Kurt from the east

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Kurt von der Osten (* 14. May 1922 in Bad Doberan , † 21st December 1989 ) was a lieutenant of the German Wehrmacht and later lieutenant general of the German Federal Armed Forces .

Life

World War II and post-war period

Von der Osten, son of a lawyer and notary , belonged to the noble family von der Osten and joined the Wehrmacht as an officer candidate after graduating from high school in 1940. He completed his officer training at the armored forces school in 1942 when he was promoted to lieutenant . During the Second World War he found employment as a platoon leader , orderly officer and, after his promotion to first lieutenant, as a company commander . In the course of time he served on the Eastern Front , in France , Greece and Hungary , before serving in eastern Germany towards the end of the war.

After the end of the war, von der Osten completed an apprenticeship as a machine fitter , which he completed with a journeyman's examination. After further training as an interpreter for the English language , he worked as a personnel administrator and most recently as managing director of a pedagogical institute before he later worked for a company for business consultancy and rationalization.

Promotion to lieutenant general in the Bundeswehr

In 1956 he joined the army of the Bundeswehr as a captain and was initially a consultant at the Federal Ministry of Defense in Bonn . After several other assignments, von der Osten was appointed Colonel on October 1, 1970 as the successor to Brigadier General Gerhard Jacobi, Commander of Panzerbrigade 12 "Upper Palatinate" in Amberg and remained at this post until December 15, 1972. He was then succeeded on December 16, 1972 Colonel Gerd-Hellmut Komossa . On January 15, 1974, as major general, he became commander of the 5th Panzer Division in Diez and thus the successor to major general Heinz-Georg Lemm . He kept this command until September 26, 1975, after which Major General Horst Wenner became his successor on September 27, 1975. He was then Chief of Staff of Army Group North of NATO NORTHAG ( Northern Army Group ) in Rheindahlen between October 1975 and September 1979 .

Most recently, von der Osten was promoted to Lieutenant General on October 1, 1979 , and took over the post of Commanding General of the I. Corps in Münster as the successor to Lieutenant General Ferdinand von Senger and Etterlin . He retained this function until his retirement on September 30, 1982. He was succeeded as Commanding General on October 1, 1982, Lieutenant General Gerhard Wachter . At the end of his period of service, he organized the maneuver “Strong Defense” in the 1st Corps in August 1982. Among other things, he was awarded the Great Federal Cross of Merit for his many years of service.

Background literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 5th Panzer Division in the German Digital Library (DDB)
  2. ↑ Handbook of the Bundeswehr and the Defense Industry , Verlag Wehr & Wissen, 1979, p. 109
  3. ↑ Maneuver “Strong Defense” . In: Der Spiegel from August 16, 1982
  4. ↑ NATO maneuver: The flank becomes weak in a southerly wind . In: Die Zeit of September 24, 1982
  5. ^ Franz Kurowski : Denied paternity: Wehrmacht officers created the Bundeswehr , Pour le Mérite publishing house, 2000, p. 368, ISBN 3-9323-8112-2
personal data
SURNAME East, Kurt von der
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German first lieutenant in the Wehrmacht and lieutenant general in the Bundeswehr
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Bad Doberan
DATE OF DEATH December 21, 1989