About Albert Mayer: The First German Imperial Soldier to Die in World War I (1892 – 1914)
Albert Meyer (April 24, 1892 – August 2, 1914) was the first German soldier to be killed in World War I. He died the day before the German Empire officially declared war on France.
early life
Albert Otto Walter Mayer was born on April 24, 1892 in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt. When he was a child, his family moved to the Mulhouse region of Alsace. He joined the German Imperial Army in 1912. In August 1914 he served as a lieutenant in the local cavalry unit – Jäger Regt-zu-Pferd Nr 5, part of the 29th Cavalry Brigade of the 29th Infantry Division, stationed in Mulhouse.
die
On the morning of August 2, 1914, a cavalry patrol led by Lieutenant Meyer crossed into France before the official declaration of war. After entering French territory, it encountered a French Army sentry, whom Meyer attacked and wounded with his saber. At around 9.30am, the German patrol entered the village of Joncherey. French soldiers stationed nearby were notified and deployed to fight the German invaders. At 10 a.m., Corporal Jules-Andre Peugeot, who was leading the French army, saw the Germans arrested and shouted to stop as they were captured, Meyer drew his pistol and fired at Peugeot, mortally wounding him in the shoulder . Peugeot, in turn, fired at Meyer, but missed. The rest of the Peugeot detachment then opened fire on the Germans, hitting Meyer in the stomach and head, killing him, while the rest of the German patrol was evacuated from the scene. The next day, Mayer’s body was buried in Joncherry. The body was later transferred to the German military cemetery in Ilvers near Mulhouse, and his headstone is inscribed with the words “First German Casualty of the First World War 1914-18”. His helmet was retrieved by French authorities and is on display today at the Musée de l’Armée in Paris.
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