Description
BAVARIA – POSTCARD – PRINZ LEOPOLD
This postcard shows Prinz Leopold of Bavaria (1846-1930). Bavaria produced two significant military commanders during WW I. One was Prinz Leopold, and the other was Kronprinz Rupprecht (1869-1955). Leopold was the son of Prinzregent Luitpold of Bavaria (1821-1912). Luitpold was greatly beloved in Bavaria and ruled the kingdom after Ludwig II was deposed. Prinz Leopold had served in the Bavarian Army during the 1870/1871 Franco-Prussian War. He retired in 1905 as a Generalfeldmarschall. He was recalled to service in 1915. He first commanded the 9. Armee, and later Armee Gruppe Prinz Leopold, which was a combined command of German and Austrian troops. He fought on the Eastern Front against the Russians. After their withdrawal from the war, he retired yet again! He was decorated with every imaginable Bavarian decoration, and also awarded the PLM and PLM with Oak Leaves. In this photo he is wearing a general’s pickelhaube complete with a canvas cover. A Generalfeldmarschall’s shoulder board is visible, as well as the 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class and the ribbon for the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class. He had received the 1870 Iron Crosses 1st and 2nd Class during the Franco-Prussian War. The postcard was mailed as a Feldpostkarte in 1915.
