German field marshal who governed occupied Ukraine in 1918 and was assassinated in Kiev by a Left SR
Prussian field marshal Hermann von Eichhorn became military governor of occupied Ukraine in 1918 and was assassinated in Kiev by Left Socialist-Revolutionary Boris Donskoy, who bombed his carriage.
A Prussian officer who fought in the wars of 1866 and 1870–71 and rose to command the XVIII Army Corps. In the First World War he led the 10th Army from January 1915, taking Kovno and Grodno, and from 1916 also Army Group Eichhorn; he was made field marshal in December 1917. On 3 April 1918 he became commander of Army Group Kiev and military governor of occupied Ukraine. On 30 July 1918 the Left Socialist-Revolutionary Boris Donskoy killed him in Kiev with a bomb thrown at his carriage.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1866–1914Joined the Prussian Army; fought in 1866 and 1870–71; commanded 9th Division (1901–1904) and XVIII Army Corps (1904–1912)
- 1915–1918Commander, 10th Army; took Kovno and Grodno; Army Group Eichhorn from 1916; field marshal 1917
- 1918Commander, Army Group Kiev, and military governor of Ukraine; assassinated in Kiev on 30 July
Related historical events
- 1914–1918First World WarGerman field army commanderFrom 1915 he led the 10th Army and took Kovno and Grodno.
- 1917.12–1918.11Brest-Litovsk and Germany’s eastern occupationMilitary governor of occupied UkraineOn 3 April 1918 he became military governor of occupied Ukraine.
- 1917–1921Ukraine’s revolution and warsGerman occupation commander and military governor of UkraineFrom April 1918 commanded Army Group Kiev as military governor of occupied Ukraine; killed in Kiev on 30 July by a bomb thrown by the Left SR Boris Donskoy.
Occupation rule and conflict with the Ukrainian government
After taking office on 3 April 1918 as commander of Army Group Kiev and military governor of Ukraine, Eichhorn used German military authority to intervene directly in the internal affairs of the Ukrainian People's Republic. On 6 April, without prior agreement with the Ukrainian government, he issued an order requiring the sowing of fields. The Central Rada protested this infringement of sovereignty but could not stop the order. On 25 April, another order introduced German military field courts. The Ukrainian People's Republic had allied with the Central Powers under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, while Germany and Austria-Hungary sought to obtain Ukrainian grain and raw materials. Under an economic agreement signed on 23 April, Ukraine undertook to supply 60 million poods of grain and 400 million eggs, among other goods, by the end of July. The German command judged that the Rada could neither fulfil these deliveries nor control the domestic situation, and expanded its interference. After a German-backed coup overthrew the Rada and brought Pavlo Skoropadskyi to power on 29 April, the German High Command continued to intervene in appointments to central and local administrations; Eichhorn's cooperation with the Hetman government contributed to the suppression of peasant uprisings.