Walther Reinhardt

Walther Reinhardt
General der Infanterie Walther Reinhardt in 1919
1st Chief of the German Army Command
Weimar Republic
In office
13 September 1919 – 26 March 1920
PresidentFriedrich Ebert
ChancellorGustav Bauer
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHans von Seeckt
Prussian Minister of War
German Empire
In office
2 January 1919 – 13 September 1919
PresidentFriedrich Ebert
ChancellorPhilipp Scheidemann
Gustav Bauer
Preceded byHeinrich Scheuch
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1872-03-24)24 March 1872
Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died8 August 1930(1930-08-08) (aged 58)
Berlin, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic
Military service
Allegiance German Empire  Weimar Republic
Branch/service Imperial German Army

Reichswehr

Years of service1892–1930
RankGeneral der Infantrie
Battles/warsWorld War I
German Revolution of 1918-19
AwardsIron Cross, First Class
Iron Cross, Second Class
Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves
Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords and Crown (Bavaria)
Knight's Cross of theMilitary Merit Order (Württemberg)

Walther Gustav Reinhardt (German pronunciation: [ˈvaltɐ ˈʁaɪnhaʁt]; 24 March 1872 in Stuttgart – 8 August 1930 in Berlin) was a German officer who served as the last Prussian Minister of War and the first head of the army command (Chef der Heeresleitung) within the newly created Ministry of the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic. During the Kapp Putsch of 1920, Reinhardt remained loyal to the elected government and was one of the few senior officers of the Reichswehr willing to order troops to fire at the revolting units.