Felix Graf von Bothmer

Felix Graf von Bothmer
Felix Graf von Bothmer
Born	(1852-12-10)December 10, 1852 Munich, Bavaria
Died	March 18, 1937(1937-03-18) (aged 84) Munich, Germany
Allegiance	Kingdom of Bavaria  German Empire
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1871–1918
Rank	Colonel General
Commands held	6th Bavarian Reserve Division II Bavarian Reserve Corps South Army 19th Army Heimatschütz Süd
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross Pour le Mérite with oakleaves Order of the Dannebrog, Knight's Cross

Felix Grafvon Bothmer (10 December 1852 – 18 March 1937) was a German general, notably during the Brusilov offensive of 1916.

In 1871 Bothmer joined the Bavarian Army. He spent the next forty years serving in the Bavarian War Ministry or on the Royal Bavarian Army General Staff, with three years in Berlin with the Prussian General Staff. During this time he rose through the ranks, reaching General der Infanterie in 1910. On 30 November 1914 he was appointed to command the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division at Ypres. On 22 March 1915 he was given the command of Corps Bothmer, a unit raised to help defend the passes of the Carpathian Mountains against Russian attacks that directly threatened Hungary. He won the Battle of Zwinin which took place from 5 February – 9 April 1915, and was thus in the right place to take part in the great German advance after the breakthrough during the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive in May 1915.

After 6 July 1915, Hans Ritter von Hemmer was his Chief of General Staff. On 7 July, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite for outstanding leadership and distinguished military planning and successful operations during the battles of Dniester, Gnila-Lipa, and Zlota-Lipa. He was awarded Oakleaves on 25 July 1917 for his actions during the battle around the city of Brzezany during the German summer offensive on the eastern front, as well as for his outstanding leadership and organization during the battle at the bridgehead at Zbrucz . He received the Grand Cross of the Bavarian (Bayern) Military Order of Max Joseph.

His units stood firm against the Brusilov Offensive of June 1916. In 1917, he was appointed to command the 19th Army in Lorraine. He remained there until 8 November 1918, while to the north the German front crumbled. Bothmer retired from the army in November 1918. Bothmer’s last job in the army, again along with von Hemmer, was as an adviser for the Bavarian Ministry for Military Affairs from November to December 1918, mostly overseeing the demobilization of the soon-to-be-disbanded Bavarian Army.