He served in the German Army during the First World War and afterwards, in 1926, married Vera Bythiner (31 March 1904 – 30 September 1942), who was born in Posen in Imperial Germany (now Poznań, Poland).
Ia bertugas dalam Angkatan Darat Jerman pada masa Perang Dunia Pertama dan setelah itu, pada 1921 menikahi Vera Bythiner (31 Maret 1904 – 30 September 1942), yang lahir di Posen di Kekaisaran Jerman (sekarang Poznań, Polandia).