Execution Of Major General Franz Krech
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Major General (''Generalmajor'') Franz Krech (23 June 1889 – 27 April 1944) was the German commander of the 41st Fortress Division of the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
during the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Axis occupation of Greece The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers () began in April 1941 after Nazi Germany Battle of Greece, invaded the Kingdom of Greece in order to assist its ally, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy, in their Greco-Italian War, ongoing war that w ...
. He was ambushed and killed by a platoon of the
Greek People's Liberation Army The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...
(ELAS) in
Molaoi Molaoi () is a town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 193.167 ...
,
Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...
.''Meyer Hermann Από τη Βιέννη στα Καλάβρυτα. Τα αιματηρά ίχνη της 117ης Μεραρχίας Καταδρομών στη Σερβία και την Ελλάδα'', Estia, 2004, p. 512Yiannis Priovolos, ''Μόνιμοι Αξιωματικοί στον ΕΛΑΣ, οικειοθελώς ή εξ'ανάγκης'', Alfeios Publications, p. 515 It led to harsh reprisals by the occupying forces and contributed to the declaration of the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
as an "operational zone", i.e. a war zone.


Biography

Franz Krech was born on 23 June 1889 in
Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...
. He joined the Deutsches Heer on the 2nd of May, 1908 and became a lieutenant on 19 August 1909. He saw combat during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
as part of the ''Infanterie-Regiment „von Courbière“ (2. Posensches) Nr. 19.'' He received both classes of the 1914
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
and the Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 for combatants, the
Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...
in black and the Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration. Postwar, he remained in the
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
and the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
, later receiving the
Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...
. During the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he was an
Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...
, serving as an Army Selection Inspector.


Ambush

A platoon of the 8th (
Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...
n) Regiment of ELAS, under 2nd Lieutenant Manolis Stathakis, ambushed the German major general''Από τη Βιέννη στα Καλάβρυτα. Τα αιματηρά ίχνη της 117ης Μεραρχίας Καταδρομών στη Σερβία και την Ελλάδα'', Estia, 2004, p. 512 in the region of Laconia on 27 April 1944. Krech and four members of his escort were killed. The day before, German Major General
Heinrich Kreipe Karl Heinrich Georg Ferdinand Kreipe (5 June 1895 – 14 June 1976) was a German career soldier who served in both World War I and World War II. While leading German forces in occupied Crete in April 1944, he was abducted by British SOE officer ...
had been kidnapped by British agents and Greek civilian activists in Crete. The American
OSS OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
and the British SOE, with the collaboration of the Greek National Liberation Front, spread the story, for propaganda reasons (see Operation Hemlock) but also to prevent German reprisals, that Krech had been executed by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
as a "
dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...
" and they publicized a forged letter calling on German soldiers to desert. It had also been alleged that Krech, along with Kreipe, had participated in the anti-Hitler "Free Germany" movement.


Reprisals

On 1 May, the Germans executed 200 communist prisoners at
Kaisariani Kaisariani () is a suburban town and a municipality in the eastern part of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration in Greece. Geography Kaisariani is located about southeast of Athens city centre, and of the Acropolis of Athens. T ...
, a suburb of Athens. According to
Hellmuth Felmy Hellmuth Felmy (28 May 1885 – 14 December 1965) was a German general and war criminal during World War II, commanding forces in occupied Greece and Yugoslavia. A high-ranking Luftwaffe officer, Felmy was tried and convicted in the 1948 Hostage ...
's apology in the
Nuremberg trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...
, the head of the collaborationist
Security Battalions The Security Battalions (, derisively known as ''Germanotsoliades'' (Γερμανοτσολιάδες, meaning "German tsoliás") or ''Tagmatasfalites'' (Ταγματασφαλίτες)) were Greek collaborationist paramilitary groups, formed d ...
in the Peloponnese, Colonel Dionysios Papadongonas, who was a friend of Krech, ordered on his own initiative the execution of further 100 members or suspected members of the Resistance. At the same time, the Germans killed another 25 in Athens. In total, at least 325 people were executed, and more executions followed in the wake of
117th Jäger Division 117th Jäger Division was a German infantry division of World War II. The division was formed in April 1943 by the reorganization and redesignation of the 717th Infantry Division. The 717th Division had been formed in April 1941. It was transfe ...
's march from
Molaoi Molaoi () is a town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 193.167 ...
to
Sparti Sparta (, ) is a city and municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. It lies at the site of ancient Sparta within the Evrotas Valley. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in 2011, for a total population (as of 2021) of ...
. Felmy justified the number of the killings with Krech's status as a divisional commander. The orders for reprisals were given by the Higher Military Commander of the Peloponnese, Major General
Karl von Le Suire __NOTOC__ Karl Hans Maximilian von Le Suire (8 November 1898 – 18 June 1954) was a German general during World War II who commanded the XXXXIX Mountain Corps. He was responsible for the Massacre of Kalavryta, in Greece. Life and career Karl v ...
. In May, the Peloponnese area was declared an "operational zone", i.e., a war zone.


Promotion

Krech was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general (''
Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...
'') by Hitler and buried in Athens.


References

{{reflist German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) 1944 deaths Military assassinations German occupation of Greece during World War II Battles and operations involving the Greek People's Liberation Army Battles and operations involving the Greek Resistance Peloponnese in World War II History of Laconia German Army personnel killed in World War II German Army personnel of World War I People from Görlitz Military personnel from Saxony