Friedrich Franek

Dr. rer. pol. Friedrich "Fritz" Franek
Nickname(s)	"Fritz"
Born	16 July 1891 Vienna
Died	8 April 1976(1976-04-08) (aged 84) Vienna
Allegiance	Austria–Hungary (to 1918) First Austrian Republic (to 1938) Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Heer
Years of service	1910–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands	196. Infanterie-Division 44. Reichs-Grenadier-Division Hoch und Deutschmeister 73. Infanterie-Division
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Italian Campaign Battle of Monte Cassino Lublin–Brest Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Dr. rer. pol. Friedrich "Fritz" Franek (16 July 1891 – 8 April 1976) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Career

He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was one of only two officers in the German Wehrmacht who held the Military Order of Maria Theresa, the highest Austro-Hungarian decoration for bravery as well as the Knight's Cross.

In the summer of 1944, Franek was commanding the German 73rd Infantry Division as the Red Army was advancing through Poland. At the end of July, during the Lublin–Brest Offensive, he joined battle at Garwolin with the Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army under the command of Alexei Radzievsky, when the German forces were routed and Franek himself was captured. He was held prisoner until 1948.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross
  • 2nd Class
• Military Merit Cross, 3rd class (Austria-Hungary)
• Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd class (Austria)
• Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa (10 June 1921)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 November 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 405
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 8 February 1944

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
8 February 1944	[In den harten mehrtägigen Abwehrkämpfen nordwestlich Cassino hat sich die 44. Reichs-Grenadierdivision "Hoch- und Deutschmeister" unter Führung des Generalleutnants Franek mit einem unterstellten Bataillon des Grenadier-Regiments (mot.) 8 und einer Kampfgruppe unter Führung des Oberst Baade besonders ausgezeichnet.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)	Northwest in the tough multi-day defensive battles at Cassino, the 44th Reichs-Grenadier Division "Hoch- und Deutschmeister" under the leadership of Lieutenant General Franek with a subordinate battalion of the Grenadier Regiment (mot) 8 and a battle group under the leadership of Colonel Baade particularly distinguished themselves.

References

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

External links

• "Dr. rer. pol. Friedrich Franek". Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45 (in German). Retrieved 10 July 2012.
• "Friedrich Franek". Austro-Hungarian Army - Biographies. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
• Archived 2010-11-16 at the Wayback Machine