Karl von Bülow

Karl von Bülow (24 April 1846 – 31 August 1921) was a German Field Marshal commanding the German 2nd Army during World War I from 1914 to 1915.

Biography
Born in Berlin to a distinguished Prussian military family, Bülow enlisted in the Prussian Army and was assigned to the 2nd Guards regiment of infantry in 1864. He saw action during the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 and gained distinction at Koniggratz. Bülow served through the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 as a junior officer, winning the Iron Cross (2nd class). A Captain of the German General Staff in 1877, Bülow was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the 9th Guards Regiment in 1894. In 1897, Bülow was a major-general and became director of the Central Department in the German War Ministry. In 1900 he was promoted to lieutenant-general and in 1901 was general commanding the Guards division. He was Commander of the German III Corps from 1903 until his appointment as Inspector of the German 3rd Army in 1912.

Assigned to the German 2nd Army at the beginning of World War I in August 1914, Bülow's army was part of the German force that invaded Belgium. He occupied Liege on 7 August and captured the fortress of Namur on 22–23 August. In France, Bülow defeated General Charles Lanrezac of the French Fifth Army at Charleroi on 23–24 August and again at St. Quentin on 29–30 August.

As the 2nd Army and General Alexander von Kluck's 1st Army neared Paris from 31 August to 2 September, Bülow, concerned about the growing gap between the two armies, ordered Kluck to turn the 1st Army on his right towards him. This decision, however, resulted in Kluck's advancing south and east of Paris, instead of north and west as specified in the Schlieffen Plan. Bülow crossed the Marne on 4 September, but decided to retreat to Aisne after the successful counterattack by combined French and British forces against Kluck's 1st Army at the First Battle of the Marne from 5–10 September. Bülow was believed by the German public to be responsible for the German failure to capture Paris.

Bülow was promoted to Field Marshal in January of the following year. After suffering a heart attack two months later, he was allowed to retire in early 1916, living in Berlin until his death.

Decorations and awards

 * Order of the Black Eagle with Chain (Prussia)
 * Order of the Crown, 1st class (Prussia)
 * Iron Cross of 1870, 2nd class (Prussia)
 * Service Cross (Prussia)
 * Military Merit Medal, 1st class (Prussia)
 * Cross of Merit, 1st class of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern
 * Commander Second Class of the Order of Berthold I (Baden)
 * Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
 * Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold of the House Order of the Wendish Crown (Mecklenburg)
 * Honorary Grand Cross of the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis (Oldenburg)
 * Order of the Rue Crown (Saxony)
 * Commander of the Second Class of the Albert Order (Saxony)
 * Commander 2nd class of the Friedrich Order (Württemberg)
 * Commander of the Order of Order of Leopold (Belgium)
 * Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit with Diamonds (Bulgaria)
 * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (United Kingdom)
 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan)
 * Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)
 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy
 * Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd class (Austria)
 * Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph
 * Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania
 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
 * Order of Saint Stanislaus, 1st class (Russia)
 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (Sweden)
 * Order of the Medjidie, 2nd class (Ottoman Empire)
 * Iron Cross of 1914, 1st class
 * Hanseatic Cross (Lübeck)
 * Pour le Mérite {4 April 1915)
 * Grand Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (22 June 1916)