Alfred Dieterich

Alfred Dieterich
Birth date	28 September 1862(1862-09-28)
Place of birth	Pasewalk, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation
Death date	1948
Place of death	Allied-occupied Germany
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia German Empire Weimar Republic
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Preliminary Reichswehr
Years of service	1881–1919/20
Rank	Generalleutnant z. D./a. D.
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Iron Cross Prussian Order of the Crown Red Eagle Order
Relations	∞ Frau Dieterich, née Emmel
Other work	Military historian, author

Alfred Eugen Richard Felix Dieterich (28 September 1862 – 1948) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army and the preliminary Reichswehr, finally Lieutenant General (Generalleutnant) and brigade commander in WWI.

Life

Alfred was born the son of the lawyer and notary Justizrat (judicial councilor, title since April 1862) Dieterich and his wife, née Hannemann. His father was transferred to Stargard on 30 August 1850 where he was judicial assessor with the district court and at the same time court commissioner, later district judge (Kreisrichter) in Nörenberg. He was later transferred to the district court in Küstrin, then to the district court in Pasewalk (at the same time with the district court in Königsberg in der Neumark) and in June 1870 was transferred to the district court in Demmin, subordinated to the state court in Greifswald.

After his Abitur (Easter 1881), Alfred Dieterich joined the 3. Ostpreußisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 4 of the Prussian Army on 29 April 1881. The regimnet was renamed to Grenadier-Regiment "König Friedrich II." (3. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 4 on 27 January 1889 and to Grenadier-Regiment "König Friedrich der Große" (3. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 4 on 7 September 1901.

Chronology

• 10.11.1885 to 30.9.1888: Adjutant of the I. Bataillon/3. Ostpreußisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 4
• 1.10.1888 to 30.9.1891: Adjutant of the Landwehr-District Allenstein
• 1.10.1893 to 13.7.1895: Adjutant ofthe Grenadier-Regiment "König Friedrich II." (3. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 4
• 27.9.1893 to 18.10.1893: Commanded to the General Staff Trip of the I. Army Corps
• 14.7.1895: Adjutant of the 25. Infanterie-Brigade
• 10.9.1898: Transferred to the 7. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96
• 23.9.1898: Commander of the 10th Company/7. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96
• 22.4.1902: Adjutant of the 16. Division
• 21.5.1906: Commander of the II. Bataillons/Infanterie-Regiment "von Coubière" (2. Posensches) Nr. 19
• 21.4.1911: Transferred to the staff of the Leib-Grenadier-Regiment "König Friedrich Wilhelm III." (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 8
• 20.2.1912: Commander of the Landwehr-District Berlin I
• 2.8.1914: Start of WWI
• 27.08.1914: Commander of the 6. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 68
• 24.12.1914: Commander of the 79. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
• 26.4.1917: Commander of the 6. Reserve-Division
• 29.1.1919: Commander of the 9. Infanterie-Brigade (Grenzschutz Ost)
• 10.10.1919: Retired and placed at disposal of the army (zur Disposition gestellt)

Promotions

• 29.4.1881:Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 15.11.1881: Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 13.9.1882: Sekonde-Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 22.3.1891: Premier-Leutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 27.1.1896: Hauptmann (Captain)
• 27.1.1904 Major
• 20.3.1911: Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 10.9.1913: Oberst (Colonel) with Patent from 1.10.1913
• 27.1.1917: Generalmajor
• 10.10.1919: Charakter als Generalleutnant (honorary Lieutenant General)
• 1.4.1920: Generalleutnant a. D. (retired active Lieutenant General)

Awards and decorations

• Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)
• Mecklenburg Greifen-Orden, Knight's Cross (MGrO3/MG3)
• Schwarzburg Honor Cross (Fürstlich Schwarzburgisches Ehrenkreuz), III. Class (SEK3/SE3)
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class (PEK1)
  • EK I on 14 September 1914
• Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class with Swords on 13 September 1916
• Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Swords on 4 September 1918
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

Writings (excerpt)

• Die 6. Reserve-Division in der Abwehrschlacht bei Verdun – 12. bis 22. August 1917, 1921 (Archive)
• Teilnahme der 6. Reservedivision an den Kämpfen vor Verdun im Sommer 1917, Berlin 1922
• Weltkriegsende an der mazedonischen Front, in: "Schlachten des Weltkrieges", Volume 11, Verlag Stalling, Oldenburg 1925
• Die 79. Reservedivision in der Schlacht auf der Vimy-Höhe / April 1917, Naumburg / Magdeburg 1927
  • The German 79th Reserve Infantry Division in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917, 2006 (Archive)
• Geschichte des Grenadierregiments König Friedrich der Große (3. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 4, Berlin 1928