Max von Hausen
Encyclopedia
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
commander in the early stages of the First World War.
Early life
Hausen entered the SaxonKingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
army
Royal Saxon Army
-Overview:The Royal Saxon Army was under the command of the Rulers of Saxony. With the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine by Napoleon the Royal Saxon Army joined the French "La Grande Armée" along with 37 other German states. The commander of the Royal Saxon Army at this time, was...
and served against Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
of 1866. After that war, Saxony allied with Prussia and became a part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
when it was created in 1871. From 1871 to 1874 Hausen taught at the Prussian military academy in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and from 1875 until 1887 he served on the General Staff. He commanded the 32nd (3rd Royal Saxon) Division
32nd Division (German Empire)
The 32nd Division , formally the 3rd Division No. 32 was a unit of the Saxon Army, a component of the Imperial German Army. The division was formed on April 1, 1887 and was headquartered in Bautzen. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XII Army Corps...
from 1897 to 1900 and the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Army Corps from 1900 to 1902 and served as Minister of War of the Kingdom of Saxony from 1902 to 1914.
First World War
Upon mobilization in August 1914, the Royal Saxon Army became the German Third Army and Hausen was given command. His army participated in the Battle of the FrontiersBattle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...
, mainly in the battles of Dinant
Dinant
Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. The Dinant municipality includes the old communes of Anseremme, Bouvignes-sur-Meuse, Dréhance, Falmagne, Falmignoul, Foy-Notre-Dame, Furfooz, Lisogne, Sorinnes, and Thynes.-Origins to...
and Charleroi
Battle of Charleroi
The Battle of Charleroi , or the Battle of the Sambre , was fought on 21 August 1914, between French and German forces and was part of the Battle of the Frontiers. The French were planning an attack across the Sambre River, when the Germans launched an attack of their own...
, and he and his army were responsible for the destruction of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
in September 1914. After the Second Army's retreat after the First Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
, Hausen saw his own flank exposed and ordered a retreat. After the stabilization of the front on the Aisne River
Aisne River
The Aisne is a river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Oise. It gave its name to the French département Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as the Axona....
, on September 9, 1914, Hausen was relieved of his command due to illness and replaced by General Karl von Einem
Karl von Einem
Karl von Einem genannt von Rothmaler was the commander of the German 3rd Army during the First World War and served as the Prussian Minister of War responsible for much of the German military buildup prior to the outbreak of the war.-Biography:Born in Herzberg am Harz, Einem served in the Prussian...
. Hausen held no further field commands during the war, and died shortly after the war ended.