Botho von Frantzius

Botho von Frantzius (born August 9, 1898 in Sawdin ; † December 10, 1942 near Newel ) was a German officer , most recently major general in World War II .

Life

Promotions

April 8, 1918 Ensign
June 28, 1918 Lieutenant
July 31, 1925 First Lieutenant
May 1, 1933 Rittmeister
January 1, 1937 Major
June 1, 1940 Lieutenant Colonel
April 1, 1942 Colonel
April 24, 1943 Major General (posthumous)

Frantzius occurred on 23 October 1916 during the First World War as an officer cadet in the Czech Dragoon Regiment "Prince of Liechtenstein" no. 10 , where he remained until the war ended. On November 1, 1919 he was transferred to the Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 41 and on May 15, 1920 to the 2nd (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment . There, on October 1, 1931, Frantzius rose to head the 1st Squadron in Allenstein . Frantzius held the same position from October 1, 1934 to October 11, 1937 with the 10th (Prussian) Reiter-Regiment in Torgau . Following this, Frantzius was transferred from October 12, 1937 as a teacher at the School for Rapid Troops in Krampnitz . He held this position beyond the beginning of the Second World War until the end of the attack on Poland in mid-October 1939.

On October 18, 1939, Frantzius was appointed commander of Reconnaissance Department 161 , which he remained until January 1942. During this period he was entrusted with the command of Infantry Regiment 151 from September 27, 1940 to March 12, 1941 , which during this time was in the northern section of the Eastern Front . Here Frantzius distinguished himself when conquering the Baltic islands of Moon , Ösel and Dagö , for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 4, 1941 . From January 24 to February 15, 1942, Frantzius then acted as deputy commander of Infantry Regiment 176 and then until March 14, 1942 in the same position with Infantry Regiment 504 .

On March 15, 1942, Frantzius became the commander of the 504 Infantry Regiment , which was renamed the 504 Grenadier Regiment on October 15, 1942 . This was tactically subordinate to the 291st Infantry Division in the area of Army Group Center . On December 10, 1942, Frantzius fell during a battle with the Red Army near Newel.

Awards

Iron Cross (1914) 2nd class
Cross of honor of the world war with swords
Clasp for the Iron Cross, 2nd class
Iron Cross (1939) 1st class
Storm badge
Medal Winter Battle in the East 1941/42
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 4, 1941

literature

Dermot Bradley, Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp: The Generals of the Army 1921–1945 Part 4: Fleck-Gyldenfeldt , Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1996, ISBN 3-7648-2488-3 , pp. 62–63

Individual evidence

^ Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Ed .: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn Verlag , Berlin 1930, p. 162.
↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 317.

personal data
SURNAME	Frantzius, Botho von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German officer, most recently major general in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH	August 9, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sawdin
DATE OF DEATH	December 10, 1942
Place of death	at Newel

[1] Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Ed .: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn Verlag , Berlin 1930, p. 162.

[2] Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 317.