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."