Structure of a Generalkommando

[bob lembke]

As I have periodically mentioned in posts, my paternal grand-father, Heinrich Fuchs, was able to rise from a cow-poop shoveling peasant to a private and then an Unteroffizier in the Fuss=Artillerie, and then a Feuerwerk=Offizier, and when the war broke out, he was appointed the Id of the Generalkommando of the III. Reservekorps, in other words he was the head of one of the four sub-sections of the I. Sektion or Generalstab Sektion, the Sektion responsible for the supply of infantry and artillery ammunition to the army corps. (This story is interesting as a sociological study, an example of considerable social advancement in what seems to have been a fairly rigid society, Heinrich rising from peasant to a Major a. D., a member of the Berlin Stock Exchange, a gentleman farmer, and the manager of the Berlin stockyard, an enormous enterprise.)

Trying to learn more about the structure of the Generalkommando, I just bought a book on German e-Bay, Bronsart von Schellendorff, Der Dienst des Generalstabes, Dritte Auflage, neu bearbeitet von Meckel, Oberst und Abteilungschef im grossen Generalstabe, Berlin, 1893, Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, 433 Seiten. In other words, this is the third edition, revised by Colonel Meckel of the Great General Staff; the first and second editions came out in the 1870's and 1880's under Bronsart von Schellendorff, who possibly had passed away by the 1890's. There was an Oberst Bronsart von Schellendorff serving in Turkey in 1914-15, perhaps a son.

Skimming through the book, I find a detailed description of the Generalkommando of an army corps on pp. 93-94, but it dates from 1828. The book also makes a strong distinction between the Generalkommando in peace and in war. This description has the Generalkommando composed only of a Sektion I and a Sektion II. Would anyone know if the further two sections were added to the peace-time establishment at sometime between 1828 and 1914, or were the further two sections added to the Generalkommando in time of war (one could argue that an army corps, especially a reserve army corps, may not have needed an organization to handle ammunition supply in peacetime).

I now gather that there were two top Generalstab officers in an army corps, a Chef der Generalstab up there with the army corps commander, and also the head of the first sub-section of the 1st section of the Generalkommando, I believe known as 1. Generalstabs=Offizier of the Ia or operations sub-section of the Generalstab Sektion. I am assuming that the entire Generalkommando of four sections reported to the Chef der Generalstab, and the critical Ia operations sub-section of the I. Generalstab Sektion reported to the 1. Generalstaboffizier.

Do I have the above right?

What was the German term for the "sub-sections" of I. Sektion?

Any good source for such questions come to mind?

A couple of years ago a stellar member of the resident Guild of Research Gnomes gave me valuable information on Heinrich as an Oberfeuerwerker in 1. Garde=Fuss=Artillerie and later about a fascinating episode in his career as a Feuerwerk=Offizier, the latter from a book about the Feuerwerker branch which I gather is a book of the type often called an Ehrenbuch, which came out about various branches of service in the 1920's and 1930's. I am in the middle of a re-structuring and re-organizing of my files, and for the moment cannot readily put my hand on my scan and photocopy of an article that Heinrich wrote for the Ehrenbuch; I moved the scan at some time to a different folder and I am presently searching for it. I would love to get a copy of that book, as I am now studying the Feuerwerk=Offiziere that served in Turkey in WW I, but my searches in abebooks, ZVAB, and the catalogs of the German National Libraries have not unearthed the citation. Does anyone have the title of that book. The "Gnome" told me that the book was about 1500 pages long.

Bob Lembke

[joerookery]

Bob,

Try this book.

Christian E.O. Millotat "Das preu?isch-deutsche Generalstabssystem"

published in Z?rich (Hochschulverlag der ETH) 2000

or

Bronsart v. Schellendorff "Der Dienst des Generalstabes" published in Berlin (E.S. Mittler) 1905

VR/Joe

[Guest Rick Research]

From von Moser's massive (and I mean that literally-- it weighs a ton) "Die W?rttemberger im Weltkrieg"--

April 1917 the Stellv. GenKdo. XIII. AK (Home Establishment) was arranged:

Zentralstelle: the housekeeping/bookkeeping office of the General Command itself (under a Beamter)

Department (Abteilung) Ia-- Training and Demobilization, matters concerning horses (under a Major; 4 sub-sections)

Department IIa-- Officers Personnel matters (under a Major; no subsections)

Department IIb-- War labor and replacement services (under a Lieutanant Colonel; 5 sub-scetions)

Department IIc-- Gas defense (under a Captain; no sub-scetions)

Department IId-- Press sections (2 Captains dividing who they talked to and publications of books versus photos)

Department IIe-- Counter-Intelligence and Security (under a Major with 4 sub-sections)

Department IIf-- Prisoners of War Section (2 Captains dividing supervision of German personnel)

Department III-- Judge Advocates legal section (under legal Beamter)

Department IVa-- Administrative and War Provisions (under a Beamter)

Department IVb-- Medical Section (under militry doctor)

Department IVd (there apparently was NO IVc)-- Veterinary Services (under military veterinarian)

Department V-- Military Welfare (under a Liutenant Colonel) concerned with pensions, benefits, disability claim evaluation s etc

Note that each DEPARTMENT (ABTEILUNG) does NOT equate with preciely the same designations--only completely different designations-- for individual OFFICERS on a staff-- where the seior General Staff officer was "the Ia" and so on.

There may have been different organizations in the other kingdoms and at other times.

[Ingo Roeders]

Dear Bob,  I saw your postings about Heinrich Fuchs. You are writing that Heinrich Fuchs was your Grandfather. 

If this is true we are directly related. Heinrich Fuchs was my Grand Grandfather. I know he had children with different wives. My grandmother was Katharina Fuchs, Heinrich‘s daughter. She was born on 23-11-1896 in Säpzig.  That was the country home / farm where Heinrich lived when he was not in Berlin to run the Magerviehhof.  

Please write me. I would like to hear more about Heinrich and our family.  

Looking forward to hearing from you. 

Ingo Roeders from Berlin / Germany

[GreyC]

Hi Ingo,

unfortunately Bob Lemke died on 29th August 2017.

Best,

GreyC

[IrishGunner]

I hadn't heard that news either.  A generous and friendly man.