Wilhelm of the East

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wilhelm Maximilian Karl Philipp Adam von der Osten (born December 29, 1824 in Neisse ; † August 25, 1895 in Charlottenburg ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and commander of the 27th division (2nd royal Württemberg) . He was the last male representative of the Osten family from the Martensdorf family.

Life

origin

Wilhelm was a son of the Prussian postmaster of the same name Wilhelm von der Osten (1785–1833) from the house of Neudecke and his wife Auguste, born von Alvensleben (1793–1871) from the house of Calbe, only daughter of Major General Ludolf August Friedrich von Alvensleben .

Military career

After visiting the military orphanage and cadet house in Potsdam and the cadet house in Berlin , Osten was transferred to the Emperor Franz Grenadier Regiment of the Prussian Army on August 9, 1842 as portepeef ensign. Shortly before his promotion to second lieutenant , he was shot in a hunting accident and his lungs were badly injured. He was only fit for duty again after several cures, but one lung remained unusable.

Osten was aggregated to his regiment as a second lieutenant on September 14, 1843 and assigned to his regiment on July 11, 1844. For further training he completed the general war school from December 1844 to September 1847 and was assigned to the rifle factory in Potsdam from January to early April 1848 . In 1848 he took part in the battle near Schleswig during the war against Denmark . From mid-November 1848 to October 1849 he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion in the 1st Guard Landwehr Regiment in Stettin . End of June 1851 rose east to first lieutenant and was from January 1853 to the end of September 1855 as Adjutant of the II. Battalion in the 4th Guard Landwehr Regiment of Koblenz commanded. After being promoted to captain, Osten was appointed chief of the 1st company on March 12, 1859 . In the same capacity, he was assigned to the 2nd Combined Grenadier Regiment at the beginning of June 1860, from which the Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 4 emerged a month later . Due to his poor health, he went to Biarritz for a cure in 1864 during the German-Danish War . After his return he was promoted to major on April 18, 1865 and appointed commander of the 1st Battalion on May 9, 1866 during the German War . In this position he took part in the battle of Thrush and the battle of Königgrätz .

After the war, Osten was accepted as a Knight of Honor in the Order of St. John on April 15, 1867 , and at the end of May 1867 was appointed commander of the Fusilier Battalion. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 22, 1868 , he was transferred to Schwerin on March 24, 1870 as commander of the Mecklenburg Jäger Battalion No. 14 . During the mobilization on the occasion of the war against France , Osten was given command of the 1st Hanseatic Infantry Regiment No. 75 on July 18, 1870 , which he led in front of Metz , Paris and Toul . He also took part in the fights at Dreux, la Medeleine, Bouvet, Belleme, Meuna, Beaugency , Villejouan, Freteval, Conneree, Orleans and Loigny . During the Battle of Le Mans he represented the commander of the 33rd Infantry Brigade .

Awarded both classes of the Iron Cross and the Mecklenburg Military Merit Cross , he was appointed regimental commander after the preliminary peace of Versailles as a colonel on March 29, 1871. On December 12, 1872, he was transferred to the army officers in his previous uniform and on September 2, 1873, he was again transferred to Schwerin as commander of the Mecklenburg Grenadier Regiment No. 89 . Promoted to major general on June 1, 1875, he was employed as commander of the 56th Infantry Brigade in Rastatt. On March 15, 1881, Osten was transferred to the officers à la suite of the army and commanded the 27th Division to Württemberg and promoted to Lieutenant General on March 30, 1881. But he had massive problems with the shot in his lungs again and had to undergo several operations. He was awarded the Grand Commander of the Bavarian Order of Military Merit on August 1, 1882 and the Grand Cross of the Order of Frederick on October 14, 1882 . In view of his poor health, he was released from his command in Württemberg and put up for disposal on October 19, 1882, with the award of the Crown Order, 1st class with a pension . He died on August 25, 1895 in Charlottenburg.

family

Osten married Marie Freiin von Düsterlohe (1846–1928) in Berlin on January 20, 1870. The couple had several children:

  • Marie (1872–1945) ⚭ 1895 Fritz von Glasow (1867–1914), Prussian major, killed at Kulzkischki
  • Elisabeth (1874–1961) ⚭ Robert Groß (1850–1924), doctor
  • Margarete (1879–1967)
⚭ 1903 Gottlieb Freiherr von Tucher-Simmelsdorf (1877–1914), Prussian Rittmeister , killed at Gumbinnen
⚭ 1920 Adolf von Bonin (1876–1952), major, master of Polenzig

literature
personal data
SURNAME East, Wilhelm von der
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Osten, Wilhelm Maximilian Karl Philipp Adam von der (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian Lieutenant General and Commander of the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg)
DATE OF BIRTH December 29, 1824
PLACE OF BIRTH Neisse
DATE OF DEATH August 25, 1895
Place of death Berlin-Charlottenburg