Generalleutnant Kurt Dittmar

SOME OF THE PRISONERS HELD AT
SPECIAL CAMP 11

Note Dittmar is wearing the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with Swords around his neck.

NAME: Generalleutnant Kurt Dittmar

PW NO: B33406

RANK: Generalleutnant

CAPTURED: Magdeburg

DATE: 25th April 1945

PERSONAL
DATE OF BIRTH:      5 January 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH:    Magdeburg
DATE OF DEATH:     26 April 1959
PLACE OF DEATH:   Stadtoldendorf
NATIONALITY:        German
RELIGION:                Evangelical
OCCUPATION:         Regular Soldier
HEIGHT:                     5'11"
WEIGHT:                    138lbs
HAIR COLOUR:         Dark-Brown (greying)
EYE COLOUR:           Grey
NEXT OF KIN:           Ilse Dittmar, (British Zone)

Promotions:

Fahnenjunker: 6 March 1909
Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter: 15 July 1909
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier: 15 August 1909
Fähnrich: 21 December 1909 (H)
Leutnant: 22 August 1910 – Patent 22 August 1908 (E)
Oberleutnant: 25 February 1915 (Q18q)
Hauptmann: 18 December 1917 (C) – RDA later changed to 18 December 1917 (2)
Major: 1 February 1931 (4)
Oberstleutnant: 1 June 1934 (5)
Oberst: 1 April 1936 (36)
Generalmajor: 1 April 1940 (10)
Generalleutnant: 1 April 1942 (6)

Commands & Assignments:

6 March 1909: Entered the Army as a Fahnenjunker in Magdeburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr.4.
30 October 1909-22 July 1910: Detached to the Engen War School.
1 October 1912-5 August 1914: Detached to the Military Technical Academy.
6 August 1914: Adjutant of Pioneer Replacement Battalion 4.
22 September 1914: Platoon Leader in the 1st Field Company of Pioneer Battalion 4.
4 February 1915: Adjutant of Pioneer Battalion 4.
8 January 1916: Company Leader in Pioneer Battalion 4.
9 December 1917: Deputy Leader of the I. Battalion of 5. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 165.
9 January 1918: Again, a Company Chief in Pioneer Battalion 4.
22 June 1918: Deputy Leader of the III. Battalion of Infantry Regiment 165.
25 August 1918: Commander of the III. Battalion of Infantry Regiment 165.
22 February 1919: Company Leader in Volunteer Battalion “Quedlinburg” of Infantry Regiment 165.
29 July 1919: Transferred to Reichswehr Schützen [Rifle]-Regiment 8.
26 August 1919: Detached to the Quedlinburg Garrison Command.
4 February 1920: Consultant and Interpreter Officer with the Army Peace Commission in Dresden.
1 October 1920: Company Chief in Pioneer Battalion 4.
1 October 1924: Pioneer Officer on the staff of the Commandant of Fortifications at the River Ems estuary, Borkum.
1 October 1927: Instructor at the Infantry School.
15 September 1931: Transferred to the Reich War Ministry/In 5.
1 October 1931: Transferred to the Pioneer Inspectorate in the Reich War Ministry/In 5.
1 January 1934: Commander of Pioneer Battalion 1.
1 October 1934: Commander of Pioneer Battalion “Königsberg.”
15 October 1935: Commander of Pioneer I.
6 April 1937: Commander of Pioneer School I.
26 August 1939: Commander of Pioneer School II.
1 October 1939: Transferred to the staff of the General of Pioneers/Army High Command.
15 March 1940: Pioneer Leader of the 1st Army. [Manning the West Wall fortifications (“Siegfried Line”) opposite the French Maginot Line in Lorraine, the 1st Army, commanded by Generaloberst Erwin von Witzleben, remained on the defensive during the first phase of the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. On 14 June 1940, the 1st Army finally went over to the offensive and, after penetrating the Maginot Line in several locations, advanced into the Vosges. Operating in conjunction with the adjacent 7th Army (General der Artillerie Friedrich Dollmann) and Panzer Group Guderian (General der Panzertruppe Heinz Guderian) sweeping down from the northeast, the 1st Army helped encircle over 400,000 troops of the French 2nd Army Group in Alsace-Lorraine.]
20 February 1941: Commander of the 169th Infantry Division. [On 1 July 1941, the German Higher Command for Special Employment XXXVI commanded by General der Kavallerie z.V. Hans Feige consisting of the 169th Infantry Division (Dittmar) and SS-Division "Nord" (SS-Brigadeführer Karl-Maria Demelhuber) plus the attached Finnish 6th Division (Colonel Verner August Viikla) launched Operation "Polarfuchs" (Polar Fox), an attack against Russia from Finland with the objective of cutting the Murmansk Railroad at Kandalaksha. During hard fighting in which portions of SS-Division "Nord" broke and ran, the corps captured Salla and Aalakurtti but ground to a halt in mid-September 1941 about 22 miles short of its objective. The corps made no further gains and dug in along the Verman River. On 29 September 1941, Generalleutnant Hermann Tittel assumed temporary command of the 169th Infantry Division from Generalmajor Dittmar who was evacuated from Finland due to illness. Generalleutnant Tittel assumed permanent command of the division on 11 October 1941.]
11 October 1941: Army High Command Leader Reserve.
1 April 1942-23 April 1945: General for Special Employment in the Army High Command – served as the Official Military Radio Commentator of the German Armed Forces. [On 23 April 1945, Generalleutnant Dittmar surrendered to troops of the U.S. 30th Infantry Division after crossing the Elbe in a small boat near Magdeburg. During his time broadcasting communiqués from the front he became known as the “Voice of the German High Command.” A widely respected radio commentator, he drew a following not only in Germany but also among the Allied monitoring staff.]

23 April 1945-17 May 1948: Prisoner of war in U.S. and, later, British captivity.
- 9th January 1946 transferred to Island Farm Special Camp 11 from Camp 300
- 4th January 1947 transferred to the LDC (London District Cage) from Island Farm Special Camp 11
- 16th January 1947 transferred to Island Farm Special Camp 11 from LDC
- 10th September 1947 transferred to LDC from Island Farm Special Camp 11
- 2nd November 1947 transferred to Island Farm Special Camp 11 from LDC
- 12th May 1948 transferred to Camp 186 for repatriation.

Awards & Decorations:

German Cross in Gold: 19 December 1941, Generalmajor, Commander of the 169th Infantry Division.
Prussian Crown Order, 4th Class
Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914) with 1939 Bar
Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914) with 1939 Bar
Lübeck Hanseatic Cross
Cross of Honor for Combatants 1914-1918
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 1st Class (25-year Service Cross)
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 3rd Class (12-year Service Medal)
Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with Swords: 26 October 1941.

Click To Enlarge

Newspaper Cutting Showing Dittmar's Repatriation

Click here to see photos of Generalleutnant Kurt Dittmar in the company of fellow prisoners of war at Island Farm.

PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE TITLE PAGE