Friedrich August Schack
Encyclopedia
Friedrich August Schack (born 27 March 1892, Schmiedeberg im Riesengebirge/Silesia (now Kowary
), died 24 July 1968, Goslar) was a General of Infantry best known for his pyrrhic defense of Caen after the allied invasion, September 1944, and for his brief leadership of the LXXXI Army Corps defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line
.
” No. 6. During the war he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class and other medals. After the war he was transferred to the Reichsheer.
, 24th July 1941, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. On 1st October 1942 he became commander of the war College in Potsdam. On 7th May 1943 he became leader of the 216th Infantry-Division
. On 1st July 1943 Schack was promoted to major general and commander of the 216th Infantry division. Schack led his division in bloody combat in Orel, July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk
, and suffered heavy losses. Some of the surviving soldiers were sent to
Belgium, where they became the 272nd Infantry-Division
. On 15th December 1943 Schack was appointed commander of the division. As such he was promoted, 1st January 1944, to lieutenant general. For leading his division during the defense of Caen after D Day, Schack was awarded, 21st September 1944, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. However, Schack had sustained heavy losses during the battle and was suffering severe combat fatigue. On 4th September 1944 Schack became leader of the LXXXI Army corps, five badly mauled divisions, charged with defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line
. Schack’s superiors became dissatisfied with his performance and replaced him with General Friedrich Köchling
. Beginning 15th November 1944 Schack led the LXXXV army corps in southern France and the Ardennes
for one month. On 26th March 1945 Schack was assigned to lead the XXXII Army corps, on the Oder
near Stettin. On 20th April 1945 Schack was promoted to General of Infantry and commanding general of the XXXII Army corps. At war’s end the Allies imprisoned him. They released him 24 March 1948.
Kowary
Kowary is a town in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.It lies approximately south-east of Jelenia Góra, and south-west of the regional capital Wrocław.-History:...
), died 24 July 1968, Goslar) was a General of Infantry best known for his pyrrhic defense of Caen after the allied invasion, September 1944, and for his brief leadership of the LXXXI Army Corps defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
.
World War I
Schack enlisted in the army, 6th August 1914, as a volunteer in Hussar regiment No. 1. In September 1915 he joined infantry regiment No. 195 as second lieutenant. His rank became official 23rd March 1914. Schack fought throughout World War I as a platoon leader, battalion and regimental adjutant. On 3rd April 1918 Schack transferred to the 1st West Prussian infantry regiment “Count Kleist von NollendorfFriedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf
Friedrich Emil Ferdinand Heinrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf , born and died in Berlin, was a Prussian field marshal and a member of the old junker family von Kleist....
” No. 6. During the war he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class and other medals. After the war he was transferred to the Reichsheer.
Interwar
In the so called transition army, spring 1920, Schack served in Reichsheer infantry regiment 9. While helping to train 100,000 men he moved to the 8th Prussian Infantry Regiment, where in autumn 1921 he served as battalion adjutant. On 1st April 1923 Schack was promoted to first lieutenant. In spring 1924 and 1925 he belonged to the 12the MG (Maschinengewehr / machine gun) company of the 8th Prussian Infantry Regiment in Görlitz. In spring 1926 and 1927 he moved to the 8th MG company of the 8the Prussian Infantry Regiment in Glogau. In the autumn Schack was appointed commander of 14th Company of the 8th Prussian Infantry Regiment in Lübben. As such, he was promoted to captain, 1st April 1928. In 1928/29 Schack was appointed, for the next 5 years, commander of the 8th MG company of the 8th Prussian Infantry Regiment in Glogau. Finally Schack was shifted (1934) as a major and tactics teacher to the war college in Dresden. There he became, 1st October 1937, lieutenant colonel.World War II
On 1st October 1938 Schack was appointed commander of MG battalion 15, and fought in the Polish campaign at the outbreak of the Second World War, September 1939. On 18th January 1940 Schack was named commander of infantry regiment 392, which he led during the western campaign in spring 1940. On 1st October he was promoted to colonel. In June 1941 Schack fought in Russia. For the capture of SallaSalla
Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, 24th July 1941, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. On 1st October 1942 he became commander of the war College in Potsdam. On 7th May 1943 he became leader of the 216th Infantry-Division
216th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 216th Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 by reorganizing several Border Defense and Army Reserve units from Lower Saxony, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Hannover...
. On 1st July 1943 Schack was promoted to major general and commander of the 216th Infantry division. Schack led his division in bloody combat in Orel, July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, and suffered heavy losses. Some of the surviving soldiers were sent to
Belgium, where they became the 272nd Infantry-Division
272nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 272nd Infantry Division was a Type 1944 infantry division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, that was originally formed in December 1943...
. On 15th December 1943 Schack was appointed commander of the division. As such he was promoted, 1st January 1944, to lieutenant general. For leading his division during the defense of Caen after D Day, Schack was awarded, 21st September 1944, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. However, Schack had sustained heavy losses during the battle and was suffering severe combat fatigue. On 4th September 1944 Schack became leader of the LXXXI Army corps, five badly mauled divisions, charged with defending Aachen and the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
. Schack’s superiors became dissatisfied with his performance and replaced him with General Friedrich Köchling
Friedrich Köchling
Friedrich Köchling was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
. Beginning 15th November 1944 Schack led the LXXXV army corps in southern France and the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
for one month. On 26th March 1945 Schack was assigned to lead the XXXII Army corps, on the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
near Stettin. On 20th April 1945 Schack was promoted to General of Infantry and commanding general of the XXXII Army corps. At war’s end the Allies imprisoned him. They released him 24 March 1948.
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 (22 March 1916)
- 1st Class (29 March 1918)
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(1914)- in Black
- 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...
- Sudetenland MedalSudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
- 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 (10 October 1939)
- 1st Class (25 June 1940)
- Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight'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 24 July 1941 as OberstOberstOberst is a military 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 rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 392 - 597th Oak Leaves on 21 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 272.Infanterie-Division
- Knight's Cross on 24 July 1941 as Oberst
- Mentioned twice in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
(4 August 1944 and 27 August 1944)