Friedrich Hermann Fahnert (18 January 1879, in Limbach – 10 June 1964) was a German military officer who served in

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 ...

and as a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

general in

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 the last of three officers to be appointed to the rank of General of air force communications troops.

Military career

Fahnert entered the Imperial Army as an officer cadet in the 2nd railway regiment,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1900. He took part in the campaign against the Hereros and the Nama. He served throughout

and became a battalion commander. After the war, he was retained 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 transferred to the

in 1936. At the outbreak of World War II, he was the commander of the Air Signals Training School in

. He took part in the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

. He then commanded the Air Signals Training Division in France and was promoted to General der Luftnachrichtentruppe on 1 April 1945.

After World War II

On 2 May 1945, Fahnert was taken into British captivity in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

and then held with other senior officers at Special Camp XI near

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

until 5 December 1947. Friedrich Fahnert at Special Camp 11
Retrieved 15 October 2013 He then returned to Germany and lived in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

until his death in 1964. Friedrich Fahnert at ww2gravestone.com.
Retrieved 15 October 2013 A

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

barracks (Kaserne) in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

was named after him in October 1964. In October 2016, it was renamed into "Kirchfeldkaserne".

Awards and distinctions

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Silver 7 December 1942 General Leutnant, Higher Signals Leader, Luftflotte 1 * Prussian Crown Order 4th Class with Swords * Prussian Iron Cross 1st Class (1914) with 1939 Bar * Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class (1914) with 1939 Bar *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...

1st Class with Swords *

2nd Class with Swords * Saxon Albert Order Knight 1st Class with Crown and Swords * Saxon Long Service Cross * Cross of Honour for Combatants 1914–1918 * Southwest African Expedition Medal for Combatants 1904–1906 * Armed Forces Long Service Award 1st Class (25-year Service) * Armed Forces Long Service Award 3rd Class (12-year Service) * Austrian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration * Germany Army Pilot's Badge

award * Flyer's Commemorative Badge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahnert, Friedrich 1964 deaths 1879 births People from Limbach-Oberfrohna Military personnel of the Kingdom of Saxony Generals of Air Force Communications Troops Luftwaffe World War II generals Prussian Army personnel Schutztruppe personnel Reichswehr personnel Luftstreitkräfte personnel German Army personnel of World War I German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Military personnel from Saxony