Curt von Morgen


Curt Ernst von Morgen was a Prussian explorer and officer, later General of Infantry during World War I. He was a recipient of Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves.

Explorer in Cameroon

Curt von Morgen was stationed in German Kamerun and undertook two research journeys to central Cameroon in 1889 and from 1890 to 1891. After the expeditions, Morgen returned to Germany but in 1894 he was tasked with the formation of the Kamerun Schutztruppe. He also led two military expeditions against the Abo north of Douala and the Kwe (Bakwiri) near Mount Cameroon.

The Middle East

In 1896-97, he followed as military observer the English Dongola-Expedition against the Mahdists. In 1897, he became Military Attaché in Istanbul. He followed as observer the Greco-Turkish War (1897) and prepared the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine in 1898.

Military service in Germany

On 27 January 1912, he was promoted to Generalmajor and assigned as commander of the 81st Infantry Brigade in Lübeck. On 9 August 1913, when the emperor visited the town, he reported to him.

World War I

On mobilisation for World War I in August 1914, he became commander of the 3rd Reserve Division from Danzig, and promoted to Generalleutnant on the 19th of that month. He commanded this division as part of the 8th Army in the pivotal Battle of Tannenberg at the opening of the war on the Eastern Front, and at the subsequent First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. For his performance in this period, he was awarded the Pour le Mérite on 1 December 1914.
On 24 November 1914, he took over command of I Reserve Corps from Otto von Below. He led this Corps for almost the entire war, only swapping places with Richard Wellman in command of XIV Reserve Corps in August 1918.
With the I Reserve Corps, he fought in the Battle of Łódź (1914) and in the Romanian campaign (1916-1917) in which he failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough after being defeated by the Romanians at Dragoslavele, 8 miles from the town of Câmpulung. Von Morgen argued that much more of the Romanian Army could have been captured if a breakthrough would have been achieved at Câmpulung. He insisted that this would have achieved "a real victory, a Cannae, a Tannenberg".
He was awarded the Oakleaves to the Pour le Mérite on 11 December 1916.

Later life

After his retirement he became General of Infanterie and returned to Lübeck.

Family

His son Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen was an early German race car driver. His daughter Elizabeth married in 1919 till 1923 the aircraft designer Anthony Fokker.

Awards