Seeckt, Hans von (1866–1936)

German general. In World War I, he planned the German offensive against Soissons, the Austro-German campaign in Galicia, and the conquest of Serbia 1915. Following the war, he became commander-in-chief of the new German Army 1921 and throughout the 1920s concentrated upon building up the 100,000 strong army into a highly-trained cadre which, from 1933 onward, was able to expand into the Reichswehr.