Kurt Franke
Encyclopedia
Kurt Franke was a Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II. He was also one of only 631 men to be awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp
in Gold.
Kurt Franke was born on the 13 May 1915, in Wurzen
, Saxony
.
In 1935 he volunteered to join the SS and in 1938 served in the concentration camp service of the SS until 1940 when he was transferred to the new SS Division SS Totenkopf as a platoon commander.
During the Battle of France
Franke was awarded the Wound Badge
and the Iron Cross
2nd class.
In 1941 Franke participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union
(Operation Barbarossa
), Franke now an Unterscharführer
(The Waffen-SS use of Unterscharführer was as a junior squad commander, one of several attached to company and platoon sized formations. The rank was considered the equivalent to the first Waffen-SS Officer Candidate rank of SS-Junker), and was awarded the Eastern Front Medal
for service on the Eastern Front
during the 1941 to 1942 winter and the Demyansk Shield
awarded to all troops involved in the battles for the Demyansk Pocket
, thereafter he, along with the rest of the Division was withdrawn to France
to recover.
Kurt Franke returned to the Eastern Front, for the Battle of Kharkov
, where he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class.
He was noticed by his superiors as a man to turn to in difficult situations and time after time was given missions to lead against the Soviet positions for which he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp
in Bronze.
In August 1943 he was involved in the fighting on the Mius-Front
where he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Silver, followed in October 1943 by the award of the Knight's Cross
.
In January 1944, Franke was given the position of the Battalion Ordinance officer. In this capacity Franke on the 21 March gathered a command of store men, radio operators and drivers to cover a gap in the German front at Olgopol. A short time later he returned to command the 11th Company at Kotowsk and was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) in April 1944. For his achievements as the Ordinance officer he was awarded the German Cross
in Gold.
In December 1944, the Totenkopf was sent to Hungary
, together with the SS Wiking Division. Franke and his company was selected to lead the Battalion in the coming fighting and on the 19 January 1945, he was mortally wounded and died in the Hospital.
Two months later when the reports of the fighting had been submitted Franke was given a posthumous award of the Close Combat Clasp
in Gold.
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
(First Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The 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...
, awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during World War II. He was also one of only 631 men to be awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp
Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Gold.
Kurt Franke was born on the 13 May 1915, in Wurzen
Wurzen
Wurzen is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Mulde, here crossed by two bridges, 25 km east of Leipzig, by rail N.E. of Leipzig on the main line to Dresden...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
.
In 1935 he volunteered to join the SS and in 1938 served in the concentration camp service of the SS until 1940 when he was transferred to the new SS Division SS Totenkopf as a platoon commander.
During the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
Franke was awarded the Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound 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...
and the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The 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....
2nd class.
In 1941 Franke participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
), Franke now an Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
(The Waffen-SS use of Unterscharführer was as a junior squad commander, one of several attached to company and platoon sized formations. The rank was considered the equivalent to the first Waffen-SS Officer Candidate rank of SS-Junker), and was awarded the Eastern Front Medal
Eastern Front Medal
The 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...
for service on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
during the 1941 to 1942 winter and the Demyansk Shield
Demyansk Shield
Demyansk Shield is a German military award instituted on April 25, 1943 to commemorate troops who fought in the Demyansk pocket. Requirements for Heer and auxiliary units included honorable service in the besieged area for 60 days or wound or frost-bite in the besieged area, for Luftwaffe — 50...
awarded to all troops involved in the battles for the Demyansk Pocket
Demyansk Pocket
The Demyansk Pocket was the name given for the encirclement of German troops by the Red Army around Demyansk , south of Leningrad, during World War II on the Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February-21 April 1942. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about ...
, thereafter he, along with the rest of the Division was withdrawn to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to recover.
Kurt Franke returned to the Eastern Front, for the Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
, where he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class.
He was noticed by his superiors as a man to turn to in difficult situations and time after time was given missions to lead against the Soviet positions for which he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp
Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Bronze.
In August 1943 he was involved in the fighting on the Mius-Front
Mius-Front
Mius-Front was a heavily fortified defensive line created by the Germans in October 1941 under direction of General Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist along the Mius River during World War II. By summer 1943 the Mius-Front consisted of three defense lines with total depth of the Mius defense range of...
where he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Silver, followed in October 1943 by the award of the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
.
In January 1944, Franke was given the position of the Battalion Ordinance officer. In this capacity Franke on the 21 March gathered a command of store men, radio operators and drivers to cover a gap in the German front at Olgopol. A short time later he returned to command the 11th Company at Kotowsk and was promoted to Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Second Lieutenant) in April 1944. For his achievements as the Ordinance officer he was awarded the German Cross
German Cross
The 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.
In December 1944, the Totenkopf was sent to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, together with the SS Wiking Division. Franke and his company was selected to lead the Battalion in the coming fighting and on the 19 January 1945, he was mortally wounded and died in the Hospital.
Two months later when the reports of the fighting had been submitted Franke was given a posthumous award of the Close Combat Clasp
Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Gold.