(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalleutnant Bernhard von Claer
Born: 07 Dec 1888 in Berlin
Died: 29 Mar 1953 in Göttingen
Promotions:
Leutnant (14 Mar 1907); Oberleutnant (24 Dec 1914); Hauptmann (05 Oct 1916); Charakter als Major (31 Jan 1920); Major a.D. (01 Oct 1933); Major (E) (01 Apr 1935); Oberstleutnant (01 Sep 1937); Oberst (01 Apr 1938); Generalmajor (01 Apr 1942); Generalleutnant (01 Oct 1944)
Career:
Entered Army Service (14 Mar 1907)
Leutnant in the 3rd Queen-Elisabeth-Guards-Grenadier-Regiment (14 Mar 1907-01 Oct 1912)
Battalion-Adjutant in the 3rd Queen-Elisabeth-Guards-Grenadier-Regiment (01 Oct 1912-03 Aug 1914)
Transferred as Company and Battery Leader at the Troop-Component of the 5th Replacement-Division (03 Aug 1914-01 Nov 1914)
Ordinance-Officer with the General-Command of the VII. Army-Corps (01 Nov 1914-31 Oct 1916)
With the General-Staff of Army-Group von Bernhardi (General-Command 55) (31 Oct 1916-28 Mar 1917)
With the Staff of the 5th Replacement-Division (28 Mar 1917-22 Sep 1917)
Transferred into a General-Staff-Office of the Stage-Inspection 8 (22 Sep 1917-21 Oct 1917)
Transferred into the Army General Staff (21 Oct 1917-20 Mar 1918)
Transferred into the General-Staff of Staging-Inspection 10 (20 Mar 1918-07 Jul 1918)
With the General-Staff of Army-Detachment D (XX. Army-Corps) (07 Jul 1918-22 Dec 1918)
Detached to the General-Staff of Army-Group Kiev (22 Dec 1918-13 Jan 1919)
Sent to Nikolayev for Special Duties, due to a train accident he was unable to reach Nikolayev and returned home (13 Jan 1919-19 Jan 1919)
Transferred to the Staff of Group Nikolayev (19 Jan 1919-15 Mar 1919)
Transferred to the Staff of the 15th Landwehr-Division (15 Mar 1919-28 Jun 1919)
In Captivity in Salonika (29 Mar 1919-28 Jun 1919)
Returned Home To Germany and placed to the Disposal of XX. Army-Corps (28 Jun 1919-20 Jul 1919)
Transferred to the XX. Army-Corps to his previous command (20 Jul 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Granted Leave (01 Oct 1919-31 Jan 1920)
Retired (31 Jan 1920)
Entered Police Service (01 Oct 1919)
With the Organisation-Staff of the Security-Police in Berlin (01 Oct 1919-16 Mar 1920)
In the Staff of Police-Group Gumbinnen (16 Mar 1920-10 May 1920)
Sacked from Police Service due to his involvement in the Kapp Putsch (10 May 1920)
In the Homeland Alliance in East Prussia (National Defence Organisation) (13 May 1920-31 Mar 1926)
Employed by the Army (01 Apr 1926)
Administrator for Economics with the Command-Office Berlin (01 Apr 1926-01 Apr 1930)
2nd Administrator for Deployment And Replacement with the Commander of Berlin (01 Apr 1930-01 Jul 1931)
Administrator for Deployment and Replacement in the Area of the Fortress-Commander Königsberg with the Staff of the Border-Protection-Direction Königsberg (01 Jul 1931-01 Oct 1933)
Entered Army Service as Territorial-Officer (01 Oct 1933); Supplemental-Officer (05 Mar 1935); Active-Officer (01 Sep 1937)
Administrator with Military-Region-Administration Marienburg (01 Oct 1933-01 Dec 1934)
Training-Director Stolp (01 Dec 1934-01 Sep 1937)
With the Staff of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Sep 1937-10 Nov 1938)
Commander of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (10 Nov 1938-01 Apr 1940)
Higher Field Commandant 591 (01 Apr 1940-05 Jul 1940)
Higher Field Commandant 570, Gent (05 Jul 1940-15 Feb 1941)
Führer-Reserve OKH (15 Feb 1941-04 Mar 1941)
Higher Field Commandant 570, Gent (04 Mar 1941-25 Jun 1942)
Higher Field Commandant 397, Donets (25 Jun 1942-15 Mar 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (15 Mar 1943-10 Jun 1943)
Higher Field Commandant 589, Lüttich (10 Jun 1943-07 Sep 1944)
Commander of Special Duty Staff von Claer (07 Sep 1944-08 Apr 1945)
Wounded, in Hospital (08 Apr 1945-24 Apr 1945)
In US captivity (24 Apr 1945-07 Feb 1947)
Transferred to Belgian Captivity to Stand Trial in the Falkenhausen Process in Brussels Because of Alleged War Crimes. On the 09 Mar 1951 he was absolved and proved innocent of any such crimes (07 Feb 1947-16 Mar 1951)
Released (16 Mar 1951)

Awards & Decorations:
- 1939 EK I –S-
- 1939 EK II –S-
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. Marz 1938
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1939??? (08.04.1945: verwundet)


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