last german soldier to be killed in WW1

[Panzergrenadier2967]

I know that the first of 2 millions of Germans killed between 1914 and 1918 was Leuntant Albert Mayer of Jäger Regt-zu-Pferd Nr 5 on 2nd august 1914 during the skirmish of Joncherey. Who was the last killed on 11th November 1918?

[Sheldrake]

I am not sure 11th November had the same finality that it had in the Entente. Germany was in a state of revolution and slipping into a year of civil war. Are you talking about "German soldier killed by the allies" or "German soldier killed by some other internecine violence"

[Waleed Y. Majeed]

Only soldiers or does this also include navy?

waleed

[Terry Duncan]

I am not sure of the last soldier killed within the actual limits of WWI, but I think the final man killed was a Lt Tomas who was shot by American troops who had not heard of the ceasefire, when he walked towards them to tell them they could billet in the buildings his men had been using as they had vacated it. A very sad story, and as far as I know the final loss of the war. The linked article is all I can find online, but a couple of TV programs have mentioned the incident in recent years.

https://owlcation.com/humanities/World- ... st-Morning

[Polar bear]

hi,

Only soldiers or does this also include navy?

If the answer were YES and one includes deaths after November, 11, do the 9 men shot at Scapa Flow (please, no discussion how rightful that was!) on June, 21, 1919, count ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttling ... #Reactions

greetings, the pb

[Waleed Y. Majeed]

That's what I was thinking of too if 11/11 1918 is not the final day of hostilities.
Also thinkimg of Africa. When did hostilities end there?

waleed

[Terry Duncan]

hi,

Only soldiers or does this also include navy?

If the answer were YES and one includes deaths after November, 11, do the 9 men shot at Scapa Flow (please, no discussion how rightful that was!) on June, 21, 1919, count ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttling ... #Reactions

greetings, the pb

Technically yes as the peace treaty stated 28/06/1919 was the end of the war, as indeed to many war memorials, but I was presuming the OP meant the last to die in the actual fighting. It could get real technical if we start to include people deployed in Russia and with Turkish/Greek clashes over the post-war borders, as it is quite likely we have yet to see the last person killed as a result of WWI.

[Polar bear]

hi, Waleed,

Also thinkimg of Africa. When did hostilities end there?

Two weeks later : http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... surrenders

greetings, the pb

[Ken S.]

This may be of interest:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... in-thomae/

I am not sure of the last soldier killed within the actual limits of WWI, but I think the final man killed was a Lt Tomas who was shot by American troops who had not heard of the ceasefire, when he walked towards them to tell them they could billet in the buildings his men had been using as they had vacated it. A very sad story, and as far as I know the final loss of the war. The linked article is all I can find online, but a couple of TV programs have mentioned the incident in recent years.

https://owlcation.com/humanities/World- ... st-Morning

[Sheldrake]

This may be of interest:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... in-thomae/

I am not sure of the last soldier killed within the actual limits of WWI, but I think the final man killed was a Lt Tomas who was shot by American troops who had not heard of the ceasefire, when he walked towards them to tell them they could billet in the buildings his men had been using as they had vacated it. A very sad story, and as far as I know the final loss of the war. The linked article is all I can find online, but a couple of TV programs have mentioned the incident in recent years.

https://owlcation.com/humanities/World- ... st-Morning

Here is a description of the last British action from the Marquess of Anglesey's 'History of the British Cavalry':

'The commander of the 88th Infantry Brigade, twenty-nine-year-old Bernard Freyburg, told the dragoons' commanding officer that the Armistice was to come into force at 11 am, but that "he particularly wished to seize Lessines [and the adjacent river crossings] before that hour". He therefore ordered part of one squadron "to saddle up and rush on at once". He himself, with his groom, led the way, conscious that there was only an hour and a half to go. Freyburg's biographer recounts what happened next:

"It was a wild ride, and at the outskirts of the town the German outposts began firing [from five machine guns]; but the hard-riding advance party swept past them without casualties and thundered down the main street of Lessines. There was firing from some of the windows and a bullet lodged in Freyburg's saddle. But the headlong advent of the British forces roused the inhabitants of Lessines against the Germans; men and women stoned and beat the German soldiers, driving them from their houses and cellars. Round the bend in the road swept the Brigadier and nine of his party (some horses had been hit), and reached the main [steelgirder] bridge across the Dendre a few seconds before 11:00 hours - just in time to save the demolition taking place."

The regimental historian takes up the story:

"The Squadron had galloped ten miles, captured the bridge and village of Lessines, and taken three officers and 103 other ranks prisoners.

The German officers started to argue in the middle of the village that they had been taken after the time of the Armistice. While this argument was going on, a German appeared at a window, with a rifle, and took a shot at the Squadron, killing a horse. The inhabitants, who were very short of food, skinned and cooked the carcase before the Squadron left.

Soon afterwards a senior German officer and forty other ranks appeared on the scene. They were very much frightened of the inhabitants, so, as it was now after eleven o'clock, they were escorted out of the village and sent back to their own lines."

The importance of this squadron's action lies in its saving of "the very important road bridge over the Dendre from being destroyed", as was handsomely acknowledged by the infantry divisional commander.'

source http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... on-guards/

My understanding is that this isn't quite what happened. I heard, but cannot confirm, that the Germans refused to be disarmed, which the British demanded as a condition of the deal to escort to their own lines. It may be that the British left them to the locals.