Friedrich Franek

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General Franek (center) with Josef Terboven (far left) in Norway under German occupation in 1942.

Friedrich Franek (born July 16, 1891 in Vienna ; † April 8, 1976 there ) was a German officer of Austrian origin, most recently a lieutenant general in World War II . Franek and Alois Windisch were the only people who received both the Knight's Cross of the Maria Theresa Order and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .

Life

Franek, the son of a baker, came on 18 August 1910 as an ensign in the infantry regiment 41 of the Imperial Army a. During the First World War he served in various theaters of war. For his services as first lieutenant and company commander on August 17, 1917 during the 11th Isonzo Battle , he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order after the end of the war (entitlement to claim confirmed on June 10, 1921). If this award had taken place during the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Franek would automatically have received the Austrian nobility and would also have been able to apply to be raised to the baron class, excluding the usual fees.

After the end of the war, Franek remained in Austrian military service and was accepted into the armed forces. He began studying political science and economics in August 1921 , which Franek received in May 1925 with a doctorate as Dr. rer. pole. successfully completed. In 1933 he served as a major in the Vienna Infantry Regiment No. 2

After the annexation of Austria to the German Reich was followed by the March 15, 1938 that it has acquired in the army of the Wehrmacht . At the beginning of the Second World War initially still a battalion commander, Franek rose to regimental commander in February 1940. After a serious wound on September 12, 1941, he spent a long time in the hospital and was then transferred to the Führerreserve . On March 1, 1942, he was initially assigned to lead the 196th Infantry Division and was appointed commander a month later. In the further course of the war, between January 1 and May 7, 1944, he was in command of the 44th Infantry Division , which suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Monte Cassino , and from June 26th of the 73rd Infantry Division on the Eastern Front. From July 29, 1944 Franek was in Soviet captivity , from which he was released on July 22, 1948.

Awards (selection)

Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order

literature

  • Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp: The Generals of the Army 1921–1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 4: Fleck – Gyldenfeldt. Biblio Publishing House. Osnabrück 1996. ISBN 3-7648-2488-3 . Pp. 52-53.
  • Fritz Franek , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 46/1948 from November 1, 1948, in the Munzinger Archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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. 315.
personal data
SURNAME Franek, Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Franek, Fritz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer of Austrian origin, most recently lieutenant general in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH July 16, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH April 8, 1976
Place of death Vienna