Philipp von Hellingrath
(22.02.1862 - 13.12.1939)
place of birth:  München
Königreich Bayern:  Kriegsminister,  Mil-Bevollm,  General der Kavallerie


Bavarian cavalry officer who served as War Minister during the latter half of the Great War.  Philipp was born into the home of Bavarian Generalleutnant Friedrich von Hellingrath and his spouse Luise von Brand zu Neidstein. He began his cavalry career in Munich at the age of eighteen, joining the 1. Schweres-Reiter-Regiment named after Prince Karl of Bavaria. Sixteen years later, von Hellingrath married Mathilde Reisner Freiin von Lichternstern, with whom he had one son and one daughter.

In the months leading up to the Great War, von Hellingrath had been promoted up to the general's rank and was commanding the Royal Bavarian 6. Kavallerie-Brigade headquartered in Regensburg. On the day the war broke out, Generalmajor von Hellingrath was placed in charge of Crown Prince Rupprecht's 6. Armee-Oberkommando line of communications inspectorate. About three months later, he was promoted to Generalleutnant and sent as Bavarian plenipotentiary to Wilhelm II's Great Headquarters, located at Charleville-Mezieres, France. By March 1915, von Hellingrath was sent to the Eastern Front to replace Otto von Stetten as commander of the Bavarian Kavallerie-Division. He remained in this position for the next couple years, proving himself to be one of Germany's ablest cavalry commanders during the war. For his bravery and meritorious leadership in battle, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) of Bavaria's highest military order - the Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden. He was officially presented with the decoration on 21.03.1916 and later received the Kommandeur class of the order.

Following General von Hellingrath's exemplary service on the front, he was ordered back to Munich to replace Otto Kreß von Kressenstein as Bavarian Minister of War. He remained at this posting for the remainder of the Great War, also serving as Bavarian Representative in Imperial Germany's Parliament. Although Hellingrath is registered as a Generalleutnant in the April 1918 edition of the Bavarian Seniority List, he was promoted to General der Kavallerie the following month. He retired from service shortly after the war and died in Munich on 13 December 1939.

	Kriegsminister	11.12.1916  -  25.11.1918
	General der Kavallerie	28.05.1918
	Militär-Max-Joseph	27.04.1915  Ritter  (18.08.1916: Kommandeur)