Bavarian General Adjutant

The topic of adjutants, à la suites, flugeladjutant, etc are always both informative and confusing to me.

Charles,

I wrote this a couple of years back on this forum. Although it was specifically in response to the Prussians, the general principle remains valid for the other major contingents. Although as appears to be the case, there were no appointments of "General à la suite Seiner Majestät des Königs" in the Bavarian army. There were as Sandy quite rightly stated in the Bavarian army, "Generale à la suite von Truppenteile" (who wore regimental uniforms with generals' rank insignia)

"there are two broad uses of the term in the Prussian system; When first introduced in Prussia, the term was utilised for adjutants and the like attached to higher headquarters and instructors at military schools etc - basically a way of designating officers serving outside their normal regiments but still wearing the uniform of their parent regiment. In addition officers on leave for a long time without salary were designated as à la suite. One often sees seriously or terminally ill officers placed à la suite of their regiments, therefore removing them from the paid establishment and subsequently allowing the appointment and or promotion of another individual into the à la suite officer's slot on the establishment. For the most part, the term was dropped at the turn of the century for this category of officers and replaced by "kommandiert zum/zur/beim" or detached/attached to.

The second and more usually recognised use is that of an honorary position on a par with "Chiefs" of regiments usually for persons of princely rank or general officer status. Further there were generals à la suite to His majesty the Emperor and King. This was the normal progression of senior adjutants - Flügeladjutant - General à suite (normally a Generalmajor) - Generaladjutant. Additionally there were a great number of officers à la suite of the army and navy; princes, counts and high dignitaries who as an honorific were given a position in either the army or the navy (in the case of the army with regimental uniform). Finally one also encounters à la suite officers of the medical corps who were appointed from outstanding surgeons."

Regards
Glenn
 
I think Glenn explained everything beautifully. The only thing I don't understand is the difference between "general à la suite", who is personally available for the ruler, and a “Flügeladjutant“, who is also personally available for a ruler, and who is a General and à la suite of a Regiment.
Anyway, if somebody is interested in the complete Royal Courts of Prussia (1897) and Bavaria (1896), here are books with all officials with ranks:
Handbuch über den königlich preußischen Hof und Staat 1897
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayerns 1895
 
Sandy,

basically it is a promotion. When a Flügeladjutant became a Generalmajor and was still serving in a personal capacity to the monarch, he was appointed as a General à la suite. Usually on promotion to Generalleutnant he was then appointed as a Generaladjutant. They were of course exceptions; Hans von Gontard for instance, remained a General à la suite on promotion to Generalleutnant although he was later appointed a Generaladjutant.

with regards the appointment of à la suite of a regiment; This was awarded as an honour to reward distinguished senior officers often with a personal connection to the regiment involved. The regiment would probably already have a “chef” or “Inhaber’’ and so another officer could not be so appointed. Instead they were appointed à la suite which conferred the right (like the Chef) to wear regimental uniform with generals officers badges of rank.

Regards
Glenn
 
What is the shoulder board that is up 4 and one to the right? It looks blueish-gray and gold.
I think that you are asking about the shoulder strap
that is part of a pair that was worn by Carl Edward
what you see on the edge is age damage that I have
not wanted to clean
if that it what you ask about, I will get you a better shot
Steve
 
I have sent this on to Glenn in hopes he can tell us who this might be

Steve,

if we assume that they are from the same guy and that they are are the boards of a Flügeladjutant and General à la suite of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden respectively, then only one officer comes into the frame: Eugen von Müller. He served successively as a Flügeladjutant in the rank of Major through Oberst and then as a General à la suite/Generaladjutant from 1886 until Friedrich's death in 1907. He did attain the rank of General der Artillerie. The silver cypher on the general's board suggests the period when he was a Generalmajor and General à la suite in 1900.

Regards
Glenn

Müller Eugen von.JPG
 
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Dear friends,
I would like to add the translation of the Bavarian AKO’s which I mentioned a few posts above, about the introduction and modification of the helmet for generals and general-adjutants in Bavaria. I think with this thread we can also unravel the mystery of a special spike for the Bavarian general's…
These texts don‘t mention any special spike. Only a special plate, but this was not introduced until 1913. Before that, the Bavarian generals had a normal Bavarian officer's helmet M86 with silver fittings and curved chinscales (general-adjutants gold fittings,generals à la suite again silver fittings).
348D49E7-610F-4DE7-86E2-D151C76261BC.jpegFB47990A-3600-4711-9EAD-7C353D367760.jpegEFAF268B-C529-4E78-84D1-F5B7CB0AB70D.jpeg
 
I think that you are asking about the shoulder strap
that is part of a pair that was worn by Carl Edward
what you see on the edge is age damage that I have
not wanted to clean
if that it what you ask about, I will get you a better shot
Steve
I circled the one in question. It almost looks like a spotted print on the braids! The coolest looking one I have ever seen!
 

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Steve,

if we assume that they are from the same guy and that they are are the boards of a Flügeladjutant and General à la suite of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden respectively, then only one officer comes into the frame: Eugen von Müller. He served successively as a Flügeladjutant in the rank of Major through Oberst and then as a General à la suite/Generaladjutant from 1886 until Friedrich's death in 1907. He did attain the rank of General der Artillerie. The silver cypher on the general's board suggests the period when he was a Generalmajor and General à la suite in 1900.

Regards
Glenn

View attachment 25149
Glenn ;
Many thanks
Great information and excellent photo
Thanks
Steve
 
Steve,

if we assume that they are from the same guy and that they are are the boards of a Flügeladjutant and General à la suite of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden respectively, then only one officer comes into the frame: Eugen von Müller. He served successively as a Flügeladjutant in the rank of Major through Oberst and then as a General à la suite/Generaladjutant from 1886 until Friedrich's death in 1907. He did attain the rank of General der Artillerie. The silver cypher on the general's board suggests the period when he was a Generalmajor and General à la suite in 1900.

Regards
Glenn

View attachment 25149
Glenn ;
Here are a couple of more Adjutant shoulder straps
I R 94
and Adjutant to Carl Edward .They both have the silver tressa around the base of the straps
SteveI R 94 Adj 1.JPGC E front.jpg
 
Steve,

lovely boards but in all probability not belonging to the same officer. I would have thought it more likely that an officer from IR 95 would have been Carl Eduard’s Flügeladjutant. In any case I cannot at this moment find any officer with a connection to IR 94 who was Carl Eduard’s adjutant.

Regards
Glenn
 
Steve,

lovely boards but in all probability not belonging to the same officer. I would have thought it more likely that an officer from IR 95 would have been Carl Eduard’s Flügeladjutant. In any case I cannot at this moment find any officer with a connection to IR 94 who was Carl Eduard’s adjutant.

Regards
Glenn
Glenn
I think that you are correct about the Flugeladjutant to Carl Edward .I think his name was von Gilhausen ?
some years ago in Germany there was an estate sale of the family of a German GFM von Bock u. Pollock.
Both of GFM batons were there .His sword and a large group of photos .An American dealer over there named
Dean Krasomil went to sale .He bought all of the photos .
The GFM was close with Carl Edward .There were a lot of photos of Carl Edward and his adjutant.
I ended up with 2 autographed photos of Carl Edward.
One in the uniform of the 1 GRzu Fuss wearing the parade miter
the other photo is with his wife on their wedding day .In this one
he wears the uniform of H R 9 as a General
Steve
 
Wonderful photo on a Major Kurt von Gillhaussen. Do you think those Collar tabs are standard General Staff pattern or would these have the red strip in the center?
 
Charles,

they would have a red stripe in the centre. Please find below a nice chart from the period publication titled "Feldgrau in Krieg und Frieden", II. Teil Offiziere und Beamte which shows the 1915 pattern uniforms of Prussian generals, adjutants, general staff officers etc. The majority of Flügeladjutanten of the smaller contingents wore the same uniform as the Prussians with their contingent cypher.

Regards
Glenn

Bluse1915_1.JPG
 
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