Wilhelm Daser

Wilhelm Josef Daser (31 August 1884 in Germersheim – 14 July 1968 in Ingolstadt) was a German military officer who commanded the 70th infantry division of the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Scheldt and surrendered unconditionally on 6 November 1944 in Middelburg.

Battalion of the 18th Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment and Delegated with the Temporary Leadership of the 18th Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment (06 Nov 1918-21 Dec 1918); Transferred back into the 15th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (21 Dec 1918-18 Apr 1919); Adjutant of the Volunteer-Detachment Schaaf (GroupHierl) (18 Apr 1919-17 May 1919);[Note 5] Adjutant of Higher Disbandment Staff 104 (2nd Bavarian Division) (17 May 1919-25 Sep 1919); Leader of the Mortar-Company of the 48th Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (25 Sep 1919-06 Nov 1919); Leader of the 5th Company of the 48th Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (06 Nov 1919-01 Jan 1921); Leader of the 5th Company of the 20th Infantry-Regiment (01 Jan 1921-01 Oct 1922); Transferred into the 19th Infantry-Regiment and Adjutant of Infantry-Leader VII (01 Oct 1922-18 Apr 1925); Transferred to the Mortar-Company of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (18 Apr 1925-01 Jan 1926); Transferred to the Staff of the II.

But after the 1941 reorganisation in which the 388th regiment was detached to the Russian front,[3] he received a temporary posting at the Replacement Army, where he would periodically reappear.

[4] Because a large number of Dutch civilians had fled to Middelburg due to the military inundation of the island, Daser agreed to an unconditional surrender of the city to avoid bloodshed on 6 November 1944.

He stayed at the Zuffenhausen POW camp in Germany for the period 9 March to 26 April 1946 and was released only a few years later (19 Dec 1949).