Captain Von Hentig of the Guards Reserve Division said of the Somme:

'It was the muddy grave of the German Field Army'

Can anyone tell me the provanence of this quotation?

Where was it published and when? and who was Von Hentig anyway?


Regards,

David

http://www.johndclare.net/wwi3_DuffCooper_interp_Somme.htm

This may help

David

This remark, which is part of a longer statement by von Hentig, appears at page 494 of the British Official History (1916 France and Belgium Vol 1). According to Edmonds, he quoted this from a work (book? article?) by von Hentig called 'Psychologische Strategie des Grossen Krieges' [Psychological Strategy of the Great War] (No publisher or date given). I have never seen this item, but it would be interesting to do so. Hentig seems to have been on the divisional staff of 1GRD, but I do not know in what capacity.

This is the volume of the BOH where Edmonds spends a lot of time and space attempting to establish gigantic casualty figures for the German army for the Battle of the Somme, in an attempt, now largely discredited, to place them higher than those of the allies, so it suited his book to find as many negative quotations as possible. Quite what weight we should put on the opinion of the good Captain von Hentig seems to me to be an open question, but in fairness it must be said that virtually all German writers post war all emphasise what a hammering they took during the Battle of the Somme.
Jack

It is an interesting quote and often used. I can find no-one who states where the quote comes from. There is also confusion as to whether von Hentig was from the Guards Reserve Division (Peter Simkins) or was a member of the General Staff (Duff Cooper). Nor does anyone give a date for the quote. Great pro-Haig propaganda - though perhaps we should treat it with caution until its provenance is conclusively proved.

Bill
There is not necessarily any incompatibility between Hentig being on the General Staff or the staff of 1GRD. He could quite easily have fallen into both categories; i.e. He might have received staff training and therefore been a permanent member of the General Staff and then have been posted in that capacity to 1GRD. Unlike the British army, quite junior officers held (and still hold in the Bundeswehr) staff positions of considerable responsibility in formation HQs. The 1a (i.e. the principal staff officer and equivalent to the Colonel General Staff in a British divisional HQ) was frequently a major.
Jack

Here we are:

Hentig, Hans v.: Psychologische Strategie des großen Krieges. — Heidelberg: Winter 1927.

Hans Wolfram von Hentig

9 June 1887 (Berlin) - 6 July 1974 (Bad Tölz)

Trained Königsjäger zu Pferde Regiment Nr 1, 1906-07

Served on the Western Front, Balkans and in Palestine (no units noted)

Later internationally recognized criminologist, and prolific writer.

His family seems to have been very well connected through his father, a prominent lawyer in Berlin.

He wrote a book about his war experiences, published in 1919, titled, "My War."


Wish I could give more,

Paul

Oddly enough, I came across this footnote, whilst reading the BOH tonight on the train/sauna home.

It set me thinking again about these casualty figures. How could the Germans have suffered more casualties than the Allies, particularly when they gave the British such a 'head start' on 1st July?

Regards,
AGWR

They didnt suffer more casualties did they?...remember that they were engaged at Verdun at the same time and therefore the Somme was a pointless loss of men (and supplies that could have been decisive at Verdun). Fighting a war on two fronts (The armies of two nations on one) is always a risk, not that it was the intention to fight on two fronts. I think the general view is that Britain and France couldnt survive without each other, and the battle at Verdun was an opportunity to inflict an important defeat on one. The Somme prevented this from happening.
Dave

"...the battle at Verdun was an opportunity to inflict an important defeat on one. The Somme prevented this from happening."

Dave,

The Germans lost the battle of Verdun long before the battle of the Somme began. Germany had the reserves to launch a bigger attack, but Falkenhayn limited the attack for a large number of more or less nebulous reasons.

Paul