Rüdiger von der Goltz
German military personnel (1865–1946) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gustav Adolf Joachim Rüdiger Graf[1] von der Goltz (8 December 1865 – 4 November 1946) was a German army general during the First World War.[2][3] He commanded the Baltic Sea Division, which successfully intervened in the Finnish Civil War in the spring of 1918. Goltz stayed with his troops in Finland until December 1918 representing German interests, and in practice ruled the country as a military dictator during this period. After the Armistice of 11 November 1918, Goltz commanded the army of the local German-established government of Latvia, which in 1919 was instrumental in the defeat of the Russian Bolsheviks and their local allies in Latvia. The troops commanded by Goltz suffered a defeat against Estonia in 1919 and were eventually unsuccessful in retaining German control over Latvia and Estonia after World War I.
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Rüdiger von der Goltz | |
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Born | (1865-12-08)8 December 1865 Züllichau, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation (present-day Sulechow, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland) |
Died | 4 November 1946(1946-11-04) (aged 80) Bernbeuren, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Allied-occupied Germany |
Allegiance | German Empire |
Service/ | Imperial German Army |
Years of service | 1885–1918 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands | Baltic Sea Division Baltische Landeswehr |
Battles/wars | First World War Finnish Civil War Latvian War of Independence Estonian War of Independence |
Awards | Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class Pour le Mérite 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty with crossed swords and precious stones |