- Hermann von François
Infobox Military Person
name=Hermann von François
lived=birth date|1856|01|31 – death date and age|1933|05|15|1856|01|31
caption= General Hermann von François
nickname=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
allegiance=flagicon|German Empire|size=25pxGerman Empire
branch=Army
serviceyears=
rank=General
unit=
commands=
battles=World War I
awards=
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laterwork=Hermann von François (
January 31 ,1856 –May 15 ,1933 ) was a German "General der Infanterie" duringWorld War I , and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the Eastern Front in 1914.Early life and military career
Born in
Luxembourg to a noble family ofHuguenot extraction, François was exposed to a military life from an early age. His fatherBruno von François was aPrussia n general and commander of the27. (Preußische) Infanterie-Brigade . He was killed in action leading his men during theBattle of Spicheren on6 August 1870 , only a few days before theBattle of Sedan .François, who had enrolled as an officer cadet, was by 1875 based in
Potsdam as "Leutnant" of the 1.Garde-Regiment zu Fuß. From 1884 - 87, he attended the Military Academy atBerlin , and by 1889 had been promoted to "Hauptmann " (Captain) and had joined the General Staff.By the early 1890s, François was posted to the XV.Armeekorps as a general staff officer based in
Strasbourg . After a brief stint as company commander in 151. Infanterie-Regiment of the 31.Division, François devoted all his energies to the General Staff. In 1894 he was promoted to major and transferred to the 8. Division inMannheim . By 1899, François was the Chief of Staff for the IV. Armeekorps, commanded by "General der Infanterie"Paul von Hindenburg and based inMagdeburg .In 1901, François's mother, Marie took the family to
German South-West Africa to follow her youngest son, Hugo von François who was a "Hauptmann" (Captain) in the Colonial Army. The family was based in the region during theHerero Wars , in which Hugo fought. François' other brother,Curt von François , was a well known scientist and researcher specialising in Africa.In 1908, François was promoted to "Generalmajor" and placed in command of the Hessischen-Brigade in
Darmstadt . François was promoted to "Generalleutnant" in 1911 and given command of the 13. Division for a brief period before his promotion to "General der Infanterie" and posting to command of I. Armeekorps under the 8. Armee based inKönigsberg .World War I
François began the war stationed in the
province of East Prussia , where he was commander of the I Corps of the German Eighth Army. His task was to defend the easternmost regions of East Prussia against a Russian attack directed at the key city ofKönigsberg . The Eighth Army would be expected to hold out against significantly larger Russian forces until it could be reinforced by troops coming from the west after the expected quick defeat of France, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, which would guide German forces in the opening phase of a war in which Germany faced both France and Russia.When war broke out in August 1914, François' corps faced the right wing of a two-pronged Russian invasion of East Prussia, led by
Pavel Rennenkampf 's Russian First Army. OnAugust 17 , the overall German theatre commander, GeneralMaximilian von Prittwitz , nervously eyeing the advance of the Russian left wing far to the south, ordered Von François to retreat while under heavy attack from Rennenkampf.François, reluctant to surrender any of his beloved Prussia, and naturally pugnacious, also felt breaking off while engaged would be deadly, and so he ignored Prittwitz' order, responding with the famous reply "General von François will withdraw when he has defeated the Russians!" He counterattacked Rennenkampf's massive army, bringing on the
Battle of Stalluponen , and won a surprising victory while inflicting 5,000 casualties and taking 3,000 prisoners.After winning the battle, François obeyed Prittwitz's order and withdrew convert|15|mi|km|0 to the west, where three days later he fought Rennenkampf to a draw at the
Battle of Gumbinnen . Von François' aggressiveness resulted in the cautious Rennenkampf halting his advance westward.Following that battle and a change of overall commanders (Prittwitz was judged to have lost his nerve by the German High Command), François' corps was transferred by rail to the southwest, to confront the Russian Second Army advancing into southern East Prussia under the command of General
Alexander Samsonov . Although not trusted by the new German commandersPaul von Hindenburg andErich Ludendorff due to his previous disobedience, François played the decisive role in the upcomingBattle of Tannenberg (1914) . OnAugust 27 , François attacked the lead elements of Samsonov's army and began to make steady advances into their rear. Ludendorff, fearing a Russian counterattack by Rennenkampf, now ordered him to break off the advance. However, François twice ignored his direct orders and played a decisive role in the following encirclement and defeat of Samsonov's army.When Hindenburg and Ludendorff went south to lead the 9th Army in Russian Poland, François remained with his corps in East Prussia and led it with much success in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes the following month. When General von Schubert, the new commander of the 8th Army, ordered him to retreat, he dispatched a telegram to the OHL describing his success and stating "the Commander is badly counselled." The telegram impressed the Kaiser so much that he immediately relieved Schubert and, on 3rd October, gave von François the command of the 8th Army. Not long did he hold it. When Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared their counter-attack from Thorn in the direction of Łódź, François was reluctant to send the requested I Corps, sending badly trained and ill-equipped XXV Reserve Corps instead. That was too much for his superiors. In early November 1914 von François was removed and replaced by General
Otto von Below .After some time spent "on the shelf", François received the command of the XLI Reserve Corps on 24th December 1914, and after a spell in the West, he returned to the Eastern Front in April 1915 where he took part in the Spring Offensive that conquered Russian Poland. He continued to distinguish himself. He won the
Pour le Mérite , Germany's highest military decoration, on 14th May 1915 for his performance in the breakthrough at Gorlice, and had the Oak Leaves attached to it in July 1917, for outstanding performance during theBattle of Verdun . In July 1915 he was transferred back to the Western Front to take command of the Westphalian VII Corps in France, and in July 1916 Meuse Group West in the Verdun sector. However he never received any further promotion or serious commands under Ludendorff, and gave up his command in July 1918 and was placed on the standby list until October 1918 when he retired. [Insert footnote text hereThe Kaiser's Warlords: German Commanders of World War I, Ronald Pawly, Patrice Courcelle, 2003, p45.]Post-war
After the war ended, François returned home and wrote several books on military history, including the best-seller (in Germany) "Marneschlacht und Tannenberg" in 1920.
References
The Kaiser's Warlords: German Commanders of World War I, by Ronald Pawly, Patrice Courcelle, 2003.
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