Krafft von Dellmensingen was born into a lower ranking Bavarian noble family in Laufen, Upper Bavaria.
Through the pre-war years, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen proceeded up the ranks, generally alternating command and general staff assignments, until October 1, 1912 when he became Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Bavarian Army, a position he would hold until the mobilization for war in August 1914.