Hermann Joseph von Kuhl 
(2.11.1856 - 4.11.1958)
place of birth:  Koblenz, Rheinpreußen  (Rhenish Prussia)


German general of infantry who served as the capable chief of staff for several different commanders during the war. Hermann was born on 2 November 1856 the son a of a high-school teacher from Koblenz. He majored in philology and literature at several institutions: Leipzig, Tübingen, Berlin and Marburg. He retired from the Army at war's end with the rank of General der Infanterie, publishing a number of texts on military science. He was also awarded the Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences in 1924. Kuhl received his title of nobility in 1913 during Wilhelm II's 25th anniversary as Kaiser of the Prussian Empire.

Kuhl began his military career in Cologne in 1878, initially serving with the 5th Westphalian Infantry Regiment. This was followed by an assignment to the Kriegsakademie as an instructor in tactics and military history. He was head of the 3rd department of the General Staff and briefly the commander of the 25th Infantry Brigade at Münster from June 1913 to June 1914. Just prior to the outbreak of hostilities, von Kuhl had worked his way up to Senior Quartermaster (Oberquartiermeister) serving the Great General Staff.

As the German First Army pushed through Belgium and shot toward Paris, Generalmajor von Kuhl acted as von Kluck's First Army Chief of Staff. Later, during the Battle of the Somme (1916), Generalleutnant von Kuhl had transferred to Army Group Crown Prince Rupprecht where he likewise served as Chief of Staff. For exemplary service during that engagement, von Kuhl received the Pour le Merite on 28 August. He added the Oakleaves on 20 December of that same year. He also saw action in the Ypres Salient. One of the most competent commanders in the German Army, von Kuhl wrote the book "Weltkrieg 1914-1918."  Dr.h.c. Hermann von Kuhl spent last few years living with his nephew in Frankfurt am Main. He died there on 4 November 1958 at the age of 102.