Alexander von Linsingen

Alexander von Linsingen
Born	(1850-02-10)10 February 1850 Hildesheim, Kingdom of Hanover
Died	Hannover, Germany
Allegiance	German Empire
Years of service	1868–1918
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadiers "King Frederick the Great" 81st Infantry Brigade 27th Division II Corps South Army Army of the Bug Heeresgruppe Linsingen
Battles/wars	World War I First Battle of the Marne First Battle of Ypres Brusilov Offensive Battle of Kowel
Awards	Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves

Alexander Adolf August Karl von Linsingen (10 February 1850 – 5 June 1935) was a German general during World War I.

Military service

Linsingen joined the Prussian Army in 1868 and rose to Corps Commander (II Corps) in 1909. He was one of the very few top German generals not to have served on the general staff.

At the beginning of World War I, Linsingen was a Corps commander in the First Battle of the Marne. Transferred to the Eastern Front where German and Austrian armies were threatened by a Russian offensive in Galicia, Linsingen took command of South Army (1915). He defeated the Russian armies in the Battle of Stryi in 1915, capturing 60,000 Russian prisoners. He was awarded the Pour le Mérite on 14 May 1915 and the Oakleaves (for a second award) on 3 July 1915.

In 1915, he took command of the Army of the Bug and was concurrently commander of Heeresgruppe Linsingen. In June 1916, his Army Group faced the Brusilov offensive. After an initial retreat, he checked the Russian advance at the Battle of Kowel. He was promoted to Colonel-General, the second highest rank for a general in the Imperial German Army (4 stars). In 1917-1918 he led the German offense into the Ukraine. After the end of the war with Russia, he became the Military Governor of Berlin (1918). Alexander von Linsingen died on 5 June 1935 and is interred at the Neuen St. Nikolai-Friedhof in Hannover, Germany.

Decorations and awards

• Iron Cross of 1870, 2nd class
• Order of the Crown, 2nd class with Star (Prussia)
• Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)
• Service Award (Prussia)
• Commander 2nd Class of the Order of Albert the Bear (Anhalt)
• Knight's Cross 2nd Class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with Oak Leaves (Baden)
• Military Merit Order, 2nd class with Star (Bavaria)
• Grand Cross with Gold Crown in the House Order of the Wendish Crown (Mecklenburg)
• Grand Commanders Cross of the Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg)
• Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
• Iron Cross of 1914, 1st class
• Pour le Mérite (14 May 1915); Oak Leaves added on 3 July 1915
• Order of the Black Eagle (27 January 1917)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle with Swords (27 January 1917)

Glossary

• Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.
• Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
• Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

External links

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Bibliography

Military offices
Preceded by General der Infanterie Josias von Heeringen	Commander, II Corps 1 September 1909 - 10 January 1915	Succeeded by Upgraded to South Army
Preceded by New Formation	Commander, South Army 11 January 1915 - 8 July 1915	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Felix Graf von Bothmer
Preceded by New Formation	Commander, Army of the Bug 8 July 1915 - 31 March 1918	Succeeded by Dissolved
Preceded by New Formation	Commander, Heeresgruppe Linsingen 9 September 1915 - 1 June 1918	Succeeded by Dissolved