He was born on May 20, 1855, in
Copenhagen,
Denmark, the son of a diplomat, Karl von Freytag-Loringhoven (1811–1882).
His family was
Baltic German and originated in
Westphalia. He entered the
Imperial German Army in 1877, a few years after German unification, as a lieutenant. From 1887 to 1896 he taught military history at the
Prussian Military Academy in Berlin. He then worked for a while for
Alfred von Schlieffen, later being described as "Schlieffen's favorite disciple", and in 1907 took command of the 12th Regiment of Grenadiers at
Frankfurt an der Oder. In 1910 he became
Oberquartiermeister, and in December 1913 took command of the 22nd Division at Cassel. With the mobilisation of troops in 1914 for
World War I, he became firstly a liaison officer with the
Austro-Hungarian forces. He then returned to the
Supreme Army Command as
Stellvertretender Generalquartiermeister (Deputy Quartermaster-General), where he became an unofficial adviser to
Erich von Falkenhayn although he bemoaned his lack of influence. He briefly led the 9th Reserve Corps, then the 17th Reserve Division, and in September 1916 went back to the Supreme Army Command. On April 18, 1918, he was promoted to
General of the Infantry. He died on October 19, 1924, in
Weimar at the age of 69. == Publications ==