Germany
Friedrich von Bernhardi
1849–1930 Cavalry general and military writer; author of Germany and the Next War
Born in Saint Petersburg in 1849, the son of the historian Theodor von Bernhardi, Friedrich von Bernhardi served as a young officer in the 14th Hussars in the Franco-Prussian War. He served as military attaché in Bern, headed the military history department of the General Staff and commanded VII Army Corps at Münster before retiring in 1909. His book Germany and the Next War, which reached six editions by 1914, called war a biological necessity and drew wide international attention. East German historians called him the leading war ideologue of German imperialism, though others note that his views clashed with the General Staff's. In the war he fought on the Stochod and at Armentières and received the Pour le Mérite in 1916. He died in 1930.