Sophie Dorothea ''Friederike'' Krüger, alias August Lübeck or Auguste Krüger (8 October 1789, Friedland,

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

- 31 May 1848, Templin) was a soldier in the Prussian army.Bernhard von Poten: "Krüger, Auguste", ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB). (Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig, 1906), page 51

Life

Krüger served disguised as a man during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

in Germany from 1813 to 1815 in the first company of the ''Colbergsches Infanterie Regiment'' (renamed Colbergsche Grenadier-Regiment Graf Gneisenau (2. Pommersches) Nr. 9 in 1889). Trained as a tailor, at 23 years old she cut off her hair, put on a male costume she had designed herself and obeyed a mobilization proclamation. Owing to the speed of mobilization there were no medical examinations and so she was not discovered at first. Her comrades admired her courage very much and were loyal to her, but during one attack her high voice caused the others to realize that she was female. However, she was not discharged from the army and was even allowed by King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

to continue serving under her real name. She was promoted to corporal after the Battle of Möckern. She was then promoted to sergeant after the

Battle of Dennewitz The Battle of Dennewitz () took place on 6September 1813 between French forces commanded by Marshal Michel Ney and the Sixth Coalition's Allied Army of the North commanded by Charles XIV John of Sweden, Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden, Fr ...

and subsequently fought in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

in 1815. At the end of the war she married a Prussian corporal, Karl Köhler, on 5 March 1816 and left the army. They had four children. She was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

and the Commemorative War Medal by King Frederick William for her bravery. On her death, she was buried in the St.-Georgen-Friedhof in Templin, where her grave can still be seen.

References

External links

Life
heikostreich.de (in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruger, Friederike 1789 births 1848 deaths People from Friedland, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Women in 19th-century warfare Female wartime cross-dressers Women in European warfare