Gerhard von Scharnhorst

Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Prussian army, and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars. Scharnhorst limited the use of corporal punishments, established promotion for merit, abolished the enrollment of foreigners, began the organization of a reserve army, and organized and simplified the military administration.

12 November 1755

Born on the same birth day (12 November): Cairo Santos • Delano Lewis • Gijs Van Hoecke • Ian Bremmer • Louis Antoine de Bougainville • Luguelín Santos • Neal Shusterman • Salim Ali • Tudor Davies

Born in the same month (November 1755): Franz Anton Ries • Louis XVIII • Marie Antoinette • Stanisław Kostka Potocki