Johann Freihsler

Johann Freihsler (standing, second from left) in the Kreisky I cabinet (1970)

Johann Freihsler (born December 4, 1917 in Vienna ; † February 17, 1981 there ) was an Austrian general and federal minister for national defense .

Life

After having passed the Matura with distinction at the teacher training institute Vienna III. he enlisted in September 1936 as a one-year volunteer for the Vienna Infantry Regiment No. 3 of the Federal Army of the First Republic. In 1937 he began officer training at the Theresian Military Academy .

After the connection of Austria in March 1938, he was in the Wehrmacht adopted, and in September this year as a midshipman for Infantry Regiment 16 of the 22 Infantry Division to Oldenburg added. Promoted to lieutenant, he took part in the attack on Poland with this regiment in September 1939 . Relocated to Romania in 1940, his association took part in the campaign against the Soviet Union from June 22, 1941 in the southern sector. As a company commander he was wounded in August 1941 and then as an orderly officer with the XXX. Army Corps used. In the same function he was assigned to Army High Command 11 from May 1942 to October 1943 and to Army Groups South and Don from November 1943 to February 1944 . In May 1943 he became a captain . From March 1944 to April 1945 he completed general staff training.

After the end of the war, he returned home to Vienna in long walks. He found employment in Department 12 K in the Ministry of the Interior , which looked after prisoners of war and returnees. In mid-1955 he was transferred to the Office for National Defense and used to help set up the Federal Army . From January 1st, 1956 he became Major dhmD (General Staff Service). From 1958 to 1961, as head of the organization department in the Federal Ministry of Defense, he played a major role in building the army. After the changes in the department under Federal Minister Karl Schleinzer , he had to leave this post and became head of the staff department of General Erwin Fussenegger , who was now restricted in his powers . He held this post from August 1, 1961 to January 19, 1966 and was able to earn the general's recognition and trust during this time. His main accomplishments during this time included the preparation of the first major maneuvers of the armed forces in autumn 1965 and the organization of several major parades on Vienna's Ringstrasse. He was also in charge of the disaster response during the great floods of the summer of 1965 in Carinthia. On January 1, 1966, he became a brigadier . At this time, Federal Minister Georg Prader also entrusted him with the management of the Operation Group. In this function he organized the deployment of the Federal Army during the crisis that arose in 1968 when the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia.

On April 21, 1970 he, who was politically close to the SPÖ , was appointed to the first cabinet of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky as Federal Minister for National Defense . He was the first social democratic defense minister of the second republic. In his ministry, the implementation of the army reform fell, after which the military service was shortened from nine to six months.

On February 3, 1971, he resigned from his ministerial office for health reasons and retired shortly afterwards, after having been promoted to General of the Infantry on January 1, 1971 .

Johann Freihsler died on February 17, 1981.

literature

• Stefan Bader: At the highest level ... The generals of the Federal Army of the Second Republic. Gra & Wis, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-902455-02-0 , p. 109 ff.

Web links

• Johann Freihsler in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely accessible)
• Radio reports with Johann Freihsler in the online archive of the Austrian Mediathek
• Johann Freihsler on the website of the Austrian Parliament