Harry Franz Hugo Puder
(24.02.1862 - 18.12.1933)
place of birth:  Breslau, Schlesien
Königreich Preußen:  Kdr Schutztruppe, Generalmajor


Harry Puder was a Prussian military officer who from 1907 to 1913 headed up Imperial Germany's Colonial Protection Forces (Kaiserliche Schutztruppe) based in Cameroon. Puder launched his military career in 1880 when he joined the infantry regiment in Cosel. Attaining the rank of Hauptmann, he crossed over in 1897 to the Colonial Protection Forces based in German East Africa - present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. He functioned for about one year as Germany's director of the Tabora District in Tanzania.

Following a three-year tour, Hauptmann Puder returned to Germany but was soon ready to travel back to Africa. In January 1904, he set out with Germany's Colonial Protection Forces headquartered in Germany Southwest Africa - present-day Namibia. While serving there under Commander Lothar von Trotha, Puder took part in the initial phase of the infamous Namibian Genocide, Germany's attempted extermination of the Herero and Nama tribes. A bout of typhoid fever forced his early return to the German homeland in late 1905. After serving 18 months at the Imperial Colonial Office in Berlin, however, Puder was asked to make his third deployment to Africa. This time he was dispatched to replace Wilhelm Müller, the retiring commander of the Colonial Protection Forces in Cameroon.

Major Puder remained active in Cameroon from 1907 to mid-1913, and upon his return to Germany was assigned as regimental staff officer with Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 88 in Mainz. At mobilization, he was selected to command IR-88, part of Ernst von Oven's 21. Infanterie-Division and engaged in the initial battles during Germany's advance toward Paris.

	Generalmajor	06.11.1917
	Kolonial-Denkmünze	Schutztruppe für Deutsch-Ostafrika, Kamerun  1891-1918
	DSW-Afrika Medaille	Schutztruppe für Deutsch-Südwestafrika 1895-1915