Helmuth Moltke

Helmuth Moltke (1800-1891), German general, whose military genius was instrumental in making Prussia the leading state of Germany. He was born in Parchim, Mecklenburg, and educated at the Royal Military Academy in Copenhagen. He first joined the Danish infantry but in 1822 transferred to the Prussian army as a lieutenant and he subsequently attended the General War College in Frankfurt an der Oder; by 1832 he was attached to the Prussian general staff. In 1835 he went to Turkey where he helped reorganize the Turkish army. Returning to Prussia in 1839, he served in minor military positions until 1858, when he was appointed chief of general staff. During 30 years in that position he modernized the Prussian army and successfully directed strategy during the Prussian-Danish War of 1863-1864, the Seven Weeks' War with Austria in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Moltke was made a count (Graf) in 1870 and a field marshal in 1871. He died in Berlin.

Also an accomplished writer, Moltke published several books on military matters detailing his approach to strategy, and coming straight to the point on his philosophy of war in general: “Everlasting peace is a dream, and not even a pleasant one; and war is a necessary part of God's plan for the world... Without war the world would deteriorate into materialism”.