Falkenhayn, Erich von (1861-1922)

Falkenhayn, Erich von

GENERAL (GERMANY)

BORN 11 Sep 1861, Graudenz (near): Burg Belchau - DIED 8 Apr 1922, Brandenburg: Schloss Lindstedt (near Potsdam)
GRAVE LOCATION Potsdam, Brandenburg: Evangelischer Friedhof Bornstedt, Ribbeckstraße

Erich von Falkenhayn was the son of the landowner Fedor von Falkenhayn. He entered the army in 1880. He married Ida Selkmann in 1886 and they had a son and a daughter, Erika, who married Henning von Tresckow. In 1896 he became military advisor in China. In 1898 he returned to Prussian army. In 1913 he became Prussian Minister of War.

Shortly after the beginning of World War Helmuth von Moltke suffered a mental breakdown after the Battle of the Marne and Falkenhayn took over as chief of the General Staff. He conducted an offensive strategy on the Western Front and limited the Eastern campaign. He tried to break through at Ypres but failed. He did succeed to occupy Galicia together with the Austrians. After the Battle of Verdun he was replaced by Paul von Hindenburg.

Subsequently he commanded the 9th Army in Transylvania and his troops captured Bucharest. After he joined the Ottoman army he wasn't able to prevent the British general Edmund Allenby from invading Jerusalem in December 1917. In February 1918 he was put in charge of the 10th army in Belarus. After the war ended he retired from the army in 1919. He wrote an autobiography and several further books before he died in Potsdam in 1922.

Images

The grave of Erich von Falkenhayn at the Bornstedter Friedhof, Potsdam.
Picture by Androom (22 Aug 2017)