Adolf Franke (officer)

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Adolf Franke after 1918

Adolf Franke (born November 10, 1852 in Osnabrück , † November 21, 1937 in Eisenach ) was a Prussian general of the artillery in the First World War .

Life

After completing his Abitur , Franke joined the 8th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 57 in Wesel on August 25, 1870 as a volunteer and flag junior and took part in the Franco-German War . With the transfer to the 5th Field Artillery Brigade on 21 June 1871, he joined the branch of service and was there on October 18, 1871 to Ensign appointed. Franke came to the Lower Silesian Field Artillery Regiment No. 5 in Sprottau on October 26, 1872 and was promoted to Second Lieutenant on December 12 of that year . During his command at the United Artillery and Engineering School from October 1, 1873 to September 30, 1875, he was temporarily transferred to the 1st Posensche Field Artillery Regiment No. 20 on May 7, 1874 . There he acted from 1880 as adjutant of the II. Department and was promoted as such on June 11, 1881 to prime lieutenant. Commissions to the War Academy followed from October 1, 1882 to July 1885 and from May 22, 1887 to the General Staff . As a captain (since March 23, 1888), Franke was appointed battery chief in the field artillery regiment "von Scharnhorst" (1st Hannoversches) No. 10 on February 16, 1892 , he was first transferred to the General Staff a year later, where he received the Promotion to major and then on June 25, 1893 joined the staff of the 13th Division . Various general staff assignments followed in the years to come. From December 15, 1894 with the Gouvernement of Cologne , then from June 25, 1896 with the Great General Staff and finally from June 15, 1897 for one year as First General Staff Officer of the VIII Army Corps . Subsequently, Franke acted as commander of the 2nd division of the 1st Thuringian field artillery regiment No. 19 and on July 3, 1899 became lieutenant colonel . On October 1, 1899, Franke was transferred to Naumburg (Saale) , where he was commander of the 2nd Thuringian Field Artillery Regiment No. 55 until March 31, 1902. In the meantime promoted to colonel on January 27, 1902 , Franke acted from April 1, 1902 to June 17, 1903 as Chief of the General Staff of the Thorn Governorate and then as Chief of the General Staff of the V Army Corps . Franke gave up this post on March 15, 1905, was appointed commander of the 26th Field Artillery Brigade in Ludwigsburg , and as such was promoted to major general on April 10, 1906 . He was commissioned on March 6, 1909 with the command of the 34th Division and was appointed commander on April 20, 1904 , while being promoted to Lieutenant General . Due to his age, his replacement followed on February 8, 1912 and Franke was put up for disposal on that day .

When the First World War broke out, Franke was reactivated and on August 5, 1914, he was appointed Higher Landwehr Commander No. 2, to which five mixed Landwehr brigades were subordinate. These had the order to occupy the Nied position between Metz and the Saar . Since the French were already in retreat, the unit on the left wing of the 5th Army took part in the Battle of Longwy . Subsequently, his association was converted to the 2nd Landwehr Division and continued to be used on the western front. On March 6, 1915 he was promoted to general of the artillery. In the further course of the war, the division took part in the Second Battle of Flanders , the Battle of Verdun and the defensive battle during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive . After the armistice , Franke led the division back home and retired on December 18, 1918 after his mobilization provision was lifted.

Awards

literature

  • Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Christian Zweng: The knights of the order Pour le Mérite of the First World War. Volume 1: AG. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1999, ISBN 3-7648-2505-7 , pp. 423-425.
  • Hanns Möller: History of the knights of the order pour le mérite in the world war. Volume I: A-L. Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1935, p.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Prussian War Ministry (ed.): Ranking list of the Royal Prussian Army and the XIII. (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps for 1911. ES Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1911, p. 100.
  2. ↑ Otto von Moser : Die Württemberger in the world wars. 2nd expanded edition, Chr.Belser AG, Stuttgart 1928, p. 113.
personal data
SURNAME Franke, Adolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian general of the artillery
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Osnabrück
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1937
Place of death Eisenach