Friedrich "Fritz" (von) Franek
Date of Birth: 16.07.1891 - Wien (Austria-Hungary)
Date of Death: 08.04.1976 - Wien (Austria)
Doctorate In Political Science: 20 May 1924
Promotions:
Fähnrich (18 Aug 1910); Leutnant (01 May 1913); Oberleutnant (01 Mar 1915); Hauptmann (01 Nov 1918); Major (Titel) (01 Jan 1921); Stabs-Hauptmann (23 Jun 1923); Major (27 Sep 1927); Oberstleutnant (15 Dec 1934); Oberst (01 Dec 1940); Generalmajor (20 Apr 1942); Generalleutnant (01 Apr 1943)
Career:
Entered Austrian Army Service (18 Aug 1910)
Fähnrich in the 41st Infantry-Regiment (18 Aug 1910-01 May 1913)
Platoon-Commander, Regiments-Adjutant and Company-Commander in the 63rd Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1913-1917)
Leader of Divisions-Assault-Company (1917-1918)
Leader of a Divisions-Assault-Battalion (1918-00 Apr 1919)
Detached to General-Staff-Aspirant-Course in Belgrade (00 Apr 1918-00 Jun 1918)
In the General-Staff of the 35th Infantry-Troop-Division (00 Jun 1918-00 Oct 1918)
In the General-Staff of the 62nd Infantry-Troop-Division (00 Oct 1918-1919)
Company-Commander then Battalion-Adjutant in the 2nd Infantry-Regiment (1919-01 May 1921)
Assigned to the 2nd Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1921-09 Aug 1921)
Detached to Studies of State-Sciences at the University Of Vienna (09 Aug 1921-1922)
Instructor at different Troop-Schools (1922-1925)
Course for Higher Service, General-Staff-Training (1925-01 Oct 1929)
Assigned to the War Archives in Vienna (01 Oct 1929-22 Nov 1933)
Transferred to Brigade-Command 1 (22 Nov 1933-01 Oct 1934)
Tactics-Instructor at the Theresian Military Academy, Wiener Neustadt (01 Oct 1934-10 Nov 1938)
Transferred to the German Army (15 Mar 1938)
Transferred to the Staff of the 32nd Infantry-Regiment (10 Nov 1938-01 Apr 1939)
Commander of the I. Battalion of the 98th Mountain-Jäger-Regiment (01 Apr 1939-06 Feb 1940)
Commander of the 634th Infantry-Regiment (06 Feb 1940-30 Aug 1940)
Führer-Reserve OKH (30 Aug 1940-21 Oct 1940)
Commander of the 405th Infantry-Regiment (21 Oct 1940-12 Sep 1941)
Severely Wounded, In Hospital, Führer-Reserve OKH (12 Sep 1941-01 Mar 1942)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 196th Infantry-Division (01 Mar 1942-01 Apr 1942)
Commander of the 196th Infantry-Division (01 Apr 1942-24 Dec 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (24 Dec 1943-01 Jan 1944)
Commander of the 44th Reichs-Grenadier-Division Hoch und Deutschmeister (01 Jan 1944-01 May 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKH (01 May 1944-26 Jun 1944)
Commander of the 73rd Infantry-Division (26 Jun 1944-29 Jul 1944)
In Soviet Captivity (29 Jul 1944-22 Jul 1948)
Released (22 Jul 1948)
Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz: am 04.11.1941 als Oberst und Kommandeur des Infanterie-Regiment 405
- RK des k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Maria-Theresia-Ordens: am 10.06.1921 (für die Kämpfe bei Flondar, 11. Isonzoschlacht, vom 17. bis 24.08.1917 als Oberleutnant und Kompanieführer im Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 63)
- 1914 EK II
- k.u.k. Österr. Erinnerungs-Kreuz 1912/1913
- k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Verdienstkreuz III. Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration
- k.u.k. Österr. Bronzene Militär-Verdienst-Medaille (“Signum Laudis”) am Bande des Militär-Verdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern
- k.u.k. Österr. Silberne Militär-Verdienst-Medaille (“Signum Laudis”) am Bande des Militär-Verdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern
- k.u.k. Österr. Karl-Truppen-Kreuz
- k.u.k. Österr. Verwundetenmedaille mit 3. Mittelstreifen
- k.u.k. Österr. Goldene Tapferkeitsmedaille für Offiziere
- Österr. Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille mit Schwertern
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis III. Klasse
- Spange zum EK II
- 1939 EK I
- Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942”
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Generalleutnant
Friedrich Franek was born on the 16th of July 1891 in Vienna, the son
of a master baker. After attending a junior high school he entered the
Infantry cadet school at Liebenau near Graz. He graduated from there on
the 18th August 1910 as a Fähnrich (Senior Officer Cadet) and was
assigned to Infanterie-Regiment 41 then garrisoned at Czernowitz in the
Bukowina. Commissioned on the 1st of May 1913 he was posted as a platoon
commander to IR.63 at Bestercze in the Siebenbürgen. He participated in
the battle of Lemberg on the 8th of September 1914 and was wounded in
the mouth, neck and chest during an assault East of Grodek. Promoted to
Oberleutnant on 1st March 1915 he returned to duty as a company
commander in April. He was again lightly wounded on the 15th of June
during an assault on Krakowiec when a shot grazed his head. Returning to
duty for the third time in October 1915, Franek assumed another company
command appointment during the defensive fighting on the River
Serwetsch East of Baranowitshi but was stricken with Typhus in early
February 1916. He returned to the front for the fourth and last time in
the middle of June 1916. He variously held company command and the
appointment of regimental adjutant of IR.63 in this period.
In
June 1917 the regiment moved to the Southwest front as part of the
35.Infanterie-Division and participated in the 10th and 11th battles of
the Isonzo. 35.Infanterie-Division, then commanded by
Feldmarschalleutnant Eugen von Podhoránszky was subordinated to
Feldmarschalleutnant Maximilian von Csicseric's XXIII. Korps. XXIII.
Korps was in turn subordinated to Abschnitt III or the Sector Command of
General der Infanterie Johann Ritter von Henriquez with responsibility
for the Southernmost sector of the Isonzo Front. Facing
35.Infanterie-Division on this sector were the men of the Italian XIII
Corps of the Duke of Aosta's 3rd Army.
Franek as the company commander of 17./IR.63 held the
North slope of the especially important and exposed hill 146 which was
itself situated approximately 500 metres to the Northeast of the village
of Flondar about five kilometres East of Monfalcone. The regiment held a
line of fortified caverns in the forward line. On the 17th and 18th of
August 1917 with the commencement of the 11th battle, the position came
under heavy Italian drum fire. The Italian infantry attacked on the 19th
of August and by early morning had succeeded in breaking into various
parts of the Austrian position. Franek's company mounted a surprise
counter-attack and caught the enemy unawares from the rear retaking two
captured caverns. At the same time the neighbouring 18./IR.63 to the
left (South) had been pushed back so the left flank of Franek's company
was placed in considerable danger. By a further energetic and decisive
attack the enemy was thrown back off the Austrian positions and the
situation was restored. Similar attacks were mounted with increasing
ferocity over the following days. Early on the morning of the 20th
August the enemy attacked the position to the South while simultaneously
suppressing the defending company with heavy artillery fire. When after
a hard struggle the heavily weakened company holding the sector to the
left had been overwhelmed and partly wiped out, the enemy then stormed
from the South against the now open flank of the 17th Company. At this
critical juncture, Franek decided to mount a counter-attack with his
company reserve and succeeded in throwing back the Italians, retaking
the just lost position to the South. The 30 strong counter-attack force
followed up their success pursuing the now retreating Italians and took
captive the occupants of two cavern positions recently lost to the
enemy. However Franeks' weakened company was now compelled to give up
their exposed position on hill 146 as the neighbouring companies on
either flank had withdrawn. The battle for the hill see-sawed with it
being retaken again on the morning of the 21st, lost again that evening
at 2145 hours in bitter hand to hand fighting only to be retaken yet
again by Franek's 17./IR.63. The Italians attacked for the sixth time at
1400 hours on the 22nd August and indeed this was the most difficult
day since the commencement of the battle on the 17th. Like all the
previous attacks the flanks of Franek's position were lost, yet
surrounded on three sides 17th Company held its positions. The seventh
and last enemy attack was also held on the 23rd of August. IR.63 was at
last relieved on hill 146 at 0500 hours on the morning of the 24th
August.
Franek
assumed command of the divisional assault company later expanded to
battalion strength in the middle of September 1917. He had additionally
by then been awarded the Golden Bravery Medal for officers. In April of
the following year he was assigned to a general staff officer aspirant
course held in Belgrade and in June returned to the 35.ID. as a staff
officer. He was posted to the staff of 62.ID. in October and promoted to
captain a few days before the wars end on the 1st of November 1918.
Franek
remained in the Austrian Bundesheer after the war and for his own
personal gallantry and that of his company during the battles at hill
146 was awarded the Knights' Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa in the
187th awards ceremony on 10th June 1921. Between 1919 and 1929 he served
as a company commander, battalion adjutant and instructor at military
schools. He qualified as a Doctor of political science on the 20th of
May 1924 and was promoted to Major on the 27th of September 1927. From
the Spring of 1925 he had attended General Staff training and on the 1st
of October 1929 he was seconded to the War Archives in Vienna. Whilst
at the War Archives he participated in authoring the multi-volume
official Austrian history of the First World War. From 1st October 1934
until the 1st November 1938 he was a tactics instructor at the Maria
Theresa Military Academy at Wiener-Neustadt having been promoted to
Obserstleutnant on the 15th of November 1934. Following the annexation
of Austria by Germany he was transferred into the Wehrmacht in his then
present rank as a battalion commander in IR.32 at Teplitz-Schönau and
progressed through regimental and divisional command. He was awarded the
Knights' Cross of the Iron Cross on 4th November 1941 for bravery
whilst commanding IR.405. Probably his most notable command was a four
month stint leading the famous Austrian 44.ID. "Hoch und Deutschmeister
in the Spring of 1944 at Monte Cassino. Captured by the Russians whilst
commanding 73.ID. General Franek remained a prisoner of war until 22nd
July 1948. The General died in Vienna on the 8th April 1976.
Of
note is the fact that General Franek and General Alois Windisch were
the only two officers of the former Austro-Hungarian army to be awarded
both the Knights' Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa and the Knights'
Cross of the Iron Cross. Uniquely General Franek was the only individual
to win both the above mentioned awards and the Golden Bravery Medal for
Officers.
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Source :
Hill60 photo collection
http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/biog/franek.htm
https://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalleutnant/FRANEK_FRIEDRICH.html
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