Freiherr Hans Diprand von Reibnitz

http://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00012072&tree=LEO

BIOGRAPHY Hans was born on the family property Mistitz in Silesia on 8 December 1887, the eldest son of Hans, Freiherr von Reibnitz, and Ida von Eickstedt. He was educated at the academy for young noblemen at Liegnitz in Silesia.

On 5 March 1914 Hans married Margarete, Gräfin von der Schulenburg, daughter of Graf Leopold von der Schulenburg and Freiin Marie von Schlichting. They had two daughters of whom Maritta would have progeny.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Hans was a second lieutenant with the Gardejäger battalion. His younger brother Joachim (Jochel) wrote briefly about him:

'My brother Hans was a keen and excellent officer. The Gardejäger battalion had been assigned to the Guards Cavalry division. In all the battles it was always given the hardest objectives, which it achieved in an exemplary way. The Jäger battalions made up an elite troop, and this was particularly true of the Gardejäger. In the advance to the Marne in 1914 the Gardejäger had fought brilliantly in a great number of battles and had made enormous advances. My brother took part in all these battles and distinguished himself greatly. He was one of the first to be awarded the Iron Cross.

'In the battle of the Marne the Gardejäger were again used in the vanguard of the fight. When the order to retreat was given for the entire army, it inexplicably did not reach two companies of the Gardejäger fighting in the van. While the other German troops had disengaged themselves long before, these companies fought on heroically against the superior and ever growing enemy strength and were decimated.

'My brother fell wounded into captivity. He suffered terribly, just like my brother Günther, under this heavy fate. In captivity my brother developed a severe lung infection from the inhuman treatment by the French, and from the effects of this he died of influenza in January 1919.'

Hans was released by the French in August 1918 in a prisoner exchange. On his father's death in September he and his two brothers inherited the family property Mistitz together. At the end of the war Hans remained in the military and took part in the suppression of the Spartacist uprising that broke out in November 1918. However he died in Potsdam, Brandenburg, on 16 January 1919.