Remus von Woyrsch

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Remus von Woyrsch

William Martin Remus von Woyrsch (born February 4, 1847, at Gut Pilsnitz (Polish: Pilczyce, part of Fabryczna), District of Breslau/Wrocław, Lower Silesia - August 6, 1920), was a Prussian Field Marshal, a member of the Preußischen Herrenhauses (Prussian House of Lords) from 1908–1918, and an Ehrenkommendator or Honorary Commander of the Order of St. John.

Family

Remus von Woyrsch came from old South Bohemia minor nobility, from about 1500 in Troppau/Opava (Moravian Silesia). He married Thekla von Massow (1854–1943) from East Prussia, on September 26, 1873 in Potsdam, Berlin. She was the daughter of the royal Prussian Upper Forest Master Hermann von Massow.

His nephew Udo von Woyrsch (1895–1983) was an important SS Obergruppenführer and SS and Police Leader.

Career

After he finished high school in Breslau, he joined the 1st Potsdamer Garde-Grenadier Regiment on April 5, 1866. He served at the battle of Königgrätz in 1868. He later fought in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian war where he was wounded but earned the Iron Cross. In 1901 von Woyrsch was promoted to the divisional commander. Von Woyrsch retired in 1911 but was re-activated in August 1914 and was quickly sent to help the Austro-Hungarian Army fighting in partitioned Poland. He came up to the Vistula, and then reinforced the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian army under General Viktor Dankl von Krasnik. In the three days of battle against the Russian army von Woyrsch covered the retreat of the Austrians with his corps Landwehrkanal. The St. Petersburg newspaper wrote that: "Only the activity of the small Prussian Landwehr troops in this battle prevented the complete destruction of the Austrian army." Later he was included in Hindenburg's 9th army. In July 1915 he was involved in the breakthrough battle of Sienno. In 1916 he helped fight off the Russian army Brusilov Offensive and in 1917 was promoted Generalfeldmarschall.

In 1920 he retired, again, to his family estate at the castle Pilsnitz near Breslau. After his death the famous Silesian sculptor Paul Ondrusch created a wooden sculpture of Remus von Woyrsch to decorate the main hall inside the town hall of Leobschütz. General von Woyrsch was portrayed as a knight wearing a coat and a chain mail, with his hands placed on a handle of a large sword resting against the ground.

Honours

• Ehrenbürger (Honorary citizen) of Breslau
• Ehrenbürger (Honorary citizen) of Neisse
• Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy

Orders and decorations

• Iron Cross (1871)
• Order of the Black Eagle
• Order of Saint John (Johanniterorden)
• Pour le Mérite on October 25, 1914

References

• Bruno Clemenz: Generalfeldmarschall von Woyrsch und seine Schlesier - Eigenhändige Auszüge aus seinem Kriegstagebuch. Carl Flemming Pub. Berlin:1919.
• Hahn-Butry, Jürgen (pub.): Preußisch-deutsche Feldmarschälle und Großadmirale. Safari Pub. Berlin:1938.
• Jürgen Hahn-Butry (Hrsg.): Preußisch-deutsche Feldmarschälle und Großadmirale. Safari, Berlin 1938.
• Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Adelige Häuser A Vol VII, p402, Vol 34. C. A. Starke Pub. Limburg (Lahn):1965. ISSN 0435-2408
• Acta Borussica Band 9 (1900–1909) (PDF-file. 2,74 MB)