Felix Graf von Bothmer

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Colonel General
Commands held6th Bavarian Reserve Division
II Bavarian Reserve Corps
South Army
19th Army
Heimatschütz Süd
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsMilitary Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross
Pour le Mérite with oak leaves
Order of the Dannebrog, Knight's Cross

Felix Ludwig Graf

general from Bavaria. He notably served in the Brusilov offensive of World War I
.

Military Career and After

In 1871 Bothmer joined the Bavarian Army. He spent most of the following forty years serving in the Bavarian War Ministry or on the Royal Bavarian Army General Staff, with stints of line duty and three years in Berlin with the Prussian General Staff. Rising through the ranks; in 1910 he was promoted to General der Infanterie. Before World War I Bothmer fractured a leg which rendered him unfit for field duty, resulting in him having to wait for a command until December.[2] On 30 November 1914 he was appointed to command the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division at Ypres.

On 22 March 1915 he was given the command of

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive
in May 1915.

After 6 July 1915, Hans Ritter von Hemmer was his Chief of General Staff. On 7 July, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite for outstanding leadership and distinguished military planning and successful operations during the battles of Dniester, Gnila-Lipa, and Zlota-Lipa. A day later Bothmer succeeded Alexander von Linsingen as commander of the South Army, which consisted of German and Austrian units. He was awarded the oak leaves to his Pour le Merite on 25 July 1917 for his actions during the battle around the city of Brzezany during the German summer offensive on the eastern front, as well as for his leadership and during the battle at the bridgehead at Zbrucz. He also received the Grand Cross of the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph.

His units stood firm against the

Bavarian Ministry for Military Affairs
from November to December 1918, mostly overseeing the demobilization of the soon-to-be-disbanded Bavarian Army.

After the war, he lived in Munich. After the Beer Hall Putsch, Bothmer said during the trials of Adolf Hitler that the putsch was well prepared.[4]

Count Bothmer died in Munich on 18 March 1937 and, contrary to his family's wishes, Adolf Hitler's government ordered a state funeral. He was eulogized by Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria.

Family

Bothmer's father was an army general and belonged to the German nobility. Felix Graf von Bothmer married Auguste Baldinger on 22 July 1882. They had 2 daughters together.

Military ranks

Decorations and Honours

Bothmer in 1915

Bavaria

  • Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross (1915), Commander's Cross (1915) and Grand Cross (1916)
  • Military Merit Order, 1st Class, Swords to 1st Class and Grand Cross with Swords
  • Service Decoration, 1st Class
  • Ludwigsorden
    , Honor Cross
  • Jubilee Medal
  • Merit Order of St. Michael
    , 1st Class

Prussia

Other German states

Other countries

The orders above which were from Allied nations were awarded prior to World War I.[5]

References

  1. ^ Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
  2. ISBN 978-1-135-68425-9
    .
  3. ISBN 9781472824899
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-4472-5116-3
    .
  5. OCLC 163144588
    )

External links

Additional Reading

  • Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, Friedrichfranz Feeser, "Das Bayernbuch vom Weltkriege 1914-1918", I. Band, Chr. Belser AG, Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1930
  • Günter Wegner, Deutschlands Heere bis 1918, Band 10, Bayern, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1984
  • Rudolf v. Kramer, Otto Freiherr von Waldenfels, Der königlich bayerische Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden, Selbstverlag des k. b. Militär-Max-Joseph-Ordens, München 1966
Military offices
Preceded by
New Formation
 Commander, II Royal Bavarian Reserve Corps
December 1914 – 7 July 1915 		Succeeded by
Upgraded to new South Army
Preceded by Commander, South Army
8 July 1915 – 25 January 1918 		Succeeded by
Dissolved
Preceded by
New Formation
 Commander, 19th Army
4 February 1918 – 8 November 1918 		Succeeded by
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