Hans von Plessen
Hans von Plessen | |
|---|---|
 Generaloberst von Plessen in 1914 | |
| Born | 26 November 1841 Berlin-Spandau, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 28 January 1929 (aged 87) Potsdam, Germany |
| Allegiance | |
| Years of service | 1861–1918 |
| Rank |  Generaloberst |
| Commands held |
|
| Battles/wars | Second Schleswig War Austro-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War |
| Awards | |
Hans Georg Hermann von Plessen (26 November 1841 – 28 January 1929) was a Prussian Colonel General (German: Generaloberst) and Canon of Brandenburg who held the honorary rank of Generalfeldmarschall in his role as Commandant of the German General Staff during World War I.[1]
General von Plessen also held the office of His Majesty's Orderly Adjutant General (German: SM diensttuender Generaladjutant) to Kaiser Wilhelm II, thus making him one of the Emperor's closest confidants. By 1918 he was the oldest serving officer in the Imperial German Army, although Paul von Hindenburg falsely claimed this for himself.[2] In 1918, von Plessen was awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honor. He remained devoted to the Kaiser until the collapse of the monarchy in November, 1918.[1]
General von Plessen (center) observes Wilhelm II speaking with General Otto von Emmich, victor of the Battle of Liège, 1914
Awards[]
- Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords, 1866; 2nd Class with Oak Leaves, Swords on Ring and Crown, 1893; with Star, 12 September 1896;[4] Grand Cross
- Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle, with Collar and in Diamonds
- Knight of the Order of the Prussian Crown, 1st Class
- Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Swords
- Iron Cross, 2nd Class 1870; 1st Class, 1914
- Pour le Mérite (military), 24 March 1918[5]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer Lion, with Oak Leaves, 1899[6]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Berthold the First, 1901[7]
- Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1905[8]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, 1902[9]
- Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert, 1906[10]
- Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order, with Swords
- Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, 1896[11]
- Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
- Grand Cross of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous, 15 October 1894[12]
- Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 22 August 1904[12]
- Grand Cross of the House Order of the Wendish Crown, with Golden Crown
- Knight of the Order of the Rue Crown
- Knight of the Military Order of Saint Henry
- Grand Cross of the Albert Order, with Golden Star and Silver Crown
- Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order, 1896[13]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, 1899[13]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, 1893[15]
- Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class, 1895[16]
- Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1897; in Diamonds, 1900[17]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen, 1903; in Diamonds, 1908[18]
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Alexander
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog, in Diamonds, 3 July 1907[19]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
- Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav, 15 December 1906[20]
- Order of the Lion and the Sun, 1st Class in Diamonds
- Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz
- Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew
- Knight of the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, in Diamonds
- Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, 2 November 1905[21]
- Knight of the Order of the Seraphim, 6 August 1908[22]
- Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 23 November 1899[23]
Dates of rank[]
- Fähnrich—1 September 1861
- Leutnant—11 November 1862
- Oberleutnant—22 March 1868
- Hauptmann—16 April 1872
- Major—18 May 1879
- Oberstleutnant—14 July 1885
- Oberst—4 August 1888
- Generalmajor—9 February 1891
- Generalleutnant—14 May 1894
- Generaloberst—19 September 1908
- Generaloberst mit dem Rang als Generalfeldmarschall—17 November 1918
References[]
- ^ a b c d M. Naumann: Die Plessen. Stammfolge vom XIII. bis XX. Jahrhundert. Limburg an der Lahn: Starke Verlag, 1971]
- ^ Hans von Plessen Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine at The Prussian Machine, retrieved 08-Aug-2012
- ^ Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1918, p. 36
- ^ "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), 1, Berlin, 1895, p. 10 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Foreign Pour le Mérite Awards: Foreign Awards During World War I". pourlemerite.org. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 128
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 83
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 43
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 27
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 10
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogthums Braunschweig für 1908. Bd. 1908. Braunschweig: Meyer, 1908. p. 10
- ^ a b Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1914, pp. 11, 129 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ a b "Königliche Orden", Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg, Stuttgart: Landesamt, 1907, pp. 50, 122
- ^ "Hans Georg Hermann von Plessen". the Prussian Machine. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Ritter-Orden: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz Joseph-orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, p. 261, retrieved 5 February 2021
- ^ "Ritter-Orden: Oesterreichsch-kaiserlicher Orden der Eisernen Krone", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, p. 133, retrieved 5 February 2021
- ^ "Ritter-Orden: Oesterreichsch-kaiserlicher Leopold-orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, p. 74, retrieved 5 February 2021
- ^ "Ritter-Orden: Königlich-ungarischer St. Stephan-orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, p. 55, retrieved 5 February 2021
- ^ Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1926) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1926 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1926] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 22. Retrieved 10 February 2021 – via da:DIS Danmark.
- ^ "Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden", Norges Statskalender (in Norwegian), 1910, p. 915-916 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ "Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III", Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1907, p. 150, retrieved 13 January 2021
- ^ "Kungl. Svenska Riddareordnarna", Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 10 February 2021 – via runeberg.org
- ^ "No. 27140". The London Gazette. 1 December 1899. p. 8089.
External links[]
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Authority control  | |
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Categories:
- 1841 births
- 1929 deaths
- Colonel generals of Prussia
- People from Spandau
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Franz Joseph
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- People of the Second Schleswig War
- Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War
- German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
- 19th-century Prussian military personnel
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz
- Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)