Hermann Von Francois Research Paper
Hermann von Francois
Hermann von Francois was a German General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) best known for his significance for the many victories on the Eastern Front. Both of his grandfathers served as generals in the Prussian Army and his father was a Prussian general. Francois was the commander of the I Corps of the German Eighth Army and he was to defend against the attacks from the Russians while stationed in the province of East Prussia. In 1914, the war broke out and on August 17th of that year, Maximilian von Prittwitz (German theater commander) commanded Francois to retreat while under attack from the army led by Paul von Rennenkampf (Russian general). Francois was unwilling to give up Prussia and felt that retreating would be deadly. He disobeyed the order he received and responded with the famous reply, “General von Francois will withdraw when he has defeated the Russians!” He continued on by launching an attack on Rennenkampf's army that was uncalled for, but resulted in victory. This battle was called the Battle of Stalluponen. …show more content…
Francois' recklessness in commanding was notorious.
After the success of his decision at Stalluponen, Prittwitz was encouraged to attack Rennenkampf's army at the Battle of Gumbinnen. This turned out as a failure and resulted in Prittwitz being replaced by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Francois was not trusted by these new commanders, but was still the decisive role in the Battle of Tannenberg with Alexander Samsonov as the second Russian army to invade East Prussia. Ludendorff feared a counterattack from Rennenkampf's army, but Francois once again disobeyed the orders of retreating. This helped in defeating Samsonov's army. Ludendorff viewed Francois as a “loose cannon”, and distrusted him. There was also distrust with Hindenburg because of Francois'
disobedience.
Hermann von Francois was given the command of the 8th Army after impressing the Kaiser with a telegram stating that the previous commander of the 8th Army was “badly counseled” and proving his previous successes. Unfortunately, Francois did not hold the position for long. He was reluctant in sending in the I Corps that were requested and instead sent in badly trained Reserve Corps. In November of 1914, Francois was replaced by Otto von Below. Later, Francois received the command of the XLI Reserve Corps in December 1914 and then returned to the Eastern Front in April 1915. Francois gave up his command in July 1918 and then retired in October of that year.
The war ended and Hemann von Francois wrote several books on military history including Marneschlacht und Tannenberg (best-seller in Germany).
Hermann von Francois passed away in 1933.
Hermann von Francois was a German General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) best known for his significance for the many victories on the Eastern Front. Both of his grandfathers served as generals in the Prussian Army and his father was a Prussian general. Francois was the commander of the I Corps of the German Eighth Army and he was to defend against the attacks from the Russians while stationed in the province of East Prussia. In 1914, the war broke out and on August 17th of that year, Maximilian von Prittwitz (German theater commander) commanded Francois to retreat while under attack from the army led by Paul von Rennenkampf (Russian general). Francois was unwilling to give up Prussia and felt that retreating would be deadly. He disobeyed the order he received and responded with the famous reply, “General von Francois will withdraw when he has defeated the Russians!” He continued on by launching an attack on Rennenkampf's army that was uncalled for, but resulted in victory. This battle was called the Battle of Stalluponen. …show more content…
Francois' recklessness in commanding was notorious.
After the success of his decision at Stalluponen, Prittwitz was encouraged to attack Rennenkampf's army at the Battle of Gumbinnen. This turned out as a failure and resulted in Prittwitz being replaced by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Francois was not trusted by these new commanders, but was still the decisive role in the Battle of Tannenberg with Alexander Samsonov as the second Russian army to invade East Prussia. Ludendorff feared a counterattack from Rennenkampf's army, but Francois once again disobeyed the orders of retreating. This helped in defeating Samsonov's army. Ludendorff viewed Francois as a “loose cannon”, and distrusted him. There was also distrust with Hindenburg because of Francois'
disobedience.
Hermann von Francois was given the command of the 8th Army after impressing the Kaiser with a telegram stating that the previous commander of the 8th Army was “badly counseled” and proving his previous successes. Unfortunately, Francois did not hold the position for long. He was reluctant in sending in the I Corps that were requested and instead sent in badly trained Reserve Corps. In November of 1914, Francois was replaced by Otto von Below. Later, Francois received the command of the XLI Reserve Corps in December 1914 and then returned to the Eastern Front in April 1915. Francois gave up his command in July 1918 and then retired in October of that year.
The war ended and Hemann von Francois wrote several books on military history including Marneschlacht und Tannenberg (best-seller in Germany).
Hermann von Francois passed away in 1933.