PEEBLES PROFILES
EPISODE 181
Arthur von Brietzke
Friedrich Moritz Arthur von Brietzke was born in the Brandenburger town of Kemnitz on April 30, 1848.
At the time, a liberal revolution was spreading across Europe. The German Confederation was dissolved in favor of the Frankfurt National Assembly. Preparations for a united German state were being made, free of Austrian influence. But when King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia formally rejected the imperial constitution and the crown of emperor (Kaiser) in April 1849, it led to the failure of the Frankfurt National Assembly AND the German revolution. The old confederation was reestablished in 1850.
EARLY YEARS
Arthur von Brietzke was the son of Lord of Kemnitz Hans Friedrich Moritz von Brietzke (a Prussian captain) and Emilie (née Busch). At seventeen, the young Brietzke joined the Prussian Army’s Garde-Jäger-Bataillon on January 3, 1866.
Brietzke then participated in the Austro-Prussian War (June 14 to July 22, 1866) and was awarded the Remembrance Cross. The Prussian triumph signaled the formal dissolution of the German Confederation. Austria lost control of the northern German states to Prussia, which paved the way for a unified Germany.
One week after the war ended, Brietzke was made an ensign. On August 16th, he was quickly promoted to second lieutenant.
Brietzke took part in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. For his service, Arthur won the Iron Cross of 1870, Second Class. Victory over France’s Napoleon III was followed by the rise of the German Empire at Versailles in January 1871.
RISE THROUGH THE RANKS
Over the next twenty-five years, Arthur von Brietzke earned a series of promotions:
– first lieutenant on August 16, 1873
– captain on May 24, 1878
– major on April 14, 1887
– lieutenant colonel on October 18, 1892
– colonel on May 13, 1895
The day he became a full colonel, Brietzke was named commander of Braunschweig Infantry Regiment Number 92 based in Brunswick. Then in November 1898, he took command of the 54th Infantry Brigade based in Ulm an der Donau. Along with the assignment, Brietzke was promoted to major general.
In November 1899, Brietzke was given command of the Royal Württemberger Infantry Brigade Number 51 based in Stuttgart. By the end of 1900, he headed the 14th Infantry Brigade in Halberstadt. Then in mid-December 1901, Brietzke was made a lieutenant general and replaced Georg von Alten as commander of the Second Infantry Division based in the East Prussian town of Insterburg. But by the summer of 1903, Brietzke retired from active duty.
THE GREAT WAR
When Imperial Germany went to war in the summer of 1914, Arthur von Brietzke was still living in retirement. However in April 1915, he was assigned to the 59th Landwehr Infantry Brigade. Eight months later, Brietzke replaced Eberhardt von Hofacker as commander of the Fourth Landwehr Infantry Division on the Eastern Front.
On April 23, 1917, Brietzke replaced Gunther Graf von Kirchbach as commanding general of the Landwehr Corps (a post he would hold until the spring of 1919 long after the fighting stopped). For his leadership and achievement in this role, Brietzke was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, First Class (with oak leaves and swords) in May 1918.
FINAL YEARS
In the post-war period, Brietzke campaigned for the creation of a memorial for the Landwehr Corps. It was designed by Hans Dammann and erected in Breslau in front of the General Command.
Arthur von Brietzke died on February 22, 1930 at the age of eighty-one.