Johannes Frießner
Johannes (Hans) Frießner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Heer |
| Years of service | 1911 - 1945 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands | XXIII. Armeekorps |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Template:Foreignchar Johannes Frießner (March 22, 1892 – June 26, 1971) was a German general during World War II.
Born in Chemnitz, Kingdom of Saxony, Frießner enlisted in the German Army in 1911 and, after seeing extensive duty during World War I, served in the Reichswehr following the war.
After his promotion to Generalmajor on August 1, 1940, during World War II, Frießner was assigned to the Eastern Front where, on May 1, 1942, he would be placed in command of the 102nd Infantry Division. Shortly after his promotion to Generalleutnant on October 1, 1942, Frießner served as commander of the XXIII Corps from January 19–December 11, 1943 (during which time he was promoted General der Infanterie on April 1).
In February 1944, Frießner was transferred to the Northern Front and assigned command to Sponheimer Group (renamed army detachment "Narva" on February 23). Winning promotion to Generaloberst on July 1, Frießner held briefly command of Army Group North until July 25 before being sent to the southern front to command South Ukraine Army Group (later renamed the Army Group Southeast). Unable to halt the four month Soviet offensive by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky's Second Ukrainian Front, Frießner was relieved of his command on December 22. Holding no further command for remainder of the war, Frießner would live in retirement in Bayerisch Gmain until his death on June 26, 1971.
In 1951, he was the chairman of the Verbund Deutsche Soldaten. During the early 1950s he was active in advising on the redevelopment of the German army: Bundeswehr (see Searle's Wehrmacht Generals). In 1956, Frießner wrote Verratene Schlachten (Betrayed Battles), a memoir of his tour of command of the South Ukraine Army Group.
Awards
- Eisernes Kreuz (1914)
- 2nd Class (15 September 1914)
- 1st Class (19 September 1916)
- Wound Badge in Black (1918)
- Clasp to the Eisernes Kreuz (1939)
- 2nd Class (27 July 1942)
- 1st Class (21 August 1942)
- German Cross in Gold (9 June 1943)
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub
- Ritterkreuz (July 23, 1943)
- 445. Eichenlaub (April 9, 1944)
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (29 November 1944)
References
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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.
- Searle, Alaric (2003). Wehrmacht Generals, West German Society, and the Debate on Rearmament, 1949-1959. Praeger Pub.
