General Otto von Emmich was a German general and was Commander in Chief of the German forces in Belgium. He led German troops in the Battle of Liège, the first battle of the First World War. In Britain, it was rumoured that he was killed in that battle, but that was not the case. He received the Pour le Mérite honour for his role in the battle.
von Emmich (Emmich until 1913, when he was ennobled) was born at Minden on August 4, 1848 in and educated there. He served in the Franco-Prussian War in the 55th Infantry Regiment and the 29th Infantry Brigade. He became Colonel of the Jäger Battalion in 1894, and in 1904 he became Commander-in-Chief of the 10th Army Corps. He died on December 22, 1915 of natural causes (arteriosclerosis) at Hanover.