Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2022) |
Colmar von der Goltz | |
---|---|
Russian Federation | |
Died | 19 April 1916 Baghdad, Ottoman Empire | (aged 72)
Allegiance | Prussia German Empire Ottoman Empire |
Service/ | Prussian Army |
Years of service | 1861–1911 1914–1916 |
Rank | Generalfeldmarschall Pasha |
Battles/wars | Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War World War I |
Wilhelm Leopold Colmar Freiherr[1] von der Goltz (12 August 1843 – 19 April 1916), also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian field marshal and military writer.
Early life and ancestry
Goltz was born in Adlig Bielkenfeld,
Military career
Goltz entered the Prussian infantry in 1861 as a second lieutenant with the 5th East Prussian Infantry Regiment Number 41, in
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.[6]
Goltz stressed how, despite the rapid initial victory against the Imperial French forces at the Battle of 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 of 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. Goltz, who wrote with open admiration about Léon Gambetta's efforts to raise new armies after September 1870, argued that the French "people's war" might have been successful had Gambetta been able to better train his new armies.[7] Goltz argued that henceforward a new age in war had begun, that of the "nation in arms," where the state would seek to mobilize the entire nation and its resources for war, what today might be called total war.[7] 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 a lecturer in military history at the military academy in 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) and Das Volk in Waffen (The Nation in Arms), both of which quickly became military classics. The latter also became the theoretical handbook of the Argentine Army, and in 1910 Goltz headed the German diplomatic mission to the Argentina Centennial. During his residence in Berlin, Goltz contributed many articles to military journals.[6]
The ideas that Goltz first introduced in Léon Gambetta und seine Armeen were further expanded in The Nation in Arms, where he argued:
"The day of Cabinet wars is over. It is no longer the weakness of a single man, at the head of affairs, of a dominant party that is decisive, but only the exhaustion of the belligerent nations."[7]
So to win war in the future would require that "the great civilized nations of the present bring their military organization to ever greater perfection."[7] To that end, Goltz thought society needed to be militarized in peacetime on an unprecedented level, and what was required was "the full amalgamation of military and civilian life."[7] Goltz was a militarist, Social Darwinist and ultra-nationalist who believed war was necessary, desirable and inevitable.[7] In Goltz's Social Darwinist perspective, just as "survival of the fittest" prevailed in nature, the same principle applied to international relations with "strong" nations rightfully devouring "weak" nations.[7] Goltz, who saw the carnage of war as the most beautiful thing in the world wrote: "It [war] is an expression of the energy and self-respect which a nation possesses.... Perpetual peace means perpetual death!"[7]
Service with the Ottoman Empire
Defeated in the
"All the hopes of Turkey rest on her youth, the generation to which you belong, and which can save the country, once it reaches the top."[11]
Goltz often expressed admiration for the ordinary Turkish soldier, whom he regarded as immensely tough, brave and willing to suffer without complaint.
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).[6] Goltz welcomed the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, which should come as no surprise given that most of the officers leading the revolution were men he had personally trained.[17] Goltz wrote about this revolution of 1908:
"The great Revolution of 1908 is the work of…Young Turks and in particular young officers. Most of them were in their 30s or even younger…They were the saviors of the fatherland."[18]
Writing in response to Goltz's article praising the revolution, one Unionist Major Ali Fuad wrote: "This article written by our Honorable Master should be repeatedly read by all soldiers from field marshal to lieutenant … it always should be read ... and should be taken as a guide in all our efforts and initiatives. … I assure you, Honorable Master … that we shall stick exactly to your advice and we shall regard it as our guide."[17] Goltz replied that he was overjoyed with the affection from his "old friends," and would be more than happy to offer his advice.[17]
In an article on 24 July 1908, Goltz denied the charge often made in the West that the Ottoman authorities had oppressed the Christian population of Macedonia and were committing systematic human rights abuses.[17] Goltz wrote: "Nevertheless, what the Westerners write about the Turkish government is not honest. Most of the time, it is the case that those Greeks, Bulgarians, and Serbs, who have had terrible experiences at the hands of their very own nationals, ask for Turkish protection. They know that the Turks are filled with generosity and compassion. They forgot and forgive. For being compassionate to the weak is part of their national traditions and they are proud of it."[17] Goltz denied the charge of widespread human rights abuses against the Christians, writing: "Now, the Ottoman administration there is much better than it is thought. The Ottoman governors there, either generals or civilian employees, are young, healthy and knowledgeable men. If they are left to themselves, they can protect the peace perfectly well."[17] Anyhow, Goltz wrote the Europeans "never think about the real owners of the country, the Turks, who constitute the majority in Macedonia … Ottoman staff officers, since 1887, under my direction, have prepared the maps of the Ottoman Balkans and we have found many Turkish villages, which have not been shown in other maps, besides Slav and Greek ones. Turks, in short, have a great right to be in Macedonia.[19] Goltz advised his protégés in the Committee of Union and Progress: "Be powerful so you will not be subject to injustice."[18] In 1910, Goltz advised Pertev to create a para-military youth organization that would serve to
"inspire a patriotic and soldierly spirit in youth, to fill them with joy at the fame and greatness of Turkey, and at the same time to give them a healthy physical education, which prepares them for the military profession."[20]
Goltz further added that the purpose of education of youth was
"the formation of the patriotic sense, love of the fatherland, soldierly virtues and the toughening of the body, less so the technical preparation of the growing generation."[20]
Following the 1911 manœuvres Goltz was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal), and retired from active service in 1913.[21] In 1911 he founded the Jungdeutschlandbund (Young German League), an umbrella organization of right-wing German youth associations.
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
Goltz' actions were praised by Adolf Hitler, who in September 1941 linked Nazi atrocities in Eastern Europe with those in Belgium during World War I.
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.[22]
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.
Despite the mutual dislike, in mid-October 1915, with the British under
Armenian Genocide
During the 1915 campaign of the Russians in eastern
Death
Goltz died on 19 April 1916, just about two weeks before the British in Kut surrendered on 29 April.[25] The official reason for his death was typhus, although apparently there were rumors that he had been poisoned.[26] In accordance with his will, he was buried in the grounds of the German Consulate in Tarabya, Istanbul, overlooking the Bosporus. Footage exists of his funeral cortège, flanked on both sides by military officers and citizens of a grateful empire. Coincidentally, nineteen months later, British General Stanley Maude died in the same house in which Goltz had died.
Writing career
From the 1870s until World War I, Baron von der Goltz was more widely read by British and American military leaders than
Awards and decorations
- Kingdom of Prussia:[27]
- Knight of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords, 15 January 1867;[28] 2nd Class with Oak Leaves, Swords on Ring and Crown, 27 January 1893;[29] Grand Cross, 27 January 1902[30]
- Service Award Cross
- Iron Cross (1870), 2nd Class
- Knight of the Royal Crown Order, 3rd Class, 18 January 1881;[28] 1st Class
- Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
- Pour le Mérite (civil), 1911
- Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar
- Kingdom of Bavaria: Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order[27]
- Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order[27]
- Principality of Reuss-Gera: Cross of Honour, 1st Class[27]
- Kingdom of Saxony: Grand Cross of the Albert Order[27]
- Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order[27]
- French Empire: Knight of the Legion of Honour[27]
- Ottoman Empire:[27]
- Order of Distinction, in Diamonds
- Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class in Diamonds
- Order of the Medjidie, 1st Class in Diamonds
- Gold and Silver Imtiyaz Medals
- Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky[27]
See also
Notes
- Freiin.
- ^ Google Maps at maps.google.com
- ^ Horst Schulz, Der Kreis Pr. Eylau, Verden/Aller 1983
- ^ Hermann Teske (1957), 9-10
- ^ Hermann Teske (1957), 14
- ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 22
- ^ a b Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 23
- ^ a b c Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 24
- ^ Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 25
- ^ a b Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 26
- ^ Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris pages 26-27
- ^ a b c d e Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 27
- ^ Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris pages 27-28
- ^ a b Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 28
- ^ a b c d Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 29
- ^ a b c d e f Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 66
- ^ a b Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 67
- ^ Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris pages 66-67
- ^ a b Akmeșe, Handan Nezir The Birth of Modern Turkey The Ottoman Military and the March to World I, London: I.B. Tauris page 167
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 31 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. p. 297. .
- ^ Hitler, Adolf (1953). Hitler's Secret Conversations. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young. p. 25.
- ^ Isabel V. Hull (2005), 276-277
- ^ Isabel V. Hull (2005), 286-287
- ^ Biographie, Deutsche. "Goltz-Pascha, Colmar Freiherr von der – Deutsche Biographie". deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ Barker, A. J., The First Iraq War: 1914-1918, Britain's Mesopotamian Campaign (Enigma Books, 2009), 228
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz". The Prussian Machine. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei: 283, 697, 1886 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1886, p. 16 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1895, p. 7 – via hathitrust.org
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.
- Barker, A. J. (2009). The First Iraq War, 1914-1918: Britain's Mesopotamian Campaign. New York: Enigma Books. ISBN 978-1-929631-86-5
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Goltz, Colmar, Freiherr von der". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 227. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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.