Fritz von Lossberg
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Karl "Fritz" von Lossberg (30 April 1868 – 4 May 1942) was a German
colonel
, and later general
, of World War I
. He was a strategic planner, especially of defence, who was Chief of Staff for the Second, Third and Fourth Armies. He was present at the battles of the Somme, Arras
, and Verdun
Lossberg was born in Bad Homburg
in Hesse-Nassau. Erich Ludendorff
refers to him as Loszberg in his memoires. Elsewhere, it is sometimes also spelt Loßberg.
Lossberg was later to become "legendary as the fireman of the Western Front, always sent by OHL to the area of crisis". He was the "foremost German expert on Defensive Warfare. Was made a floating Chief of staff in problem areas with Vollmacht: the right to issue orders in a superior's name".
The British Official History refers to him as a very remarkable soldier.
Lossberg was awarded the Blue Max ("Pour le Mérite") for his work on the Western Front
on 24 April 1917).
'Throughout the eight months which Colonel von Lossberg spent in Mézières [in early 1915] he was straining at the leash to return to more active work at the front, and the first opportunity, which came by accident, he seized with both hands. His chief, Colonel Tappen, was still away when the French offensive [in the Champagne region] was delivered on the 25th September and von Lossberg deputized for him when General Falkenhayn explained the situation to the Kaiser, William II, the following morning. A message had come through earlier from the chief of staff of the Third Army, Lieut.-General von Hoehn, that the left corps might have to be withdrawn two miles to behind the Dormoise, and Colonel von Lossberg during his account of the situation on the Champagne battlefront expressed strong disapproval of such an action. Within three hours of that interview he was on his way to replace General von Hoehn as chief of staff, a marked honour for a junior colonel of only two months' seniority, as all the other chiefs of staff of armies were at least major-generals.' Von Lossberg was one of the leading proponents of the system of defence-in-depth.
"Aged 71, Major General Fritz von Lossberg retired from the Army in 1927"
Elsewhere (see talk) his dates are given as 1868-1942
Initially, Lossberg, who was Bauer and Geyer’s superior, opposed elastic defense. He argued that it was impractical to expect men to make an orderly retreat under artillery fire. Furthermore, allowing units to retreat at will would make coordinating a defense almost impossible. Also, the counterattack would have to be precisely coordinated with the enemy’s attack.
Lossberg thought that the front line should be held at all costs. Nevertheless, Lossberg agreed that the front line should be thinly manned, and that if the front line were breached, counterattacks by nearby reserves should restore the line. Furthermore, Lossberg gave more freedom and authority to front-line commanders, so that they could respond quickly to local threats and opportunities. This freedom and authority also made practical the launching of the rapid counterattacks that Bauer and Geyer had advocated. Lossberg’s ideas became official army doctrine.
It was Lossberg who first put into practice the theory of elastic defense during the battle of Arras
(April-May 1917), where it succeeded. But the elastic defense at Arras had been improvised. At the subsequent battle of Passchendaele (June-November 1917) Lossberg carefully planned an elastic defense and again was successful. Lossberg’s successes in battle proved the feasibility of defense in depth.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and later general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was a strategic planner, especially of defence, who was Chief of Staff for the Second, Third and Fourth Armies. He was present at the battles of the Somme, Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
, and Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
Lossberg was born in Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel...
in Hesse-Nassau. Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
refers to him as Loszberg in his memoires. Elsewhere, it is sometimes also spelt Loßberg.
Lossberg was later to become "legendary as the fireman of the Western Front, always sent by OHL to the area of crisis". He was the "foremost German expert on Defensive Warfare. Was made a floating Chief of staff in problem areas with Vollmacht: the right to issue orders in a superior's name".
The British Official History refers to him as a very remarkable soldier.
Lossberg was awarded the Blue Max ("Pour le Mérite") for his work on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
on 24 April 1917).
'Throughout the eight months which Colonel von Lossberg spent in Mézières [in early 1915] he was straining at the leash to return to more active work at the front, and the first opportunity, which came by accident, he seized with both hands. His chief, Colonel Tappen, was still away when the French offensive [in the Champagne region] was delivered on the 25th September and von Lossberg deputized for him when General Falkenhayn explained the situation to the Kaiser, William II, the following morning. A message had come through earlier from the chief of staff of the Third Army, Lieut.-General von Hoehn, that the left corps might have to be withdrawn two miles to behind the Dormoise, and Colonel von Lossberg during his account of the situation on the Champagne battlefront expressed strong disapproval of such an action. Within three hours of that interview he was on his way to replace General von Hoehn as chief of staff, a marked honour for a junior colonel of only two months' seniority, as all the other chiefs of staff of armies were at least major-generals.' Von Lossberg was one of the leading proponents of the system of defence-in-depth.
"Aged 71, Major General Fritz von Lossberg retired from the Army in 1927"
Elsewhere (see talk) his dates are given as 1868-1942
Innovations in defensive tactics
The doctrine of “defense in depth” or “elastic defense” was formulated in 1915 by a small group of young staff officers at the German Army High Command at Mézières, France; specifically, it was proposed by Major Max Bauer, Major Bussche, Captain Hermann Geyer, and Captain Harbon. In 1916, Major Bauer and Captain Geyer expounded their ideas in an army manual, “Conduct of the Defensive Battle.” In an elastic defense, the front line would be held by a minimal number of troops (to minimize the number of men exposed to artillery fire). During an attack, these troops would retreat. Reserves, who would be stationed nearby but beyond artillery range, would then counterattack and retake the front line.Initially, Lossberg, who was Bauer and Geyer’s superior, opposed elastic defense. He argued that it was impractical to expect men to make an orderly retreat under artillery fire. Furthermore, allowing units to retreat at will would make coordinating a defense almost impossible. Also, the counterattack would have to be precisely coordinated with the enemy’s attack.
Lossberg thought that the front line should be held at all costs. Nevertheless, Lossberg agreed that the front line should be thinly manned, and that if the front line were breached, counterattacks by nearby reserves should restore the line. Furthermore, Lossberg gave more freedom and authority to front-line commanders, so that they could respond quickly to local threats and opportunities. This freedom and authority also made practical the launching of the rapid counterattacks that Bauer and Geyer had advocated. Lossberg’s ideas became official army doctrine.
It was Lossberg who first put into practice the theory of elastic defense during the battle of Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
(April-May 1917), where it succeeded. But the elastic defense at Arras had been improvised. At the subsequent battle of Passchendaele (June-November 1917) Lossberg carefully planned an elastic defense and again was successful. Lossberg’s successes in battle proved the feasibility of defense in depth.
Sources and footnotes
- Ludendorff, ErichErich LudendorffErich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
; My War Memoirs. London: Naval & Military Press, 2005 - Lupfer, Timothy T; The Dynamics of Doctrine: The Change in German Tactical Doctrine during the First World War 1981 Combat Studies Institute, Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- Oldham, Peter; The Hindenburg Line. London: Leo Cooper, 1997
- Blue Max website] 1939 Defense in depth]
- Defence in Depth article
- Ties Fritz von Lossberg to Frederick
- Awarded oakleaves Friedrich Karl von Lossberg -- 24 April 1917
- Genealogy site
- Fritz von Lossberg, Meine Tatigkeit im Weltkriege, 1914—1918 (Berlin, 1939), 277. G.O.H., XI, 17.
- Bradley J. Meyer (1981) "Innovation and Expertise: Some changes in German tactical doctrine during World War I" (unpublished M.A. dissertation, Department of History, Ohio State University), Chapter 2. The Defense Expert: Fritz von Lossberg, pages 30–80. Available on-line at: http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/send-pdf.cgi/Meyer%20Bradley%20J.pdf?acc_num=osu1133976573 .
External sources
- Wynne, Capt. G. C.; If Germany Attacks: The Battle in Depth in the West (London, England: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1940; reprinted by: Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1976).
- Times, 06 Oct 1917; pg. 5; Issue 41602; col G Through German Eyes. The Western Command., General Von Lossberg