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Karl Eugen Horst Edler von
der Planitz
(11.08.1859 - 09.06.1941)
place of birth: Dresden (Saxony)
Königreich
Sachsen: Generalstabschef,
KG, General der Infanterie
Royal Saxon General der Infanterie
Horst Edler von der Planitz served as a divisional and corps-level
commander during the Great War. Leading
up to the hostilities, General Edler von der Planitz also served as
Saxon Army's Chief of Staff. His father Karl was a captain in the Saxon
Army who was killed in action at the 1866 Battle of Königgrätz.
Upon mobilization, General Edler von der
Planitz was in charge of 32nd Infantry Division (3rd Royal Saxon)
attached to Max von Hausen's Third Army. Planitz' troops were part of the initial push into
France as the Germans moved southwest toward the River Marne.
On 30 August, his son Karl tragically fell in battle, suffering the
same fate as his namesake grandfather had in 1866. The 32nd moved back
toward the River Aisne where they got bogged down
in trench warfare. In April of 1916 General der Infanterie (ohne
Patent) von der Planitz was selected to replace Karl d'Elsa
as XII. Army Corps chief, with his 32nd Infantry Division troops still
subordinate to his command. Later that summer, the corps was sent to
Verdun and established themselves in the Hardaumont
sector on the east bank of the River Meuse. OHL
moved them back up to the Champagne/Aisne region by the end of the
year, and Planitz was officially promoted to General der Infanterie in
April 1917. His leadership and valor during these engagements earned
him the Pour le Merite award as well.
The Saxon general's personal matters soon
turned for the worst when his wife Marga died that summer and he
consequently fell ill himself. After a couple months of convalescence,
von der Planitz returned to active duty, this time on the Galician
Front, where he took the reins of the Prussian XXVth Reserve Corps.
Three weeks later, however, he was transferred to Russia in order to
replace Hans von Kirchbach as commander of XII. Reserve Corps. The
reservists were soon moved across Europe to support Germany's 19th
Field Armed engaged in the relatively quiet region of Lorraine, France.
Although His Majesty King Friedrich August III
tried to convince him otherwise, his poor health forced General Edler
von der Planitz to submit his resignation in July 1918. General der
Infanterie von der Planitz was married twice, the first
time to Marga von Koppenfels, the daughter of Ferdinand von Koppenfels,
President of Saxony's Regional Court. The couple had one son, Karl
Ferdinand. After the death of his first wife, Planitz was again married
in 1922 to Hertha von Funke, the widow of former Royal Saxon Senior
Councilor Victor Freiherr von Ferber.
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Generalstabschef |
23.09.1911
- 03.02.1913 |
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General
der Infanterie |
05.04.1917 |
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Pour
le Mérite |
20.05.1917 |
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Militär-St-Heinrich |
15.10.1914
Ritter (Komtur II:
06.12.1916) |
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