Von Moltke the elder was chief of staff of the Prussian Army for 30 years. He commanded in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. He is described as a "Prussian military organization and tactical genius". He was fascinated with railways and pioneered their military usage. He is often referred to as "Moltke the Elder" to distinguish him from his nephew Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke, who commanded the German Army ("Deutsches Heer") at the outbreak of World War I.