Friedrich Wilhelm Ulrich Götz Freiherr von König
(13.09.1849 - 07.01.1934)
place of birth:  Vienenburg, Hannover
Königreich Preußen:  General der Kavallerie


Imperial German cavalry officer Götz Freiherr von König commanded both Landwehr and cavalry troops at the division and corps level during the first years of the Great War. König originally entered military service in 1866 as a 17-year old lieutenant in Hannover's Army. As such, he fought against the Prussians during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and was taken as a prisoner of war. After his release, he transferred to a Braunschweig cavalry regiment and saw action with this unit during Germany's war with France in 1870.

Following a successful peace-time career as a German cavalry officer, König retired from active duty in 1905 at the rank of Generalleutnant. As Germany mobilized in August 1914, General König was reactivated and sent to Posen as commander of 3rd Landwehr Division based in Posen. His success in battling the Russians resulted in his being selected in December 1914 to replace General von Woyrsch as the head of Landwehr Corps. König remained in this capacity for the next two years, receiving a promotion to General der Kavallerie in late 1915.

In September 1916, the Kaiser selected von König to head up First Cavalry Corps (HKK 1), which soon thereafter was renamed General Command Nr. 56. These troops remained engaged on the Eastern Front until the March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk marked the Russians' exit from the War. The command was dissolved soon thereafter, and Freiherr von König retired to his Wolterdorf estate. The general's son Leo became a renowned artist from the Berliner Secession movement.

	General der Kavallerie ....	14.11.1915
	Eisernes Kreuz II ..............	Deutsch-Französischer Krieg  1870–1871
	Pour le Mérite ....................	23.07.1915