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Show KAISER'S CHIEF OF STAFF & Y Lieut Gen. Erich G. A. S. von Falkenhayn, recently made chief of staff of the German army to succeed Von Moltke, is only sixty-three years old rather young as the age of commanding com-manding officers goes in modern armies. He is live, energetic, a bundle bun-dle of nerves, sometimes agreeable, sometimes irascible, intuitional, aristocratic aristo-cratic and venturesome. The only active service undertaken by Falkenhayn previous to the present war was during the Boxer rebellion, when he served on the staff of Count Waldersee. After the Boxer war he was retained by the Chinese government govern-ment to instruct a number of young officers in the Chinese army. For a dozen years or more the kaiser has been particularly interested in Falkenhayn. As a definite earnest of his trust and regard )e placed under un-der Falkenhayn's charge md intrusted to- him the militarv education nf thfi crown prince. One reason for the camaraderie which has developed between Falkenhayn and the crown prince .(though the new chief of staff is considerably older than the heir apparent) lies in the superior birth of the general. His noble blood dates back seven or eight centuries. His viewpoint on all matters is purely that of the soldier. He has never .been a diplomat and never an agitator. |