Konrad Rittmeyer
Konrad Rittmeyer (born February 16, 1919 in Schwandorf ; † March 17, 2009 in Veitshöchheim ) was a lieutenant colonel in the German Armed Forces and played a key role in the development of the German remote surveillance force.
Life
Youth and career
Ferdinand Konrad Rittmeyer was born as the son of the bookbinder Ferdinand Zecherle and his wife Anna and grew up in Schwandorf next to the parish church of St. Jakob . In 1944 he changed his maiden name Zecherle to the maiden name of his mother Rittmeyer.
Rittmeyer joined the Wehrmacht in 1937 . From 1939 he took part in the Second World War, beginning with the attack on Poland and then in the western campaign against France. Subsequently, he fought with his tank reconnaissance company, often behind enemy lines, in Africa and Russia , most recently in the Schörner Army Group as a battalion commander .
Rittmeyer has received several awards for his courage and bravery. Shortly before the end of the war, Captain Rittmeyer was taken prisoner by the Americans , but was extradited to the Soviet army a little later . He was only released from captivity in various camps in Siberia in 1955.
Career in the Bundeswehr
Rittmeyer joined the Bundeswehr's tank reconnaissance force shortly after his return . Rittmeyer was also able to live up to his reputation as an officer in the Bundeswehr. Not least because of these characteristics, Rittmeyer received the order from the Army Office on November 16, 1961 to start building the long-distance spying force at the Altenstadt / Schongau airborne and air transport school under the job title Lehrgruppe R (for Rittmeyer) . Rittmeyer then took part in the skydiving course at the age of 43 .
Rittmeyer began in 1962 with a cadre of volunteers with the training of soldiers for the newly established remote observation troop. On October 1, 1963, teaching group R was renamed Fernspähkompanie 200 and on December 18, 1964 it was relocated to the Argonnenkaserne in Weingarten (Ravensburg district). Rittmeyer became their first company commander . The long-distance spy companies were thus directly subordinated to the corps as corps troops for operational reconnaissance . Under his leadership, the cadres for the Fernspähkompanien 100 and 300 were trained and set up.
Awards
- Knight's cross
- German cross in gold
- Iron Cross I.
- Iron Cross II
- Arm band Africa
- Medal Winter Battle in the East 1941/42
- Wounded badge
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Special Operations Division ( Memento of February 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) ( Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rittmeyer, Konrad |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German military, lieutenant colonel in the Bundeswehr |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 16, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Schwandorf , district of Schwandorf |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 17, 2009 |
| Place of death | Veitshochheim |