Jakob Meckel
| Jacob Meckel | |
|---|---|
Jacob Meckel
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| Born |
28 March 1842 Cologne, Prussia |
| Died | 2 July 1905 (aged 63) Gernrode, German Empire |
| Allegiance |
 Prussia German Empire Empire of Japan (1885–88) |
| Service/branch | Prussian Army |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | Franco-Prussian War |
Klemens Wilhelm Jacob Meckel (March 28, 1842 – July 5, 1905) was a general in the Prussian army and foreign advisor to the government of Meiji period Japan.
Meckel was born in Cologne, Rhine Province, Prussia. He graduated from the Prussian Army Staff College in 1867. He was a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War, during which he was decorated with the Iron Cross.
After the government of Meiji period Japan decided to model the Imperial Japanese Army after the Prussian army, following the German victory over the French in the Franco-Prussian War, Meckel (with the rank of major at the time) was invited to Japan as a professor at the Army Staff College and as an advisor to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. In response to a Japanese request, Prussian Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke selected Meckel. He worked closely with future Prime Ministers General Katsura Tarō and General Yamagata Aritomo, and with army strategist General Kawakami Soroku. Meckel made numerous recommendations which were implemented, including reorganization of the command structure of the army into divisions and regiments, thus increasing mobility, strengthening the army logistics and transportation structure, with the major army bases connected by railways, establishing artillery and engineering regiments as independent commands, and revising the universal conscription system to abolish virtually all exceptions. A bust of Meckel was sited in front of the Japanese Army Staff College from 1909 through 1945.
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