Fritz von Oesterley

Fritz von Oesterley’s father was a general of the Prussian infantry. Fritz began his own military career in the 1st Hanoverian Field Artillery Regiment “von Scharnhorst” No. 10. In 1902, he joined the 17th Brunswick Hussar Regiment of the cavalry. Promoted to the rank of captain, he became an instructor at the Military Riding Institute in Hannover. He finished fourth in the individual dressage at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics on his horse Condor.

During World War I, von Oesterley commanded the staff guard and the supply column of the headquarters. From 1918 until the beginning of 1919, he was the commander of the 10th Jäger Regiment of the Prussian infantry as a major. Later, he was transferred to the Reichswehr and retired in 1921, with the honourary rank of colonel.