Max Bauer
Encyclopedia
Max Hermann Bauer was a German
artillery
expert in the First World War
and later military and industrial
advisor to the Kuomintang
.
He joined the German Army
in 1890 and in 1905 was appointed to the general staff
. He became expert in artillery tactics and during the First World War had a hand in destroying the Liège
fort in Belgium
in 1914. In July 1915 he became a chief of the Section I of the General staff. He mobilized industry to produce ammunition
and wrote a booklet about defensive tactics
. In December 1916 he was awarded the Pour le Mérite
, with oak leaves added on March 28, 1918.
After the war, Bauer participated in the Kapp Putsch
in 1920. When that failed, he was exiled and later worked as a military consultant in the Soviet Union
, Spain
and Argentina
. He returned to Germany
in 1925 after general amnesty for those had been involved with the putsch.
In 1926, Chinese
engineer Chu Chia-hua, president of the Sun Yat-Sen University
in Canton
, contacted then-colonel Bauer to advise in military and business opportunities in China. Next year Bauer visited Chiang Kai-Shek
, who hired him as a military advisor, wishing to use his contacts to acquire more weapons and industrial assistance from Germany.
In 1928 Bauer returned to Germany to form contacts with German industries and the army. However, the Treaty of Versailles
had made military production hard to organise. In addition, he was a persona non grata to the German government as he had participated in the Kapp Putsch. Bauer still created the China trade department and formed contacts with the secret German military mission in Nanking.
When Bauer returned to China, he advocated formation of small core army and many local militia forces. Chiang Kai-Shek did not use these ideas, since local militia would have meant the concentration of military power in local hands. However, Bauer did manage to have the Whampoa Military Academy
moved from Guangzhou to Nanking where it became the Central Military Academy and staff it with German military advisors and instructors. He invited 20 German officers to China to work as instructors in military training and military intelligence
. Officially he was Chiang's economic adviser and he did encourage him to develop infrastructure
.
Max Bauer died of smallpox
on May 6, 1929. Bauer might have been intentionally infected by one of his Chinese enemies, as he was the only person infected with the contagious disease in the region where he contracted it. He was buried in China with military honors.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
expert in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and later military and industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
advisor to the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
.
He joined the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
in 1890 and in 1905 was appointed to the general staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
. He became expert in artillery tactics and during the First World War had a hand in destroying the Liège
Battle of Liège
The Battle of Liège was the opening engagement of the German invasion of Belgium, and the first battle of World War I. The attack on the city began on 5 August 1914 and lasted until the 16th when the last Belgian fort finally surrendered...
fort in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1914. In July 1915 he became a chief of the Section I of the General staff. He mobilized industry to produce ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
and wrote a booklet about defensive tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
. In December 1916 he was awarded the Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
, with oak leaves added on March 28, 1918.
After the war, Bauer participated in the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
in 1920. When that failed, he was exiled and later worked as a military consultant in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He returned to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1925 after general amnesty for those had been involved with the putsch.
In 1926, Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
engineer Chu Chia-hua, president of the Sun Yat-Sen University
Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University, also unofficially referred to as Zhongshan University , is a prominent university located mainly in Guangzhou, China. The University is named after Dr...
in Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, contacted then-colonel Bauer to advise in military and business opportunities in China. Next year Bauer visited Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, who hired him as a military advisor, wishing to use his contacts to acquire more weapons and industrial assistance from Germany.
In 1928 Bauer returned to Germany to form contacts with German industries and the army. However, the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
had made military production hard to organise. In addition, he was a persona non grata to the German government as he had participated in the Kapp Putsch. Bauer still created the China trade department and formed contacts with the secret German military mission in Nanking.
When Bauer returned to China, he advocated formation of small core army and many local militia forces. Chiang Kai-Shek did not use these ideas, since local militia would have meant the concentration of military power in local hands. However, Bauer did manage to have the Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
moved from Guangzhou to Nanking where it became the Central Military Academy and staff it with German military advisors and instructors. He invited 20 German officers to China to work as instructors in military training and military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
. Officially he was Chiang's economic adviser and he did encourage him to develop infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
.
Max Bauer died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
on May 6, 1929. Bauer might have been intentionally infected by one of his Chinese enemies, as he was the only person infected with the contagious disease in the region where he contracted it. He was buried in China with military honors.
See also
- Sino-German cooperation
- German-trained divisions of the National Revolutionary Army