Germany
Wilhelm Groener
1867–1939 First Quartermaster General, 1918–1919
Born in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, the son of a regimental paymaster, Groener attended the War Academy, joined the General Staff as a captain in 1899 and spent about 17 years in its railway section. He was credited with the smooth rail deployment of the army in August 1914 and became a Generalmajor in June 1915. From November 1916 he headed the War Office (Kriegsamt) but was recalled in August 1917 after disputes over social policy. On 29 October 1918 he succeeded Ludendorff as First Quartermaster General. On 9 November he told Wilhelm II that the army no longer stood behind him, and on 10 November he made a pact with Friedrich Ebert. He later served as Reichswehr Minister from 1928 until his resignation in May 1932, and died in 1939.