Von Francois.

This is coolbert:

"General von François will withdraw when he has defeated the Russians!"

Here is a very senior German officer from the era of World War One [WW1]. A commander, successful, while at the same time very insubordinate and disobedient in an extreme manner.

So insubordinate and disobedient that it is surprising [??] he retained command, was not relieved on the spot, OR EVEN PLACED UNDER ARREST FOR DERELICTION OF DUTY!!

Hermann von Francois. Prussian career military officer of the old-school. Played a very big role in those combat actions - - August 1914 - - on the eastern front against Russian Imperial forces. Again, insubordinate and disobedient in a surprising and troubling way [?] during the early days of the war, especially so prior to, during, and in the aftermath of the Battle of Tannenberg [1914].

"Hermann von François . . . was a German General der Infanterie during World War I, and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the Eastern Front in 1914."

"The Battle of Tannenberg was in August 1914 a decisive engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I, fought by the Russian First and Second Armies and the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914"

[von Francois commanded the First Corps of the Eighth Army.]

Here in chronological order a history of the various disobedience's and insubordination's of von Francois: [all dates 1914]

* August 17 . . . "General Maximilian von Prittwitz . . . ordered Von François to retreat . . . François . . . naturally pugnacious . . . ignored Prittwitz' order"

* 20 August "François, apparently emboldened by his success at Stalluponen, attacked early and ruined the chance for surprise."

* 25 August "Ludendorff issued an order to François' now-deployed I Corps to initiate the attack . . . François rejected this direct order, stating there was no way to have the corps ready in time and that he wanted to wait until [27 August] . . . Ludendorff and Hoffmann . . . traveled to meet François to repeat the order in person. François agreed to commence the attack"

"François once again demanded he be allowed to wait for his artillery supplies. Ludendorff and François began arguing, and eventually François delayed enough to allow the battle to open on 27 August"

* August 27 "François attacked . . . Ludendorff, fearing a Russian counterattack . . . ordered him to break off the advance. However, François twice ignored his direct orders"

* 28 August [?] "Ludendorff . . . ordered Francois to move back north, another order ignored by Francois, who chose instead to take his corps east . . . Although executed in disobedience of Ludendorff's clear order, his bold action contributed to the sweeping success that followed."

* September 1914 "François remained with his corps in East Prussia and led it with much success in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes . . . When General von Schubert, the new commander of the 8th Army, ordered him to retreat, he dispatched a telegram to the OHL describing his success and stating 'the Commander is badly counselled.'"

[further elucidation is required here? OHL stand for: "OHL Oberste Heeresleitung (German: Highest Command of Military; WWI)". Von Francois went over the head of his immediate superior with complaints directly to the highest command of the German Army. Such behavior is generally recognized as an egregiously insubordinate act ordinarily warranting an instantaneous and irrevocable dismissal from military service!]

* 3 October . . . "von François the command[er] of the 8th Army . . . When Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared their counter-attack from Thorn in the direction of Łódź, François was reluctant to send the requested I Corps, sending [the] badly trained and ill-equipped XXV Reserve Corps instead."

In the aftermath of Masurian Lakes, von Francois was placed in other duties, primarily of a staff role. NOT commanding for the duration of the war, no promotions, etc. Even while successful, it was well understood that the man was the proverbial 'loose cannon", almost out-of-control, a man, again, an old-time Prussian of almost the highest rank, habitually insubordinate and disobedient in a manner that quite boggles the mind!

"However he never received any further promotion or serious commands under Ludendorff, and gave up his command in July 1918 and was placed on the standby list until October 1918 when he retired"

Within my memory there are few instances of commanders acting in such an insubordinate and disobedient manner? Nelson was noted for being reckless and rash, in defiance of orders, and so was Sharon! NO ONE else!

coolbert.