Duties of the General Staff

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(7) ^ ^ZZ Rights Unserved.. THE. DUTIES. GENERAL. STAEî^.^w^l^^^. BY THE LATE. GENERAL. THE. OF Xy^ /. ^. \Â. VOC. BR0N8ART. Revised by. MAJOR BRONSART VON SCHELLENDORFF {Great Generc^Staff ).. FOURTH. EDITION.. [rrans^rtiet^y^' the Oi^neral. Staff",. Waf. Office,. 1905.]. FEINTED FOR HIS MAJESTX"^ StATtdFERT OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND- SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, PEINTBES IN OfiDINAET TO HIS MAJESTY.. And. to be purchased, either directly or. WYMAN AND. SONS,. Ltd.,. through any Bookseller, from. Fetter Lanb, E.G.;. or. OLIVER AND BOYD, Tweeddale Court, Edinburgh; E. PONSONBY, 116, Grafton Street, Dublin. Repinnted 1907.. Prke Five. Shillings.. or. 1. S.

(8) (Wt. 21466. 625. 1. |. 08—H &. S. 2555). -^ 4oo.

(9) This Edition of General von SchellendorfTs " The Duties of the Greneral Staff " has been translated by Major H. A. Bethell,. Boyal Field Artillery, Major J. H. V. Crowe, Royal Field Artillery, and Brevet Major F. B. Maurice, The Sherwood Foresters.. The reasons which led to its pubUcation are given in the and it will be noted that the work of the General Staff .. preface, in. War and. in. now been. Peace has. dealt with in greater detail. than in previous editions. J.. M. GRIERSON,. Major-General, Director of Military Operations. General Staff,. War. Office,. 20th July, 1905..

(10) Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in. 2010 with funding from. University of British. Columbia Library. http://www.archive.org/details/dutiesofgeneralsOObron.

(11) PREFACE TO THE The. FOURTH EDITION. my. preparation of this edition of. undertaken by. me. in response to. late father's. many requests, and. work was I. regard. the task both as an honour and a duty. Although, in view of the. many recent. pubHcations of a similar nature, there was possibly. no pressing need for a new edition,. still,. a desire was evinced. that the book should be saved from lapsing into oblivion, and. that. its original. and. value, both historical. professional, should. be preserved unimpaired.. Eleven years have elapsed since the publication of the Third Edition, a fact which rendered extensive alterations necessary. It has been found possible to omit many portions which are now embodied in our Army Regulations, and thus are matters but, on the other hand, the working of of common knowledge Staff in War and Peace has been treated in still General the ;. greater detail.* I was fortunate enough to receive much valuable instruction and many suggestions from my father during the last nine years of his life, and it has been my endeavour to revise his work in. accordance with his views. I take this. opportimity of thanking. assistance they have afiorded. me. in. my. Bronsart. my. colleagues for. labours.. v.. Schellendorff,. Major, Great General Berlin,. * This. work,. is. the. Staff.. Autumn, 1904,. to a great extent. "The. Berlin, 1901.. duo to Lieiitmnnt-CciicralvonJaiison's valuable Staff with Troops in Peace," 2nd edition.. Duties of the tJoneral. E. S- Mittler and Son..

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(13) ... . ... CONTENTS. PART. I.. The Organisation of the General Staff THE Great Powers.. in. the Aicmies of Page. Chapter I.. II.. General Staff Daties The General Staff of the German 1. The Great General Staff 2.. 3.. The. 1. Armj. 9. 10. 42 48 48 62. Staff College. General Staff duties with Troops an Army Corps. a. Staff of. .. B. Divisional Staff c.. HI The. .. .. Special appointments General Staff of the Austro-Hungariau Italian. IV.. Army. Army. Russian Array. V.. French. VI. VII. VIII.. British. Army Army. Army Roumanian Army Japanese Army United States. IX. X.. .. PART. 63 64 73 81 99. 105 113 117 123. II.. Army Manoeuvres. I.. II.. III.. ITistorical. development. .. Preparation for manajuvres Drill grounds, manoeuvre grounds, parade grounds. IV. Inspections V. Choice of ground for raanccuvres VI. Marches and quarters on the march VII. Sup])lies, bivouac requisites and transport .. VIII. Sanitation, hospitals, prisons IX. Mantcuvre schemes and conduct of manoeuvres. X. Railways and steamers XI. Special mancxmvres Xll. Combined work of the Army and .. Navy. in. peace. 125 143 154 1G2 169 173 185 191. 194 208 216 219.

(14) ... .. .. ..... ,....... .. ....,... , . .....,... . .. .. .,.. ...... CONTENTS.. VIU. PART. III.. Duties of the General Staff in. War.. Chapter I.. II,. Org'anisation for war and distribution of troops . The organisation for war of the German Army . 1. The Field Army Army Corps and Divisions A. Staffs of Armies 1. The Staff of the Commander-in-Chief in the .. ;. field. The Staff of an Army 3. The Staff of an Army Corps 4. The Staff of a Division B. The Army Corps and the units composing- it C. The Independent Division. 1. The Cavalry Division 2. The augmented Infantry Division and the 2.. .. .. .. Reserve Division. D. Special establishments 2.. The Garrison. (or. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... ... ... .. .. .. Home) Army. III. Office duties in the field. A.. .. The. D.. War. .. .. .. .. .. .. Intelligence Department . . diaries and tables of marches. . E. Reports of engagements and lists of casualties F. Daily reports . .. .. .. .. G. Orders of the day and proclamations .. .. .. .. .. ,. .. IV. Marches A. Strategical concentration of the army on frontier by road and railway . 1. Marches and quarters on the march 2. 3.. B.. Railways Steamboats... 1.. ... ... ... the presence of the enemy Composition and strength of columns a. Depth of columns . . b. Rate of marching .. .. c. Order of march of combatants. Marches. in. .. d.. 2.. Order. of. 4.. the roads Special piecautions. V.. Forced marches. .. .. The use. of railways in ItecoMuiissaiice . . 5.. .. A.. (ietieral observations.. B.. Hints on reconnaissance Sketchea . .. 0.. .. ,. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. of second line transport . of the day's march and the use of. .. 3.. 271. 282 282. 284 285 287. .. .. .. .. .. ,. .. .. war. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. ,.. ... ... ... ... ,.. .,. ... . .. .. .. .. .. .. 289 296 309 313 315 317 317 320. the. .. march. The object. 258 262 266 270. Issue and transmission of. Orders. c.. 255 255. 289. General arrangements. orders. B.. Pa&b 223 253. .. 320 320 324 341 342 345 347 351. 354 365 371. 379 383 388 392 392 394 399.

(15) . .. . . . .. ., . . , ......... . , ..,..... . . . ,... .. CONTENTS.. ix. Chaptee D. E.. Expressions used in reconnaissance reports . . Reconnaissance of water . . . . 1. General observations .. a. h.. Running water Still water. . .. . .. .. . „. ,. ,. .. .. .. . .. 40!). Reconnaissance of a river crossing . V. Reconnaissance of roads .. .. 1. General observations .. Cross countrj tracks 2. Choice of roads. . G. Reconnaissance of towns, villages, &c. H. Reconnaissance of woods . J. Reconnaissance of low-lying ground K. Reconnaissance of mountains , . L. Reconnaissance of defiles and passes .. M. Reconnaissance of positions. . .. 2.. .. .. .. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 471. .,. ., .. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Positions in readiness .. Fighting positions . . . a. Positions for battle . . h. Advanced guard positions . . c. Rear-guard positions . . 3. Outpost positions . . N. Reconnaissance of the enemy o. Reconnaissance of fortresses held p. Reconnaissance of railways 1.. 2.. .. .. ... .,. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. ,. . .. .. .. .. by the enemy .. .. .. .. .. .. General statistics and details . 2. Reconnaissance of lines to be worked. 3. Reconnaissance of lines to be interrupted . VI. Rest and quarters . A. Billets during the concentration of the army B. Billets when not in the immediate presence of the 1.. .. ,. .. .. .. enemy. ,. . .. .. One-day. billets or. when near. . .. enemy. the. ,. .. . .. Bivouacs .. ., .. . . E. Billets during sieges F. Billets during an armistice .. VII. Supply A. Historical development . B. Supply services . . C. Supply arrangements in general D.. ,. D. Rations. E. p.. Food. . .. .. .. .. .. Systems of rationing. .. .. .. village bivouacs on the .. .. .. .. .. .,. march ,. .. .. .. .. ... .,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,. . .. .. .. .. .. .. ,. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... ,. .. .. .. .. .. ,. ,. .. .. . .. Rations provided in billets .. 2. Rations from depots 3. Rationing by the supply columns .. 4. Requisitions .. .. 5. Rationing with the " iron ration " G. Application Qf the various systems. , 1.. ,. .. .. .. .. 411. 418 418 420 42o 427 429 429 430 432 433 484 434 438 440 442 444 446 449 449 454 456 459 462. .. C.. Page 402 407 407 407. .. .. ... .,. ... ... ,,. .,. 476 481 485 491 494 494 499 501 503 505 507 507 510 512 514 516 517.

(16) .. CONTENTS. CirAPTER VJII. Maintenance of efficiency. General Lines of communication c. Tlie medical department D. Eeinforcements and remounts A.. B.. Supply of arms and ammunition Supply of clothing and equipment IX Dealings with the enemy X. Co-operation of the Army and Navy in Wai XI. Duties of the General Staff in the Colonies and E. F.. oversea expeditions XII. Conclusion. .. Page 528 528 530 538 541 542 513 545 550 558 566.

(17) FART. I.. THE ORGANISATION OF TBE GENERAL STAFF. IN. THE ARMIES OF THE GREAT POWERS.. CHAPTER. I.. GENERAL STAFF DUTIES.. rPHE L. General Staff forms an essential part of modern Army The General commanding a large body of. organisation.. troops cannot (and least of. minor. may. details,. encumber himself with. in war). all. though their consideration and proper arranain«. be often of the highest importance.. that the mental and physical powers of one. Apart from the fact. man. are not equal to. such a task, the comprehensive supervision of the forces under. command would. his. suffer. He should consequently have These assistants form his " Staff. '^ To a certain. assistants.. extent, an arbitrary rule decides what portion of the latter is designated as " General Staffs In some Armies all the StafE. belongs to the General Staff.. been. But a. having a distinct portion. necessity has universally. of the Staff entrusted. with. planning and carrying out the movements of Armies in the. field,. and. felt of. it is. ticular. generally distinguished. by some. special. name. This par-. branch of the Staff of a General holding an important. command. is. known. in the. German Army. as the " General Staff ". (Generaldtah).. The. latter. increase of training. and. has grown in importance. with the. modern Armies, and the development efficiency.. numerical of military.

(18) CHAP.. 2. As long. I.. —GENERAL. and movements, encampments. as Armies were small,. fighting formations were laid. and. tions,. STAFF DUTIES.. down by. hard-and-fast regula-. the want of trained General Staff officers was less. felt.. The plan determined on by the General in command usually contained the details of execution. But few directions were necessary to ensure the quartering, concentration and general advance against the enemy of a force. way. mation, in the. generally accepted forms — such. the Prussian. in the regulation fighting for-. A. that was intended.. Army. departure from the. as, for instance,. the advance of. before the Battle of Leuthen. — of. course. necessitated special instructions to the subordinate commanders.. Such measures were intended to take the enemy by surprise and be decisive, and were entirely a matter for the personal energy and initiative of the Commander.. A. General Staff. who, at that time, would have taken. officer. on himself the responsibility of departing from fixed forms in drawing up orders for marching or fighting, would have. He would. exceeded the limits of his responsibility. considered, as. it. of his General.. upon as by. have been. were, guilty of assuming the position and duties. His duty in these matters being only looked. strictly. mechanical, could consequently be replaced. regulations, previously issued,. and to be invariably adhered. But this state of affairs no longer exists. The enormous numerical strength of modern Armies, and the way they must be organised to meet the constantly changing. to.. requirements. of. carrying out. the. war,. render. details. of. necessary. sequently the higher leaders and staff of specially selected. But. time. and movements. of the. in. even under place.. Con-. require a regular. officers.. is felt. also in handling troops. in action, viz., in the reconnaissance of the. dispositions. and. Commanders. and trained. this necessity of assistance. differences. operations. military. apparently similar circumstances of. great. ground and. of the. enemy, and for the observation. of the tactical situation, at a point. removed from the personal. observation of the General Commanding.. The nature and small. extent of. ground covered by the.

(19) — CFIAP.. battlefields of the. I.. —GENERAL. STAFF DUTIES.. '6. Seven Years' War, enabled a General, as a. rule, to dispense. with the assistance of specially trained. in this respect.. But the want. officers. of assistance in reconnoitring the. ground on which troops were to encamp, march or his history of. fight, was King The Great (Frederick) says himself in " The Army has. stood the the Seven Years' War. many. campaigns, but the want of a good Quartermaster-. even then often. test of. felt.. :. General's Staff. was often. The King being. at headquarters.. felt. anxious to create a body of. officers of this description, selected. who showed. special aptitudes for these duties.. twelve. officers. They were. instructed in surveying, laying out camps, placing. and. villages in a state of defence. also. how. They learned. field bridging.. and. to guide columns marching,. especially. how. reconnoitre marshes and rivers, so that they might not,. mistake or negligence, place an. Army. with. its. flank. marshy country.. river or a passable tract of. of. by. on a shallow. Mistakes of this. They. nature have led to the most serious results.. French the defeat. to. cost the. Malplaquet, and the Austrians that of. Leuthen.". The Prince. who. of Ligny,. at times. was given to answering. important questions by a facetious expression or a short definition, says the only qualities he considers necessary for an officer of the Quartermaster-General's Staff are, that he should have good eyes and be a bold rider are. now. cavalry. as. much. — qualities which, as a matter of course,. as ever absolutely indispensable to a. useful to a General Staff officer as well. it is. much more. evident that. Staff officer,. if. he. is. young. a galloper, and naturally extremely. officer told off as. is. But, at the same time,. to be expected of the General. to be equal to all emergencies.. Clausewitz says " Tlie General Staff :. General. is. commanding. intended to convert the ideas of the orders,. into. former to the troops, but detail,. thus relieving. the. also. not. only. working out. General. from a. conveying the all. great. matters of. amount. of. trouble.". This definition could. still. be taken as amply meeting the. A 2.

(20) CHAP.. 4 case were. now. not. it. —GENERAL. I.. considered part of the duty of the General. be invariably watching over the military efficiency and. Staff to. On. material welfare of the troops. all. STAFF DUTIES.. every large. Staff, it is true,. branches of the service are represented by certain indi\'iduals. or heads of departments, and. naturally their duty, in the. it is. first place, to see to the proper efficiency of their respective. But, being often ignorant of the. branches or departments.. general military situation, or not rightly understanding sudden. changes in the state of. what. is. upon to. called. they are unable to carry out. affairs,. The General Staff is consequently a directing and explaining body towards. expected from them. act as. these individuals, keeping. in. itself. constant. communication. with them, the Chief of the General Staff being at the same time, in a. comprehensive way, the head of the whole. Staff.. Officers of the General Staff are invested with no military. command. only the General. it is. ;. The. sible.. officers of. confidence. in. depend not only on. and. is. respon-. This necessitates the General having. confidential counsellors.. absolute. who commands and. the General Staff must be his devoted and. his. assistants.. their fitness. and. Their. ability,. usefulness. will. but on their tact. discretion in rightly appreciating the position they hold both. as regards General. and. The conditions. troops.. however, are not entirely one-sided.. to. fulfil. this,. Troops very soon find out,. especially in war, whether the duties of the General Staff are in. good hands but ;. then,. when. responsibility officer,. This is,. this does not exclude the fact that. is. placed on the shoulders of the General Staff. which the circumstances is. of the case. do not. justify.. often one of the drawbacks of his position.. Another. that he must always deny himself the true military instinct. of wishing to take. A. every now and. the aspect of affairs takes a disadvantageous turn,. good General. too. much. if. be better. in is. accordance with his army rank. therefore certainly not asking. he claims the complete confidence of his General,. and the grant of his duty.. command. Staff officer. of a certain. amount. of. independence in the details. Otherwise he would at once. filled. by an. inferior person. feel. that his post might. and he himself more advan-. tageously employed at regimental duty..

(21) —. CHAP.. ;;. ;. I. — GENERAL. STAFF DUTIES.. 5. Let us now examine the duties of the General Staff in war. These would be 1.. :. Working out. arrangements necessary for quartering,. all. and battle Communicating the necessary. security, marches, 2.. and. writing, at the right time 3.. orders, either verbally or in. place,. and. in sufficient detail. Obtaining, collecting and compiling in order. all. informa-. and the military character war, providing maps and plans;. tion concerning the nature. theatre of 4.. Collecting. and estimating the value. concerning the enemy's forces 5.. Watching over the. of the. of information received. ;. and. fighting condition of the troops,. keeping himself posted as to their efficiency in every respect 6.. and. Keeping journals. diaries,. drawing up reports. on. engagements, and collecting important materials, for the subsequent history of the war 7.. ;. Special duties, particularly reconnaissances.. General Staff. have to take, as a basis. officers. out their duties in. for carrying. the branches that have been assigned. all. them, the wish and determination of the General in command, in which, however, proposals. but rather. A. invited.. by them are by no means excluded,. General. Staff. officer. cannot. excuse. himself of any neglect on his part on the plea that no order. on the subject had been given him by. his General.. only consider himself freed from responsibility. has been declined by the General.. He. should. when his suggestion. This gives no small measure. of responsibility to the General Staff officer in war,. and. necessi-. tates untiring energy.. The peace its. duties of the General Staff should prepare. duties in war.. commands have. to. Consequently, General Staff. work out. it. officers. for. with. in peace all matters of mobilisation,. movements, quarters, manoeuvres, railways and information.. The " Great General. who. Staff," a. are not attached to. immediate supervision drawing. up. and. Army. body Corps,. of General Staff officers is. entrusted, under the. of the Chief of the. preparing. possible. General Staff, with. plans of. operation. by.

(22) b. CHAP.. arranging. I.. — GENERAL. the strategical. for. by road and. STAFF DUTIES.. Army. concentration of the. in. by knowing and estimating the strength of the various European Armies, by the study of the theatres of war, and by the preparation of military maps. The certain directions. rail,. General Staff also deals with the study of the art of especially military history,. The General. and the training. of the. his serious. is. him. in peace time.. duty to prepare himself in every way, indepen-. dently of these, for his important calling in war. is. the duty of every. upon. in. war to hold. officers, for. positions,. above what their experience would. far. General Staff. make up. they are invariably. though perhaps only as. which are far above their rank, and. assistants,. officer. for this. This indeed. but the rule applies in a far higher. officer,. degree in the case of General Staff called. officers.. Staff officer should, however, not be satisfied with. the simple discharge of the duties assigned to It. younger. war,. also generally. them. entitle. has consequently to strive. by the most. diligent study.. It. The. to.. he can to. all. only thus. is. that he can be of real use to both General and troops.. The. first. condition for this. is. a most accurate and intimate. knowledge of the organisation and formations It. is. not. Corps. and. is. sufficient, for instance, to. know. accompanied by a ceitain number. field hospitals,. but. of bearer. also necessary to. it is. own Army.. of his. that a mobilised. know. Army. companies. their special. and what amount of service they are actually capable of. The usual peace duties, even at autumn manoeuvres, when, as is use,. well. known, these medical services are not put to the. are usually only nominally employed, of intimately learning the object. practical. afford. test,. but. no opportunity. they are intended. for,. or their. Nothing but the most intimate acquaintance. use.. with the regulations on the subject, the very nature of which. is. anything but attractive, can lead to the results desired. Next, a General Staff. officer. the tactical formations of to. occupy. his. arms.. He. perfectly familiar with is. not indeed expected. time in learning by heart the tiresome, insignificant. details of drill,. which are. all. must be. laid. but in mastering the main tactical principles. down. in the Regulations,. and then. directing his.

(23) CHAP.. I.. — OEXERAL. STAFF DUTIES.. special attention to those formations. 7. which are most genera 11 v. used on the march and in battle. In this respect, he. way. find the best. present on the. drill. of acquiring. grounds. This work, which. is. knowledge. is. will. of all arms.. so essentially necessary to the practical. training of the General Staff officer, must, however,, go. hand with the of course, to. perhaps. by constantly being. theoretical. hand. in. study of military science, limited,. a certain extent, but including. all. that will be. practically useful.. With a view. to the useful development. military sciences,. various special. of. and permanently keeping them up to. date,. the General Staff, taken as a whole, cannot dispense with those. who, gifted by nature. officers. can. v/ith certain talents. and. tastes,. go deep into certain subjects, and thereby render most. But. important services. General Staff. it. certtiinly. is. not desirable that. all. should be distinguished by some special. officers. kind of learning which would, of necessity, limit their general Thus, as the most minute mathematical investigations. utility.. prove that for certain purposes the use of simple elementary formulae. suffices,. the. places. most. and as an individual using such formulae implicit confidence in the authority of. the. higher mathematician, so in the case of the mihtary sciences. the results of the deep special study of others must be accepted.. They can then be turned the. of. may of. duties. the. of. to. practical use in the performance. General. In this. Staff.. most accomphshed without. be. being. superficial.. A. General. into the. falling. Staff. way a man. officer. should. error. know. most thoroughly everything he has to do both war, but. it. is. the origiiiator. The be. in peace and by no means necessary that he should be and author of everything that he knows.. investigations of individuals. looked. upon. rather. as. the. in. special. common. subjects should. property. of. all,. provided they have a general and acknowledged importance,. and. their value has. authority.. ment. of. been satisfactorily proved by competent. But everything must work collectively to the attainresult, and this is to ascertain from tbe. a conmio)!. :.

(24) CHAP.. 8. I.. study of tte history. —GENERAL. STAFF DUTIES.. of war, the principles of leading. troops. both to and during battle, arriving herein at clear and independent conclusions.. It. the knowledge of. all. is. not a means to an end, but the end. itself,. that the study of mihtary matters and. military experience can teach.. In devoting General Staff physical. energy to these mental. his. officer should,. powers. up. to. the. qualifications,. the. however, not neglect to keep his. mark.. He must. have frequent. arms. he must train. practice in the handling of the different. himself to be a bold and untiring rider. ;. ;. he must accustom his. eye to taking in at a glance a correct view of the military situation. ;. he must write a clear hand, and be a good military. by keeping himself constantly in contact with troops, he should never lose his fellow-feeling for them or a frequent return to regimental duty will, in this their wants respect, refresh his knowledge, and is consequently most desirable. draughtsman.. ;. Finally,.

(25) CHAPTER. IIJ. THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY. time give us a deeper It will be interesting, and at the same great European Armies, insight into the organisation of the the special arrangements of their General if. we. closely. Staffs.. examine. And. Prussian. it. will. General. be best in. Staff. its historical. description of. deal with the. if. we. a. specially exhaustive. first. development. of. all. way.. affords us at the. A. same. the original Brandentime a picture of the gradual growth of shows what duties and Army, Prussian burg, and subsequently periods, in difterent at were assigned to the General Staff and the knowledge conformity with the standard of military characteristics. Next, the. of. Generals. distinguished. the. different stages. the. of. day.. development, especially its Commander-in-Chief, the higher. of. its. the as regards and how Authorities, and the Army Administrative Military moulded in course of time in this has been developed and position. ;. the Prussian. Army, furnish us with a. scale. of. comparison by. of development on which we can judge the comparative state Armies at the great of other these points, of the General Stall's. present moment.. A. careful consideration of. all. these circum-. finding that the following points stances will perhaps result in our which the present efficiency of on constitute the main principles First of all there is the secured. the Prussian General Staff is position in the organisation of the Army which it. independent. next, the fact that appointment to it is has gradually attained next, again, the absolute claims defined restricted to no clearly which is controlled training, scientific freedom of its military Commander-in-Chief; and finally only by the Sovereign as ;. ;.

(26) — CHAP,. 10. there. is. II.. —THE. the compulsory return of. regimental duty.. its officers. continue. on. to be,. unadulterated product of the Prussian a part, and of which they possess. 1.. We. to be. assumed that. of. conditions,. and an. which they are. the excellent qualities.. all. Staff. i.e.,. of certain officers. from regimental duty in the. apart. Brandenburg Army, under the is. Army. The Great General. permanently employed. It. these. find traces of a General Staff,. first. from time to time to. Officers of the Prussian General Staff are,. consequently. will. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY.. rule of the Great Elector.. many. this arrangement, like. improvements introduced at that time. in the. other. Brandenburg Army,. was copied from the Swedish organisation, which was then looked upon as a pattern.*. The. first. Brandenburg Quartermaster-General was Lieutenant-. Colonel Gerhard v. Bellicum, in the year 1655, to. immediately added Jacob Holsten, a Colonel. whom was. of Cavalry.. The appointment of these two officers took place on the Brandenburg Army taking the field at the time of the war between Sweden and Poland, in which the Great Elector found Gerhard. himself involved against his wish.. v.. Bellicum was. attached to Lieutenant-General Graf zu Waldeck, commanding the Cavalry, and Jacob Holsten was appointed Quartermaster-. Army which was with His Serene Highness, and command of the Master-General of the Ordnance,. General of the. under the. Freiherr v. Sparr.. The Quartermaster-General was, however,. at that time only a. member. of. the " General Staff," which. comprised, in the military language of that time, officers. We. and the. find the following persons. Staff of. an. Army on. on the pay. the 1st July, 1657. list of. the General. :. £ 1. Master of the Ordnaiuê (Cicneral commanding), monthly pay and allowances of .. *. Tho statement. general. all. higlier functionaries.. of ilic Belgian Captain. .. .. .. .«.. d.. witli . .. 105 10. Baron Lahurc (compare. his. work. on the General Staff, see pages 68 and 77) that the Prussian General Staff was formed under Frederick II, and was based on the Frencli pattern, is incorrect..

(27) 50.

(28) .. CHAP. n.. 12. —THE. .. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY. £. Lieiitenant-Quartermaster-General. 2 Engineer Officers .. 1 Captain of Guides. ... .. ,.. rate of. pay. money has. for,. of the. ,.. ..each 7 10 4 10. ... ,.. ... 74 11. since undergone, such high rates of. Brandenburg. Canal, buUt the palace at. fortresses, laid. War. man. pay. out the Miillroser. Potsdam and the mint. consequently a most useful. is. Quartermaster-General Chieze. in Berlin,. in. more ways than. and. He was. invented carriages slung by straps, called BerUnen.. General. d.. notwithstanding the depreciation. have never been since attained.. had charge. s.. 7 10. .. in peace time of tlie General officers. remarkable in the above, in value that. .. ... 23 additional Employes with a total of. The high. .. one.. The. Commissariat (General Staff and Administrative. Departments, according to modern ideas) was specially formed for each campaign.. The Quartermaster-General and. his assist-. ants alone had a permanent peace employment, and this was of a military engineering nature.. This proves, beyond doubt, that the historical growth of the. Brandenburg-Prussian Quartermaster-General's Staff can only. have commenced with the very limited sphere of General Staff duties just mentioned.. Moreover,. it. connection between the General Staff. is. evident that a close. and the Corps. existed for considerably over a century, that. is. of Engineers. to say, until the. year 1806, when Lieutenant-General v. Geusau, the Chief of the. Corps of Engineers, held the post of Chief of the QuartermasterGeneral's Staff as well.. A. fixed establishment of ranks. was gradually introduced in. the Quartermaster-General's Staff by the successors of the Great These were " Quartermaster-General," " LieutenantElector.. Quartermaster-Gencral," " Chief Quartermaster," Staff Quartermaster " and " Staff Quartermaster.". " General. These ap-. pointments were not, however, necessarily to be held by. any. fixed. Army. officers of. rank.. Frederick II had but very few officers of the Quartermaster-. The Great King was not only his own Chief of the General Staff, but performed at the same time many duties General's Staff..

(29) — THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. 1.. of General Staff officers of lower rank.. operations and. 13. All plans for military. orders and instructions to subordinate c6m-. all. manders, were either written or dictated by. King. tlie. himself.. he required assistance, he had his Adjutants,* some Engineer. If. and. officers,. mounted. the. The. Feldj'iger.. Quartermaster-. General's Staff existed hardly even in name.. The. Army. (written). officers as. List for the year 1741 shows the following. belonging to the General Staff. :. Colonels and Adjutant-Generals.. 1.. 2 Cavalry. 5 Infantry. Colonels and Brigade. 2.. Majors and. 3.. ]\Iajors.. Infantry.. 1. Wing Adjutants. {Fliigel. Adjutanten).. Cavalry.. 1. 4 Infantry. Quartermaster-General du Moulin from 1728.. 4.. Lieutenant-Quartermaster-Generals. Colonel de Hautcharmoy from 1730. Major de Seers 1 from 17th May, ^ 1741. V. Wrede J „ Colonels and Lieutenant-Colonels belonging to the. 5.. Army.. 9 Officers.. But. transferred to the. being appointed to Staff".. Majors de Seers and. in the year 1742. It. Regiment fill. was not. ;. which number, however, during the Seven Years'. in the. was,. War. summer. year 1756 after. it. many. latter. again. consisted of six,. changes, reduced. to two.. " Instructions ". are dated from the. Wrede were. on the Quartermaster-General's. their places. until the year 1750 that the. consisted of three officers. The King's. v.. of Pioneers, without other officers. for. of the. his. Quartermaster- General. year 1757, but these, however,. only contained the principles of planning fortresses, and thelayin^ out, attack. and defence. which he called •. Adjutants. Adjutantur their. signifies. signifies. duties more. Army.— (Tr.). of fortified. Castrafnrtrie,. camps.. On. the latter art,. the King laid great stress.. Aides-de-Camp in. this. case.. The German. In terra. the Routine Staff as distinct from the General Staff, and nearly coriespoiul to tliose of the Staff in the English.

(30) CHAP.. 14. II.. —THE. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GER.MAN ARMY.. the year 1758, he dictated at the Gsunp at Breslau instructions. The. dealing with this subject to his Fiekl Engineers.. latter. were specially employed by him in surveying ground, in reconnoitring the enemy's. camps and. establishing roads for the. New. appointments in. during the Seven Years'. Brigade Majors.. and. in finding. and. of troops {Kolonnenwege).. this. branch,. War. in the. however,. were created. Captains of Guides and. The former were commanders. whom. Feldjdger, on. positions,. movements. of the. mounted. devolved the duty of leading columns on the. march, as no maps then existed. in the field corresponded to. Brigade Majors with troops. Town Majors. in. barracks.. They. gave the parole, regulated the guard duties in camp, and kept the duty rosters and reports. All. these. employed away from regimental duty,. officers. kept the rank and uniform the. single. exception. Adjutants.. It. of. was not. of their corps or regiments,. those. who. were. appointed. until after the peace of. with. Wing. Hubertsburg. that the Quartermaster-General's Staff was increased by the. appointment. of six Lieutenants,. who were taken from. the estab-. lishment of their corps or regiments, but, nevertheless, continued to wear their respective uniforms.. We. find the. King. increasing this number, as early as the year 1764, to twelve.. This decidedly shows that a want in this respect had felt. made. itself. during the war, which could not be remedied until the. peace which followed.. We find in the Army List of 1767— 1. Quartermaster-General.. 1. Quartermaster.. 15 Licutenant-QuartcrmaRters.. The. latter,. however, were ordered by the King to do duty. from time to time with the regiment so that they. He. of. Guards at Potsdam,. might not get estranged from regimental duty.. took, at the. same time, great interest in the scientific and was careful to supply the Quarter-. training of these officers,. master-General's Staff with highly-trained and talented men, and.

(31) — 1.. to. reward. those. THE GEE AT GENERAL STAFF.. who. subsequently. is. painful period of our history, but. Colonel. themselves.. distinguished. Massenbach, whose name. 15. v.. associated with. who rendered good. a. service. was transferred from. in the organisation of the General Staff,. the Wiirtemburg service, after passing a special examination in 1783,. Riichel,. and appointed Junior Quartermaster-Lieutenant. Von who afterwards became a Lieutenant-General, and. who, as a young profession,. was appointed to the Quartermaster-General's. as early as 1782,. the King, matters.. enjoyed an excellent reputation in his. officer,. who. A. and was honoured with the. personally instructed. him. Staff. special favour of. in scientific military. certain Lieutenant v. Zastrow received as a reward. for a beautifully. drawn plan the decoration " pour. le. mirite". which was at that time the only decoration besides that. of the. " Black Eagle.". In the year 1785 we. find all officers, not actually be-. still. longing to, or doing duty with, troops, borne on the strength of the General Staff,. whilst the Quartermaster-General's Staff. consisted of 10 officers only.. It. was not until the time of Frederick. William II that both had one and the same meaning.. (light blue or. and white printed. white coat, with red collar and facings, silver. and became a. buttons),. Army. The. then received a special uniform. Quartermaster-General's Staff. The. distinct corps.. List shows the following in the year 1789. lace, first. :. Personal Staff of the King. 1.. 2 Adjutant-Gonerals.. 2.. 4 Fliigel Adjiitanta.. 3.. General. .Staff, eonsistinf:;. 4 Ca|)tains and. I. Marslial's table at 4.. of. 2 Colonels,. Lieutenant.. 1. Lieutenant-Colonel, 6 Majors,. (All these officers. had a place at the. Potsdam.). 10 officers belonging to the. There were 19. officers. 1793, 20 in 1791,. and 15. whom celebrated map. Army.. of the. in. General Staff in 1791, 24 in. 179G, besides 15 Engineer officers. as surveyors, of. the senior was Reimann, the originator. of the. which bears. his. name, and the junior. Krauseneck, who afterwards became Chief. of the. General Staff.

(32) — CHAP.. 16. the. of. II. —THE. Prussian. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY. The. Army.. Quartermaster-General's. .Staff. has been entrusted with the survey of the country from the. The work was. year 1796. (this. first. carried on without the plane table. instrument was not introduced. the year 1821), but. till. The. with reflecting instruments and very careful sketching. officers carried. on the actual surveying. of the ground,. whilst. The latter mapping was done by Engineer surveyors. were partially selected from the Feldjdger, as this kind of employment was expected to prepare them for their duties in. the. war time, Colonel v.. as guides to. in the year 1801 stress. columns on the march.. Massenbach worked out a. of reconnoitring. Lecoq, who belonged. in these he laid great. and reporting on ground,. to the Quartermaster-General's Staff. from 1787 to 1801, issued a the duties of the. set of Instructions in. officers of. Laying out camps. 1800 concerning. the Quartermaster-General's Staff.. These had special reference to the following points 1.. this object,. and field engineering. General. leading columns, quartering troops, v.. and. for the Feldjager,. on the importance. With. special set of Instructions. for the. Army,. which. in. :. it. was particu-. larly pointed out that the necessary supply of water should. be close at hand. 2. 3. 4.. The reconnaissance. of roads.. Guiding columns on the march. Conducting troops into camp.. 6.. The reconnaissance of positions. Organising and covering foraging. 7.. Reconnoitring the enemy's positions. 5.. as being of extreme importance. 8. Adjutants' (aides-de-camp). manding during an engagement, if theij ivere. —a. duty pointed out. duties with the General in. master-General's Staff could also giving their advice,. expeditions.. which. officers of. com-. the Quarter-. make themselves. useful. by. required to do so.. 9. Leading columns or detachments into action. 10. Engineers' duties during sieges, if Engineer. officers. were. wanting. 11.. Laying out entrenchments. supposition.. in. the field under a similar. ^.

(33) 1.. THE GREAT GENERAL STAFI. 12.. Information and. 13.. Keeping a journal. 17. spies.. of operations.. the Colonel V. Massenbach, however, wlio at that time held with satisfied little was as Quartermaster-Lieutenant,. post of. these Instructions as with the organisation. and practical efficiency. instituting the General Staff, and he undertook the task of. of. cjforms in. The. these branches.. all. office of the. Quartermaster-General was then at Potsdam.. Lieutenant-General v. Geusau,. who. held the post of Chief, wa3. Berlin. worn out with age, and overworked by his other duties in Chief of posts This arose from his holding at th3 sann tim3 the Engineer Department of the Corps of Engineers, Director of the. War Ministry, Inspector of Fortresses, and Custodian Army Medical School in Berlin. The direction of affairs. in the. the. of in. Potsdam consequently fell into the hands of the LicutenantQuartermaster-Generals, who actcl indepembntly, with no These were at that time Colonels v. Phall Massenbach. They were both clever msn, but, as was even to se-n, they failetl to "distinguish themselves or. controlling herd.. and. V.. afterwards. actual war. carry out what was absolutely necessary in The officers of the Quartermaster-General's Staff were employed. summer. in. in travelling,. surveying and reconnoitring ground. summer were put together. [n winter the materials collected in. time and worked out, and the junior officers were at the same of want But in all this there was a instructed by the senior. benefit systematic arrangement, so that neither did the officers the were indeed nor training, general and by a sufficiently good. comprehensive materials obtained worked out in a lucid or. manner. the imperfections of which did not escape observation and business-like mind of Colonel v. induced the latter to formulate a clearly defined. This state of the keen. affairs,. Massenbach,. organisation of. based on. it. for. the Quartermaster-General's Staff,. scientific principles,. and requiring very great and. on the part of the individual officers belonging at that time wa^3 extromoly unpopular). which (an idea. serious exertions to. duties.

(34) CHAP.. 18. II.. — THE. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY.. But as a whole, Colonel. msans. v.. Massenbach's Instructions are by no. and are based,. perfect,. in spite of tlicir wide range,. on. one-sided military ideas.. In these are also to be found his classified description of " Military Positions," in which there is a want of clear and intelligent perception of real war and the value of the practical handling His collection of " Plans of Operations " was moreof troops.. These plans were not merely prepared as an. over unpractical.. but Colonel. exercise,. v.. Massenbach seemed to expect that the. examples they contained were to be of great value for. and were consequently. individuals in the future.. He. what he was pleased to. lishing. all. time,. fitted to solve the difficulties of less gifted. attempted, moreover, by estab" Fundamental Treatises," in. call. which the changes that constantly occur in practically carrying out the art of war, had, naturally, to be. down. to lay. rigidly-fixed. left. out of consideration,. and indisputable maxims which, once. in possession of the Prussian Quartermaster-General's Staff as its. precious property, were invariably to prevent. it. from making. mistakes.. These endeavours certainly far exceeded any reasonable aim.. Of. that was worked out with these ideas, there was. all. which resulted though. any value. Nevertheless,. main. Massenbach. really. officers to. devote themselves. to,. and their The organisation which he proposed, and. proved afterwards to be. in the. v.. we must allow that the mental work. which he induced individual subsequent careers.. little. for purely practical purposes,. was invariably what Colonel. this. intended.. in being of. of great value to themselves. carried out, survived even the catastrophes of 1806. and 1807, and. distinctive features. its. have been adhered to to. the present day.. The bach of. first. is. memoir addressed. dated January, 1802.. regulating,. General Staff. according to in. to the. King by Colonel. fixed. principles, the. peace, hitherto carried on without. and gives the ideas not arranged with. v.. Massen-. This memoir was on the question. of the author himself. much system. work. of the. any system;. on the subject, though. or method..

(35) THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. 1.. The. 19. part dealt with the " Order and rules by which. first. we. draw up a general plan of any military undertaking," and gave as examples a number of political complications and are to. casei of. war. in. which Prussia might possibly find herself involved. Massenbach, who was one of the. It is characteristic of Colonel v.. greatest admirers of Napoleon, that he never proposed a single. case to be. and. worked out which concerned a war between France. Prussia.. In the second part, he shows the necessity of reports on tours.. He. also proposed to divide the country into three theatres of war,. and the General. Staff into three Brigades corresponding to them.. For the topographical survey. most important parts. of the. country he proposed the use of the scale of. one of. 1. :. 10,000, for the. He. of fortresses.. ground. in the. 1. 20,000,. :. of the. and a larger. immediate neighbourhood. went, indeed, so far as proposing models of the. Silesian mountains.. Colonel. Massenbach next condemned the principle. V.. scattering General. was certainly. Staff officers in. right, for at that. Army had no commands. the provinces.. of. In this he. time the peace organisation of the. to which General Staff officers could. On. have been permanently attached with advantage. hand, he proposed that almost half of these revert, after a certain time,. from the General. duty, in order to supply the. Army. the other. officers. should. Staff to regimental. with a school of trained. officers for Generals.. After this followed directions to General Staff officers with. regard to maintaining the secrecy of. themselves. acquainted. with. all. documents, keeping. official. and administrative. tactical. changes in the Army, and as to the duties they would have to. perform at peace manojuvres.. Massenbach upon the Quarter-. Finally, Colonel v.. expressed a wish that the King should. call. master-General. Staff). (Chief. of. the General. directly with a verbal report for war,. when. fully. have. furnish. him. of operations. worked out, as the Adjutant-General, who. would otherwise be called upon to do tained,. to. on the proposed plans. sufficient. time. this,. with his. would. not, he main-. other duties to study. R 2.

(36) CHAP.. 20. II.. —THE. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY.. tlioroughly all General Staff projects,. anl furnish the King with. exhaustive reports on them. Frederick William III received the memoir very favourably,. and referred. it,. after expressing his approval in general terms,. certain distinguished Generals for their opinion,. to. Brunswick, Prince Hohenlohe, Field-Marshal. Duke. of. dorff,. Lieutenant-General. Major-General. v.. viz.,. v.. the. Molien-. Geusau (Quartermaster-General), and. V.. Zastrow (Adjutant-General).. All were highly pleased with its merits as a whole.. objections were raised only. by General. v.. Zastrow,. Serious. who. in fact. appeared to have been made somewhat uneasy by the claim? urged for the position of the Quartermaster-General in his relations with the. King,. although. the. in. which he. opinion. submitted he refrained from expressing a judgment on. this point. which concerned himself personally. Meanwhile, however. Colonel v. Massenbach, who did not remain ignorant. of the opinions,. good or otherwise, that had. been expressed on his project, prepared a second and better compiled memoir, slightly modified from the first, dated lO^h November, 1802, which he prayed the King to submit to the. judgment of Generals v. Kiichel and v. Tempelhoif. These agreed in the main with Massenbach, but General v. Tempelhoif found good deal to object to in the details. They were of the same ii. mind. in. opposing the aims of the memoir as regards the prelimi-. nary working out of plans of operations.. The. latter. they would. but whilst General v. allow to be of value as exercises only " many more political combinations there are that urged Ixiichel ;. than are given as examples," General it. was. " very injudicious. and hurtful. v.. to. TempelhofE declared that. endeavour to extract from. such dissertations an epitome to serve as directions to the General in. command.". ". No. General," he added, " would be satisfied at. receiving such directions,. and the. less so. the more he was confi-. his own al)ility." The King then referred the second memoir, together with. dent in. the opinions expressed on. General. V.. it,. in. all. March, 1803, to Lieutenant-. Geusau, with an order to prepare a project for the.

(37) — '""'^^ 1.. new. THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. organisation. This was. by of. to. the. General. 21. according. Staff. who. Colonel v. Massenbach,. making. rapidly. fourth memoir,. approved. the. of. entrusted. task. the. —. result. a. being. project. in. the issue of. a. to. it.. fulfilled. third. and. " Instructions. by the King, dated the 25th November,. 1803, for. the Quartermaster-General's Staff.". The Quartermaster- General's 1. Staff. to consist of. 6 Assistants.. Quartermaster-General.. G Officers. 3 Lieutenant-Quartermaster-Gcncrals.. surveyors. as. 6 Kolonnevj'iger.. these were attached 1. ;•. Inspector of plans, &c.. An. examination in surveying,. young. officers to. imposed,. viz.,. knowledge into. rcgirds. integrity,. for the. .;. and military. appointment. of. rehabihty and thorough. The General. of regime ntil duty.. three. / .. Further conditions were also. the General Staff.. as. .. .. ;. fortification, tactics,. and history was made compulsory. „. ,. 2 Registrars of plans, &c. 2 Engravers on copper. 2 Office servants.. art. {o/Jlcicn. geographes).. 6 Quartermasters. 6 Lieutenant-Quartermasters.. To. was now. equally strong Brigades,. Staff. was divided. which were respectively. charfêd with working out the eastern, southern. and western. theatres of war, together with the countries lying adjacent.. The duties. of the. General Staff were divided into permanent. and current work.. The former consisted. in developing the principles. military operations are carried out.. upon which. Only what had been con-. firmed by the Special Committee, consisting of the Quartermaster-. General and the three Lieutenant-Quartcrmaster-Generals, was. and submitted The current work embraced. to be received. for all. Koyal Assent. military subjects, including. the stv;dy of current literature, as well as the in(T. out. of. all. most careful work-. m'litary problems, in which there was any. possibility of the State. becommg. involved.. Ofhcers of the Quartermaster-Gencrars Staff were, moreover..

(38) CHAP.. 22. II.. — THE. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY.. make themselves. expected to. familiar with all military positions. any way remarkable in Prussian defensive as well as an offensive point. in. of view, that is to say,. Army. whether they could be used by the Prussian. by the enemy as the. most minute. both from a. territory,. and. this not in a general. way, but in. for the. above were to be used. for collecting. well,. detail.. The tours necessary. information of every kind, which was to be kept up to. statistical. date by constant reference, as regards changes,. A. authorities.. which. survey,. only or. triangulation. however, was. other work of. the. General. the. was to form the basis be restricted to. to. At the same time, maps,. was most necessary.. to. Staff,. civil. of. the. only what. as well as. all. were to be kept perfectly. secret.. 55,769 thalers* were assigned to the Quartermaster-General's Staff for personal. and other expenses,. of. which 10,800 thalers. alone were for travelling expenses during -the six. Massenbach. Colonel V.. summer months.. also succeeded in getting 18 attached. officers. added to the establishment, instead. officers,. 6 officers as surveyors. and. of. the 6 attached. 6 Kolonnenjllger, as well as the. Royal Sanction, dated 11th February, 1804. to some. of. " Explanations " of the Instructions previously mentioned. tiiis. he succeeded in getting some of his pet ideas. made. to hold the twelve " Funda-. good as supplementary.. We. mental Treatises ". be worked out by the General. a treatise (No. 7). to. on the ". among. thus find. Way. which. in. his. By. Staff,. fortresses should be. considered as playing a part in the Ordre de Bataille of Armies.". Fiom remarks on tliought fortresses. of. routine. work. it is. gathered that Massenbach. providing the country with several large central. and scattering broadcast an enormous number. smaller ones.. The actual existence or non-existence. of. of these. naturally caused on his part certain modifications in working. out the problems of the different cases of war. Thirty-nine officers had originally intimated their intention of. competing at the. first. *IS,3(J5.. examination, held on the 15th February, Tlic llialcr. is. taken as. 35..

(39) —. 1.. ^^. THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. voluntary subsequently reduced, by This number was appomted were 22 passed, i.e., retirement, to 29, of whom General s in the Quartermastercreated to the 22 new posts and 18 attached officers). Staff (4 Lieutenant-Quartermasters examination was not satisfactory As a whole, the result of the of taken with the mtention A few of the candidates were leavmg. Staff time on the General keeping them only for a short officers was reduced, as attached of svhen the establishment to 15. early as the year 1805, from 18. 1804. It. was. Armies, but failed to save them distributed to the different But it numbered in its ranks -^--^,^:^'^. rom. General The year 180G found the. Staff complete. ^^^^^ Kuhle and Boyen,. disaster.. Valentmi, Scharnborst, Knesebeck, Miiffling, distinguished themselves. who, later on, greatly rendered to the General Staff b> The important services thus such an military career came to Colonel V. Massenbach, whose be regarded as marking a distinct untimely end at Prenzlau, must Staff, its growth of the present General stride in the gradual The first step ago remedied. weak points have been long was taken war, the disastrous towards improvement, after the written A memoir of his, by Colonel v. Scharnhorst. organisation starts with the war beînnin. of the year 1808, the number fixes and Corps, in three Army of Ihe Pmssian Army with accordance in necessary for war, of General Staff officers. m. this, at. 1 1. Quaitermastcr-General (Major-Geiicral). Lieatenant-Quarterraaster-General (Colonel).. 4 Quartermasters (Majorr,). (Capiauis). 8 Lieutenant-Quartermasters (Lieutenants). 12 Attached officers Total,. The. 2(). Officers.. war wore to be regulatod by a were approved of by the King, These. duties of these officers in. set of Special. Instructiom. They. General Staff officers only. not to be taken as a guide by as well. the Generals of the Army were to be communicated to.

(40) — CHAP. II.— THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE. 2-]:. " SO that every officer of. know. tlic. GERMAN ARMY.. former, on the one. .should. liaiid,. exactly what he had to do and what was expected of him,. and, on the other, that the latter should be cognizant of the duties. General StafE Officer, so that misunderstandings,. of a. over-. wrong expectations, or accusations might be avoided." The practical training of General Staff officers was to be kept up in peace time by ensuring an accurate knowledge of the condition. lapping,. and the. tactical. manoeuvres. of troops, a general. knowledge. of the. by exercises in the movements of troops in the fiel 1, and by being employed in surveying. The summer tours were be reduced to three months (partly for the sake of economy),. country, finally,. to. and were not to be restricted to Prussia alone, but were to comprise foreign countries as well, " in so far as they might possibly form a theatre of operations for a Prussian. Army. any. at. future time.". Knowledge. in detail of certain tracts of country. was. to be. connected with military history and thus afford opportunities for closely of troops.. studying the effect which ground has on the handling Finally, the. practised in the. younger General Staff. autumn. of. officers. were to be. every year, after the manoeuvres, in. reconnaissance of ground, choosing roads for troops, places for bivouacing, and in similar duties.. Whilst the greater portion of the General Staff was to be stationed, as before, in to be. Berhn and Potsdam, some. permanently attached. they would be told. off to in. were. war, with the double object of estab-. mutual confidence and bringing them. lishing. officers. in the provinces to the Generals. closer in contact. with the troops.. The estabhshment. fixed. on the principles. of. this. scheme. required 3G,000 thalers (£5,400) for the General Staff, of which. 9,100 thalers were for tours, &c.. This, in proportion to the. general reduction at that time of military expenditure, does. not show a very great reduction from the former. sum. of G 1,000. thalers.. The Army 1. List of the year 1808 shows. Lieutonant-Qnarld-mastor-Gcneral (Major-Ocncral. 2 Qiinitrniia^tfis.. r.. Sdiarnhorst)..

(41) — ——. — 1.. ". THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. 25. T-i'-i:tcnant-Quartcrmastcr3.. 10 Attached oiHccrs. 15 Extra officers, giving a total cf 34 oGcrrs.. After the. and. been divided into 3 " Govommcnts. Army had. G Brigades (forming the cadres of 3. Army. Corps and 6. Divisions on a war footing), from the year 1809 one General Staff officer. was attached permanently to each Brigade, and one or Government.. tvro to each. The Prussian General in the. campaign. Staff. a;;;;ain. appears in a distinct form. There were 20 General. of 1812 against Russia.. Staff officers of all ranks, besides 9 Adjutants, in the Prussian. Auxiliary Corps of 21,000 men, viz.. :. With the General Commanding-in-Chief (Lieutenant-Gencral V.. Grawcrt) 1. Chi'Jof the GLncral. 1. Qiiarteriiiaster.. StafT.. 4 Lieutenants of the General Staff.. Vrith the Second in. Command. 1. Major. 1. Cai)tain. 1. Lieutenant. Yorch)—. y. of the General Staff.. J. *. ^^'^j""". 1. Captain of Cavalry. ,. ,. I attached to the General. Commander. Staff.. J. of the. Infantry. 2 Majors \ ^^ ^,^^ General StafT. 1 Lieutenant J 2 Lieutenants attached to the General. vrith the. v.. -|. Commander. Vrilh the. (Licutenant-Gcncral. of the. Staff.. Cavalry. 1 Quartermaster. 2 Lieutenants of the General StafT. Lieutenant attached to the General 1. Staff.. This strong contingent of General Staff officers was caused,. by the fact that the was held by two officers. On. Commanderother hand, we cac. in the first place,. position of. in-Chief. tlie.

(42) 26. CHAP.. II.. — THE. GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY.. was intended to give to a. number. of General. Staff officers the opportunity of actually practising. what they. see that. it. had learnt. in the last four years of peace.. The war an. of. large. of. 1813-14 brought, with the une?q3ected appearance. Army which had. been quietly formed in peace, a corre-. sponding increase in the General. Besides being employed. Staff.. at the headquarters of Armies, the officers belonging to. attached to. Army. Staff officers. were attached to each. which, being composed of the. present. of the. viz.,. and not to the person. to. it. were. two General. latter formations,. arms, corresponded to Divisions of. all. There was this difference,. day.. former custom,. From one. Corps and Brigades.. however,. from. they were attached to the Brigade. itself. Commander, and consequently were. of its. not affected by a change of Brigadiers.. We. shall not. be wrono; in assuming; that the. officers. belonging. to the General Staff took their full share in the great events of. those years. Silesian. The work done by the Headquarters. Army may. Staff of the. be taken as an example of efficiency even at. the present day.. When. the war came to a close,. of Paris, the General Staff. was kept together. i.e.,. Peace. after the second. was consolidated, so that one portion under. in Berlin. its. own. special Chief as the. and the other distributed as " Army General Staff" among Army Corps and Divisional commands, " Great General Staff,". and consequently kept very closely connected with the troops. The whole of the General Staff was then under the Second. Department. of the. War. Ministry,. and from. this position. it. was. not released until 1821, in which year the King, on the 25th. January, appointed General Staff of the. Army.*. By. v.. Muffling sole Chief of the General. this decree the General Staff obtained. * Licutcnant-Gciicral Freiherr v. Miiifling. Chief of. tlio. General Staff of the. Army from. (called Weiss) held the post of. the 25th January, 1821, to the. 28th November, 1829. He reorganised the general survey of the country; which had been neglected to the very verge of ruin, including both the triangulation and the to])ographical survey. A system of hill shading, in use uj) to the present day,. is still. called after his. name. ;. and, under his direction,. Stall'. tours for. General Stall oIliciTS were introduced.. Lieuteaant-Gcneral. v.. Krauseneck was Chief. of the General Stalf of the. Army.

(43) 1.. THE GREAT GENERAL STAFF.. 27. an independent position directly under the Kmperor, which. ii. has retained to the present day.. We may regaixl this circumstance. as one of the. most important. causes of the splendid achievements of the General Staff in. The. recent campaigns.. fact that the Prussian General Staff. quite diiierent from the General Staffs of. is. most other great Armies. as regards this particular question, certainly justifies a very close. examination of the considerations which bear on this point.. The. must surely convince us that even. result of this. if. the. Prussian General Staff had not already enjoyed the advantage. under the Emperor for more than 80 years, other causes, arising partly from progressive changes in the form of being directly. of. government, partly from developments in military organisation,. and partly from innovations certainly. The. have secured. position held. for. it. by the. in military matters generally,. the position. it. now. would. holds.. Chief of the General Staff. is,. in fact,. a matter of the greatest importance. It. cannot be denied that. the same. man who. is. it is. essential for. war purposes. tliat. charged with the necessary preparations. in. peace should be entrusted with the conduct of the operations in from the 28th November, 1829, to the 9th May, 1848. It will be shown fuvlhcr on, in the chapter on autumn manojuvi-es, what excellent services he rendered After him the post was filled by Lieiitenant in this most important subject. General v. Reyer from the 13th May, 1848, during whose tenure of office tours General Staff with the different Army Corps were established. The great experience which General v. Reyer had gained as a General Staff officer of the advanced guard of the Army of Silesia, in the campaign of 1813-14, was turned to account by him in a most practical and He died on the 7th October, 1857. iii3tiuotive way. General Field-Marshal Graf v. Moltke was Chief of the General Staff of the Army for practising the duties of the. from the 29th October, 1857, till the 10th August, 1888. We shall show further on in tliis work the immense strides the Prussian General Staff made during this Th(! campaigns of 1804, 1800 and 1870-71 bear witness to this of period. tliemselves and make other allusions appear superfluous. General Field-JIarshal Graf v. Moltke, who was appointed President of the Defence Committee, was succeeded on the 10th August, 1888, by General This officer was Graf V. Waldersee, who afterwards became Field- Marsluxl. General Officer Commanding Ninth Army Corps from the 2nd February, 1891, and subs (piently Army Tnsp-ctor; he also went out in command of the Allied he died in 1901. F. re s in China (Jeiicral (!raf v. Schlieffen has been Chief of the General Staff of the Army ;. since the 7th February, 1891-.

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