Günther von Foerster

Günther von Foerster (born March 16, 1864 in Breslau ; † January 13, 1938 in Hanover ) was a German medical officer in the Imperial Navy , most recently in the character of a naval general staff doctor in the Reichsmarine .

career

Foerster was the son of Friedrich Adolf Hermann von Foerster (1833–1866), a captain of the Prussian army , and his wife Anna Josepha Hedwig Zerboni di Sposetti (* 1837; † after 1908). He also joined the Prussian Army on August 1, 1884 and studied medicine at the Kaiser Wilhelm Academy in Berlin .

On July 16, 1888, after completing his studies, he was promoted to junior physician and on April 1, 1889, transferred to the Navy. From February 18, 1890, he served as a naval assistant doctor and ship's doctor on several ships. On July 26, 1892, he was promoted to senior assistant doctor in the Navy . From 1893 to 1895 he was again active as a ship's doctor, this time on ships overseas, and on March 28, 1895, he was promoted to naval medical officer. From 1897 to 1899 Foerster served as a ship's doctor on the small cruiser Gefion , which at that time was commanded by the East Asian cruiser division . From 1902 to 1903 he was an association doctor in the East American Cruiser Division . On March 28, 1903, he was promoted to senior officer in the navy . From 1905 to 1908 Foerster was battalion doctor of the II. Sea Battalion in Wilhelmshaven and then until 1911 chief doctor of the naval hospital in Cuxhaven . On May 7, 1910, he was promoted to naval chief surgeon general.

From January 1 to February 16, 1912 Foerster traveled with his family to Kiautschou to take over the post of government doctor in Tsingtau . On March 13, 1914, he was promoted to naval general physician .

During the mobilization for the First World War from August 1, 1914, Foerster was also entrusted with the business of the garrison doctor for Tsingtau and Shanghai . After the siege of Tsingtau and the conquest of the city by Japanese troops in November 1914 , Foerster was able to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco in June 1915 as a member of the medical troops in the then neutral USA. From there he returned to Germany during the war and served there until January 9, 1917 as chief physician of the naval hospital in Hamburg . After that he was still employed as a station doctor and head of the medical office of the naval station in the North Sea . After the war he was retired on May 27, 1919. On March 9, 1920 he was given the character of a naval general staff doctor . After his retirement, Foerster lived in Hanover.

family

Foerster was married to Margarete Kraaz (* 1885 in Osmarsleben ). The couple had two sons and two daughters.

Web links

• Short biography Günther von Foerster. In: Tsingtau and Japan 1914–1920 - Historisch Biographisches Projekt. Retrieved August 23, 2017 .