Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden of Alois Windisch

Alois Windisch (3 February 1892 – 28 December 1958) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Along with

Friedrich Franek __NOTOC__ Friedrich Franek (16 July 1891 – 8 April 1976) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Along with Alois Windisch, he was one of only two recipients of both the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cro ...

, 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 (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), 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. The Knight' ...

and the Knight's Cross of the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

, the highest military honour of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

Career

As a young officer in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

, Windisch served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Among other decorations, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa (11 December 1925). A first lieutenant in 1918, he remained in the Army of the newly founded Austrian Republic. Promoted to captain in 1921 (1 January 1921), he was selected for General Staff Training and graduated on top of his class. A full colonel in the Austrian General Staff since 1936 (promotion 24 June 1936) and senior tactics teacher, Windisch was well known for his refusal of the Nazi movement. After the Nazi take over in Austria (13 March 1938), he was considered "politically unreliable", expelled from the General Staff Corps, put on administrative leave and earmarked for forced retirement. The beginning of

(1 September 1939) and the resulting need for experienced military leaders led to his assignment as commanding officer of a Mountain Infantry Regiment (Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 139). After the fall of Poland, he and his regiment took part in

Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...

, the invasion of Norway. Following the campaign, he was awarded the

. Alois Windisch surrendered to the Soviet troops in 1945 and was extradited to Yugoslavia. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment but was released in 1953.

Awards and decorations

on 20 June 1940 as ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' and commander of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 139Fellgiebel 2000, p. 363.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Windisch, Alois 1892 births 1958 deaths Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austrian military personnel of World War II People from Lower Austria Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class Recipients of the Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Austrian prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by the Soviet Union Austrian people imprisoned abroad People extradited to Yugoslavia Austrian Nazis convicted of war crimes Theresian Military Academy alumni