Ferdinand von Quast | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1850-10-18)18 October 1850 |
| Died | 27 March 1939(1939-03-27) (aged 88) |
| Allegiance |  Prussia German Empire |
| Branch | Prussian Army |
| Years of service | 1870–1919 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Commands | 2nd Regiment of Guards Grenadiers 39th Infantry Brigade 3rd Guards Infantry Brigade 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade 36th Infantry Division 6th Infantry Division IX Corps Guards Corps 6th Army A.O.K. North |
| Battles / wars | Franco-Prussian War World War I |
| Awards | Order of the Red Eagle Pour le Merite with Oak Leaves |
Alexander Ferdinand Ludolf von Quast (18 October 1850 – 27 March 1939) was a Prussian military officer, participant in theFranco-Prussian War and a general in theFirst World War. He commanded the German6th Army during theBattle of the Lys of theSpring Offensive in 1918.
Quast stemmed from a family of oldAnhalt nobility. He was the son of the Prussian state conservator-restorer Ferdinand von Quast and his wife Maria, née von Diest (1818–17 August 1885). Her father was Prussian Lieutenant General Heinrich von Diest. On 21 June 1877 Quast married Alexandrine Freiin von Paykull.
On 19 July 1870 he joined the 2nd (Emperor Francis) Regiment of Guards Grenadiers and fought with it in theFranco-Prussian War. On 12 January 1871 Quast was promoted to Sekondeleutnant and received theIron Cross 2nd Class. On 23 September 1879 he was promoted to Premierleutnant. 1887 followed a promotion to Hauptmann, and in 1894 he was made a Major and assigned as battalion-commander in the 2nd Guards Infantry. In 1901 von Quast was promoted to Oberstleutnant and assigned to the staff of 1st (Emperor Alexander) Guards Grenadiers before becoming commander of his old 2nd Guards Grenadiers with the rank of Oberst on 18 April 1903.
As General-major he took command of the 39th Infantry Brigade atHannover on 21 May 1907. The following year he was at first assigned as commander of the 3rd Guards Infantry Brigade inBerlin, then assigned to the 2nd Guard Infantry Brigade inPotsdam. On 27 July 1910 Quast was tasked with the command of the36th Infantry Division inGdańsk. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to Generalleutnant and given command of the6th Infantry Division inBrandenburg City. In March 1913 Quast was named commanding general of theIX Corps inAltona, Hamburg.
Fighting in the Battle of Tirlemont (Hautem-Sainte-Marguerite), von Quast was promoted toGeneral der Infanterie on 19 August 1914. In 1916 he participated in theBattle of the Somme where he and his corps were positioned in the southern sector nearPéronne. His stern defensive and his organizatorial skills were noticed and he received thePour le Merite from the hand of EmperorWilhelm II on 11 August. In January 1917 Quast was assigned to lead the prestigiousGuards Corps, a command he held until September when he was named commander of the6th Army. On 10 April 1918 he was awarded the oak leaves to his Pour le Merite.
After the fighting ended and the demobilisation of the high command von Quast relinquished his command and put in the leadership reserve. On 18 January 1919 he was assigned command ofGrenzschutz-Armeeoberkommando Nord (literallyBorder Protection – Army High Command North) as part of theProvisional Reichswehr atKönigsberg. After theTreaty of Versailles was signed von Quast requested his retirement and finally retired on 7 July 1919. He died inPotsdam.
He received the following decorations and awards:[1]
Kingdom of Prussia:
Baden:Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion, with Oak Leaves,1902[2]
Schaumburg-Lippe: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Schaumburg-Lippe, 3rd Class
Persian Empire:Order of the Lion and the Sun, 3rd Class
Kingdom of Italy:Commander of the Crown of Italy
Austria-Hungary:[3]
Spain:Knight of the Military Merit Order, 3rd Class
Sweden:Commander of the Sword, 1st Class,1908[4]
Ottoman Empire:Order of the Medjidie, 2nd Class
Kingdom of Saxony: Commander of theMilitary Order of St. Henry, 2nd Class,7 May 1918 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(April 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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| Preceded by | Commander,6th Army 9 September 1917 – January 1919 | Succeeded by Dissolved |
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