View source for Hermann von François

{{Short description|German army commander (1856–1933)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Hermann von François
| image         = Hermann-von-francois.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = 
| nickname      = 
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1856|01|31|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Luxembourg City]], [[Grand Duchy of Luxembourg]], [[German Confederation]]
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1933|05|15|1856|01|31|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Berlin]], [[Province of Brandenburg]], [[Nazi Germany]]
| placeofburial = 
| allegiance    = {{flag|German Empire}}
| branch        = [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1875–1918
| rank          = [[File: General_(Wehrmacht)_1.svg|40px]] [[General of the Infantry (Germany)|General der Infanterie]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = 49th (Hessian) Brigade<br />[[13th Division (German Empire)|13th Division]]<br />[[I Corps (German Empire)|I Corps]]<br />[[8th Army (German Empire)|8th Army]]<br />[[XXXXI Reserve Corps (German Empire)|XXXXI Reserve Corps]]<br />[[VII Corps (German Empire)|VII (Westphalian) Corps]]
| battles       = [[World War I]]
*[[Battle of Stallupönen]]
*[[Battle of Gumbinnen]]
*[[Battle of Tannenberg (1914)|Battle of Tannenberg]]
| awards        = see [[#Orders|below]]
| relations     = {{ubl|[[Curt von François]] (brother)|[[Louise von François]] (aunt)}}
| laterwork     = memoirist, historian
}}

'''Hermann Karl Bruno von François''' (31 January 1856 – 15 May 1933) was a German ''[[General of the Infantry (Germany)|General der Infanterie]]'' during [[World War I]], and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] in 1914.

==Early life and military career==

Born in [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]] to a noble family of partial [[Huguenot]] extraction, François was exposed to a military life from an early age. His father {{ill|Bruno von François|de}} was a [[Prussia]]n major general and commander of the {{ill|27th Infantry Brigade (Prussian)|lt=27th Prussian Infantry Brigade|de|27. Infanterie-Brigade (Preußen)}} who was [[killed in action]] leading his men during the [[Battle of Spicheren]] on 6 August 1870.<ref name="Möller-Witten">Hanns Möller-Witten: Geschichte der Ritter des "Ordens pour le mérite" im Weltkrieg, Band I: A–L,Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1935, pp. 320-24.</ref>

After attending cadet schools in Wahlstatt and in Berlin, François entered the [[Prussian Army]] on 15 April 1875 as a ''Seconde-Lieutenant'' (2nd Lieutenant) in the [[1st Foot Guards (German Empire)|1st Regiment of Foot Guards]] (''1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß'') in [[Potsdam]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913">''Offizier-Stammliste des Ersten Garde-Regiments zu Fuß, 1869-1913'', E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1913, pp. 87-88 (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hnx5t4)</ref> On 25 March 1884, he was transferred to [[Schwerin]] as a company officer in the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg Grenadier Regiment No. 89 (''Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr 89''), with a predated patent of 16 October 1874.<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 14 August 1884, he was promoted to ''Premier-Lieutenant'' (1st Lieutenant).<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> 

From 14 October 1884 to 21 July 1887, he attended the [[Prussian Staff College|War Academy]] (''Kriegsakademie'') in [[Berlin]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 1 April 1888, he was commanded to the [[German General Staff|Great General Staff]] and on his promotion to ''[[Hauptmann]]'' (Captain) on 22 March 1889 transferred to the general staff.<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 23 April 1889, François was posted as a general staff officer to the [[XV Corps (German Empire)|XV Corps]] based in [[Strasbourg]] ([[Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine]]).<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 27 January 1891, he was assigned as general staff officer on the staff of the [[31st Division (German Empire)|31st Division]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 29 March 1892, François was appointed commander of the 6th Company of the 2nd Lorraine Infantry Regiment (''2. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 131'') in [[Metz]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> 

On 1 February 1894, François was transferred to the general staff of the [[8th Division (German Empire)|8th Division]] in [[Mannheim]] as the chief of operations (''1. Generalstabsoffizier'' or Ia). He was promoted to Major on 18 October 1894.<ref name="Stammliste 1913" />  On 17 December 1896, he was appointed Ia on the general staff of the [[IV Corps (German Empire)|IV Corps]], based in [[Magdeburg]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> He returned to troop command on 25 March 1899 as commander of the I. Battalion of the 2nd Baden Grenadier Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm I" No. 110 (''2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm I.“ Nr. 110'') in [[Mannheim]] in the [[Grand Duchy of Baden]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> 

On 25 June 1900, François returned to Magdeburg as Chief of the General Staff of the IV Corps,<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> which from 27 January 1903 was commanded by ''General der Infanterie'' [[Paul von Hindenburg]].<ref>Günter Wegner: ''Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 1: Die Höheren Kommandostellen'', Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1779-8, p. 49</ref> On 18 April 1901, François was promoted to ''[[Oberstleutnant]]'' (lieutenant colonel) and on 18 April 1903 to ''[[Oberst]]'' (colonel).<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> In 1901, François's mother, Marie took the family to [[German South-West Africa]] to follow her youngest son, Hugo von François who was a ''Hauptmann'' (captain) in the [[Schutztruppe]]. The family was based in the region during the [[Herero Wars]], in which Hugo fought and was killed in action 13 March 1904 near Owikokorero. François' other brother, [[Curt von François]], was a Prussian Major in the General Staff, later a well-known scientist and researcher specialising in Africa.

On 24 August 1904, François was seconded as acting commander to the 3rd Guards Grenadier Regiment "Queen Elisabeth" (''Königin Elisabeth Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 3'') in [[Charlottenburg]] and on 15 September 1904 he was named commander of the regiment.<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 18 November 1907, he was named acting commander of the {{ill|49th Infantry Brigade (German Empire)|lt=49th Infantry Brigade|de|49. Infanterie-Brigade (Deutsches Kaiserreich)}} in [[Darmstadt]] and with his promotion to ''[[Generalmajor]]'' on 27 January 1908 he was named commander of the brigade.<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> 

François was promoted to ''[[Generalleutnant]]'' on 20 March 1911 and given command of the [[13th Division (German Empire)|13th Division]].<ref name="Stammliste 1913" /> On 1 October 1913, he took command of the [[I Corps (German Empire)|I Corps]] based in [[Königsberg]] in the province of [[East Prussia]].<ref name="Stammliste 1935">''Vervollständigung der Offizier-Stammliste des Ersten Garde-Regiments zu Fuß, 1869-1913 und Fortsetzung bis zum 1. April 1935'', Verlag Robert Müller, Potsdam 1935, p. 10</ref>

==World War I==
François began the war in August 1914 as commander of the I Corps under the [[8th Army (German Empire)|8th Army]] and was soon promoted to ''[[General of the Infantry (Germany)|General der Infanterie]]'' on 19 August 1914.<ref name="Stammliste 1935" /> His task was to defend the easternmost regions of East Prussia against a [[Russian Empire|Russian]] attack directed at the key city of [[Königsberg]]. The 8th Army would be expected to hold out against significantly larger Russian forces until it could be reinforced by troops coming from the west after the expected quick defeat of France, in accordance with the [[Schlieffen Plan]], which would guide German forces in the opening phase of a war in which Germany faced both France and Russia.

When war broke out, François' corps faced the right wing of a two-pronged Russian invasion of East Prussia, led by [[Paul von Rennenkampf]]'s Russian First Army. On 17 August the overall German theater commander, General [[Maximilian von Prittwitz|Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron]], nervously eying the advance of the Russian left wing far to the south, ordered François to retreat while under heavy attack from Rennenkampf.<ref name="Kaiser's Warlords">''The Kaiser's Warlords: German Commanders of World War I'', Ronald Pawly, Patrice Courcelle, 2003, p 45.</ref>

François, reluctant to surrender any territory, and naturally pugnacious, also felt breaking off while engaged would be deadly, and so he ignored Prittwitz' order, responding with the famous reply "General von François will withdraw when he has defeated the Russians!" He counterattacked Rennenkampf's massive army, bringing on the [[Battle of Stalluponen]], and won a surprising victory while inflicting 5,000 casualties and taking 3,000 prisoners.<ref name="Kaiser's Warlords"/>

After winning the battle, François obeyed Prittwitz's order and withdrew {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} to the west, where three days later he fought Rennenkampf to a draw at the [[Battle of Gumbinnen]]. François' aggressiveness resulted in the cautious Rennenkampf halting his advance westward.<ref name="Kaiser's Warlords"/>

[[File:Hermann-von-francois-2.jpg|thumb|left|250px|General von François (with his back to the camera) greets General [[Nikolai Klujev]], commander of the Russian XIII Corps, who has been taken prisoner by Francois' troops, following the Battle of Tannenberg]] Following that battle and a change of overall commanders (Prittwitz was judged to have lost his nerve by the German High Command), François' corps was transferred by rail to the southwest, to confront the Russian Second Army advancing into southern East Prussia under the command of General [[Alexander Samsonov]]. Although not trusted by the new German commanders [[Paul von Hindenburg]] and [[Erich Ludendorff]] due to his previous disobedience, François played the decisive role in the upcoming [[Battle of Tannenberg]]. On 27 August, François attacked the lead elements of Samsonov's army and began to make steady advances into their rear. Ludendorff, fearing a Russian counterattack by Rennenkampf, now ordered him to break off the advance. However, François twice ignored his direct orders and played a decisive role in the following encirclement and defeat of Samsonov's army.<ref name="Kaiser's Warlords"/>

When Hindenburg and Ludendorff went south to lead the 9th Army in Russian Poland, François remained with his corps in East Prussia and led it with much success in the [[First Battle of the Masurian Lakes]] the following month. When General [[Richard von Schubert]], the new commander of the 8th Army, ordered him to retreat, he dispatched a telegram to the Supreme Army Command (''[[Oberste Heeresleitung]]'' or OHL) describing his success and stating "the commander is badly counselled." The telegram impressed the [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser]] so much that he immediately relieved Schubert and, on 3 October, gave François temporary command of the 8th Army. He did not hold it for long. When Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared their counter-attack from Thorn in the direction of Łódź, François was reluctant to send the requested I Corps, sending the badly trained and ill-equipped [[XXV Reserve Corps (German Empire)|XXV Reserve Corps]] instead. That was too much for his superiors. In early November 1914 von François was removed and replaced by General [[Otto von Below]].<ref name="Kaiser's Warlords"/>

After some time spent "on the shelf", François received the command of the [[XXXXI Reserve Corps (German Empire)|XXXXI Reserve Corps]]{{efn|In German military nomenclature, "41" is expressed as "XXXXI" rather than "XLI".}} on 20 December 1914,<ref name="Stammliste 1935" /> and after a spell in the West, he returned to the Eastern Front in April 1915 where he took part in the Spring Offensive that conquered Russian Poland. He continued to distinguish himself. He was awarded the ''[[Pour le Mérite]]'', Germany's highest military decoration, on 14 May 1915 for his performance in the [[Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive|breakthrough at Gorlice]].<ref name="Möller-Witten"/> On 30 June 1915 he was transferred back to the Western Front to take command of the Westphalian [[VII Corps (German Empire)|VII Corps]] in France, and in July 1916 a task force known as Meuse Group West (''Maasgruppe West'') in the Verdun sector.<ref name="Stammliste 1935" /> He added the Oak Leaves to his ''Pour le Mérite'' on 27 July 1917, for outstanding performance during the [[Battle of Verdun]].<ref name="Möller-Witten"/> During the [[German spring offensive]] of 1918, in the [[Third Battle of the Aisne]], he led another task force, the Attack Group on the Oise (''Angriffsgruppe an der Oise'').<ref name="Möller-Witten"/> Due to a conflict with Ludendorff, François was on 6 July 1918 placed on the standby list until 14 October 1918 when he retired.<ref name="Stammliste 1935" /><ref name="Möller-Witten"/><ref name="Kaiser's Warlords"/>

==Post-war==
After the war ended, François returned home and wrote several books on [[military history]], including the best-seller (in Germany) ''[[Marneschlacht und Tannenberg]]'' in 1920. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Tübingen on 20 May 1925 for his scholarship in military history.<ref name="Möller-Witten"/> He died on 15 May 1933 in Berlin of a kidney infection.<ref name="Möller-Witten"/>

==Decorations and awards==
Note:{{efn|Dates are primarily from the award documents in François's ''Nachlass'' in the German Federal Archives.<ref name="BArch N 274/1">German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), Nachlass von Hermann von François, BArch N 274/1</ref>}}
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia}} [[Kingdom of Prussia]]:
** Order ''[[Pour le Mérite]]'' (14 May 1915)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** Oakleaves to the Order ''Pour le Mérite'' (27 July 1917)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[Order of the Black Eagle]]
** [[Order of the Red Eagle]]
*** Grand Cross with Oakleaves and Swords (14 October 1918)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
*** 1st Class with Oakleaves and Swords (8 June 1918)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
*** 2nd Class with Star, Oakleaves and the Royal Crown{{efn|When awarded with the Royal Crown, lower classes of the Red Eagle continued to be worn after a higher class was awarded.}}
**** 2nd Class with Oakleaves (19 August 1909)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
**** Crown to the 2nd Class with Oakleaves (25 April 1910)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
**** Star to the 2nd Class with Oakleaves and the Royal Crown (18 January 1913)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[Order of the Crown (Prussia)|Order of the Crown]], 1st Class (18 January 1914)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[Iron Cross]], 1st and 2nd Class
** Officer's Service Decoration Cross for 25 years' service (18 June 1900)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[Centenary Medal (Prussia)|Kaiser Wilhelm I Memorial Medal]] (Centenary Medal) (22 March 1897)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[China Medal (German Empire)|China Commemorative Medal]] in Steel (25 July 1902)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** Southwest Africa Commemorative Medal in Steel (2 September 1907)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** Commemorative Badge for the Silver Anniversary of the Imperial Couple (27 February 1906)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Sigmaringen.png}} [[Hohenzollern]]: Princely [[House Order of Hohenzollern]], Commander's Cross of Honor (26 March 1908)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Anhalt}} [[Duchy of Anhalt]]: [[Order of Albert the Bear]], Commander 2nd Class (3 May 1899)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Baden}} [[Grand Duchy of Baden]]: [[Order of the Zähringer Lion]], Commander 1st Class (5 May 1909)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Bavaria}}: 
** [[Military Merit Order (Bavaria)|Military Merit Order]], 2nd Class (17 May 1909)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** Military Merit Order, 1st Class with Swords (6 November 1915)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Bremen}} Free and Hanseatic City of [[Bremen]]: [[Hanseatic Cross]] (25 January 1916)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Hamburg}} Free and Hanseatic City of [[Hamburg]]: [[Hanseatic Cross]]{{efn|Shown on ribbon bar in photo in infobox.}}
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}} [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]]: [[Order of Philip the Magnanimous]], Commander 1st Class (12 September 1910)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Lippe.svg}} [[Principality of Lippe]]: 
** House Order of the Cross of Honor, 1st Class (9 February 1912)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** House Order of the Cross of Honor, 1st Class with Swords (18 October 1915)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
** [[War Merit Cross (Lippe)|War Merit Cross]] (19 January 1915) <ref>Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen, Abteilung Detmold, L 75, VIII. Abt. 10 Nr. 9 Bd. III</ref>
** War Honor Cross for Heroic Deeds (15 April 1915)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon image|Flagge_Luebeck.svg}} Free and Hanseatic City of [[Lübeck]]: [[Hanseatic Cross]]{{efn|Shown on ribbon bar in photo in infobox.}} 
* {{flagicon image|Flagge_Fürstentum_Reuß_jüngere_Linie.svg}} [[Principality of Reuss-Gera|Principality of Reuß jüngere Linie]]: [[Princely Reuss Honour Cross|Princely Reuss Honor Cross]], 2nd Class (29 December 1896)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Saxe-Altenburg}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Meiningen}} [[Ernestine duchies|Saxon Duchies]]: [[Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order]], Commander 2nd Class (29 December 1896)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Saxe-Altenburg}} [[Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg]]: Jubilee Medal (3 August 1903)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Schaumburg-Lippe}} [[Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe]]: Cross for Loyal Service 1914 (1 March 1916){{efn|Shown on ribbon bar in photo in infobox.}} 
* {{flagicon image|Flagge_Fürstentümer_Schwarzburg.svg}} [[Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt]] and [[Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen]]: [[Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross]], 2nd Class (combined award from both principalities, 13 January 1897)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}}{{flagicon image|Flag of Hungary (1915-1918, 1919-1946).svg}} [[Austria-Hungary]]: [[Order of the Iron Crown]], 1st Class with War Decoration (21 May 1915)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Republic of Chile]]: [[Order of Merit (Chile)|Order of Merit]], 1st Class (28 September 1912)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Kingdom of Greece]]: [[Order of the Redeemer]], Commander's Cross <ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}: [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]], Commander's Cross (31 January 1903)<ref name="BArch N 274/1"/>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Hanns Möller-Witten: ''Geschichte der Ritter des "Ordens pour le mérite" im Weltkrieg, Band I: A–L'',Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1935.
* Ronald Pawly, Patrice Courcelle: ''The Kaiser's Warlords: German Commanders of World War I'', 2003.

{{Commons}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{Succession box| title=Commander, [[8th Army (German Empire)|8th Army]]| before=[[General of the Artillery (Germany)|General der Artillerie]] [[Richard von Schubert]] | after=[[General of the Infantry (Germany)|General der Infanterie]] [[Otto von Below]] | years=9 October 1914 – 7 November 1914}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francois, Hermann Von}}
[[Category:1856 births]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Luxembourg City]]
[[Category:German Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Generals of Infantry (Prussia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
[[Category:German military writers]]
[[Category:German male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:German people of French descent]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Iron Crown (Austria)]]