| The Prussian Machine - Generals |
Friedrich Sixt von Armin
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Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin (27.11.1851 - 30.09.1936) place of birth: Wetzlar, Hessen (Hesse) German general of infantry who upon mobilization commanded the IV. Army Corps from Magdeburg, and later the Fourth Army. Friedrich enlisted in a Guards regiment as a Fahnenjunker in 1870. The Franco- Prussian War began shortly thereafter, with young Friedrich receiving serious wounds during the Battle for Saint-Privat. He was later awarded the Iron Cross II and quickly promoted to Leutnant. After hostilities ceased, Sixt continued his military service in a wide variety of assignments, both as troop commander and as a general staff officer. By 1911, Sixt von Armin had risen to corps level commander, replacing von Hindenburg as head of IV. Army Corps in Magdeburg. He commanded this corps until early 1917. At mobilization, his troops were attached to Kluck's First Army on the Western Front and thus saw plenty of action duringthe First Battle of the Marne. They also of course became bogged down in the subsequent years of trench warfare, seeing action at Arras, Loretto Heights, La Bassee, and on the Somme. For his leadership in these engagements, Sixt von Armin received the Pour le Merite. In 1917, he replaced Duke Albrecht as leader of the Fourth Army in Flanders, which he commanded until war's end. He later received the Order of the Black Eagle (der Schwarze Adler Orden) and oakleaves for his Blue Max award. Following
the Armistice, Sixt von Armin continued his military service as commander of
Heeresgruppe A, which he led back to the homeland. He retired after
demobilization in early 1919 and spent the remainder of his years in Magdeburg.
He was often appeared as the guest of honor or keynote speaker at post-War
social events. His hometown of Wetzlar made him an honorary citizen and still
maintains a Sixt-von-Armin-Straße,
but the barracks there which had been named in his honor were closed in 1992.
During World War Two, Sixt's son Hans-Heinrich served as a Generalleutnant for
Wehrmacht and was taken prisoner by the Soviets during the Battle of
Stalingrad, 1942. General der Infanterie Friedrich Sixt von Armin died in Magdeburg on 30 September 1936. |
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