Fritz von Below

Fritz von Below
Fritz von Below
Born	23 September 1853(1853-09-23) Danzig, Prussia
Died	23 November 1918(1918-11-23) (aged 65) Weimar, Germany
Allegiance	Imperial Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army
Years of service	-1918
Rank	General
Commands held	Eighth Army Second Army
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Pour le Mérite

Fritz Wilhelm Theodor Karl von Below (born 23 September 1853 in Danzig (Gdańsk); died 23 November 1918 in Weimar) was a Prussian general in the German Army during the First World War.

Biography

In 1912, Below was appointed to the command of the 21st Army Corps. In this capacity, he fought along with the Sixth Army on the western front at the beginning of World War I, but his corps was transferred in 1915 to the eastern front. He then commanded the Eighth Army after Paul von Hindenburg from 1914 to 1916, the Second Army at the beginning of the Somme offensive in 1916, and finally the First Army which was involved in fighting in November 1916.

He was awarded the Pour le Mérite medal on 16 February 1915. Below died in Weimar shortly after Germany had signed the armistice.

Below's tomb at Berlin Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery

Family

Below was the cousin of Otto von Below, another German commander during the war.

See also

• List of people from Danzig

References

• Who's Who: Fritz von Below
•  "Below, Fritz von". Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). 1922. 

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Karl von Bülow	Commander, 2nd Army 4 April 1915-19 July 1916	Succeeded by General der Artillerie Max von Gallwitz
Preceded by Generaloberst Alexander von Kluck	Commander, 1st Army 19 July 1916-9 June 1918	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Bruno von Mudra
Preceded by General der Infanterie Johannes von Eben	Commander, 9th Army 9 June 1918-6 August 1918	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Adolph von Carlowitz