Fritz von Loßberg

Friedrich Karl "Fritz" von Loßberg (30 April 1868 – 4 May 1942) was a German colonel, and later general, of World War I. He was a strategic planner, especially of defence, who was Chief of Staff for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th armies. He was present at the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Verdun.

Loßberg was born in Bad Homburg in Hesse-Nassau. Erich Ludendorff refers to him as Loszberg in his memoires. English-speaking sources often spell his name Lossberg.

Loßberg was later to become "legendary as the fireman of the Western Front, always sent by OHL to the area of crisis". (Oberste Heeresleitung, OHL, Supreme Army Command). He was the "foremost German expert on Defensive Warfare. Was made a floating Chief of staff during crises, with Vollmacht the right to issue orders in a superior's name".

In Military Operations France and Belgium 1917 part I, Cyril Falls, the British official historian, referred to him as ...a very remarkable soldier.....

Loßberg was awarded the "Pour le Mérite" (the Blue Max) for his work on the Western Front on 9 September 1916 and oak leaves on 24 April 1917.

Throughout the eight months which Colonel von Loßberg spent in Mézières [in early 1915] he was straining at the leash to return to more active work at the front, and the first opportunity, which came by accident, he seized with both hands. His chief, Colonel Tappen, was still away when the French offensive [in the Champagne region] was delivered on 25 September and Loßberg deputized for him when General Falkenhayn explained the situation to the Kaiser, William II, the following morning. A message had come through earlier from the chief of staff of the Third Army, Lieut.-General von Hoehn, that the left corps might have to be withdrawn two miles to behind the Dormoise, and Colonel von Loßberg during his account of the situation on the Champagne battlefront expressed strong disapproval of such an action. Within three hours of that interview he was on his way to replace General von Hoehn as chief of staff, a marked honour for a junior colonel of only two months' seniority, as all the other chiefs of staff of armies were at least major-generals.

...
Wikipedia