Alfred Julius Eduard List was born in Munich on December 19, 1864. He was the son of a study inspector and professor at the Cadet Corps.
Upon his graduation from the Wilhelmsgymnasium Munich in 1882, List became a three-year volunteer with the First “King” Infantry Regiment of the Bavarian Army. On March 24, 1883, he was appointed ensign. Two years later, List was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and later became a battalion adjutant.
From 1892 to 1895, List attended the war academy. He then became an adjutant of the First Infantry Brigade… and on October 28, 1899, List was promoted to the rank of captain.
In 1901, List returned to his regular regiment and was named company commander, a post he would hold for four years. He later became adjutant to the general command of III Army Corps. In that capacity, List was promoted to major on October 26, 1906. Two years later, he was transferred back to Bavaria’s First “King” Infantry Regiment as a battalion commander.
On March 7, 1912, List was again promoted… this time to lieutenant colonel. He was soon moved to the 12th “Prince Arnulf” Infantry Regiment. One year later (March 27, 1913), List was finally promoted to commander of Landwehr District I in Munich. He became a full colonel on January 7, 1914.
After the Great War began, Julius List was appointed commander of the newly formed 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment on September 5, 1914. This unit would include such men as Hugo Gutmann, Max Amman, Erich Schmidt, Karl Lippert, Hans Mend, Rudolf Hess, and the future leader of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler.
Sadly, List’s time in the capacity he served was short lived. On October 31, 1914 (as First Ypres was raging), he was severely wounded in the chest as his regiment was being deployed to the front lines during the three-day Battle of Gheluvelt in West Flanders, Belgium. He would succumb to his injuries later that day in the castle park at Gheluvelt… and was promptly buried. He was forty-nine years old.
In his honor, the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry unit was renamed the List Regiment. After the war, the bones of Alfred Julius Eduard List were placed in a mass grave at the Langemark War Cemetery.