Erich von Falkenhayn

Chief of Germany's General Staff during the first two years of the First World War (1861-1922)

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Lived 1861–1922, aged 61

Wikipedia
48 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1861–1922
Aged 61
Awards
12
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-10

He took command of the German General Staff after the invasion of France stalled in 1914, bet everything on grinding the French to exhaustion at Verdun, and was fired when that strategy bled his own army white instead.

Biography

About

Erich von Falkenhayn replaced Helmuth von Moltke the Younger in September 1914 after the First Battle of the Marne stopped the German advance into France. As Prussian Minister of War and Chief of the General Staff, he planned to win the war before 1917 but launched an offensive at Verdun that failed to break the French; by August 1916, with the Somme opened, the Brusilov Offensive rolling, and Romania entering the war, he was removed. Falkenhayn believed Germany could not win by decisive battle and would have to settle for compromise peace — a view his rivals, especially the faction behind Hin…

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