The Officer Corps-3
The striking thing about the German officer corps is its youth. Far younger than any of their western counterparts, many officer aspirants were only 17 years old. Young Germans rushed to obtain commissions that started the clock on seniority, despite a lack of maturity and education. Officers could choose the academy cadet route or the Fahnenjunker officer candidate civilian route. The source of commission was nearly as important as noble birth. France only accepted cadets who had passed the first half of their baccalaureate, somewhat equivalent to the German Abitur. Cadet ages at the St. Cyr Military Academy in France ranged from 17 to 21. Although perhaps a gross generalization, people get the impression that young Germans were commissioned as lieutenants at the age when French youngsters entered their Military Academy.
Cadet Schools
Cadet schools were completely separate from the Volkschule and Gymnasium discussed in the last officer blog. A man could enter a lower cadet school (Voranstalt) and remain within the cadet system until he graduated from the upper cadet school. Movement between civilian schools and cadet schools certainly happened in both directions. There were eight Prussian lower cadet schools located in Bensberg, Köslin (formerly Culm), Karlsruhe, Naumburg, Oranienstadt, Plön, Potsdam, and Walstadt. There was also a lower cadet school in Dresden, Saxony and one in lower Bavaria. The Prussian upper cadet school was called the Hauptkadettenanstalt (HKA) and was located at Gross-Lichterfelde. Not only Prussian, but also Württemberg and some Saxon cadets, aspired to attend the Prussian upper cadet school. Bavarian cadet schools stood alone and arguably were always better. The Abitur was a prerequisite for commissioning in the Bavarian army.
Cadets were an interesting group. By 1910, two-thirds of the cadets were non-noble. The major investiture was the quasi-formal clothing ceremony. This picture of a Saxon cadet shows how indifferent the issuers were for the size of the uniforms of the lower cadet schools. Prussian lower cadets did not wear helmets, but each school had a unique uniform. If the uniform was too large, the cadet had no recourse but to grow into it. Cadet life seemed to revolve around efforts to find food, as their normal fare was inadequate.
There were never many cadets. A Voranstalt had 200 or fewer students. The HKA at Gross-Lichterfelde had 1,000 cadets and produced about 240 officers per year. These cadets mostly entered the army as officer candidates shortly before commission, in the rank of Fähnrich. The number of civilians entering the active army with Fahnenjunker status varied from twice as many cadets to about the same number. As to religion, while 38 percent of Germans were Catholic, less than four percent of the cadets were Catholic. This disparity shows the religious discrimination in the selection process as well a requirement that the Prussian officers raise their children as Protestants.
The cost of schooling was a major issue. One of the attractions of cadet school was that scholarships to the “Kings Cadets” could be quite substantial. Reduction or elimination of tuition fees was available. This was granted almost automatically for the sons of officers, as well as for certain non-commissioned officers, civil servants, and gendarmes. The emancipation of students became a major concern of families. Commissioning and self-sufficiency were urgent considerations. Families had to decide very early (when the boy was age nine) whether to bear this expense or not. The student graduation year, seniority, and long-term benefits differed between the cadet schools. There were three distinct methods of leaving the cadet schools. The fastest and most direct method, and the one that applied to most cadets, was to leave the HKA after the Obersekunda year and enter a regiment as a charakterisierter (brevet) Fähnrich (at age 17). Option two was to be selected as a Prima cadet gaining the Abitur (at age 19). Option three was for a very élite group called the Selekta, which was in charge of the other cadets for the period of one year (at age 18).
At the end of six cadet years or at the age of 17, the cadets took the Fähnrich exam and those that left the Academy merged into the commissioning process. The cadet was a little different because he was a charakterisierter Fähnrich.There were exceptions, as some 10 percent of the cadets left the academy with some advanced training and were considered Patent Fähnrich. If a cadet did really well on the Fähnrich exam, he could be selected as a Selekta cadet and remain at the school. Selekta became cadet non-commissioned officers and “ran” the non-senior cadets in the following year. This position was prestigious; if the individual passed the officer’s exam, he was commissioned. There was no need for the officers of the regiment to vote on Selekta. A cadet could also compete to be a Prima cadet. This policy was selective and could lead the candidates to continue at the HKA for two years, with the goal of gaining the Abitur (at age 19). Being a Selekta cadet helped him for the rest of his military life. The Abitur was a civilian life advantage. As such, the number of military Abitur holders grew steadily from one-third in 1880 to two-thirds in 1912. The number of middle class officers who saw the lifelong civilian advantages of the Abitur became dominant.
Inside the cadet corps, social class was non-existent. One anachronistic institution existed that ran counter to this classless society. The Corps of Pages was open only to the children of nobles. By an order of 1878, pages were drawn from the two highest classes of the HKA. A page had to be successful in his own right and had to have been selected to enter the ranks of the Prima or the Selekta. Thirty cadets were chosen as Leibpagen and 30 additional cadets were chosen as Hofpagen. Leibpagen directly served a member of the royal family. Hofpagen performed general duties at the imperial Court. When on official duties, the pages dressed in 18th century uniforms with the Leibpagen having a more ornate dress. Those cadets who had exposure to royalty and the court were highly successful. Forty-seven percent of those Selekta who were pages became generals.