Ernst von Below

On April 17, 1863, Ernst von Below was born in Königsberg as the son of Prussian Generalmajor Ferdinand von Below. After being a cadet he joined the Prussian Army in 1881 as a Fähnrich, and a year later was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. He entered the Prussian Staff College in 1890 and was promoted to premier lieutenant in the same year. In 1894, von Below was promoted to Hauptmann. In 1899 he was commandeered to the Infantry Training Battalion, attached to the 1st Foot Guard Regiment. Later he transferred to the 4th Guards Grenadiers as a company commander. From April 1, 1903, von Below served as an adjutant to Prince Joachim Albert of Prussia. On May 6, 1903, he was assigned as his personal adjutant and on January 27, 1904 he was promoted to major. Von Below left the staff on September 13, 1906, when he was appointed commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 91st Infantry Regiment. On April 4, 1908, he became commander of the 2nd Sea Battalion in Wilhelmshaven, and later would lead his unit in Tsingtao. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 20, 1911. After his return to Germany, from March 22, 1912 von Below was in command of the 3rd Sea Battalion in Cuxhaven. On January 27, 1913, he transferred to the 1st Guard Grenadier Regiment. With his promotion to colonel on October 1, 1913, he was appointed commander of the 153rd Infantry Regiment in Altenburg. Six months later von Below moved to the Reichskolonialamt as nominal commander of the Schutztruppe.[1]

After World War I broke out von Below became commander of the 27th Infantry Regiment, and shortly later successively of the 26th and 39th Reserve Infantry brigades. In May 1915 he was chosen to lead the new 2nd Jäger Brigade. In 1917 he was promoted to Generalmajor and became the commander of 200th Infantry Division. He was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite on November 24, 1917, and received the oak leaves on October 13, 1918.[1]

After war he got the character of a Generalleutnant. On the Tannenbergtag, the commemoration day of the Battle of Tannenberg, in 1939 he got the character of a General der Infanterie. He died in 1955 in Schleusingen.[1]