General der Infanterie Erich von Tschischwitz

[Alexandre]

Hello Gentlemen,

Im looking for decorations of this GdI.

Born 17.05.1870

Died 26.09.1958

Erich von Tschischwitz was a general staff trained Prussian infantry officer who by the outbreak of the war was commanding a battalion in Infantry Regiment Nr. 157. He served on various senior staff positions throughout the war including:

Chief of Staff XXIII Reserve Corps: 27 Oct 1914 - 20 Sep 1917

Chief of Staff 2nd Army: 27 Feb 1918 - 10 Aug 1918

Commander 172nd Infantry Brigade: 1 Sep 1918 - 26 Feb 1919

Following the war he remained in the newly formed Reichsheer becoming the Inspector of motorised troops from 1 Oct 1919 - 1 Feb 1923 and then commander of Wehrkreis II/2. Division until finally appointed as commander of Group 1 on 1 Feb 1927 until 1 April 1929.

Promotions:

Sekondelieutenant: 22.03.89

Premierlieutenant : 01.09.96

Hauptmann: 22.03.02

Major: 10.09.08

Oberstleutnant: 19.08.14

Oberst: 18.04.1917

Generalmajor: 01.04.1921

Generalleutnant: 01.02.1923

General der Infanterie: 01.11.1927

Thx a lot in advance

Cheers

[bob lembke]

Alexandre;

This topic is of considerable interest to me. However (unless he had a brother) I think that early in the war he served in the Generalkommando von III. Reservekorps, in fact I think he was the officer my grand-father, Id of the III. RK, reported to.

He wrote the book Antwerpen of the Schlachten des Weltkrieges series (unless it was his brother, again), and his position in the Generalkommando is on the title page. I will look for my copy later.

Bob Lembke

[Alexandre]

Hello Bob,

Great infos. Im waiting for you.

[Deruelle]

Hi Alexander,

In the RL 1927, I found your officer and here is his wartime medals :

PlM m. El, EK2, EK1, PRAO4 m. Kr, PKO2X, HHO3X, CM, DA 25, BMVoX, SA3X, WF2bX, HH, MK2, L?H, ?EK3K, ?m3K

[Deruelle]

Just to find more informations, I don't find his name in the Roth's book, Bayersiche milit?rische Orden 1914-1918.. But some names are missing in this book. so perharps he well recieved the BMVOX. Just the date is missing ( for the moment).

Before the war he has got PRAO4 m. Kr, PKO3, CM, and BMV4 m. Kr.

Christophe

[Deruelle]

I found this photo

Christophe

[Alexandre]

Hello Christophe,

Thx a lot for the infos.

Im not a expert in abreviations of awards. I will try to identificate them.

in case of difficulties, might you to help me?

I have this another photo of von Tschischwitz.

Cheers

[bob lembke]

Guys;

This is from the title page of Antwerpen as Band 3 von der 2. Auflage. I also have the book from the 1st edition (1. Auflage); in that edition (the one with the green covers with the helmet in gold) the book is numerated as Band 3. The book seems identical in the two editions, aside from the cover.

On the title page the author is given as "Erich v. Tschischwitz, s. Zt. 1. Generalstabsoffizier beim III. Reservekorps". Due to the joys of Fraktur, there is a 10% probability that the "s" in "s. Zt." is actually a "f".

Pardon the mix of German and English, but I think that it provides the greatest precision. Now isn't "1. Generalstabsoffizier" the "Ia", the head of the operations sub-section of the Generalstabs Sektion of the Generalkommando of the corps? Then there also was a Chef des Generalstabs in the army corps, who would be second in command to Gen. von Beseler.

I have a photo taken just after the fall of Antwerp, on the steps of the City Hall of Ghent, I believe, of the Generalkommando with their new EKs. Beseler is sporting his new PlM. My grandfather (Heinrich Fuchs, Feuerwerk=Hauptman der Landwehr) is wearing his EK in the buttonhole position (2nd buttonhole) with the crossed two ribbons and the EK hanging from one of the ribbons. I am not a "medal guy". (I sometimes see guys shortly after getting an EK wearing it with two crossed ribbons in the button-hole, sometimes with only one ribbon. Does the second ribbon signify the EK I?) Does the crossed ribbons signify anything? I do know from a document that my grandfather got the EK II and the EK I, but I don't know if he also got the EK I at the same time. He did do something remarkable and very important shortly after the fall of Antwerp.

I have the photo of the Generalkommando by me now, but I cannot see the photos of von Tschischwitz that you guys posted in the "adding reply mode" of the Forum software, so when I close this I will check to see if he is in the photo.

In a letter shortly after the fall of Antwerp my grandfather mentioned that "he saw a gentleman in the evening, and that the man told him that everyone was to get the EK" (paraphrase from memory.) I assume that this was either the Chef des Generalstabs or the 1. Generalstabsoffizier, and might have referred to von Tschischwitz.

Bob Lembke

[bob lembke]

In the photo of the Generalkommando, von Beseler is front and center, and there is a fellow standing on the same step directly to von Beseler's left whose posture, "body English", position, clearly scream "I'm second in command." He is a couple of inches taller than von Beseler and looks like Lord Kirchner, with a fairly large moustache. So "Kirschner" must be the Chef des Generalstabs. To von Beseler's right, but one step up, is a guy that looks like von Tschischwitz, a tad younger than the photos (looks more like the second photo posted), who is also wearing Litzen (only about three of the 20-odd officers are wearing Litzen, including von Beseler.). From his position and "body English" he could easily be one of the chiefs of the sub-sections of the Generalstab Sektion of the Generalkommando, but it does not stand out as clearly as the other fellow, who has to be the 2nd in command. My grand-father is not (he was an Oberfeuerwerker in 1. Garde=Fuss=Artillery Regiment, but I don't know if being a NCO in the Guards would allow a fellow to wear the Litzen later when he was a commissioned officer, I would guess not).

Only about three officers of the 20-odd were wearing swords, and three pistols, including my grand-father, who was a "gun nut" and a crack shot; he once challanged another reserve officer to a duel with automatic pistols, the fellow wisely declined, and was thrown out of the Reserve Officers' Association for the refusal; when my father first told me this, I thought it was a joke, but Pop said: "Not at all, your grandfather was an excellent shot, and fully intended to kill the son-of-a-bitch!" My grand-father's aide de camp, standing to his right and rear, is wearing a sword and a natty uniform, he was the District Attorney of Thorn, but I do not know his name. I can't tell what sort of pistol my grand-father is carrying, as his left arm partially obscures the holster, but he was partial to the C96 "broom-handle" Mauser, and I have a great studio photo of him from Russia dressed entirely in white, with a snow cape, with a map case, a sword, and his beloved C96 Mauser in its large case.

Again, I veer OT a bit, but I hope that the detail is interesting.

Bob Lembke