Admin Table of Contents
- 1 What was the function of the general staff?
- 2 How did von Moltke contribute to the Prussian army?
- 3 What are the positions of the general staff?
- 4 What is the meaning of General Staff?
- 5 How did Moltke change the Schlieffen plan?
- 6 What was the Prussian military culture like?
- 7 What was Scharnhorst’s problem with the German General Staff?
What was the function of the general staff?
general staff, in the military, a group of officers that assists the commander of a division or larger unit by formulating and disseminating his policies, transmitting his orders, and overseeing their execution.
Why was the Prussian general staff important?
The Prussian General Staff also enjoyed greater freedom from political control than its contemporaries, and this autonomy was enshrined in law on the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire in 1871….German General Staff.
| Great General Staff | |
|---|---|
| Garrison/HQ | Berlin |
| Commanders |
How did von Moltke contribute to the Prussian army?
He built up the new system of the Prussian General Staff, which later became the model for all armies organized on modern lines. Some of Moltke’s theories and methods were tested in practice by the Prussian forces in the short German–Danish War over Schleswig-Holstein in 1864.
What is the standard organization for the Corps?
There is no standard organization for the Corps. This slide depicts a typical corps. Most corps will have a similar structure, although the specific number, size, and types of units will vary. Each corps will have 2-5 divisions.
What are the positions of the general staff?
The General Staff consists of the Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance/Administration Section Chief.
What are the positions of the General Staff?
What is the meaning of General Staff?
: a group of officers in an army division or similar or larger unit who assist their commander in planning, coordinating, and supervising operations also : a similar group assisting a chief of staff — compare special staff.
What did Moltke do?
Helmuth von Moltke, (born May 25, 1848, Gersdorff, Mecklenburg [Germany]—died June 18, 1916, Berlin), chief of the German General Staff at the outbreak of World War I. He allowed several army commanders on the German left wing to attack into France instead of remaining on the defensive.
How did Moltke change the Schlieffen plan?
When Helmuth von Moltke replaced Alfred von Schlieffen as German Army Chief of Staff in 1906, he modified the plan by proposing that Holland was not invaded. Moltke suggested that 34 divisions should invade Belgium whereas 8 divisions would be enough to stop Russia advancing in the east.
Why was the Prussian General Staff so innovative?
The creation of the Prussian General Staff was a profoundly administrative innovation that had virtually nothing do with technology and was born of a Prussian desire of self-preservation in the face asymmetric advantages of the Grand Armée based on the reforms brought about by the French Revolution and Napoleon.
What was the Prussian military culture like?
Beyond the creation of the General Staff, however, Prussian military culture subsequently experienced a profound shift in educational norms, the roots of which can be traced back to the French Revolution based on the concept of leadership by meritocracy rather than aristocracy.
How did Prussia overcome the obstacle of singular military genius?
Prussia’s attempt to overcome the obstacle of singular military genius thus came in the form of Scharnhorst’s special division, an organization which he named the General Staff of the Army.
What was Scharnhorst’s problem with the German General Staff?
The central problem as Scharnhorst understood it was the dynastic reliance upon the Commander-in-Chief’s singular military genius, and in the preface to Walter Goerlitz’s History of the German General Staff, author Walter Millis aptly sums this up: