Reference:5378 General von Francois: Military actions at Cumbinnen, Tannenberg, Masurische Seen, Gorlice and Radymno 1914-1916, 1916

Uniformed bust of General von Francois, facing. /

Troops advancing left, in an open, wooded landscape.

By Fritz Eue.

Bronze. 110 mm. 

Condition: Extremely Fine.

Notes:

General Hermann von François (1856-1933), commander of the German Eighth Army's I Corps in East Prussia in the early part of the war, he played a significant role in the defeat of invading Russian forces on the Eastern Front, deploying a highly-developed sense of battlefield improvisation.

The medal records the victories of Gumbinnen (17-20 August 1914), Tannenberg (26-30 August 1914), the first and second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (5-13 September 1914 and February 1915), and the crucial breakthrough offensive at Gorlice-Tarnow (May 1915). It is among those celebrating First World War German commanders that were modeleld by the artist Fritz Eue and produced by the firm of Ball in Berlin.

The medal is from the Virgil Brand collection and has an inventory number at the lower-right hand edge of the reverse side.