Fates Worse Than Death: 2 VERY Bad Germans !

[Chris Boonzaier]

From Rick

There is an exquisite—if lethal—beauty to Damascus steel swords. Faithful GMIC readers will have noted many previous tragic real-life epics in these pages. Those who live by the sword, and all of that. Yet often as the glib motto “death before dishonour” comes up… our tale today is about dishonour before death. As Edward Gibbon noted over two centuries ago, “(h)istory…is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.”

This scarce Hessian pattern basket-hilt sword bears the simple inscription “Holzmann s/l/ Frobenius 1891.”

Can’t ask, can’t tell… now….

[Chris Boonzaier]

Herrn Holzmann and Frobénius were comrades in Hessian Corps-Artillery Regiment 25. Presenter

Holzmann was commissioned Seconde-Lieutenant der Reserve on 14 October 1890. Recipient of this noble gift Frobénius was commissioned Seconde-Lieutenant der Reserve on 18 January 1891. Both appear together by this invisible seniority (dates not ever published in Prussian army Rank Lists for reservists) in the annual Rank Lists from 1891 to 1894.

In 1895, separated with deceptive subtlety by a dash and seemingly innocuous abbreviation, Frobénius left military duty. “— Auss. Abg.” meant “Ausserdem Abgang.” Following notations for transfers,

retirements with pensions and right to wear uniform, retirements (voluntary and involuntary—but those are another story) and departure from a unit by reason of death, last (faithful readers will note that this category FOLLOWS death….) came “departure by other than the previous.”

Friend Holzmann now wandered from Reserve status into the Landwehr, moving residences three times

in three years. In 1898 fate caught up with him too and he also “departed by other than the previous.”

[Chris Boonzaier]

What that mild but significantly punctuated abbreviation MEANT was… that the ex-officer so named had been convicted by military court martial and expelled from the army. Not simply removed from the officer corps, but excluded from the officer caste (Offizierstand). In the frightening but now almost forgotten Old

English legal sense, the ex-officer was a “nothing”—literally a non-person. If senior enough, his pension was forfeited, as were his decorations. Barred from ever wearing uniform again, he was also banned from use of his former military title. Without status, without income—the convict faced social suicide as well as the obvious hint that one bullet in the revolver would be “doing the right thing.”

But such disgrace was not, technically, a death sentence. Examining more and more cases, about 1 in 4 cashiered officers were able to redeem themselves to some degree once the Great War‘s horrific casualties meant SOME offenses might be pardoned. Such salvation was never certain, yet Herr Frobénius survived.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Still resident in Landwehrbezirk I, Darmstadt, he returned to the colors—and in his old regiment! On 14 April 1916 the former Lt dR aD of FAR 25 was even promoted to Oberleutnant dR aD in the IInd Replacement Battalion of his old unit.

Crucified metaphorically, after 20 years of social purgatory Herr Frobénius had come back from the legally “dead” again!

Sources:

Annual Prussian Army Rank Lists 1891 to 1898, Militär-Wochenblätter for the war years, 1955 DSJB article on Rank List abbreviations… and the invaluable experience and encyclopæedic knowledge of GMIC’s arb and GlennJ.

My thanks to the owner for sharing and to … for posting since I am not online. Rick Research

[Paul R]

That is some cool stuff. I had no idea that disgraced officers would be afforded the opportunity to redeem themselves, but with the losses incurred during WW1, it makes sense. Did he receive any decorations in WW1? Were redeemed officers allowed to wear their old decorations?

Please tell Rick I said hi.

[Guest Rick Research]

About 1 in 4 disgraced ex officers, that we've been able to track, made it back. For them, at least, the war was a second chance!

Our recipeint of the very rare Hessian Lifesaving Medal did not have it taken away.

Somewhere out there in some dingy government building cellar, all these court martials records are probably still mouldering away....

Edited June 25, 2013 by Rick Research

[piekenier]

Chris you refer to the DSJB 1955 for a list of the abbreviations. I presume you meant the Deutscher Soldatenjahrbuch. I cannot find that article in my 1955 book !The DSJB existed as Deutscher Soldatenkalender from 1953 until 1962 and from 1963 it became the Deutsches Soldatenjahrbuch. I am very interested in the article.Please assist.

[Guest Rick Research]

My mistake. Chris posted all the above for me while I was offline and got the wrong source from me.

Zeitschrift für Heereskunde 1955 article by G. Krüger ,,Über den ,Abgang' in den alten Preußischen Ranglisten."

Edited June 30, 2013 by Rick Research

[arb]

Since Rick brought this topic back from the dead, so to speak, I thought I'd add this little story.

I think one of the best examples of a "disgraced" officer coming back from the dead is Erich Böhme. At the beginning of the war, he was a major and Eisenbahn Linien Kommandant in Breslau. He went on to become a char. Gen.Lt. (in 1939 as part of the Tannenberg promotions). He also was awarded the PLM on 07.5.1918.

He began his career in IR 118 as an Avantageur on 20.07.1882. Not quite ten years later, while still an Lt. in IR 118, he ran afoul of the code of honor and on 20.07.1892 he was cashiered.

That could easily have been the end of his military career but he submitted a request to the king for permission to reenter the army. That request was granted and on 28.0.1893 he entered FR 37 as an Avantageur. Due to his good conduct he was granted an ante-dated commission as an Oberlt. gaining 2 1/2 years of seniority in 1903. This put him back in line with his original contemporaries and paved the way for his future career.

I think it speaks quite highly about the willingness of the King and Army to forgive the mistakes of a young officer who was willing to start from scratch to reclaim his career through commitment and dedication to service. That his superiors and the King thought highly enough of his service to bestow the PLM upon this man speaks directly to his abilities.

While there are several other officers who had a similar setback in their career, I think Bohme's is the best example of a man making the best of the second chance given to him.

I'll be happy to provide sources should anyone be interested.

Andy

[Ulsterman]

Did we not turn up some other information about Frobenius? wasn't he some sort of artist?

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope, not him.

[Guest Rick Research]

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/58956-the-face-of-disgrace-hauptmann-polst-cashiered/

gives a far less (?) fortunate "other than the above" officer a face... and another sword.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Did we not turn up some other information about Frobenius? wasn't he some sort of artist?

I once had Frobenius... couple of penecilin shots fixed it... I think I got it from a dancer in Marseilles.....

[piekenier]

Rick thanks for clearing that .Is there any article to be found covering all the abbreviations used in Imperial Rank Lists

[Guest Rick Research]

No--you just have to read them and read them and read them until you finally turn into a Research Gnome!

[Dave Danner]

So I have been trying to identify an officer from IR 91 named "v. Bülow", which is almost as bad as being named "Schmidt" for ease of searching Imperial records. He is in the Ehrenrangliste among recalled inactive officers as an OLt.a.D. "v. Bülow, Wilhelm (IR 91)". A first name should make it easy, right? Unfortunately, there were 9 military-age Wilhelms, especially considering we have no idea when he was actually in IR 91 so you can't limit yourself to 20-somethings.

The problem I had was, no Wilhelm v. Bülow is identified in Gotha as being in IR 91 except for Wilhelm Heinrich Georg Karl Berthold v. Bülow, who was already an active Hauptmann in IR 91 and Major a.D. in the Ehrenrangliste. And I couldn't find another v. Bülow in IR 91.

The (partial) answer to this mystery, and why it is in this thread? He was actually a Lt. in IR 24 for most of his short career. He was commissioned on 18.8.08 and was with that regiment until 19.11.12, when he was transferred to IR 91. He only appears in IR 91 in the 1913 rank list. And in the 1914 rank list:

I still have no idea why he was "otherwise separated", when he was recalled, where he served during World War I, or when he was promoted to Oberleutnant a.D. (I suspect it was a "Charakter" promotion in 1921).

I also can't say for certain which Wilhelm v. Bülow he was, although I am 99% sure that he was Gustav Albrecht Georg Wilhelm v. Bülow, born on 7 May 1885. He is of the right age to be a Lt. in 1908 and in Gotha he was listed as a "Lt." with no unit given. He is in a late 1916 Verlustliste as "vermißt", again with no unit given, and in a 1917 Verlustliste as "bish. vermißt, i. Gefgsch.".

So there may be an interesting story with this Wilhelm, but I have no idea how one would find out any more.