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Officer Corps 12-Reserve and Landwehr Officers-Wartime Officers-Retirement

Reserve and Landwehr Officers

The active-duty officers described above differed significantly from reserve officers. Active officers received their commissions and with that honor went a certain respect and admiration. Reserve officers followed a different route to commissioning. Once commissioned, they tended to try very hard to mimic the regular officers. The reserve commission was considered the “open door” to many advantages in private life. For the most part they had served as OYVs and were recommended by their company commander as potential reserve officers. Preparation and training amounted to two periods of annual training, each lasting eight weeks. The reserve officer corps of the corps district would then vote on them. If accepted, they would gain a commission and serve as a lieutenant of the reserve.

The career of Friedrich Wolfgang Schmitt–Scharf illustrates the point and assists in the understanding of the following section. Born in October 1869, he became a one-year volunteer in the Kgl. Bayr. 2. Feldartillerie- Regiment Horn in October 1888 at the age of 19. As a one-year volunteer, he was promoted to the rank of Gefreiter in January 1889. He was further promoted to Unteroffizier in July of that year and after his year was over in October, he was released into the reserves. Two years later in August 1891, he was promoted to staff sergeant in a mounted unit (Vizewachtmeister) and was promoted to second lieutenant of the reserves in November 1891, after finishing his two annual training and preparation periods. Nine years later in March of 1900, he was promoted to Oberleutnant. Five years after that in February of 1905, he was made a captain. That same year, at the age of 36, he was transferred into the 1st contingent of the Landwehr. When the war broke out in 1914, he was made commander of a Landwehr company, and in 1915 promoted to characteristic (temporary) major and held various posts until his release from the Army in 1919.

Wartime Officers

The wartime shortage of second lieutenants was meant to be filled by promoting retired Vizefeldwebel or Feldwebel to the rank of sergeant major lieutenant (Feldwebelleutnant). If the candidate had 12 years of service in the reserves or eight years of service in the Landsturm, he could be appointed to officer deputy (Offizier-Stellvertreter). Such officer deputies were never intended to command more than a platoon. While they were treated as officers in the field, they were not permitted the privileges of permanent commissioned rank. Immediately upon demobilization or discharge, they reverted at once to their former rank. These ranks were not used extensively until 1914, which begged the question as to why not. The Kaiser issued no fewer than two cabinet orders (AKOs) in late 1914 clarifying the rank of Offizier-Stellvertreter. There continues to be controversy over whether a person holding the rank of Offizier-Stellvertreter was considered an officer or a noncommissioned officer. It was possible for an Offizier-Stellvertreter to be promoted to the rank of Feldwebelleutnant. Additionally, because of a mistake in an English language publication, German Military Terms and Abbreviations issued by GHQ in France in April 1917, there are notes as well as references that Feldwebelleutnant was “only appointed in war for depot and garrison troops”. Feldwebelleutnants were indeed appointed only in wartime but certainly not only for depot and garrison troops. A cursory glance at any wartime regimental history or the published Verlustlisten will show their appointment and deployment in first line units. This promotion was an appointment, not a rank. It entitled them to nothing other than increased responsibility. This appointment was a very poor deal after they reverted to their previous rank.

Retirement

Military service was not over quickly. Most officers were “promoted” upon retirement. Often the phrase charakterisiert (brevet promotion) is attached to a specific rank. If a person served a certain number of years, this “promotion” was granted upon retirement. It did not affect his pension because that was based on his permanent rank. The abbreviation z.D. after a name, Oberleutnant z.D. Müller for example, stands for zur Disposition (on disposition). An officer in this status was in effect a retired officer who had agreed to be available for further service or assignment as required. It was normal for an officer z.D. to be employed in peacetime in uniformed positions such as Landwehr District Commanders or Landwehr District Officers. They were also given front-line assignments on mobilization.

Another abbreviation frequently seen in connection with retired officers is außer Dienst (a.D.) or out of service. They, too, were often recalled or volunteered their services upon mobilization. It is confusing in that a man could be promoted in that status as well as use the abbreviation a.D. even when serving in a recalled status. There was another group of officers known as nichtregimentierte Offiziere. This term refers to those officers serving extra-regimentally in special corps or appointments such as the following:

General Staff;
Adjutants of formations from brigade upwards;
Adjutants to Royal Princes;
Permanent staff of military establishments such as the War Academy, War Schools, Artillery and Engineer School, Cadet Corps, NCO schools, etc.;
Fortress governments;
Train Depots, etc.

For the most part these were officers serving outside their original arm of service or regiment in a special staff or instructors’ appointment.

All members of the army officer corps were entitled to receive a pension if they could not continue their military career after at least ten years of active service. Officers leaving the army after less than ten years due to a disability or other health reasons received during active service were also entitled to receive a pension. In these cases, the pension would be granted only during the disability or invalidity that kept these officers from joining active service. Officers leaving the army before completing ten years of service without a pension entitlement could receive a pension as an act of grace if they were in need due to poverty. This rule was only applied if those officers were officially declared to be unfit for service. In these cases, the pension did not exceed 20/60 (20 x the sixtieth part) of their last pensionable annual salary (pensionsfähiges Diensteinkommen). Only salaries, allowances, or bonuses received for longer than one year were counted as pensionable. The pension amount was calculated based upon position, rank and years of service. After ten years of service, it was about 20/60 of the last pensionable salary and rose with each full year of service by one further sixtieth part. After 30 years of service and from the position of a regimental commander, this increase was reduced to 1/120 of the last pensionable annual salary. Usually, the “target pension” for retirement after a full life of service was about 2/3 (average)–3/4 (maximum) of the last pensionable annual salary.