Walther Gustav Reinhardt
(24.03.1872 - 06.08.1930)
place of birth:  Stuttgart
Königreich Württemberg:  AOK-Stabschef,  Oberst


Walther Reinhardt was a Württemberg officer who functioned during the Great War as Chief of Staff for the 11. Armee-Oberkommando engaged in Macedonia under General von Winckler. Reinhardt was born into the family of Royal Württemberg officer and regimental commander, General August von Reinhardt. Walther's brother Ernst (1870-1939) was also a general officer active during the Great War era. Walther and his spouse Luise Fürbringer were married in 1900 and had three children.

In the year's leading up to the Great War, Major Reinhardt functioned as the First General Staff Officer (Ia) at Herzog Albrecht's XIII. Armee-Korps headquarters in Stuttgart. It was also in this capacity that Reinhardt entered
the hostilities in August 1914, with the corps troops now under the command of Max von Fabeck, immediately seeing action at sites such as Longwy and Varennes. In the Winter of 1914, Reinhardt and most of the corps were transferred to the 9. Armee on the Eastern Front, where they were engaged at Lowicz. When Oberstleutnant Fritz von Loßberg was transferred to OHL in January of 1915, Reinhardt replaced him as XIII. Armee-Korps Chief of Staff. When Theodor Freiherr von Watter replaced Fabeck at the helm of the corps, it became the first time since 1870 that both a Corps Commander and Chief of Staff were Royal Württemberg officers.

The XIII. Armee-Korps was deployed back to the Western Front in September 1915, where it was briefly engaged in the Champagne region, but then later became entrenched in Flanders. In November 1916, Reinhardt was named 11. Armee-Oberkommando Chief of Staff in Macedonia. In February 1917, he returned West to the River Aisne region in order to head up General Max von Boehn's 7. Armee staff. During the great Spring Offensive of 1918, the 7. Armee took up a position on the right wing of the attacking force, seeing success at Chemin des Dames and along the Aisne-Marne-Canal. The 7. Armee likewise participated in the final assault on over the Marne in mid-July 1918, although the forces were soon instructed to pull back.

Approximately one week prior to the Armistice, Oberst Reinhardt was brought back to Berlin to head up the Prussian War Ministry's newly-organized Demobilization Branch. In January 1919, he replace Heinrich Scheüch to become Prussia's last Minister of War. In the chaos of post-War Germany, Reinhardt was very successful in helping that country's remnant military forces develop into what would soon become the Reichswehr. Serving as the first head of Germany's Army Command, Chef der Heeresleitung, Reinhardt was eventually promoted up to General der Infanterie and remained on active duty until December 1927 at 55 years of age. The general died three years later and was interred in Berlin.

	Oberst	18.04.1918
	Pour le Mérite	20.04.1917  (Eichenlaub:  03.06.1918)