlin contributed many articles to the military journals.

Service with the Ottoman Empire

In 1883, Sultan Hamid, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, asked for German aid in reorganizing the Ottoman Army. Baron von der Goltz was sent. He spent twelve years on this work which provided the material for several of his books. After some years he was given the title Pasha (a signal honor for a non-Moslem) and in 1895, just before he returned to Germany, he was named Mushir (field-marshal). His improvements to the Ottoman army were significant and the Turkish army performed well in the Greco-Turkish War (1897). Year 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Abdülhamid II (Ottoman Turkish: عبد الحميد ثانی , Turkish: ) (September 21, 1842 – February 10, 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Ä°stanbul (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320... Pasha, pascha or bashaw (Turkish: paÅŸa) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors and generals. ... A Mushir (Marshal) is the highest rank in most militaries of the Middle East. ... The Greco-Turkish War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days War, was a war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, under its ruler Sultan Hamid. ...

On his return to Germany in 1896 Goltz became a lieutenant-general and commander of the 5th division, and in 1898, head of the Engineer and Pioneer Corps and inspector-general of fortifications. In 1900 he was made general of infantry and in 1902 commander of the I. army corps. In 1907 he was made inspector-general of the newly created sixth army inspection established at Berlin, and in 1908 was given the rank of colonel-general (Generaloberst). Following the 1911 manœuvres Goltz was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal), and retired from active service. Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Replica of the marshals baton of Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen (Third Reich) Generalfeldmarschall ( ) (general field marshal, usually translated simply as field marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Empire. ...

Recalled from retirement: World War I

In German service (1914-1915)

At the outbreak of the First World War Goltz was recalled to duty and appointed the military governor of Belgium. In that position, he dealt ruthlessly with what remained of Belgian resistance to German occupation, mostly sniper-fire and damaging rail and telegraph lines. As Martin Gilbert notes in The First World War, in early September 1914, the newly appointed Goltz proclaimed: "It is the stern necessity of war that the punishment for hostile acts falls not only on the guilty, but on the innocent as well." On October 5, he was even clearer when he ordered: "In the future, villages in the vicinity of places where railway and telegraph lines are destroyed will be punished without pity (whether they are guilty or not of the acts in question). With this in view hostages have been taken in all villages near the railway lines which are threatened by such attacks. Upon the first attempt to destroy lines of railway, telegraph or telephone, they will immediately be shot." And while attacks on rail systems by a "resistance" movement operating without uniforms may have been illegal under the rules of war, the shooting of hostages who, because they were already in custody, could not have committed those acts, was both illegal and morally reprehensible. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Sir Martin John Gilbert, CBE (born October 25, 1936 in London) is a British historian and the author of over seventy books, including works on the Holocaust and Jewish history. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ...

Goltz also bears in the infamy of being praised by Adolf Hitler, who in September 1941 linked Nazi atrocities in Eastern Europe with those in Belgium during World War I. Hitler redirects here. ...

The old Reich knew already how to act with firmness in the occupied areas. That’s how attempts at sabotage to the railways in Belgium were punished by Count von der Goltz. He had all the villages burnt within a radius of several kilometres, after having had all the mayors shot, the men imprisoned and the women and children evacuated. [Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s Secret Conversations, (New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1953), 25.]

In Ottoman service (1915-1916)

Soon afterward Goltz gave up that position and became a military aide to the (essentially powerless) Sultan Mehmed V. Baron von der Goltz did not get along with the head of the German mission to Turkey, Otto Liman von Sanders, nor was he liked by the real power in the Ottoman Government, Enver Pasha. Sultan Mehmed V Mehmed V (sometimes also Mahommed V; known as Mehmed V ReÅŸad (or ReÅŸat) or Reshid Effendi) (November 2, 1844 – July 3, 1918) was the 39th Ottoman Sultan. ... Otto Liman von Sanders (February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German general who served as adviser to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V during World War I. He was born in Stolp in Pomerania. ... Ismail Enver Ismail Enver, known to Europeans during his political career as Enver Pasha ( Istanbul, November 22, 1881 - August 4, 1922) was a military officer and a leader of the Young Turk revolution in the closing days of the Ottoman Empire. ...

Despite the mutual dislike, in mid-October of 1915, with the British under General Townshend advancing on Baghdad, Enver Pasha put Goltz in charge of the Fifth Army (see the Mesopotamian Campaign). Baron von der Goltz was in command at the Battle of Ctesiphon - which was a draw, as both sides retreated from the battlefield. However, with the British retreating, Goltz turned his army around and followed them down the river. When Townshend halted at Kut, Goltz laid siege to the British position (see the Siege of Kut). Much like Julius Caesar's legions at the Battle of Alesia, the Turkish army had to fight off a major British effort to relieve the Kut garrison while maintaining the siege. All told the British tried three different attacks and each one failed at a total cost of 23,000 casualties. Major General Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend (21 February 1861 – 18 May 1924) KCB was a British Army officer who led the ultimately disastrous first British Expedition against Baghdad during World War I, and was later elected to Parliament. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Combatants United Kingdom British India  Ottoman Empire Commanders General Nixon, General Maude Khalil Pasha, General von der Goltz Strength 112,000 90,000 ? Casualties 92,000 100,000 ? The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between Allied Powers represented by the... Combatants British Empire, British India Ottoman Empire Commanders General Townshend Baron von der Goltz Strength 11,000 troops, two warships around 30,000 Casualties 4,500 9,600 British Expeditionary Force D, mostly made up of Indians and under the command of Gen. ... Combatants Britain, British India Ottoman Empire Commanders General Townshend Baron von der Goltz†, Khalil Pasha Strength 30,000 50,000 Casualties 23,000 10,000 The Siege of Kut-al-Amara (December 7, 1915 – April 29, 1916) was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I. The British Mesopotamian... For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ... Combatants Roman Republic Gallic Tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Vercingetorix Commius Strength ~30,000-60,000, 12 Roman legions and auxiliaries ~330,000 some 80,000 besieged ~250,000 relief forces Casualties 12,800 40,000-250,000 [] The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia took place in September 52...

Death

Goltz died of typhus on April 19, 1916, in Baghdad, just two weeks before the British in Kut surrendered. For the unrelated disease caused by Salmonella typhi, see Typhoid fever. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Combatants Britain, British India Ottoman Empire Commanders General Townshend Baron von der Goltz†, Khalil Pasha Strength 30,000 50,000 Casualties 23,000 10,000 The Siege of Kut-al-Amara (December 7, 1915 – April 29, 1916) was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I. The British Mesopotamian...

Writing career

From the 1870s till World War I, Baron von der Goltz was more widely read by British and American military leaders than Clausewitz. In addition to many contributions to military periodicals, he wrote Kriegführung (1895), later titled Krieg und Heerführung, 1901 (The Conduct of War); Der Thessalische Krieg (The War in Greece, 1898); Ein Ausflug nach Macedonien (1894) (A Journey through Macedonia); Anatolische Ausflüge (1896) (Anatolian Travels); a map and description of the environs of Constantinople; Von Jena bis Pr. Eylau (1907) (From Jena to Eylau). Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz (IPA: ) (June 1, 1780[1] – November 16, 1831) was a Prussian soldier, military historian and influential military theorist. ... The Battle of Jena was fought on October 14, 1806, in Jena, in todays Germany, and resulted in a French victory under Napoleon Bonaparte against the Prussians under General Hohenlohe. ... Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Kingdom of Prussia Commanders Napoleon I General Bennigsen General LEstocq Strength 45,000 men, 200 cannons[2] 67,000 men, 460 cannons[2] Casualties Up to 25,000 (see text) Up to 25,000 (see text) The Battle of Eylau or Battle of...

Notes

References

• Teske, Hermann (1957). Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz: Ein Kämpfer für den militärischen Fortschritt. Berlin: Musterschmidt-Verlag. 
• Hull, Isabel (2005). Absolute Destruction: Military Culture and the Practices of War in Imperial Germany. Cornell: Cornell University Press. 

Partial list of works

• Feldzug 1870-71. Die Operationen der II. Armee. Berlin, 1873.
• Angeline. Stuttgart, 1877.
• Leon Gambetta und seine Armee. Berlin, 1877.
• Rossbach und Jena. Studien über die Zustände und das geistige Leben der preußischen Armee während der Uebergangszeit von XVIII. zum XIX. Jahrhundert. Berlin, 1883.
• Das Volk in Waffen, ein Buch über Heerwesen und Kriegführung unserer Zeit. Berlin, 1883.
• Ein Ausflug nach Macedonien. Berlin, 1894.
• Kriegführung. Kurze Lehre ihrer wichtigsten Grundsätze und Formen. Berlin, 1895.
• Anatolische Ausflüge, Reisebilder von Colmar Freiherr v. d. Goltz; mit 37 Bildern und 18 Karten. Berlin, 1896.
• Krieg- und Heerführung. Berlin, 1901.
• Von Rossbach bis Jena und Auerstedt; ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des preussischen Heeres. Berlin, 1906.
• Von Jena bis Pr. Eylau, des alten preussischen Heeres Schmach und Ehrenrettung; eine kriegsgeschichtliche Studie von Colmar Frhr. v. d. Goltz. Berlin, 1907.
• Jung-Deutschland; ein Beitrag zur Frage der Jugendpflege. Berlin, 1911.
• Kriegsgeschichte Deutschlands im neunzehnten Jahrhundert. Berlin, 1910-1912.
• 1813; Blücher und Bonaparte, von Feldmarschall Frhn. v. d. Goltz.. Stuttgart and Berlin, 1913.

See also

• Sigismund von Schlichting
• Julius von Verdy du Vernois

Sigismund Wilhelm Lorenz von Schlichting ( 1829- 1909) was a Prussian soldier and military theorist, perhaps best known for his participation in the debates over infantry tactics in the 1880s and 1890s. ... Julius von Verdy du Vernois (1832-1910) was a German general and staff officer, chiefly noted for his military writings. ...

External links

• Biography of Baron von der Goltz at First World War.com
• Short biography of the Baron on Spartacus.net

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...