Ldstm
Otto Bieber
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 25/10/1896 |
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Place of birth: Groß Werder, Osterode, East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Army information
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Country: Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
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Force: Imperial German Army |
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Rank: Landsturmmann |
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Units: — 11. Kompanie, III. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3. Hannoversches) Nr. 79 (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Tyne Cottage, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: II Row: L Grave: 1A |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Otto Bieber was born in 1896 in Groß Werder, a modest village in the former East Prussian district of Osterode. The prefix "Groß" certainly did not refer to the number of inhabitants of this unremarkable hamlet, which counted only 42 people in 1910 and was located on a narrow peninsula between the lakes Grosser and Kleiner Gehl See. After World War II, the village, along with the southern part of East Prussia, came under Polish administration. The northern part, including the capital Königsberg, was annexed by Russia. Groß Werder was renamed Ostrów Wielki, a Polish name which, like the original German name, refers to a 'large island' or peninsula.
The young Otto served in the 11th Company of the Infantry Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3rd Hanoverian) No. 79, the third regiment from the province of Hanover and the 79th of the German Empire. This regiment was part of the 20th Division, which—together with the 19th Division—largely consisted of troops from Hanover. Both divisions formed the X Army Corps, traditionally known as the “Hanoverian Corps.”
From Courland to Flanders
In mid-September 1917, Otto’s unit was transferred from Courland on the Eastern Front to the West. By the end of the month, the division was in Flanders, where the Allied offensive was in full swing. The regimental history wrote:
“Flanders drew the strength of the entire front like a magnet.”
On September 28, the 20th Division took over the frontline position from the 23rd Division west of Passchendaele. The units of the 79th Regiment were deployed in depth: the I Battalion—with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies—held the frontline along Langemark Street from the railway to Dochy Farm. The 4th company was positioned slightly behind near Wichmanns Hof and De Bruyne Maurer Hof. The II Battalion, including the 5th to 7th companies, defended the left flank towards Zonnebeke. The 8th company was stationed on the ridge near Nieuwemolen, ready to launch a counterattack. The III Battalion, consisting of the 9th to 12th companies, was positioned further back in bunkers and shell holes around the Flandern I Stellung—the central defensive point for Passchendaele.
This deployment reflected the German tactic of defense in depth. The regiment was spread over about two kilometers, intended to fall back flexibly under covering machine-gun fire. Traditional trenches were hardly present; soldiers hid in interconnected craters. Unrecognizable, with pale faces, sunken red eyes, their uniforms covered in dried mud, they were almost impossible for Allied artillery to detect.
October 4, 1917
In the run-up to October 4, one artillery barrage after another rolled over the flanks of the ridge. Communication between units became nearly impossible, equipment was rendered unusable, and the men were driven to madness. Only occasionally was there a pause, when the screeching and roaring of the artillery gave way to the groans and cries of the severely wounded, who were quickly collected and evacuated. The lightly wounded were treated and left at their positions.
On October 4, just before six in the morning, the artillery fire erupted with doubled intensity; as if every Allied gun unleashed its fury on the muddy holes of the Hanoverians.
“Material is everything, men are nothing. Everyone still alive realizes this insane, hellish fortissimo is the climax, the final, unsurpassed peak...”
Through the roar came suddenly from left to right: “They’re coming, there... there! Alarm!”
What followed was chaos. Without clear orders, exhausted and wounded, soldiers manned the last functioning machine guns. Behind the rifle barrels burned feverish eyes. Machine guns faltered, flares shot into the sky, but German artillery barely responded. The Australians advanced quickly. Where resistance was offered, they killed like madmen; those who retreated faced the Allied barrage. Some were seized by a primal, instinctive fear of death that spread to others, driving them in panic through the artillery fire toward Passchendaele; others retreated in an organized manner—firing, falling back, and reestablishing positions.
The second line, including the 4th company, fared little better. Only one machine gun could be deployed before that position was also overrun. The II Battalion, defending the left flank, also failed to stop the Australian advance. The counterattack by the 8th company was lost in the artillery fire.
The Fall of Flandern I
Lieutenant Reinsdorff, commander of the 11th company, hurried to his position at the Flandern I Stellung. In a bunker between the line and the Keerselarehoek cemetery, he found two groups of his company, along with a platoon of machine gunners and some stray soldiers from other companies. The defense was set up, but it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe amid the jumble of units.
The bunker came increasingly under fire. Reinsdorff later wrote:
“Then the terrible happened, a heavy-caliber shell struck the bunker’s anteroom. Whoever stood there was mutilated, torn apart, and burning on the ground.”
The survivors who left the bunker were immediately taken prisoner. Reinsdorff was among them. By midday, the Flandern I Stellung was abandoned, and the remaining soldiers withdrew under heavy fire toward Passchendaele.
The Bavarian 5th Reserve Infantry Regiment managed in the afternoon to regain a foothold at the German cemetery at Keerselarehoek, but that was all. According to General Ludendorff, October 4, 1917, was “the darkest day” of the Battle of Flanders; for the 79th Regiment, it was a catastrophe without equal. Only 137 men remained of the entire regiment. The losses: 5 officers and 372 dead, 273 wounded, and about 1,000 missing.
Otto Bieber was killed on October 4, 1917, just weeks before his 21st birthday. He was buried by a bunker in the northwest corner of what is now Tyne Cot Cemetery. After the war, Otto was reburied at the Cross of Sacrifice, where he lies alongside three unknown comrades. Otto is the only known German soldier buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The young Otto served in the 11th Company of the Infantry Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3rd Hanoverian) No. 79, the third regiment from the province of Hanover and the 79th of the German Empire. This regiment was part of the 20th Division, which—together with the 19th Division—largely consisted of troops from Hanover. Both divisions formed the X Army Corps, traditionally known as the “Hanoverian Corps.”
From Courland to Flanders
In mid-September 1917, Otto’s unit was transferred from Courland on the Eastern Front to the West. By the end of the month, the division was in Flanders, where the Allied offensive was in full swing. The regimental history wrote:
“Flanders drew the strength of the entire front like a magnet.”
On September 28, the 20th Division took over the frontline position from the 23rd Division west of Passchendaele. The units of the 79th Regiment were deployed in depth: the I Battalion—with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies—held the frontline along Langemark Street from the railway to Dochy Farm. The 4th company was positioned slightly behind near Wichmanns Hof and De Bruyne Maurer Hof. The II Battalion, including the 5th to 7th companies, defended the left flank towards Zonnebeke. The 8th company was stationed on the ridge near Nieuwemolen, ready to launch a counterattack. The III Battalion, consisting of the 9th to 12th companies, was positioned further back in bunkers and shell holes around the Flandern I Stellung—the central defensive point for Passchendaele.
This deployment reflected the German tactic of defense in depth. The regiment was spread over about two kilometers, intended to fall back flexibly under covering machine-gun fire. Traditional trenches were hardly present; soldiers hid in interconnected craters. Unrecognizable, with pale faces, sunken red eyes, their uniforms covered in dried mud, they were almost impossible for Allied artillery to detect.
October 4, 1917
In the run-up to October 4, one artillery barrage after another rolled over the flanks of the ridge. Communication between units became nearly impossible, equipment was rendered unusable, and the men were driven to madness. Only occasionally was there a pause, when the screeching and roaring of the artillery gave way to the groans and cries of the severely wounded, who were quickly collected and evacuated. The lightly wounded were treated and left at their positions.
On October 4, just before six in the morning, the artillery fire erupted with doubled intensity; as if every Allied gun unleashed its fury on the muddy holes of the Hanoverians.
“Material is everything, men are nothing. Everyone still alive realizes this insane, hellish fortissimo is the climax, the final, unsurpassed peak...”
Through the roar came suddenly from left to right: “They’re coming, there... there! Alarm!”
What followed was chaos. Without clear orders, exhausted and wounded, soldiers manned the last functioning machine guns. Behind the rifle barrels burned feverish eyes. Machine guns faltered, flares shot into the sky, but German artillery barely responded. The Australians advanced quickly. Where resistance was offered, they killed like madmen; those who retreated faced the Allied barrage. Some were seized by a primal, instinctive fear of death that spread to others, driving them in panic through the artillery fire toward Passchendaele; others retreated in an organized manner—firing, falling back, and reestablishing positions.
The second line, including the 4th company, fared little better. Only one machine gun could be deployed before that position was also overrun. The II Battalion, defending the left flank, also failed to stop the Australian advance. The counterattack by the 8th company was lost in the artillery fire.
The Fall of Flandern I
Lieutenant Reinsdorff, commander of the 11th company, hurried to his position at the Flandern I Stellung. In a bunker between the line and the Keerselarehoek cemetery, he found two groups of his company, along with a platoon of machine gunners and some stray soldiers from other companies. The defense was set up, but it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe amid the jumble of units.
The bunker came increasingly under fire. Reinsdorff later wrote:
“Then the terrible happened, a heavy-caliber shell struck the bunker’s anteroom. Whoever stood there was mutilated, torn apart, and burning on the ground.”
The survivors who left the bunker were immediately taken prisoner. Reinsdorff was among them. By midday, the Flandern I Stellung was abandoned, and the remaining soldiers withdrew under heavy fire toward Passchendaele.
The Bavarian 5th Reserve Infantry Regiment managed in the afternoon to regain a foothold at the German cemetery at Keerselarehoek, but that was all. According to General Ludendorff, October 4, 1917, was “the darkest day” of the Battle of Flanders; for the 79th Regiment, it was a catastrophe without equal. Only 137 men remained of the entire regiment. The losses: 5 officers and 372 dead, 273 wounded, and about 1,000 missing.
Otto Bieber was killed on October 4, 1917, just weeks before his 21st birthday. He was buried by a bunker in the northwest corner of what is now Tyne Cot Cemetery. After the war, Otto was reburied at the Cross of Sacrifice, where he lies alongside three unknown comrades. Otto is the only known German soldier buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Sources 2
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Brandes H., Geschichte des Königlichen Preußischen Infanterie-Regiments von Voigts-Rhetz (3. Hannov.) Nr. 79 im Weltkrieg 1914-1918 (Hildesheim, August Lax, 1930) 418-704. Sources used |
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Prisoners of the First World War, the ICRC archives (International Committee of the Red Cross archives, Geneva (ICRC), ACICR, C G1). https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge https://www.volksbund.de/erinnern-gedenken/graebersuche-online/detail/bb67cfacd501a5897023b0ac514c2260 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5c576d10-0309-40ec-8232-b345e1a36c38 |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/6000790 |