Hartmut Bagger is a retired German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 general. He served as Chief of Staff of the Army from 1994 to 1996 and Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

, from 1996 to 1999.

Biography

Bagger was born in Braunsberg, East Prussia

East Prussia

East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...

 (today Braniewo, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

) and fled the advancing

Evacuation of East Prussia

The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...

 Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

 at the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 to Celle

Celle

Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...

. After passing his Abitur Bagger volunteered the Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

 in 1958 as a Panzergrenadier

Panzergrenadier

is a German term for motorised or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile, Germany and Switzerland.-Forerunners:...

. In 1960 he was promoted to a lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 at the Panzergrenadierbataillon 82 in Lüneburg

Lüneburg

Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...

.

Bagger passed his general staff training at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr

Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr

The Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr is the highest military academy of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr. Established in 1957, and since 1958 located in Hamburg, it is the successor of the Prussian Military Academy that was established in 1810...

 in 1969 - 1971, promoted to a Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 he served at the Panzerbrigade 18, (Neumünster

Neumünster

Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...

) and became a lecturer of Military policy at the Führungsakademie. He completed a course at the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

.

In 1976 - 1978 Bagger commanded the Panzergrenadierbataillon 51 in Rotenburg an der Fulda

Rotenburg an der Fulda

Rotenburg an der Fulda is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda.- Geography :- Location :...

 and served at the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung until 1980. From April 1980 till September 1982 Bagger, now a Oberst

Oberst

Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...

, was the Chief of staff of the 3. Panzerdivision and afterwards head of the branch "Security policy" at the Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 Führungsakademie, from October 1984 till April 1988 he commanded the Panzergrenadierbrigade 7 (Hamburg).

Bagger was promoted a Brigadegeneral in 1988 and served as the Chief of Staff at the III. Korps (Koblenz

Koblenz

Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...

) until 22 November 1990 and commander of the 12. Panzerdivision (Veitshöchheim

Veitshöchheim

Veitshöchheim is a municipality in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Main, 6 km northwest of Würzburg. In the town is Schloss Veitshöchheim; this summer palace of the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg was built in 1680-82, and was enlarged to its...

) until March 1992.

He became the deputy Inspekteur des Heeres (Commander in Chief of the Army) on 1 April 1992 and Inspekteur des Heeres on 21 March 1994. After general Klaus Naumann

Klaus Naumann

Klaus Naumann is a retired German General, who served as Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, the German armed fources, from 1991 to 1996, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1996 to 1999, succeeding the British general Richard Frederick Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill...

 became Chairman of the NATO Military Committee

Chairman of the NATO Military Committee

The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee's authority stems from the NATO Military Committee, to which he is responsible in the performance of his duties. He chairs all meetings of the Military Committee and acts in an international capacity. In his absence, the Deputy Chairman of the Military...

 Bagger followed him as the Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr on 8 February 1996, a post he held till his retirement on 31 March 1999.

Bagger lives at Meckenheim

Meckenheim

Meckenheim is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km south-west of Bonn.-References:...

(Rheinland), is married and has two sons.