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70 years ago this month

For most of June the Battalion are at Arce, north-west of Cassino. CO Lt-Col Young is keeping them occupied and out of mischief. The American’s have occupied Rome. Read the war diary for June 1944 here.

Featured Soldier

  • Charlie Hapeta
Home > George Dittmer

George Dittmer

Serial No: 
12
Surname: 
Dittmer
Forename(s): 
George
Next of kin on enlistment: 
A.F.F. Dittmer, Te Pu, Rotorua, New Zealand|Mrs G. Dittmer (wife), C/- Mr. W. Dittmer, Waimiha, King Country, New Zealand|Mrs L.M. Dittmer (wife), C/o G. Steggall, 80 Awapuni Road, Gisborne, New Zealand|Mrs L.M. Dittmer (wife), C/o G. Steggall, 80 Awapuni Road, Gisborne, New Zealand
Rank: 
Brigadier
Address on enlistment: 
Rotorua, New Zealand|Waimiha, New Zealand
Date of death: 
11-Aug-79
Place of death: 
New Zealand
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Memories

  • Māori Battalion diary - July 1942
  • Māori Battalion diary - March 1941
  • Dittmer's letter to Ngata, July 1941
  • Māori Battalion diary - July 1941
  • Māori Battalion diary - May 1941
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Notes: 

This article appeared in the April 1990 NZ 28 Maori Battalion Golden Jubilee Reunion booklet.    

1st C.O. - DITTMER, George: CBE, DSO, MBE, MC, MID. Born Maharahara, 4th June, 1893, commanded the Maori Battalion from November 1939 to February 1942.

George Dittmer was a regular soldier and served right through W.W.I and W.W.II and retired at the age of 55 in 1948, at which time he was a Brigadier and Commandant of the Central Military district.

It is not appropriate to dwell at length on the merits of our founding C.O. except to say perhaps that the Army could not have picked a better man for the job.

When speaking of those all important formative days of our Battalion, this is what Major Rangi Logan has to say about the key appointments of Commanding Officer, 2nd in Command and Regimental Sergeant-Major (and Rangi was very much involved), "I have often said we could not have had better men for the job than George Dittmer, George Bertrand and Ace Wood."

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