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George Dittmer
Born(1893-06-04)4 June 1893
Maharahara, New Zealand
Died11 August 1979(1979-08-11) (aged 86)
Wellington, New Zealand
AllegianceNew Zealand
Branch
New Zealand Military Forces
Rank
Brigadier
Commands28th Battalion
Fiji Defence Force
Conflicts
First World War

[Second World War]]

AwardsCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order & bar
Military Medal
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Brigadier George Dittmer CBE DSO MC (4 June 1893 – 11 August 1979) was a New Zealand soldier and military leader.

Early life

George Dittmer was born at Maharahara in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand on 4 June 1893.[1]

First World War

At the start of the First World War, Dittmer enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF), raised for service in the war. He was posted to the Auckland Infantry Battalion and landed with the unit at Gallipoli as a sergeant. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 1915.[2][3]

He was awarded the Military Cross, announced on 4 June 1917.[4]

Interwar period

After the war, Dittmer secured a position with the New Zealand Staff Corps.

In the 1935 King's Birthday Honours, Ditter was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.[5]

Second World War

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the New Zealand Government authorised the formation of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF), for service at home and abroad.[6] The main New Zealand contribution to the war effort would be an infantry division, the 2nd New Zealand Division, of nine battalions of infantry.[7] Dittmer was appointed commander of one of these, the 28th Battalion, which was to be composed of, apart from some officers, Maori personnel.[8]

In early May 1940, the 28th Battalion embarked for the Middle East as part of the second echelon of the division. While in transit, the convoy carrying the second echelon was diverted to England following the entry of Italy into the war on the side of Nazi Germany. In England, the threat of invasion was high following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France. After a short period of leave in London, the New Zealanders were engaged in further training and defensive duties, with the Māori Battalion based in Kent and then, once the threat of invasion had receded, in Aldershot. By late November, it had been decided that the New Zealanders could be sent to the Middle East. The second echelon left for Egypt in early January 1941, with the battalion aboard the Athlone Castle.[9][10]

Dittmer was among several military personnel awarded the Distinguished Service Order in December 1941 "in recognition of distinguished services in the Middle East (including Egypt, East Africa, The Western Desert, The Sudan, Greece, Crete, Syria and Tobruk)".[11]

Later life

After the end of the war, Dittmer returned to New Zealand and took command of Papakura Military Camp.[2] Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours,[12] subsequently became commander of the Central Military District. He retired from the military in 1948.[2]

He died on 11 August 1979 in Auckland but was buried in Ngongotaha, in Rotorua.[13] A main thoroughfare in a residential suburb of Palmerston North is named for him.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Brigadier Dittmer Dead". Press. 14 August 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c McGibbon 2000, p. 147.
  3. ^ "New Zealand Army: Latest Promotions". Evening Post. 17 September 1915. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  4. ^ "No. 30111". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1917. p. 5486.
  5. ^ "No. 34166". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1935. p. 3603.
  6. ^ Pugsley 2014, p. 16.
  7. ^ Pugsley 2014, p. 19.
  8. ^ Cody 1956, pp. 1–2.
  9. ^ Pugsley 2014, pp. 47–48.
  10. ^ Cody 1956, pp. 28–30.
  11. ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1941. p. 7334.
  12. ^ "No. 37407". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 1 January 1946. p. 17.
  13. ^ Haigh & Polaschek 1993, p. 75.
  14. ^ "095 Dittmer Drive, Palmerston North". Poppy Places. Retrieved 26 April 2026.

References


DEFAULTSORT:Dittmer, George [[{Category:1893 births]] Category:1979 deaths Category:Military personnel from Hawkes Bay Category:New Zealand military personnel of World War I Category:New Zealand military personnel of World War II Category:New Zealand brigadiers Category:New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross Category:New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order

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