Charles Kuentz
Encyclopedia
Charles Kuentz was a Alsatian
centenarian and veteran
of World War I
. He is known for having served the German army during the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I, and the French army during World War II
. He lived to the age of 108, before his death in 2005.
Born in Alsace, Kuentz was conscripted by the Kaiser's army at the age of 19, since the Alsace-Lorraine
and its Franco-German ethnic population had been under Germany authority since 1871, following the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
. While serving in the Imperial German Army during World War I, he saw action on both the Eastern
and Western
Fronts
.
Following The Armistice
on November 11, 1918, Kuentz immediately returned home, even before he was officially mustered out of his unit. He returned to civilian life as a postal employee. His homeland was now back under French
control, and Kuentz chose to acquire the French nationality so at the outbreak of the Second World War
he was called to service once again, but this time by France; however, his service was short-lived, as he was soon absolved of his obligation due to his age and marital/family status. When France surrendered to Germany in 1940, he was once again a German citizen. His son François was conscripted by the German military during the war and served in the Waffen SS. François was killed in action
in 1944, during the Allies' Invasion of Normandy
.
After the fall of the Third Reich, Kuentz became once again a French citizen, which he would remain for the rest of his life.
In November 2004, he met British veteran Harry Patch
, who had fought on the opposing side of him in the Battle of Passchendaele. This was filmed and later shown in the BBC One
documentary The Last Tommy, broadcast in November 2005.
In that same year, Kuentz gave a series of thirty interviews, the purpose of which was to share his recollections of The Great War. He said that his aim in doing so was to ensure that the war would not be forgotten, and thus that such a tragedy would not be repeated.
Charles Kuentz died in Colmar
, aged 108 years and 48 days. He and his family had always considered themselves to be French
, and he had been a member of multiple French patriotic organizations. At his funeral, which was attended by an honor guard
composed of members from the patriotic organizations of which he himself had been a member, his coffin was draped with the French Flag.
At the time of his death, Charles Kuentz was (although incorrectly) believed to have been the Imperial German Army's (and indeed all of Germany's) last surviving veteran of The Great War
.
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
centenarian and veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He is known for having served the German army during the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I, and the French army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He lived to the age of 108, before his death in 2005.
Born in Alsace, Kuentz was conscripted by the Kaiser's army at the age of 19, since the Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
and its Franco-German ethnic population had been under Germany authority since 1871, following the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. While serving in the Imperial German Army during World War I, he saw action on both the Eastern
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
and Western
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
Fronts
Front (military)
A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces. This can be a local or tactical front, or it can range to a theater...
.
Following The Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
on November 11, 1918, Kuentz immediately returned home, even before he was officially mustered out of his unit. He returned to civilian life as a postal employee. His homeland was now back under French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
control, and Kuentz chose to acquire the French nationality so at the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was called to service once again, but this time by France; however, his service was short-lived, as he was soon absolved of his obligation due to his age and marital/family status. When France surrendered to Germany in 1940, he was once again a German citizen. His son François was conscripted by the German military during the war and served in the Waffen SS. François was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in 1944, during the Allies' Invasion of Normandy
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
After the fall of the Third Reich, Kuentz became once again a French citizen, which he would remain for the rest of his life.
In November 2004, he met British veteran Harry Patch
Harry Patch
Henry John "Harry" Patch , known in his latter years as "the Last Fighting Tommy", was a British supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches of the First World War...
, who had fought on the opposing side of him in the Battle of Passchendaele. This was filmed and later shown in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
documentary The Last Tommy, broadcast in November 2005.
In that same year, Kuentz gave a series of thirty interviews, the purpose of which was to share his recollections of The Great War. He said that his aim in doing so was to ensure that the war would not be forgotten, and thus that such a tragedy would not be repeated.
Charles Kuentz died in Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
, aged 108 years and 48 days. He and his family had always considered themselves to be French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, and he had been a member of multiple French patriotic organizations. At his funeral, which was attended by an honor guard
Honor guard
An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
composed of members from the patriotic organizations of which he himself had been a member, his coffin was draped with the French Flag.
At the time of his death, Charles Kuentz was (although incorrectly) believed to have been the Imperial German Army's (and indeed all of Germany's) last surviving veteran of The Great War
Surviving veterans of World War I
The last living verified veteran of World War I is Florence Green, a British woman who served in the Allied armed forces. The last combat veteran was Claude Choules who served in the British Royal Navy , and died 5 May 2011, aged 110...
.