Franciszek Alter (22 November 1889 in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

– 23 January 1945 in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...

) was a Polish general.

Career

Franciszek Alter began his career as an officer in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

, reaching the rank of captain. He fought in the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

during the Polish-Soviet War. He was promoted to general in March 1939. During the

German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, he commanded the 25th Infantry Division (part of the

Army Poznań An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...

). His division took part in the

battle of Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was both the largest battle and Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Goog ...

and the defense of Warsaw, where it capitulated on 28 September.

Death

Alter refused to sign the

Volksliste The Deutsche Volksliste (German People's List) was a Nazi Party institution that aimed to classify inhabitants of Nazi-occupied territories (1939–1945) into categories of desirability according to criteria systematised by ''Reichsführer-SS'' ...

, and was imprisoned in the Oflag VII-A Murnau. In the Oflag, he fell ill, and died in early 1945, on 23 January.

Awards

Alter was awarded with the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, the Knight's Cross of the Polonia Restituta, the Cross of Valour (four times) and the

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence () was the second highest Polish military decoration between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three classes. History The Cr ...

References

1889 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from Lviv Military personnel of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish people of German descent Polish generals Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Independence Polish people who died in prison custody Polish prisoners of war in World War II Prisoners who died in German detention {{Poland-mil-bio-stub World War II prisoners of war held by Germany