Maximilian Fretter-Pico
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__NOTOC__ Maximilian Fretter-Pico (6 February 1892 – 4 April 1984) was a German general 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 ...
. He was a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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 lower in precedence than the Grand C ...
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 ...
. A veteran of
WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...
, he would serve in the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
, in the Eastern Front and in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
.


Early life

Fretter-Pico was born on 6 February 1892 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 ...
,
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
, in the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, joining the Field Artillery Regiment "Grand Duke" (1st Badisches) No. 14 (German: ''Feldartillerie-Regiment „Großherzog“ (1. Badisches) Nr. 14'') of the Prussian Army in Karlsruhe on 20 September 1910 as an
officer candidate Officer candidate or officer aspirant (OA) is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an Officer (armed forces), officer. More often than not, an officer candidate was a civilia ...
, and attended the Military School in Danzig from March to November 1911. On 27 January 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant (German: ''
Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...
'') and completed a course at the artillery school in
Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Polabian Slavs, Slavic se ...
from September 1913 to January 1914.


First World War

With his regiment he went to the
First World War 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 an
adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
and took over an anti-balloon gun platoon in January 1915. On 18 September 1915 he was promoted to senior lieutenant (German: ''
Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
''). In May 1916 he gave up his command again and worked as an adjutant in various
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
s and
divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
until 1918. In January and February 1918 he completed
general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
training in the high command of the Army Group Duke Albrecht von Württemberg. Before the end of the war, he was promoted to captain (German: ''
Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'') on 18 October 1918 and as such he was accepted into 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 ...
.


Interwar Years

There he was first active in the staff of the 1st (Prussian) Artillery Regiment (German: '' 1. (Preußischen) Artillerie-Regiments'') in
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
and was then transferred to the staff of Group Command 1 (German: ''Gruppenkommandos 1'') in
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 ...
until April 1923. This was followed by an activity in the
Ministry of the Reichswehr The Ministry of the Reichswehr () was the defence ministry of Germany from 1919 to 1938 during the Weimar Republic and early Nazi Germany periods. It was responsible for the '' Reichswehr'' under the leadership of the Minister of Defence and base ...
in the Army Operations Department T 1 (German: '' Heeres-Operationsabteilung T 1'') until October 1927, which was only interrupted by a one-year transfer from October 1925 to October 1926 as a
company commander A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are made up of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and struc ...
in the 6th (Prussian) Artillery Regiment (German: '' 6. (Preußische) Artillerie-Regiment'') in
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. He then returned to Hanover as chief of the 8th Battery of the 6th Artillery Regiment (German: ''8. Batterie des 6. Artillerie-Regiments'') and held this command until September 1930. After Fretter-Pico had completed a two-month training course at the Army Riding School (German: '' Heeres-Reitschule''), he was transferred to the staff of the 1st Cavalry Division (German: '' 1. Kavallerie-Division'') moved to Königsberg. He stayed there until October 1933. On 1 April 1932 he was promoted to
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
and on 1 March 1935 to lieutenant colonel (German: ''
Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
''). In October 1935 he was transferred to the foreign department in the
Army High Command The Army High Command (ACE) of Brazil is formed by the Army Commander and other army generals in active service. The country currently holds sixteen active 4-star generals, several of then in command posts, in addition to a post in the Ministry of ...
and on 1 August 1937 he was promoted to colonel (German: ''
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 ...
''). In 1938 he was posted to the
Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...
as a
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
for a few months until November of the same year. After his return he was appointed Chief of Staff of the General Command of the Saar-Palatinate Border Troops (German: '' Generalkommandos der Grenztruppen Saarpfalz'') in
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
.


Second World War

After the beginning of the
Second World War 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 ...
, this General Command was renamed XXIV Army Corps on 17 September 1939. As part of the Western Campaign, the corps took part in the fighting in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. On 1 March 1941 Maximilian was promoted to major general (German: ''Generalmajor'') and in April of the same year he was briefly transferred to the
Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches ...
. On 19 April 1941 he took over as commander of the 97th Light Infantry Division (German: '' 97. leichte Infanterie-Division''). With this unit he fought from the beginning of
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
, the attack on the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, in the area of
Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
. On 1 November 1941 the division took the city of Artemovsk and, as a measure for the coming winter, expanded it into a supply and refitting center for the 17th Army. To do this, the division had to bring the city out of range of enemy artillery, which was achieved by further advances to the east and the formation of the Troitskoye-Kalinowo-Kaganowitscha line. Although this line went far beyond the defence capabilities of a division and there was insufficient winter equipment, the division was able to repel enemy attacks by the vastly outnumbered enemy troops throughout December. For the success of his division, Fretter-Pico was awarded 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 ...
on 27 December 1941 and he was then entrusted the leadership of the XXX. Army Corps. On 15 January 1942 he was promoted to
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
(German: ''Generalleutnant'') and on 1 June 1942 to general of the artillery (German: ''
General der Artillerie (English language, en: General of the artillery) may mean: A rank of three-star rank, three-star General of the branch, general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussian A ...
'') and thus commanding general of the corps (German: ''Kommandierender General des Korps''). In the winter of 1942/43, Fretter-Pico led the Fretter-Pico army division (German: ''Armeeabteilung Fretter-Pico''), which was temporarily formed from his corps, and then again the XXX. Army Corps. At the beginning of July 1944 he was briefly reassigned to the
Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches ...
in order to take over command of the 6th Army in the middle of the month, which was destroyed a little later during the Soviet Jassy-Kishinev operation and then had to be reorganised. Due to the subordination of the Hungarian
2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...
and 3rd Army, it was temporarily referred to as the Army Group Fretter-Pico (German: ''Armeegruppe Fretter-Pico''). This formation took part in the
Battle of Debrecen The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the ''Debrecen Offensive Operation'', was a battle taking place from 6 to 29 October 1944 on the Eastern Front in Hungary during World War II. The offensive was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainia ...
, from 6 to 29 October 1944. On 23 December 1944 he gave up his command and was z. b. V. of the
Army High Command The Army High Command (ACE) of Brazil is formed by the Army Commander and other army generals in active service. The country currently holds sixteen active 4-star generals, several of then in command posts, in addition to a post in the Ministry of ...
. On 25 March 1945, he was appointed an assessor in the
court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
in
Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...
of ''
General der Panzertruppe ''General der Panzertruppe'' () was a General of the branch rank of the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a lieutenant general, above major general (''Generalleutnant''), commanding a ...
'' Walter Fries. Contrary to
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's express order, Fries had given up the city of
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, which had been declared a fortress (German: ''Festung''), and withdrew the German troops. The trial ended on 30 March 1945 with Fries' acquittal, and Fretter-Pico was appointed commander of military district IX, based in Kassel (German: '' Wehrkreis IX (Kassel)''), this being his last command. There he was taken
prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...
by the
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
on 22 April 1945, being released in mid-1947.


Post-War Period

In the post-war years he wrote several books in which he dealt with the role 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 ...
. Maximilian Fretter-Pico died at the age of 92 on 4 April 1984 in Kreuth am Tegernsee. He was buried in Cemetery IV of the Jerusalem and New Churches on Bergmannstrasse in
Berlin-Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990, it has ...
, in the hereditary family grave of the Soltmann family, from which his wife Gertrude (1901-1993) was born.


Family

He was the elder brother of
Otto Fretter-Pico __NOTOC__ Otto Fretter-Pico (2 February 1893 – 30 July 1966) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. A veteran of WWI and the younger brother of General Maximilian Fretter-Pico, he took part in operations from Invasion of Pola ...
(one year younger), also a German general 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 ...
.


Awards

*
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 ...
(1914) 2nd Class (12 October 1914) & 1st Class (23 December 1916) * Knight's Cross 2nd Class of the
Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...
with Swords (10 October 1914) *
Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross () was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design ...
of Hamburg (20 January 1918) *
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 (June 1918) *
Clasp to the Iron Cross Clasp, clasper or CLASP may refer to: * Book clasp, fastener for a book cover * Folding clasp, a device used to close a watch strap * Lobster clasp, fastener for jewellery * Wrist clasp, a dressing accessory * Medal bar, an element in militar ...
(1939) 2nd Class (31 October 1939) & 1st Class (16 June 1940) * West Wall Medal (22 November 1940) *
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 Gold as ''
General der Artillerie (English language, en: General of the artillery) may mean: A rank of three-star rank, three-star General of the branch, general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussian A ...
'' and commanding general of the XXX. Armeekorps (19 September 1942) *
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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 lower in precedence than the Grand C ...
** Knight's Cross as ''
Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...
'' and commander of the ''97. leichte Infanterie-Division'' (26 December 1941) ** Oak leaves as ''General der Artillerie'' and commanding general of the XXX. Armeekorps (16 January 1944)


Works

* ''Mißbrauchte Infanterie – Deutsche Infanterie-Divisionen im osteuropäischen Großraum 1941 bis 1944'' ishandled Infantry - German infantry divisions in the Eastern European metropolitan area 1941 to 1944 Verlag für Wehrwesen Bernard & Graefe, Frankfurt am Main, 1957. * ''Verlassen von des Sieges Göttern – (Mißbrauchte Infanterie)'' orsaken by the Gods of Victory - (Mishandled Infantry) Kyffhäuser Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1969.


Bibliography

* Dermot Bradley (Hrsg.): ''Soldatenschicksale des 20. Jahrhunderts, Band 5: Maximilian Fretter-Pico – Die Jahre danach: Erinnerungen des Generals der Artillerie a. D. 1945 bis 1984'' oldier Fates of the 20th Century, Volume 5: Maximilian Fretter-Pico - The Years After: Memories of the General of the Artillery a. D. 1945 to 1984 Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1986, . * Dermot Bradley: ''Die Generale des Heeres 1921 bis 1945, Band 4'' he Generals of the Army 1921 to 1945, Volume 4 Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1996, , S. 75 f.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fretter-Pico, Maximilian 1892 births 1984 deaths Military personnel from Karlsruhe German Army generals of World War II Generals of Artillery (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Reichswehr personnel German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States