Alfred von Waldersee
Prussian Field Marshal
Died when: 71 years 332 days (862 months)Star Sign: Aries
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Alfred Ludwig Heinrich Karl Graf von Waldersee (8 April 1832 in Potsdam – 5 March 1904 in Hanover) was a German field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) who became Chief of the Imperial German General Staff.
Born into a prominent military family, von Waldersee saw distinguished service as an artillery officer, and became Prussian military attaché at the Paris embassy in 1870.
This gave him insight into the French defences that would prove crucial in the upcoming Franco-Prussian War, in which he played a significant role.
Later, as principal assistant to Field-Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, von Waldersee gained influence with the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, who promoted him Chief of Staff on his accession.
When the Peking legation compound was besieged by the Boxer insurgents in 1900, von Waldersee was appointed as head of an 8-nation relief force.
Although he arrived too late to take part in the fighting, he conducted punitive expeditions which succeeded in pacifying the Boxers.
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Prussian Field Marshal
Prussian Field Marshal
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Prussian field marshal