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 (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 ...

and as a

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

general in

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 opposing ...

. 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 and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

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 years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

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. 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 (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

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

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

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 state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the Rhine, the border with Fra ...

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

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

barracks (Kaserne) in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

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 (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), 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 repe ...

in Silver 7 December 1942 General Leutnant, Higher Signals Leader, Luftflotte 1 *

Prussian Crown Order The Royal Order of the Crown (german: Königlicher Kronen-Orden) was a Prussian Order (decoration), order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an honour equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, membership could only be conferred upon commissio ...

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 (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) 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 Meri ...

1st Class with Swords *

2nd Class with Swords * Saxon Albert Order Knight 1st Class with Crown and Swords *

Saxon Long Service Cross The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

* Cross of Honour for Combatants 1914–1918 *

Southwest African Expedition Medal for Combatants The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

1904–1906 *

Armed Forces Long Service Award Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

1st Class (25-year Service) *

3rd Class (12-year Service) * Austrian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration * Germany Army Pilot's Badge

award *

Flyer's Commemorative Badge The Flyer's Commemorative Badge () was a German military decoration awarded to active and reserve personnel who had been honorably discharged from flying duties. Luftwaffe (air force) personnel qualified for the badge after having served as flyer ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahnert, Friedrich 1964 deaths 1879 births People from Limbach-Oberfrohna Military personnel from 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