Deimling Corner

The roundabout where you are now standing was known during the war as Deimling Corner. It was named after a German general, Berthold von Deimling, commander of the 15th Army Corps. He was a self-confident man, with a very high opinion of himself. If you want to read his story in his own words, just click on his photo.

Berthold Van Deimling already had a long military career behind him in 1914, and during the war he commanded German troops at the battles of Verdun, the Somme and Ieper. It was Van Deimling who ordered the destruction of the Cloth Hall in Ieper, in direct contravention of orders given to him by his superior officer, Crown Prince Rupprecht. It was also Von Deimling who ordered the suicidal attacks of the young German soldiers at Langemark in October 1914, with huge losses as a result (more than half of the 6,000 troops who took part). And as if this were not enough, he also had overall command of the first gas attack in April 1915. Somewhat surprisingly, he became a fervent pacifist after the war, and was a member of parliament for the leftist-liberal DDP party in the Weimar Government.

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