Franz Böhme
Encyclopedia
Franz Friedrich Böhme (15 April 1885, Zeltweg
, Styria, Austria-Hungary
– 29 May 1947) was an Austrian
who later went on to become a military officer. He served on behalf of the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I
, and as a general
in the German Army
, serving as Commander of the Eighteenth Mountain Army, Hitler's 'Plenipotentiary Commanding General' on the Balkan, and Commander-in-Chief
in German-occupied Norway
. Böhme stood trial in Nuremberg for having massacred thousands of Serbian civilians.
(12 February 1938) stipulated in paragraph 8 that the Austrian chief of staff, Alfred Jansa
, who favoured a military response in case of a German attack, had to be replaced by Franz Böhme.
, he was brought before the Hostages Trial
, a division of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials
, and charged with war crimes committed in Serbia
, during his 1941 control of the region. He had upped the ante of retaliatory strikes against Serbs, killing a hundred Serbs for every German killed, and fifty for every German wounded; this resulted in the massacre of thousands of civilians. When his extradition to Yugoslavia seemed imminent, Böhme committed suicide by jumping from the 4th story of the prison in which he was being held. His body was interred at St. Leonhard-Friedhof in Graz
.
Zeltweg
Zeltweg is a town in Styria, Austria. It is located in the Aichfeld basin of the Mur River in Upper Styria. Larger municipalities in the vicinity are Judenburg, Knittelfeld and Fohnsdorf.-History:...
, Styria, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
– 29 May 1947) was an Austrian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
who later went on to become a military officer. He served on behalf of the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and as a general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the German Army
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, serving as Commander of the Eighteenth Mountain Army, Hitler's 'Plenipotentiary Commanding General' on the Balkan, and Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
in German-occupied Norway
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. Böhme stood trial in Nuremberg for having massacred thousands of Serbian civilians.
Personal life
Böhme's father, Ernst Friedrich, died in 1902, when Franz was 17 years old, and his mother, the former Maria Ludmilla (née Stremayr), died the following year. In 1929, Böhme married Romana Maria Hüller von Hüllenried, the daughter of Generalmajor Karl Rudolf Hüller von Hüllenried.First World War
- 1914: East Galicia (Royal 38th Hungarian Honved Division): Combat at Halicz and Bolszowce; Second Battle of Lemberg; Combat in the Carpathians at Szinna, Uzsoker Pass, Turka and Boryslaw. West Galicia: Battle of Limanova.
- 1915: East Galicia (in the German South Army): Combat in the Carpathians at Beskiden and Zwinin; Battle of Steryj, Battle of Halicz and Battle of Tarnopol; Combat on the Strypa River.
- 1916: East Galicia (in the German South Army): Combat on the Strypa River at Burkanow; Combat on the Zlota-Lipa at Brzeżany.
- 1917: Volhynien-Russia (XXIV Corps): Combat southeast of Vladimir Volynsk (Novi Zagorow). Courland (Prussian General Command for Special Employment 51): Combat at Dünaburg and at Jakobstadt. Italy (XXIV Corps and Second Isonzo Army): 10th, 11th and 12th Isonzo Battles; Advance on the Piave.
- 1918: Italy (First Isonzo Army): Combat on the Piave RiverPiave RiverPiave is a river in north Italy. It begins in the Alps and flows southeast for into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Venice....
. France (Austrian 1st Division): Defensive Battle on the eastern Maas before Verdun with the Prussian V Reserve Corps.
Interwar years
Böhme served in the Austrian army during the interwar years. The Berchtesgaden agreementBerchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
(12 February 1938) stipulated in paragraph 8 that the Austrian chief of staff, Alfred Jansa
Alfred Jansa
Feldmarschalleutnant Alfred Johann Theophil Jansa von Tannenau, was an Austrian Army Officer....
, who favoured a military response in case of a German attack, had to be replaced by Franz Böhme.
Second World War
- 1 July 1939: Commander of the 30th Infantry Division30th Infantry Division (Germany)The 30nd Infantry Division of the German Army was created on 1 October 1936 in Lübeck and mobilized on 26 August 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland...
. - 19 July 1939: Commander of the 32nd Infantry Division32nd Infantry Division (Germany)The 32nd Infantry Division of the German Army was mobilized on August 1, 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland. At that time, it consisted of the usual German infantry division elements: three infantry regiments of three battalions each, one three-battalion regiment of light artillery, one...
, taking part in the invasions of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in September 1939 and of France in May and June 1940. - 28 September 1939: At the same time, delegated with the leadership of II CorpsII Army Corps (Germany)-Commanders:*Generalleutnant Fedor von Bock, creation – April 1935*General der Infanterie Johannes Blaskowitz, April 1935 – 10 November 1938*Generaloberst Adolf Strauß, 10 November 1938 – 30 May 1940...
. - On June 5, 1940 Böhme was given interim leadership of the XXXXIII Corps, replacing General Hermann Ritter von SpeckHermann Ritter von SpeckHermann Ritter von Speck was a highly decorated General der Artillerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
who had received command of the XVIII Mountain CorpsXVIII Corps (Germany)-History:XVIII. ArmeekorpsThe XVIII. Armeekorps was formed in Salzburg, Austria, on 1 April 1938, following the Anschluss of Austria into the German Reich. During the life of the XVIII. Armeekorps, they took part in the Polish campaign, Fall Weiss, and performed occupation duties in France. On the...
. Ten days later, Böhme was given control of that Corps, when Speck was killed near Pont-sur-YonnePont-sur-YonnePont-sur-Yonne is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-References:*...
in France. - 29 June 1940: Awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. - 16 September 1941 - 2 December 1941: At the same time, Commanding General and Commander of SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. - 10 December 1943: Deputy Commanding General of the XVIII Corps and Commander of Wehrkreis [Military District] XVIII, SalzburgSalzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. - 24 June 1944: Delegated with the leadership of the Second Panzer ArmyGerman Second Panzer ArmyThe 2nd Panzer Army was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation within the Wehrmacht Heer field forces during World War II.-Formation:...
in the Balkans. (Böhme succeeded Generaloberst Dr. jur. Lothar RendulicLothar RendulicGeneraloberst Lothar Rendulic was an Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Army officer of Croatian origin who served as a German general during World War II. He commanded the 14. Infanterie-Division, 52. Infanterie-Division, XXXV Armeekorps, 2. Panzer-Armee, 20...
to command of the Second Panzer Army). - 15 July 1944: Badly injured in a flying accident in a Fieseler Fi 156 StorchFieseler Fi 156The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market...
aircraft. - In July 1944 he was transferred to the Army's High Command Leader Reserve, giving up control of the Second Panzer ArmyGerman Second Panzer ArmyThe 2nd Panzer Army was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation within the Wehrmacht Heer field forces during World War II.-Formation:...
to General Maximilian de Angelis - 8 January 1945 - 7 May 1945: Armed Forces Commander of Norway and Commander-in-Chief of the Twentieth Mountain ArmyGerman Twentieth Mountain ArmyThe German Lapland Army was one of the two army echelon headquarters controlling German troops in the far north of Norway and Finland during World War II. It was established in January 1942, and redesignated as the 20th Mountain Army The German Lapland Army (AOK Lappland) was one of the two army...
. (Böhme succeeded Generaloberst Dr. jur. Lothar RendulicLothar RendulicGeneraloberst Lothar Rendulic was an Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Army officer of Croatian origin who served as a German general during World War II. He commanded the 14. Infanterie-Division, 52. Infanterie-Division, XXXV Armeekorps, 2. Panzer-Armee, 20...
in both duty positions).
Trial and suicide
After being captured in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, he was brought before the Hostages Trial
Hostages Trial
The Hostages Trial was held from8 July 1947 until 19 February 1948 and was the seventh of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S...
, a division of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials
Subsequent Nuremberg Trials
The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials were a series of twelve U.S...
, and charged with war crimes committed in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, during his 1941 control of the region. He had upped the ante of retaliatory strikes against Serbs, killing a hundred Serbs for every German killed, and fifty for every German wounded; this resulted in the massacre of thousands of civilians. When his extradition to Yugoslavia seemed imminent, Böhme committed suicide by jumping from the 4th story of the prison in which he was being held. His body was interred at St. Leonhard-Friedhof in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
.
Awards and decorations
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1914)- 2nd Class (1916)
- 1st Class (12 June 1917)
- Karl-Truppen-KreuzKarl Troop CrossThe Karl Troop Cross was instituted on 13 December 1916 by Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary. The cross was awarded until the end of the First World War to soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army , regardless of rank, who had been with a combatant unit for at least twelve weeks and who had actually...
- Cross of HonorCross of HonorThe Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (12 September 1939)
- 1st Class (25 September 1939)
- Order of the Cross of Liberty 1st Class with Oakleaves and SwordsOrder of the Cross of LibertyThere are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty , the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of the two orders, and usually of the Order of the Cross of Liberty as well, Grand Mastership of...
- German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold (10 February 1944) - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 29 June 1940 as Generalleutnant commander of 32. Infanterie-Division