Alfred Streccius

Alfred Streccius
Birth date	3 June 1874(1874-06-03)
Place of birth	Mühlhausen an der Elbe, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	26 October 1944 (aged 70)
Place of death	Hanover, Gau Southern Hanover-Brunswick, German Reich
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Schutztruppe Imperial German Army Freikorps Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1893–1918 1919 1919–1931 1939–1943
Rank	General der Infanterie
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Prussian Crown Order Red Eagle Order Iron Cross House Order of Hohenzollern War Merit Cross (1939) German Cross in Silver
Relations	∞ 1919 Marie Luise Ulex

Alfred Streccius (3 June 1874 – 26 October 1944) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Schutztruppe, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) in World War II.

Military career (chronology)

Erich Ludendorff und Kofl Streccius

Kaiser Wilhelm II und Kofl Streccius

General Alfred Streccius and Generalmajor Emil Zellner (left) at Döllersheim during the erection of 373. (Croatian) Infanterie-Division (c. January 1943). 2nd from right is NSDAP-Bereichsleiter Hermann Reisinger (Kreis Zwettl).

• 22 March 1893 Coming from the Cadet School (Kadettenschule) joined the Infanterie-Regiment „von Manstein“ (Schleswigsches) Nr. 84
• 18 August 1894 Commissioned in the 4th Company
• 1 October 1896 Adjutant of the 3rd Battalion
• 1900/1901 2nd Company
• 1 October 1901 Commanded to the War Academy (Kriegsakademie)
• 5 April 1904 Joined the 1. Feld-Regiment (mounted) of the Schutztruppe in German Southwest Africa
• 11 August 1904 Wounded (shot in the right upper arm) as officer of the 11th Company/1. Feldregiment during the Battle of Waterberg near Hamakari
• 1 October 1907 Transferred to the Infanterie-Regiment „Hamburg“ (2. Hanseatisches) Nr. 76
  • commanded to the War Academy for a short time and then officer in the 4th Company
• 13 September 1911 Commander of the 8th Company/Infanterie-Regiment „Hamburg“ (2. Hanseatisches) Nr. 76
  • later Commander of the 1st Company
    • at the start of the war, he was assigned to the Fliegertruppe.
• 1 August 1914 Leader of the Feldflieger-Abteilung 13 (FFA 13) in Dillingen
• December 1914 Stofl 3 (Staff officer of the Airmen 3)
• October 1915 Commander of the Airmen 9 (Kofl 9)
• 27 June 1916 Commander of the Kagohl 7 (Combat Wing of the Supreme Army Command; OHL)
• 1 January 1917 Commander of the Airmen 9 (Kofl 9)
• September 1917 Kofl 5. Armee (Commander of the Airmen of the 5th Army)
• December 1917 to October 1918 Kofl 18. Armee (Commander of the Airmen of the 18th Army)
• Pilot leader at the Army High Command North, Bartenstein/East Prussia (Border Protection East)
• 1919 Commander of the Freiwilligen-Bataillon Streccius (Volunteer Battalion with the Freikorps)
• 1 October 1919 Staff officer in the III. Battalion/Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 8/Reichswehr-Brigade 4 in Magdeburg
• 30 January 1920 Service in the Aviation Commission
• 12 May 1920 Staff officer in the Military District Command IV
• 1 May 1923 Commander of the I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 11 in Freiberg
• 1 May 1926 Staff officer in the Infanterie-Regiment 11 in Leipzig
• 1 December 1926 Staff officer in the Berlin Command
• 1 May 1927 Staff officer in the Gruppenkommando 2 in Kassel
• 1 May 1928 In the League of Nations Department of the Troop Office (Völkerbundsabteilung des Truppenamtes) in Berlin
• 1 March 1929 Commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 17 in Braunschweig
• 31 January 1931 Retired from active service

China and Wehrmacht

After his retirement, Streccius spent the next years as a well-paid military advisor in China, where he tragically lost his wife in 1937. Streccius returned to Germany in 1938. On 26 August 1939, he was placed at the disposal of the German Army and was named commander of the rear area "North" of the 14th Army.

• 17 September 1939 Commandant of Przemysl
• 14 October 1939 Senior Field Commandant (Oberfeldkommandant) Tarnow
• 15 January 1940 Commandant of the rear army area 672 (Kommandant des rückwärtigen Armeegebietes 672)
• 10 March 1940 Senior Field Commandant (Oberfeldkommandant) 592
• 31 May 1940 Commander of the army troops in the Netherlands (Kommandeur der Heerestruppen in den Niederlanden)
• 27 June 1940 Head of the military administration in France (Chef der Militärverwaltung in Frankreich)
• 26 October 1940 Commanding General of the Deputy XVII. Army Corps and Commander in Military District XVII (Kommandierender General des stellvertretenden XVII. Armeekorps und Befehlshaber im Wehrkreis XVII)
• 31 August 1943 Führerreserve OKH (BdE)
• 31 December 1943 Mobilization provision lifted (Mobilmachungsbestimmung aufgehoben)

Death

General of the Infantry (ret.) Alfred Streccius was killed during the terror bombing of Hanover by the 401st Bomb Group of the USAAF on 26 October 1944. He was buried with military honors at the Engesohder Cemetery in Hanover.

Family

Alfred was the son of Generalmajor Christian Felix Streccius (b. 3 June 1833 in Stendal; d. 14 February 1889 in Hannover), a veteran of the German-Franco War, and his wife (∞ Hamburg 29 May 1868) Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine Ulex (1850–1901). He had two older siblings: sister Frieda (b. 1869) and brother Viktor (1870–1909). His uncle was Generalleutnant Johannes Streccius (1831–1889).

Marriage

On 13 June 1919 (a single source states 14 June 1921), Major Streccius married his fiancée Marie Luise Ulex (b. 1895; d. 27 September 1937 in Nanjing, China; related with Wilhelm Ulex) with whom he had son Hans-Joachim Streccius (b. 1922). Suping Lu writes in his book Japanese Atrocities in Nanjing (2022, p. 169), it was Streccius' second marriage, which seems likely. Hans-Joachim Streccius served as a Lieutenant in the Infanterie-Regiment 17 during WWII, some sources even presume he was ⚔ in 1943, but this is not documented.

Promotions

• 22.3.1893 Charakter als Fähnrich (Honorary Officer Cadet)
• 18.8.1894 Sekondeleutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 27.1.1904 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 16.6.1911 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 18.6.1917 Major
  • 1.2.1922 received new rank seniority (RDA) from 18.6.1917
• 1.11.1922 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 1.2.1927 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1.2.1930 Generalmajor (Mahjor General)
• 1.2.1931 Charakter als Generalleutnant (Honorary Lieutenant General)
• 27.6.1940 Charakter als General der Infanterie z. V. (z. V. = zur Verfügung [at disposal])
• 1.7.1941 General der Infanterie z. V. with rank seniority (RDA) from 1.9.1940

Awards and decorations

• Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Kronenorden), 4th Class with Swords
• South West African Campaign Medal (Südwestafrika-Denkmünze) for Combatants, 1907
• Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class with Swords (RAO4⚔)
• German Army Observer’s Badge (Abzeichen für Beobachtungsoffiziere aus Flugzeugen)
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords (BMV4⚔/BM4⚔)
• Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (HH)
• Saxe-Meiningen Cross for Merit in War (SMK)
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (HOH3⚔)
  • The Knight's Cross was awarded to him personally by Kaiser Wilhelm II in his role as Major and Kofl A
• Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Black
• Aviator Commemorative Badge (Flieger-Erinnerungsabzeichen)
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd Class on 15 September 1939
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class with Swords on 30 January 1941
• German Cross in Silver on 5 August 1943 as General der Infanterie as Deputy Commanding General of the XVII. Army Corps

Gallery

• 

  Alfred Streccius with (second?) wife

• 

  Streccius with Slovak General Ferdinand Catlos

• 

  Signature