When the campaign ended he re-enrolled in the Artillery School of Charlottenburg to complete his studies. From 1872 he served with the rank of first lieutenant in the 14th Artillery Regiment, from which he was sent to the Imperial War Academy of Berlin in 1873. There he fulfilled his studies for officer of the Chiefs of Staff from 1873 to 1876, occupying the third position, the first place in his class being Paul von Hindenburg, the victor of Tannenberg and Masuria and the second place being held by Jakob Meckel, the successful reorganizer of the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of the 19th century.