Josias Oskar von Heeringen was born in Kassel (in the Electorate of Hesse) on May 9, 1850, son of Josias von Heeringen the Elder and Ehefrau Karoline von Starkloff. His younger brother August served as a naval officer and, at one time, was Chief of the German Naval General Staff.
MILITARY RISE
After attended military academies in Kassel and Berlin, the young Josias joined the 80th Infantry Regiment in Wiesbaden in 1867 as a Fähnrich. Within two years, he became a second lieutenant.
Heeringen had his first experiences on the battlefield during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. During the engagement at Wörth, Heeringen was severely wounded by a shot to the head and his arm. For his personal bravery, Josias received the Iron Cross.
After the Second Reich had been declared in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, Heeringen served in various peace-time infantry regiments. In 1873, he rose to the rank of first lieutenant. A year later, Josias married his sweetheart, Augusta von Dewall.
In 1879, Heeringen became a part of the Greater German General Staff… and was named Hauptmann a year later. In 1882, he joined XI Corps (stationed in Kassel) as part of Karl von Schlotheim’s general staff. Two years later, Heeringen transferred to the 22nd Infantry Division, serving on Ernst von Unger’s general staff.
Heeringen soon entered the Prussian War Ministry in 1887 with the rank of major. From 1892 to 1895, he was a section chief in the General Staff. In 1898, Heeringen was again promoted, this time to major general. He also became director of the Army Administration Department within the War Ministry.
In 1901, Heeringen attained the rank of Generalleutnant (lieutenant general). Two years later, he became the commander of the 22nd Infantry Division. In 1906, Heeringen was made General der Infanterie, and also became the commander of II Corps, based in Stettin.
Heeringen increased his portfolio by replacing Karl von Einem as Prussian Minister of War in 1909. It was here that he became a bitter rival of Colonel Erich Ludendorff (a fellow member of the General Staff) over the pre-war buildup of the German Army.
Like his predecessor von Einem, Heeringen believed that the strength of the German Army should not be increased too quickly and too intensively… that the emphasis of reformist efforts should be placed more on the technical perfection of the army. He also stopped the immediate formation of three new army corps, an action that was delayed until well into the First World War! But Heeringen resigned his post in 1913 and became Inspector General of the Prussian Second Army (headquartered in Berlin), replacing Colmar von der Goltz
When the Great War began in August 1914, Josias von Heeringen (took command of the German Seventh Army, the force that was being used as a decoy for the attempted invasion of France. Serving under Heeringen during the Battle for the Frontiers was a young officer cadet and future field marshal named Friedrich von Paulus.
In the decisive battles of Mulhouse, Morhange, and Sarrebourg, both Heeringen and Crown Prince Rupprecht successfully defended Alsace against the French First and Second Armies. For his service, Josias became an honorary citizen of Kassel and was later awarded the Pour le Mérite on August 28, 1915.
FINAL YEARS
Around the time that oak leaves were added to his “Blue Max” (in August 1916), Heeringen was relieved of his command of the German Seventh Army. He was soon appointed commander of Germany’s Coastal Defense Forces… and remained in that capacity until the end of the war. Heeringen then devoted himself to the care of war veterans and was named president of the Kyfthaeuser Association. He left active service with the rank of Generaloberst (colonel general).
Josias von Heeringen died on October 9, 1926 in Berlin-Charlottenburg at the age of seventy-six.
HONORS AND AWARDS
KINGDOM OF PRUSSIA
– Iron Cross of 1870, Second Class
– Service Award Cross
– Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar
– Knight of the Royal Crown Order, First Class
– Pour le Mérite (August 28, 1915) with Oak Leaves (August 28, 1916)
BADEN
– Commander of the Zahringer Lion, Second Class (1893)
– Grand Cross of the Order of Berthold the First (1909)
KINGDOM OF BAVARIA
– Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order
– Prince Regent Luitpold Medal on Band of Jubilee Medal
GRAND DUCHY OF HESSE
– Commander of the Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous, Second Class (June 10, 1867); Grand Cross with Crown (August 23, 1911)
OLDENBURG
-Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig
KINGDOM OF SAXONY
– Knight of the Rue Crown
– Grand Cross of the Albert Order, with Golden Star
WURTTEMBERG
– Knight of the Württemberg Crown (1889); Grand Cross
– Commander of the Friedrich Order, First Class (1900)
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE
– Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen (1912)
BELGIUM
– Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
CHILE
– Medal of the Merit, First Class
JAPANESE EMPIRE
– Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun
– Order of Meiji, Second Class
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
– Order of Osmanieh, First Class