Otto Wilhelm Foerster

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Otto-Wilhelm Förster (born March 16, 1885 in Ilmenau ; † June 24, 1966 in Walsrode ) was a German officer , most recently General of the Pioneers in World War II and significantly involved in the construction of the West Wall .

Life

Förster first graduated from high school and joined the Guard Pioneer Battalion on March 12, 1903 as a flag junior . After his appointment as ensign on October 18, 1903, he was promoted to lieutenant on August 18, 1904 . After that, Förster was assigned to the artillery and engineering school and from October 1, 1910 for one year to the Queen Augusta Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 4 . From October 1911 to July 1914 he attended the Prussian War Academy , where he was promoted to first lieutenant on August 18, 1912 .

At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, Förster was employed as an adjutant to the General of Pioneers at Army High Command 3 . From September 1914 he acted as company commander before he switched to staff service in March 1915 and served in various general staffs throughout the war.

In 1919 he was transferred to the Reichswehr Ministry . He was then deployed in several other positions before he was active in 1923 in the staff of Infantry Leader IV and from 1925 in the staff of the 1st Division in Königsberg .

On April 1, 1929 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel . In October 1929 Förster took over command of the pioneer battalion No. 4 in Magdeburg . In early 1933 he was given the job of inspector of the pioneers and fortresses. The most important project at this time was the planning of the west wall , for which he was largely responsible. In the course of performing this task, he was promoted to major general in 1934 , lieutenant general in 1937 and general of the pioneers in 1938 .

In 1938 he was commanding general of the VI. Army Corps and at the same time received command of Military District VI (Münster) , which he surrendered in August 1939. On August 23, 1941, Förster was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . At the end of 1941, however, he gave command of the VI. Army Corps. Förster was no longer deployed in the Second World War , which began in 1939 . In 1942, he was still the leader Reserve of the Army High Command relocated but took place on January 31, 1944 its adoption.

Förster worked in the administration in East Prussia . At the end of the war he was in his Thuringian homeland, where he was taken prisoner by the Soviets on August 12, 1945 . He was released in October 1955.

Awards

Honors

During the time of National Socialism , a street in Magdeburg was named after him as Oberst-Förster-Weg . 1944-45 a street named "General-Förster-Allee" on the site of the pioneer barracks (pioneer school) in Dessau-Roßlau was named after him.

In 1965 Förster was appointed honorary chairman of the German Pioneers ' Ring of Arms .

Works

  • The fortification system. Review and look out . Vowinckel, Neckargemünd 1960 (The Wehrmacht in combat; Vol. 25).

literature

  • Jörn Winkelvoss: Forester, Otto-Wilhelm. In: Guido Heinrich, Gunter Schandera (ed.): Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon 19th and 20th centuries. Biographical lexicon for the state capital Magdeburg and the districts of Bördekreis, Jerichower Land, Ohrekreis and Schönebeck. Scriptum, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 313.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Ed .: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin 1930, p. 116
personal data
SURNAME Forester, Otto-Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, most recently General of the Pioneers in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH March 16, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH Ilmenau
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 1966
Place of death Walsrode