Bio of Generalmajor Alfred Thomas (1890-1977)

Alfred Thomas joined the Royal Prussian Army on March 26, 1908 as a Fahnenjunker. The son of a bookseller, he came to the Samland Pioneer Battalion No. 18, where he was promoted to lieutenant on August 19, 1909. The seniority was determined on August 17, 1907. From October 1, 1911, he was moved to the Military Technical Academy until 1913. He then returned to the Samland Pioneer Battalion No. 18. At the beginning of World War I in early August 1914, he was appointed adjutant to the replacement battalion of his battalion. He was also used as an orderly officer in the Tilsit troop command. On January 27, 1915, he was promoted to first lieutenant. From May 1915, he was appointed as head of the 3rd company of the Samland Pioneer Battalion No. 18. On January 27, 1917, he was promoted to captain. As such, he became the pioneer captain of Generalkommando XXV from April 1, 1918. Reserve Corps deployed. In addition to the two iron crosses, he was also awarded other awards in the First World War. After the war, he was employed as a company commander in border guards from December 1918. Then he was taken over as a captain in the army in autumn 1919. He came as company commander to the Reichswehr Pionier Battalion 1. When the 100,000-man army of the Reichswehr was formed, he was taken over as company commander in the 1st (Prussian) pioneer battalion in Königsberg. He then held this position for three years. On June 10, 1921, he married Charlotte Perkuhn. On October 1, 1923, he was transferred as a fortress pioneer officer to the command of the Marienburg Fortress. From spring 1924 at the latest, he was commissioned to do business as a commander for over a year. In 1925/26 he was transferred to the command of the fortifications at Lötzen. There he was again used as a fortress pioneer officer for the next few years. On October 1, 1929, he was transferred to the Dresden Infantry School as a teacher for the next three years. There he was promoted to major on February 1, 1930. On October 1, 1932, he was appointed commander of the 4th Engineer Battalion in Magdeburg. As such, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 1, 1934. He gave up his command at the end of September 1934. During the expansion of the Reichswehr to the Wehrmacht, he was appointed commander of the Dessau-Roßlau pioneer school on October 1, 1934. On January 1, 1936, he was promoted to colonel. He then remained in command of the pioneer school until mobilization for World War II in late summer 1939. On August 26, 1939, he handed it over to Colonel Kurt Dittmar. He himself has now been appointed Corps Pioneer Leader by the Saarland Palatinate General Command. By renaming his staff, he was appointed Corps Pioneer Leader by the General Command XXIV Army Corps in mid-September 1939. As such, he was promoted to major general on October 1, 1939. On November 1, 1939, he was appointed as commander of construction staff 7. With this he was now deployed to the 7th Army on the Western Front. At the end of March 1940 he gave up command of the upper building 7. From April 1, 1940 he was then deployed as Higher Pioneer Officer 3 in Munich. He remained in this position at the end of 1940. On November 1, 1942, he was discharged from the Wehrmacht because of "incapacitated".

Sources :
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/T/ThomasAlfredPio.htm
https://sammlermarkt-nord.net/shop/generalmajor-alfred-thomas-p-10267.html?language=en