George Ludwig von Puttkamer

Georg Ludwig von Puttkamer (11 April 1715, Versin – 12 August 1759 at Kunersdorf) was a Prussian major general and squire of Pawonków and Pietrowice in Upper Silesia; he came from the Pomeranian noble family of Puttkamer.

Family Georg Ludwig von Puttkamer was the third son of the landowner of Versin and Viartlum, Andreas Joachim von Puttkamer (12 September 1665 in Versin — 14 June 1721 in Klein Volz) and Margarethe Dorothee von Below (10 October 1684 in Klein Machmin – 11 or 12 August 1755 in Versin). Georg Ludwig had seven sisters and three brothers, of whom one brother and four sisters died very young. He married Luise von Weissenfels and had two daughters and two sons, one of whom died very young. Puttkamer was first taught by a house tutor and attended the Gymnasium in Danzig (Gdańsk). He was sent there to be with a cousin but he had already gone to the University of Königsberg. The sixteen-year-old Georg Ludwig set off to Königsberg, to find his cousin and on the way he met a recruiter for the Prussian army, who persuaded him to become an officer. He joined Cuirassier Regiment no. 4. In 1740 under the new King Frederick II of Prussia, he became the oldest lieutenant at the Hussars Regiment No. 3 (Köhler).

Military service In August 1741 he defended Kloster Leubus (Lubiąż Abbey), when the regiment was attacked by the Austrians. Before his regiment was overwhelmed, he fled to a small island in the Oder, where he was captured by the Austrians and taken to Olmouck. He was exchanged and appointed commander of a squadron. With this he could continue to prove himself in the campaign. At the end of the year, he became seriously ill but recovered. In the beginning of 1758, he became major general and received a pension of 1,500 thaler.

Together with General Moritz Franz Kasimir von Wobersnow, he went to Poland to destroy Russian magazines. On 12 August 1759 he fell in the Battle of Kunersdorf. His body was taken to Küstrin and buried there. His name is included on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great in Berlin, which was created by Christian Daniel Rauch.