__NOTOC__ Friedrich Franek (16 July 1891 – 8 April 1976) 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 Cross ...

, 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 ...

. The son of a master baker, Franek joined 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 ...

in 1910 and served with distinction in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, 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 The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a World War I battle fought by the Italian and Austro-Hungarian Armies on the Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 1917. Background On the Soča (Isonzo) River, Luigi Cadorna, the Italian Ch ...

. 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 (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germa ...

, 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 (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

was advancing through

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. At the end of July, during the

Lublin–Brest Offensive The Lublin–Brest Offensive (russian: Люблин‐Брестская наступательная операция, 18 July – 2 August 1944) was a part of the Operation Bagration strategic offensive by the Soviet Red Army to clear the Nazi ...

, he joined battle at

Garwolin Garwolin is a town on the Wilga river in eastern Poland, capital of Garwolin County, situated in the southeast part of the Garwolin plateau in Masovian Voivodeship, 62 km southeast of Warsaw, 100 km northwest of Lublin. As of December ...

with the Soviet

2nd Guards Tank Army The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army, now part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was ...

under the command of Alexei Radzievsky, when the German forces were routed and Franek was taken prisoner. He was released in 1948.

Awards

on 4 November 1941 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 Infanterie-Regiment 405Fellgiebel 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