Prince Oskar Of Prussia

Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf, Prince of Prussia, was born on 27 July 1888 at the Marmorpalais in Potsdam, in the Province of Brandenburg, Germany. He was the fifth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. His birth occurred during the so-called Year of the Three Emperors, shortly after Wilhelm II ascended to the throne. Prince Oskar was baptized in the chapel of the Royal Palace on the Spree Island in Berlin, with King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway serving as his godfather.

He had six siblings: five brothers—Crown Prince Wilhelm, Prince Eitel Friedrich, Prince Adalbert, Prince August Wilhelm, and Prince Joachim—and one sister, Princess Viktoria Luise. His childhood was spent at the New Palace in Potsdam, alongside his siblings.

His education included training as a cadet at the Prinzenhaus in Plön, located in his maternal family's Schleswig-Holstein heritage. A notable incident during his youth occurred in 1902 when he fractured his collarbone after falling from horizontal bars.

During World War I, Prince Oskar commanded the Grenadierregiment "König Wilhelm I." (2. Westpreussisches) Nr. 7 as its colonel in the field during the early months of the conflict. On 22 August 1914, he participated in an attack on Virton, Belgium, which was witnessed by the future fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen. For his bravery and leadership during this engagement, he was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class. One month later, at Verdun, he led an assault into heavy combat and received the Iron Cross, First Class. He sustained injuries during this action and was awarded the wound badge; he subsequently spent part of autumn 1914 recovering from what reports described as a heart condition. He returned to duty thereafter and served on the Eastern Front, where he was again wounded.

In the early 1920s, Prince Oskar was listed among individuals accused of war crimes in the press for applying for a colonel’s pension from the Weimar Republic. During the 1930s, the Hohenzollern family engaged with the Nazi regime, and Oskar was commissioned approximately on 1 March 1940 with the rank of Generalmajor zur Verfügung, equivalent to brigadier general. However, as the Nazi regime distanced itself from the royal family, most military commissions, including his, were canceled following the deaths of his son Oskar, who was killed in September 1939, and his nephew Wilhelm, who died of wounds received in France in May 1940.

Prince Oskar held the position of Master of Knights of the Protestant Order of Saint John (Johanniterorden), a historic religious order favored by the Hohenzollern family. He succeeded Eitel Friedrich in 1926 and served in this role until his death in 1958. His leadership is credited with preserving the order during the Nazi era, reflecting his anti-Nazi sentiments.

He married Countess Ina-Marie Helene Adele Elise von Bassewitz on 31 July 1914. Prior to the marriage, she was granted the title Countess von Ruppin; after 1919, the marriage was declared dynastic, and she was styled as Princess of Prussia with the style Royal Highness. The marriage produced four children:

- Prince Oskar Wilhelm Karl Hans Kuno of Prussia (born 12 July 1915, died 5 September 1939 in Poland)

- Prince Burchard Friedrich Max Werner Georg of Prussia (born 8 January 1917, died 12 August 1988)

- Princess Herzeleide Ina Marie Sophie Charlotte Else of Prussia (born 25 December 1918, died 22 March 1989)

- Prince Wilhelm-Karl Adalbert Erich Detloff of Prussia (born 20 January 1922, died 9 April 2007)

Prince Oskar died from stomach cancer on 27 January 1958 in Munich. He was the last surviving son of Wilhelm II.