Feature Karl von Raumer: a pioneer of German military geology

摘要

The Prussian army did not recruit Raumer because of his perceived usefulness as a geologist: he patriotically volunteered for service on his own initiative. Subsequently, he used his field work-based knowledge of the Silesian mountains to talk his way into appointment as a staff officer, ultimately with the Army of Silesia, but his role as personally recorded was to carry dispatches rather than to analyze terrain for military purposes. Contrary to the impression given in earlier geological literature, he seemingly made no direct contribution to victory at the Battle of the Katzbach on 26 August 1813 - although immediately afterwards, knowledge of the countryside guided his choice of a successful cross-mountain dispatch route. Later, he was used to reconnoitre for militarily useful munitions and foundries in western Germany and in France/ Belgium, employing his administrative rather than scientific abilities. He does not seem to have used geology to help plan any military operation, or to have functioned as a military geologist in any other way comparable with the roles developed in the two 20th century world wars. His reminiscences mention only one engineer-geographer (Leutnant Geisler, near the end of the campaign in France), and although terrain was surely a topic that must frequently have been discussed at army headquarters, Raumer mentions no example of his own terrain knowledge being put to significant use. He was thus indeed a pioneer of German geology - but not apparently of military geology.