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Paul Ritter
von Kneußl
(27.06.1862 - 16.02.1928)
place of birth: Lindau, Bodensee (Bavaria)
Königreich
Bayern: KG,
Generalleutnant
Bavarian count and lieutenant general
Paul von Kneußl was one of the
most significant leaders of Bavarian military forces during the Great
War. He was born into the home of Johann and Klara (nee Vigl)
Kneußl in the Lake Constance
area. General von Kneußl was
in charge of personnel affairs at the Bavaria War Ministry prior to
German mobilization in August 1914. He then was put in command of
Bavarian 1st Reserve Infantry Brigade, which soon joined battle in
Lorraine, France in support of Sixth Army. For his meritorious leadership
during peacetime, he was awarded in 1913 the Ritter (Knight class) of the
Bavarian crown's order of merit - the Verdienstorden der Bayerischen Krone.
The official presentation of the decoration elevated him into Bavarian nobility
with the title of "Ritter von Kneußl."
In the spring of 1915, Ritter von Kneußl was promoted to Generalleutnant as
he took command of 11th Bavarian Infantry Division. These troops were
transferred east to Galicia to fight with Field Marshal von Mackensen's
Eleventh Army at Gorlice-Tarnow. Kneußl's division further took part in the
re-taking of the Fortress Przemysl, located on the
Poland-Ukraine border. His exemplary leadership during this engagement
resulted in his being the first Bavarian officer during the War to be
awarded the Pour le Merite. Additionally, 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. Kneußl
was officially presented with the decoration on 06.07.1915 and
later received the Kommandeur class of the MMJO order. His division
continued in the eastern campaign until October 1915, when they were
sent to Serbia to fight in support of General von Gallwitz'
army.
The 11th Infantry Division redeployed further
west in early 1916, ending up in Verdun by
February. Here they were engaged until the summer, when German High
Command decided to move them back east to again fight Russian forces in
the Ukraine. By November 1916, von Kneußl
and his troops continued on to the Wallachia area
of Romania to join forces with General von Falkenhayn. The spring of
1917 had 11th Division back on the Western Front, where they took part
in the Battle of the River Aisne and at Chemin
des Dames. General von Kneußl
and his soldiers settled in Passchendaele, Flanders by the end of the
year.
Ludendorff's 1918 Spring Offensive saw 11th
Infantry fighting under Fourth Army Commander Friedrich Sixt von Armin.
After the division lost over 2,200 men, however, the unit was placed in
reserve on the Dutch border. They were back in business by mid-June,
this time subordinate to Eighteenth Army. Here again the division
suffered heavy losses as they fought a tactical withdrawal from the
River Marne. What remained of his troops were transferred to
Bruges, while Generalleutnant von Kneußl
was named commander of XV. Bavarian Reserve Corps which was defending a
relatively quiet part of the front in Lorraine, France. Von Kneußl was put in charge of I. Bavarian
Reserve Corps just two days prior to Armistice, and thus oversaw that
unit's demobilization process upon returning the Munich. He was
brevetted as General der Infanterie upon retiring in August 1919 and
passed away about ten years later in Munich.
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