 Detzner was the son of a dentist , Johann Philipp Detzner ( 12 July 1846 – 1907 ) and his wife , Wilhelmine Katharina Faber , in the city of Speyer , in the Bavarian Palatinate , a cultural , economic , and historical center on the Rhine River . His father received his degree from Heidelberg University and was licensed to practice by the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1867 ; Detzner 's father pioneered innovations in dental prosthetics . His large family included nine children . Hermann Detzner was trained as a topographer , surveyor , and an engineer , and received his promotion to Fahnrich in the 6 Infantry Regiment ( Prussian ) , 2nd Pioneer Battalion , in February 1902 . During World War I , military authorities transferred his commission to the 1st Bavarian Pioneer Battalion . 
