Helmuth von Moltke the Younger

Helmuth von Moltke the Younger was a German general and a member of the House of Moltke. He was the nephew of Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke, who is commonly called "Moltke the Elder" to differentiate the two. He served as the Chief of the Great German General Staff from 1906 to 1914, during the opening months of World War I. He was responsible for modifying the Schlieffen Plan, a strategic plan for a decisive victory over France and Russia. However, his changes weakened the plan and he failed to control his rapidly advancing armies. He was blamed for the German defeat at the First Battle of the Marne, which resulted in a stalemate on the Western Front. He was dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm II in September 1914 and replaced by Erich von Falkenhayn. He spent the rest of his life in retirement, writing his memoirs and defending his actions. He died of heart failure in Berlin in 1916. He was buried at the Invalidenfriedhof cemetery, where his uncle was also interred. His son, Helmuth James Graf von Moltke, was a prominent member of the German resistance against Nazi Germany and was executed in 1945 for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.