Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein
| Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 24 April 1870 Nuremberg |
| Died | 16 October 1948 (aged 78) Munich |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1888–1929 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross First class |
Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein (24 April 1870 – 16 October 1948) was a German General from Nuremberg. He was a member of the group of German officers who assisted in the direction of the Ottoman Army during World War I. Kress von Kressenstein was part of Otto Liman von Sanders military mission to Turkey, which arrived in Turkey shortly before World War I broke out.
Von Kressenstein came from a patrician family in Nuremberg. His father Georg Kress von Kressenstein (1840–1911) was a high court judge. Von Kressenstein joined the Bavarian army as an ensign in the artillery in 1888.
He joined Djemal Pasha's army in Palestine as a military engineer and later chief of staff. Djemal Pasha was given the job by the Turkish leader Enver Pasha of capturing or disabling the Suez Canal. This effort is called the First Suez Offensive and it occurred in January 1915. Kress von Kressenstein was responsible for creating special boats for crossing the canal (pontoons) as well as organizing the crossing of the Sinai desert. While the desert was crossed with little loss of life, the British were aware of their approach and their attack on the Suez came as no surprise to the defenders. The Turkish forces were repulsed easily and after two days of fighting, they retreated. Kress von Kressenstein's special pontoons were never used.
More than a year passed when the Turks tried a second attack on the Suez. With Djemal Pasha directing affairs from his base in Damascus, Kress von Kressenstein led a larger Ottoman army across the Sinai desert, again. This attack ran into a strong British defensive fortification at Romani, 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of the canal. The Ottoman army prepared a major set-piece assault on Romani, scheduled for 3 August 1916 (see the Battle of Romani for a detailed description). The attack was beaten off and again the Turks retreated back to their bases in Palestine.
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