EARLY YEARS
Max Stapff was born in Viesebach bei Altenburg on September 7, 1870, five days after the decisive Battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War. Stapff entered the Prussian Army in 1889 and served in the Sixth Fusilier Artillery Regiment based in Neisse. He soon became a second lieutenant, eventually earning the rank of first lieutenant in November 1898.
Stapff was promoted again in March 1906, this time to captain. In April 1911, he joined Paul Oldenburg’s General Staff with the 35th Infantry Division based in the Graudenz/Thorn region. Eighteen months later, Stapff was promoted yet again to the rank of major. In 1914, he served on Genlt von Zastrow’s General Staff as part of the government in Graudenz.
CHIEFS OF OPERATIONS
Stapff was still in Graudenz when the Great War began in August 1914. He participated in the decisive Battle of Tannenberg against the Russian “steamroller” later that month.
In October 1914, Stapff was transferred to the headquarters of the Zastrow Corps. One month later, he became the head of the operations department of the Guards Reserve Corps commanded by Max von Gallwitz. Stapff held the same title (chief of operations) when Gallwitz became commander of the his own army group in February 1915.
Three months later, Stapff participated in the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive against Tsarist Russia. Gallwitz’ troops gradually made their way south, engaging the Russians at Przasnysz, Mlawa, and Nowogeorgiewsk. In August 1915, Army Group Gallwitz was reorganized and became the German Twelfth Army. Stapff again became its chief of operations.
One month later, Stapff continued his role as chief of operations… but now at the HQ of Gallwitz’ German Eleventh Army. In this capacity, he participated in the Austro-German invasion of Serbia… and later in fights on the Thessaloniki battlefield.
As 1916 got underway, the German Eleventh Army (along with Gallwitz and Stapff) was sent to the Western Front and saw action against the French at Verdun. In July, Stapff became chief of operations at the headquarters of the reformed German First Army led by Fritz von Below. He participated in the Battle of the Somme against the BEF… and remained in his post until almost the end of the year.
CHIEFS OF STAFF
With the dawn of 1917, Stapff was Franz von Soden’s Chief of Staff with VII Reserve Corps. In May of that year, he became Friedrich Sixt von Arnim’s Chief of Staff with the German Fourth Army. His time in that position lasted less than a month… and in June, Stapff served in Flanders as Otto von Below’s Chief of Staff with the German Sixth Army. Again, he did not stay in this post for long… and in August, Stapff was appointed Georg von der Marwitz’ Chief of Staff with the German Second Army.
Under Marwitz, Stapff participated in the Battle of Cambrai on the Western Front against the British in November 1917. Cambrai was the first tank offensive in the history of modern warfare. After the BEF was repulsed, Stapff was promoted to lieutenant colonel on December 18, 1917. Five days later, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite, Imperial Germany’s highest military decoration.
In late February 1918, Stapff returned to the Eastern Front, where he became Erich von Falkenhayn’s Chief of Staff with the German Tenth Army. By this time, Russia was under Bolshevik rule and nearly out of the war. The German Tenth Army staff and troops were primarily engaged in administrative tasks. They also oversaw the peaceful transfer of Russian POWs to their homeland. Stapff remained with the German Tenth Army until the signing of the armistice in November.
Even though Imperial Germany was no more, Stapff continued his military career. He became a brevetted colonel, retiring from active duty in September 1921. On November 1, 1938, Max Stapff died at the age of sixty-eight.