A talk from Father to Son

Karl looked at his father's face, which held a serious expression.

"What's wrong Father?"

His father looked towards the horizon and his face became grim. "You are now 16 years old, and we are very proud of you. As you know, we didn't told you what we have in store for your future. I feel ashamed to tell this to you only now, but I pulled a string from my old times as a soldier and successfully opted you a place at the Prussian officer academy in Berlin"

Karl feels shocked. He should become a soldier? He thought that he would become a farmer.

Even if to be an officer you need to be a noble.

"Father, how did y"

"Stop asking"

Karl's Father Friedrich looked at the horizon again and seems to collect his thoughts

"The Director of the school Kurt von Manteuffel was a friend of your missing grandfather.

"But father, I don't know how a soldier behaves, I know nothing!"

"You will learn everything there, your mother and I gathered enough money for the train trip towards Berlin"

"Why Father?" Karl looked with shook in his eyes towards his father, he just didn't expect this

"It's to regain our lost glory... now it's time to tell you the last story about your grandfather"

---------Kurt von Manteuffel real life story-----------------

(Manteuffel joined the replacement battalion of the 2nd Magdeburg Infantry Regiment No. 27 of the Prussian Army on August 30, 1870, during the war against France. On October 10, 1870, he was transferred to the mobile regiment in France, where he participated in the siege of Paris. After the preliminary peace of Versailles, Manteuffel became a Portepeefähnrich on April 8, 1871, and a Sekondeleutnant on March 9, 1872. As such, he graduated from the War Academy from October 1876 to July 1879. As his military career progressed, Manteuffel rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in September 1896, served as chief of the general staff of the III Army Corps from December 17, 1896, to March 31, 1898, and then became division chief in the Grand General Staff. As colonel, he served as commander of Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 5 from April 18, 1901, and was appointed commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade in Düsseldorf on January 27, 1903, coinciding with his promotion to major general. This was followed by a posting as lieutenant general and commander of the 38th Division in Erfurt from January 24, 1907. From July 7, 1909, Manteuffel was director of the War Academy and also president of the Military Studies Commission. In this position he received the character of general of infantry on April 7, 1911. On March 31, 1913, he was placed at disposition with the statutory pension.

At the beginning of World War I, Manteuffel was reassigned as an z.D. officer and served as Chief of the Army Deputy General Staff until December 29, 1914.)