| The Prussian Machine - Generals |
Helmuth von Moltke
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Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke, der Jüngere (25.5.1848 - 18.6.1916) place of birth: Gersdorf (Mecklenburg) Helmuth the Younger, also nicknamed Julius, was the nephew of former Prussian Chief of General Staff and military strategist Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. He and his wife were Christian Scientists. Young Helmuth was born on 25 May 1848 and was named after his uncle. He was cited for bravery while serving as a lieutenant in the 7th Grenadier Regiment during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Following completion of the Imperial War College in 1878, he became the personal adjutant to his uncle who was serving as Chief of the Great General Staff in Berlin. His uncle Helmuth died in 1891, and the younger Helmuth then transferred to Kaiser Wilhelm II's inner circle as his aide-de-camp. After commanding a brigade and a division in the Berling area, von Moltke took on the role as Germany's Quartermaster-General, in effect, Chief of General Staff von Schlieffen's deputy. Likely as a result of his friendship with the Kaiser, von Moltke succeeding Schlieffen when he died in 1906, being selected ahead of candidates such as Hans von Beseler, Karl von Bülow, and Colmar von der Goltz. Von Moltke thus headed the Germany Army at the outbreak of World War One. His modifications to the Schlieffen Plan were basically sensible but terribly unsuccessful, and he was unceremoniously replaced by Falkenhayn following the failure of the Marne Campaign as he also continued with degenerating health. Some historians argue that it was the failure of von Kluck's First Army to maintain contact with von Bülow's Second Army as the two approached Paris which caused the Schlieffen Plan to ultimately fail. Others contend that Moltke lost control of the invading armies during the August invasion along the Western Front and was thus unable to react correctly as the First Battle of the Marne developed in September. While it is true that Moltke had lost effective touch with his field commanders, German operational doctrine nonetheless emphasized personal initiative on the part of subordinate officers. Other historians also propose that the multitude of strategic options Moltke faced, and especially the danger of the Russian invasion of East Prussia clouded Moltke's judgement. He was awarded the Pour le Merite in 1915 but suffered a heart attack and died in Berlin on 18 June 1916.
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