Günther von Kirchbach

Günther Emanuel Graf von Kirchbach (9 August 1850 – 6 November 1925) was a German Generaloberst who served during the First World War.

Günther Emanuel Graf von Kirchbach
Born	(1850-08-09)9 August 1850 Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany
Died	6 November 1925(1925-11-06) (aged 75) Bad Blankenburg, Thuringia, Germany
Allegiance	Prussia Imperial Germany
Service / branch	Prussian Army German Imperial Army
Years of service	1868–1919
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands	2nd Foot Guards 71st Infantry Brigade 17th Division V Corps X Reserve Corps Landwehr Corps Armee-Abteilung D 8th Army Heeresgruppe Kiev
Battles / wars	Franco-Prussian War First World War
Awards	Pour le Mérite Order of the Black Eagle
Relations	Hugo von Kirchbach

Biography

Günther von Kirchbach was born in Erfurt in 1850, the son of Hugo von Kirchbach. He entered the Prussian army in April 1868 as a second lieutenant in the Garde-Füsilier-Regiment and served with this regiment in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. He married Adda Freiin von Liliencron in 1883. By 1899 Kirchbach had been promoted to Generalmajor. In 1903 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and in 1907 to General der Infanterie. From 1908 to 1911 he was commanding officer of V Corps, a command his father had previously held during the Franco-Prussian War. Kirchbach's last position before the First World War broke out was as President of the Military Tribunal.

On the outbreak of the war in August 1914, Kirchbach was given command of X Reserve Corps which served as part of the 2nd Army on the Western front. On 29 August 1914 Kirchbach was wounded on active service and hospitalized. Relieved of his command due to his injuries, he resumed his former post as head of the Military Tribunal. In September 1916 Kirchbach was given command of the Landwehr Corps. He was given command of Army group Woyrsch in November 1916. In April 1917 Kirchbach was given command of Armee-Abteilung D. In December 1917 he was given command of the 8th Army fighting in the Baltic states. In August 1918 he succeeded Generalfeldmarschall Hermann von Eichhorn as commander of Heeresgruppe Kiew.^[1] Kirchbach held this position until 5 February 1919, when he was retired by the new government.

Glossary

• Armee-Abteilung or Army Detachment in the sense of "something detached from an Army". It is not under the command of an Army so is in itself a small Army.^[2]
• Armee-Gruppe or Army Group in the sense of a group within an Army and under its command, generally formed as a temporary measure for a specific task.
• Heeresgruppe or Army Group in the sense of a number of armies under a single commander.

Orders and decorations

•  Kingdom of Prussia: Knight of Honour of the Johanniter Order, 1893; Knight of Justice, 1898^[3]

Notes

Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.

References

1. General Gunther von Kirchbach reviewing troops, Kiev. Mary Evans Picture Library.
2. Cron 2002, p. 84
3. "Johanniter-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1895, p. 178 – via hathitrust.org

Bibliography

• Cron, Hermann (2002). Imperial German Army 1914-18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937]. Helion & Co. ISBN 1-874622-70-1.

Military offices
Preceded by General der Infanterie Alexander von Kluck	Commander, V Corps 11 September 1907 – 3 April 1911	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Hermann von Strantz
Preceded by New formation	Commander, X Reserve Corps 2 August – 30 August, 1914	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Johannes von Eben
Preceded by General der Infanterie Remus von Woyrsch	Commander, Landwehr Corps 23 September 1916 – 23 April 1917	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Artur von Brietzke
Preceded by General der Infanterie Oskar von Hutier	Commander, Armee-Abteilung D 22 April – 12 December, 1917	Succeeded by General der Artillerie Hans von Kirchbach
Preceded by General der Infanterie Oskar von Hutier	Commander, 8th Army 12 December 1917 – 31 July 1918	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Hugo von Kathen
Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Hermann von Eichhorn	Commander, Heeresgruppe Kiew 31 July 1918 – 9 February 1919	Succeeded by Dissolved