Günther Horst Sylvester Ritter und Edler von Oetinger  
(31.12.1857 - 27.09.1928)
place of birth:  Erfurt
Königreich Preußen:  Generalleutnant


Imperial German general officer Horst von Oetinger commanded an infantry division and IX. Army Corps during the Great War. He was born in Erfurt as the son of Prussian Generalmajor Günther Ritter und Edler von Oetinger and his spouse Franziska nee Klien. Son Horst enjoyed a pre-War carry as a staff officer, and just prior to mobilization in 1912, was promoted to Generalmajor and given command on 55th Infantry Brigade. At the outset of the War, he was nevertheless unable to to carry out field commander duties because of an illness, and was thus temporarily assigned to XIV. Army Corps headquarters in Karlsruhe.

Upon recovering, von Oetinger was sent to Liege, Belgium as head of the Landwehr Division there. In late September, OHL dispatched him the Aisne region to take charge of 20th Infantry Division, engaged in trench warfare in support of General von Emmich's X. Army Corps. On the occasion of Kaiser Wilhelm's birthday in 1915, von Oetinger received a field promotion to Generalleutnant. In April, his division entrained for the Eastern Front and soon was engaged in the Bug Offensive in Galicia, fighting in support of 11th Field Army. At the end of that summer, General von Oetinger fell ill with cholera and was carried to the field hospital in Biala Piska.

Generalleutnant von Oetinger once again recovered from sickness and was transferred to Jakobstadt (Lithuania) to command the newly-established 109th Division, subordinate to Eighth Army. Following a year of positional fighting, the 109th was transferred south to Romania in October 1916 to fight in the Vulkan Mountains with Erich von Falkenhayn's Ninth Army. The 109th enjoyed success against the Romanians during the Battle of Argesch in December 1916, as well as the Battle of the Putna in January 1917. Von Oetinger then found himself back on the Western Front, where he replaced General von Quast as commander of IX. Army Corps. His troops were engaged along the Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line), at first in support of First Army, then subordinate to Second Army. For the Spring Offensive of 1918, IX. Army Corps fought under Eighteenth Army as they successfully broke through at St Quentin - La Fere and pushed on to the River Somme. These military achievements were recognized by the Kaiser as he personally awarded Generalleutnant von Oetinger the Pour le Merite in March 1918.

IX. Army Corps continued battling along the Hindenburg Line during the summer of 1918, and in September were moved to Lorraine region to fight in the trenches alongside Tenth Army until War's end. After the Armistice signing in Compiegne, Generalleutnant von Oetinger returned with his corps to Altona for subsequent demobilization. He retired from active duty in 1919 and received an honorary promotion to the rank of General der Infanterie. Upon passing away in 1928, General von Oetinger was interred in the town of Baden-Baden.

	Generalleutnant ...............	27.01.1915
	Pour le Mérite ....................	26.03.1918