Peter Fritz Theodor Wilhelm Hans Poleck (8 November 1905 in Lissa – 27 November 1989) was a German Army officer 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 opposing ...

. He was notable for being a delegate at the

German surrender at Lüneburg Heath On 4 May 1945, at 18:30 British Double Summer Time, at Lüneburg Heath, south of Hamburg, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany including all i ...

as a member of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) command group.

Marital status

He was Protestant and until his death in 1989 married with Ilse Poleck née Roeder. They had three sons.

Wehrmacht

Fritz Poleck belonged from 10 November 1938 to 31 March 1941 to the OKW. He was commanded on 1 April 1941 as First General Staff Officer (Ia) to the 170th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht). With effect from 15 April 1943, its displacement was carried out in the guide reserve of the OKH. By 21 May 1943, he returned as a

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

to the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

Promotion to Major General

In this service position he was promoted in accordance with decision of 9 May 1945 retroactive to 20 April 1945 to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Signing of the partial surrender

On 4 May 1945 on the Timeloberg at

Wendisch Evern Wendisch Evern is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Recent history (Second World War) On 4 May 1945 on the ''Timeloberg'' hill at the edge of Deutsch Evern a German delegation under the command of Hans-Geo ...

he was a signatory to the unconditional surrender to the British of the German forces in the Netherlands, in north west Germany including all islands, and in Denmark and all naval ships in those areas, with Admiral

Hans-Georg von Friedeburg Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (15 July 1895 – 23 May 1945) was a German admiral, the deputy commander of the U-boat Forces of Nazi Germany and the second-to-last Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine. He was the only representative of the armed ...

, General

Eberhard Kinzel __NOTOC__ Eberhard Kinzel (18 October 1897 – 25 June 1945) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Military career Kinzel w ...

, Rear Admiral Gerhard Wagner and Major Hans Jochen Friedel.

Postwar

After his release from captivity in 1947 Poleck completed a business training, which he finished on September 30, 1949. In October 1950 he joined the Gehlen Organization, the forerunner of the

Federal Intelligence Service The Federal Intelligence Service (German: ; , BND) is the foreign intelligence agency of Germany, directly subordinate to the Chancellor's Office. The BND headquarters is located in central Berlin and is the world's largest intelligence head ...

. In 1957, he joined the

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 ...

. On 7 November 1957 Federal President

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor K ...

appointed Fritz Poleck to colonel. Poleck worked officially for the office for military customer. On 31 March 1964 Poleck retired from active service. He died on 27 November 1989.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1939) ** 2nd Class (25 June 1940) ** 1st Class (5 August 1941) *

German Cross in Gold 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 ...

(12 March 1942)Klaus D. Patzwall, Veit Scherzer: ''Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945.'' Band II: ''Geschichte und Inhaber.'' Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, , p. 356. *Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Literature

Klaus D. Patzwall, Veit Scherzer: ''Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945.'' Band II: ''Geschichte und Inhaber.'' Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, , S. 356.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poleck, Fritz 1905 births 1989 deaths German Army personnel of World War II Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany