Kurt Dittmar was a German general in 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 became a divisional commander in February 1941 and led the 169th Infantry Division, which was later stationed in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. In the summer of 1941, he participated in Operation Polarfuchs but was evacuated from Finland a few months later due to illness. He was posted to the Army High Command Leader Reserve in October 1941, and became General for Special Employment in April 1942. In that post, which he held over the remainder of his war service, he was the Official Military Commentator of the German Armed Forces. A rumor that he committed suicide in April 1945 was dispelled on the 23rd when he surrendered to soldiers of the 30th U.S. Infantry Division at Magdeburg

Magdeburg

Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....

. He later told his captors that the National Redoubt

National Redoubt

A national redoubt is a general term for an area to which the forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost—or even beforehand if defeat is considered inevitable...

did not exist.