Maximilian Maria Karl Desiderius Graf von Montgelas
(23.05.1860 - 04.02.1938)
place of birth:  St. Petersburg, Russia
Königreich Bayern:  Div-Kdr,  General der Infanterie


Royal Bavarian general officer Max Graf Montgelas was born in St. Petersburg, Russia as the son of Bavarian diplomat Ludwig von Montgelas. His grandfather, also named Maximilian, served as Bavaria's Foreign Affairs Minister (Bavarian Head of Staff) from 1799 to 1817. Max von Montgelas entered military service in 1879, and as a battalion commander in 1900 took part in the quelling of the Boxer Rebellion in China. He subsequently served as the German military attaché in Peking for the following three years.

Upon returning to Nürnberg, von Montgelas worked as Chief of Staff at General von/zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen's III. Royal Bavarian Army Corps headquarters. He also was a Senior Quarter-Master General (Oberquartiermeister) at Imperial Germany's Great General Staff Headquarters in Berlin from 1910 through 1912, before being selected to replace Ritter von Fasbender as Bavaria's 4th Infantry Division commander. He nonetheless continued to remain a key advisor to Chief of General Staff Helmuth von Moltke. After the Great War broke out, Montgelas was a very outspoken critic of Germany's incursion on Belgian neutrality, and in 1915 succumbed to pressure from his chain of command to retire from active military service. 

Instead of returning to Bavaria, Graf von Montgelas immigrated to Switzerland for the remainder of the War and became an ardent pacifist. After the Armistice, Montgelas became part of the so-called Committee of Four, including Albrecht Mendelssohn Batholdy, Hans Delbrück, and Max Weber. The group formulated a response which brought into question the victorious Allies' accusation of Germany being solely responsible for initiating the War. The War Guilt thesis became a central point of Montgelas' research as a military historian. Published works included the Kausky Documents and The Case for the Central Powers: An Impeachment of the Versailles Verdict. General von Montgelas passed away in Munich in 1938.

 
 
General der Infanterie 16.01.1917
China-Denkmünze Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps  1900-01

Verdst-Ord Bayr-Krone 00.00.0000  Ritter
 
 
 

  
 
Curriculum Vitae
   
00.00.1879 Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment - München (Portepée-Fähnrich)
13.11.1880 Sekonde-Lieutenant
01.08.1882 Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Regiment ,,König - München
00.00.1887 Seine Königliche Hoheit Rupprecht Kronprinz von Bayern  (personal adjutant to Crown Prince of Bavaria)
01.10.1888 Bayerische Kriegsakademie - München  (graduated Sept 1891)
01.10.1890 Premier-Lieutenant
22.02.1895 Hauptmann
10.07.1900 Major
03.07.1900 Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps - China  (East Asian Expedition Forces, Bn Cdr)
18.12.1903 Oberstleutnant
00.00.1903 Bayerischer Generalstab -  München  (detached for duty)
24.03.1905 III. Königlich Bayerisches Armeekorps - Nürnberg  (Tann-Rathsamhausen's Chief of Staff)
07.05.1906 Oberst
12.10.1906 Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment - München (Cdr)
18.11.1908 Generalmajor
18.11.1908 7. Königlich Bayerische Infanterie-Brigade - Würzburg  (Cdr)
26.02.1910 Großer Generalstab - Berlin
25.05.1911 Generalleutnant
22.03.1912 4. Königlich Bayerische Infanterie-Division - Würzburg  (Cdr, replaced Karl Ritter von Fasbender)
   
Great War
   
02.08.1914 4. Königlich Bayerische Infanterie-Division  =  6. Armee
05.11.1914 unknown
09.04.1915 zur Disposition gestellt
25.01.1917 General der Infanterie  (charakter, Patent ante-dated to 16.01.1917)
   
   
 

06.05.1914

 

 

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