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Friedrich Franek (16 July 1891 – 8 April 1976) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
during
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 ...
. Along with
Alois Windisch
Alois Windisch (3 February 1892 – 28 December 1958) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Along with Friedrich Franek, he was one of only two recipients of both the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cros ...
, he was one of only two recipients of both the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
and the Knight's Cross of the
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire.
History
Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...
, the highest military honour of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
.
The son of a master baker, Franek joined 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), ...
in 1910 and served with distinction 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 ...
, winning the
Gold Medal for Bravery. On 10 June 1921, the Chapter of the Military Order of Maria Theresa awarded Franek the Knight's Cross of the said Order in recognition of his conduct during the
11th Battle of the Isonzo. Had Franek received his appointment to the said Order before the abdication of the last Austro-Hungarian monarch, he would also have received a title of nobility as specified in the Statutes of the Military Order of Maria Theresa of 1895. Titles of nobility having been abolished in the Republic of Austria in 1919, Franek did not receive any such title in Austria.
After the end of the war, Franek remained in the army of the newly established Austrian republic. In 1925 he graduated with a PhD in political science.
After the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
, Franek transferred to the German armed forces. In the summer of 1944, Franek was commanding the German
73rd Infantry Division as the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
was advancing through
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. At the end of July, during the
Lublin–Brest Offensive, he joined battle at
Garwolin
Garwolin is a town on the Wilga (Garwolin), Wilga river in eastern Poland, capital of Garwolin County, situated in the southeast part of the Garwolin plateau in Masovian Voivodeship, southeast of Warsaw, northwest of Lublin. As of December 2021, ...
with the Soviet
2nd Guards Tank Army under the command of
Alexei Radzievsky, when the German forces were routed and Franek was taken prisoner. He was released in 1948.
Awards
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
on 4 November 1941 as ''
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 ...
'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 405
[Fellgiebel 2000, p. 154.]
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franek, Friedrich
1891 births
1976 deaths
Military personnel from Vienna
Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht)
Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class
Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Austrian prisoners of war
World War II prisoners of war held by the Soviet Union
Austro-Hungarian Army officers