Franz Griesbach

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Franz Griesbach
Franz Griesbach I.jpg
Birth date 21 December 1892(1892-12-21)
Place of birth Brück in der Mark, Kreis Zauch-Belzig, Regierungsbezirk Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 24 September 1984 (aged 91)
Place of death Lage (Lippe), North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Rank Major General
Commands held Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 467
I./Infanterie-Regiment 589
I./Infanterie-Regiment 391
Grenadier-Regiment 399
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work Teacher

Franz Friedrich Johann Griesbach (1892–1984) was a German veteran of WWI, a teacher and and an officer of the Wehrmacht, finally Major General and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in World War II.

Life

Military reserve exercises
Franz Griesbach IIa.jpg
Franz Griesbach IIb.jpg
Franz Griesbach III.jpg
Brother Georg Erich Griesbach (1902–1943)
On 16 February 1944, it was Oberfeldwebel Gustav Stühmer who saved the life of his commander. On 15 January 1944, the defensive battles of Novgorod and Leningrad began, followed by the subsequent fighting retreat to Pskov and Narva. Griesbach achieved another major defensive success when he and his soldiers halted the advancing enemy, thus enabling the withdrawal of an entire army. On the fateful day of 16 February 1944, Griesbach was severely wounded by a grenade. During this attack, Knight's Cross recipient Sergeant Major of the Reserves Stühmer was ⚔ after lying protectively over his regimental commander, Griesbach.[1] Stühmer was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross for this exceptionally brave and selfless act.

Franz Griesbach was born the son of a ship lock manager (Schleusenverwalter). From Easter 1899 to December 1904, he attended the elementary school in Putlitz (Kreis Prignitz), from January to October 1905, after his father had been transferred once again, he attended school in Kersdorf (Oder-Spree Canal) and until Easter 1907 school in Brandenburg an der Havel.

  • 1907 to 1910 Preparatory school in Genthin
  • 21 December 1910 to 13 March 1913 Teacher training college (Lehrerseminar) in Genthin
    • Easter 1913 Completed with the first state teaching examination
  • 4 August to 15 September 1913 Teacher
  • 1 October 1913 to 31 March 1914 Teacher
  • 1 April 1914 Joined the 4th Company/I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment "Prinz Louis Ferdinand von Preußen" (2. Magdeburgisches) Nr. 27 as a one-year volunteer in order to complete his mandatory military service
  • 1914 to 1918 World War I
    • Griesbach, like so many young soldiers, was caught off guard by the First World War. What was supposed to be 12 months turned into five years. On August 2, 1914, the regiment went into battle for the first time. He fought bravely, was wounded several times, was ordered to training courses for company commanders and general staff officers, and was himself deployed as a company leader.
  • 18 January 1919 Discharged from active military service
    • returned home and spent c. two weeks with his parents
  • 1 February 1919 to 31 August 1920 Teacher in Badeleben, Kreis Neuhaldensleben, Province of Saxony
    • 12 February with effect from 1 February 1919 Provisionally employed
    • 14 May 1919 Appointment certificate
    • 26 March 1920 Completed with the second state teaching examination
    • 28 August 1920 Definitely employed as a teacher
  • 1 September 1920 to 4 December 1938 Teacher (Volksschule) in Großwusterwitz / Groß Wusterwitz, Kreis Jerichow II, Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg, Province of Saxony
  • 1 April 1936 Appointed reserve officer of the Wehrmacht (transferred to the officers on leave)
  • 1 December to 4 December 1938 Voluntary reserve exercise
  • 5 December 1938 to 28 February 1939 Reserve exercise and (as of 16 December 1938) probationary period as a supplementary officer candidate
  • 28 February 1939 Approved by the Regional President in Magdeburg for appointment as a supplementary officer in the army
  • 1 June with effect from 1 March 1939 Employed as an Ergänzungsoffizier (Supplementary Officer) of the Heer (Wehrmacht)
    • assigned to the Infanterie-Regiment 12 as commander of the 6th Replacement Company in Halberstadt
  • 26 August 1939 Appointed commander of the 10th Company/Infanterie-Regiment 467/267. Infanterie-Division
    • After its formation was completed, the division was transferred in September 1939 to the Düren area and later to the Monschau area to guard the border with Belgium.
  • 18 September 1939 Transferred to the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 467 (Replacement Battalion Leader Reserve)
  • 6 April 1940 Again appointed commander of the 10th Company/Infanterie-Regiment 467/267. Infanterie-Division
  • 15 May 1940 Commanded to the training course for battalion commanders in Königsbrück
  • 6 June 1940 Appointed commander of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 467
    • Infantry Replacement Battalion 467 was subordinate to Division 191 and provided replacements for the 267th Infantry Division, which participated in the Battle of France. The replacement battalion itself, however, does not appear to have taken direct part in the fighting.
  • 1 November 1940 Appointed commander of the III. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 50
  • 7 December 1940 Transferred to the Infanterie-Ersatz-Regiment 267 (Replacement Battalion Leader Reserve)
  • 15 December 1940 Appointed commander of the I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 589
  • 1 May / 5 June 1941 (depending on the source) Again appointed commander of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 467
  • 16 September 1941 Leader Reserve (Führerreserve) Army Group Command South
  • 26 September 1941 Appointed commander of the I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 391
    • 26 October to 15 November 1941 Leader of the regiment, representing the commander
    • 16 January to 3 February 1942 Leader of the regiment, representing the commander
    • 29 March to 16 April 1943 Leader of the regiment, representing the commander
  • 17 April 1942 Delegated with the leadership of the Infanterie-Regiment 399 as successor to Colonel Ruckser
  • 29 July with effect from 1 August 1942 Appointed commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 399/170. Infanterie-Division
    • 15 October 1942 renamed Grenadier-Regiment 399
  • 16 February 1944 Severely wounded
    • Medical Company 2/227, then War Military Hospital (motorized) 1/531 in Wesenberg (Rakvere), Estonia
  • 20 February 1944 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve

The news of the award of the Swords reached him in the military hospital; furthermore, he was promoted to Major General on 1 August 1944 for bravery. Griesbach spent many months in the reserve military hospital in Görden (Brandenburg) and appears never to have returned to active duty. According to military records, it was determined in mid-September 1944 that he would not be able to return to limited duty until January 1945 at the earliest. On 23 December 1944, one day before Christmas, it was predicted that his recovery would take at least another three months. On 2 January 1945, it was again predicted that his recovery and limited return to duty would take at least another four months. After the invasion of the Red Army, Griesbach was abducted from the hospital and deported to the east in April 1945 and only returned home in October 1949.

Wounds

  • 29 May 1915 Wounded in the thigh by a rifle bullet
  • 30 May 1916 Wounded in the back of the head by shrapnel
  • 16 July 1916 Buried (under rubble) with severe bruising
    • 31 July 1918 Bronchial catarrh (return to the troops on 18 September 1918)
  • 4 November 1918 Slightly wounded in the back by fragments of an artillery shell
  • Early 1942 Slightly wounded
  • 16 February 1944 Severely wounded: entry wound at the level of the elbow crease, elbow joint shattered and exposed, upper arm shattered and partially torn off; shrapnel wound in the middle of the right thigh with fragmentation from the femur; small fragment in the right pectoral muscle, fragment in the medial side of the left calcaneus; two small fragments in the back muscles.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Knight's Cross

At 0600 on 15 January 1942, during the fighting in the Crimea, the Infanterie-Regiment 391 commenced a hasty attack with its I. Battalion in the lead. The regiment fought its way past Hill 200 and was able to capture Hill 175 despite a fierce opposing resistance. The regiment continued its attack on the following day through difficult terrain that was covered in ravines. All throughout this time the regiment’s leader, Major Griesbach, showed great bravery and command abilities, which were invaluable in enabling the regiment (which was practically at battalion strength) to succeed in its goals. His skillful leadership meant that Hill 251.4 was also captured, and his independent decision to retake Hill 175 after it had temporarily fallen, was of great importance for the continued combat of the division. His efforts during this time were crucial in ensuring the fall of Feodosia on the 18 January 1942. He would be awarded the Knight’s Cross in recognition.

Oak Leaves

The following newspaper article (dated 29/30 May 1943) describes why Griesbach received the Oakleaves:

“The Oberst was in the Thick of It:
As was just recently reported, Colonel Franz Griesbach was awarded the Oak Leaves. His decisive feat-of-arms was the sealing off of a deep enemy penetration south of Lake Ladoga. We know the following concerning this action;
Colonel Griesbach launched an assault operation that demonstrated that, although the Soviets may be superior in numbers, they’re much more lacking in the realm of actual combat ability. This deliberate counterattack was initiated on the Colonel’s own initiative and conducted with the battle-weary troops of his III. Battalion. In the combat which followed, the commander fought at the spearhead of the foremost company, crushing one resistance nest after another and directing his shock troops and artillery observer onto appropriate targets. He was also the first to experience the enemy’s blocking fire. After more than half of the penetration area had been recaptured after a five-and-a-half hour battle, he moved to the sector of his I. Battalion, which was positioned on the Bolsheviks’ right flank. With these men he launched a surprise onslaught against the enemy without any artillery preparation. It was not long before he and his troops succeeded in entering the positions of the Soviets, who now found themselves pushed into an ever more narrow space in-between the two German battalions. They suffered extremely heavy casualties as a result, with about 2000 dead Bolsheviks remaining on the battlefield once hostilities had ceased. 338 prisoners were taken, while 5 tanks, 24 artillery pieces and 149 mortars/machine-guns were either destroyed or captured. This victory was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht of the 25 March 1943.”

The Soviet penetration mentioned in the article took place near Krasny Bor, and before Griesbach launched his counterattack, it had reached a depth of 2 km.

Swords

Awarded for his actions near Leningrad in January 1944. On 17 January 1944, his combat group (Kampfgruppe) destroyed 69 hostile tanks near the village of Pelellja. Later, the Kampfgruppe recaptured the heights near Duderhof, which had fallen to the Soviets on 18 January 1944. Griesbach would also distinguish himself on 23 January 1944, when he lead his Kampfgruppe to success in a counter-thrust at Gatschina. Ultimately, his Kampfgruppe managed to prevent a Soviet breakthrough south of Leningrad, and Griesbach would be recognized appropriately for this achievement.

Family

Franz was the son of Johann Friedrich Franz Griesbach (b. 20 July 1856 in Bomsdorf, Kreis Guben; d. 11 June 1912 in Plaue an der Havel) and his wife Karoline, née Matthes (b. 12 April 1861 in Brück; d. 3 April 1916 in Neuruppin). He had three siblings, among them teacher and children's author Georg Erich Griesbach (b. 5 February 1902 in Putlitz) who served with the Luftwaffe in WWII as a 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves,[2] was diagnosed with stomach cancer and chose to end his life in a Berlin military hospital on 23 March 1943.

Marriages

On 13 October 1921 in Meerane (Saxony), Griesbach married his fiancée Martha Matthes (b. 20 August 1893 in Wittgensdorf near Chemnitz), daughter of Reich Postal Assistant Richard Otto Matthes. They would have two sons:

  • Walter (b. 20 May 1924 in Groß Wusterwitz), war service with the Wehrmacht, MIA on 1 July 1944 (presumed ⚔) on the Eastern Front
  • Jürgen (b. 25 May 1934 in Groß Wusterwitz)

Martha Griesbach tragically fell severely ill and died in 1940. On 31 March 1942, Major Griesbach received permission to marry Gertrud Murmann (b. 2 September 1907), daughter of head teacher (Hauptlehrer) Gustav-Friedrich Murmann and his wife Klara, née Pieper, and did so on 11 April 1942. Since the death of his first wife, his sons had been living with his mother-in-law, who was sick and no longer able to care for her grandchildren.

Promotions

  • 1 April 1914 One-year volunteer (Einjährig-Freiwilliger)
  • 6 September 1914 Gefreiter (Private E-2 / Lance Corporal)
  • 29 December 1914 Unteroffizier (NCO / Corporal / Junior Sergeant)
  • 10 May 1916 Vizefeldwebel (Vice Sergeant)
  • 23 August 1916 Leutnant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves)

Wehrmacht

  • 1 April 1936 Leutnant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 30 December 1919 (2)
  • 21 February 1938 Oberleutnant der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of the Reserves) with effect from 1 March 1938 and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 May 1937 (341)
  • 1 June 1939 Hauptmann (E); Ergänzungsoffizier (Captain; Supplementary Officer) with effect from 1 March 1939 and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 May 1934 (188b)
  • 20 October 1940 Major (E); Ergänzungsoffizier (Major; Supplementary Officer) with effect from 1 August 1940 (86a)
    • 30 December 1941 transferred to the active officers as Major (Tr.O.) with effect from 1 December 1941 and RDA from 1 August 1940 (121)
  • 20 April 1942 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 April 1942 (211a)
  • 10 March 1943 Oberst (Colonel) with effect from 1 January 1943 and RDA from 1 December 1942 (67b)
  • 1 August 1944 Generalmajor (Major General)

Awards and decorations

Gallery

  • Franz Griesbach, WWI.jpg
  • Franz Griesbach, Ritterkreuz.jpg
  • Franz Griesbach IV.jpg
  • Franz Griesbach, April 1944.jpg

Sources

  • German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/1307 and PERS 6/299746

References

  1. ↑ Gustav Stühmer, findagrave.com
  2. ↑ Griesbach, Georg, Leutnant d. R., BArch PERS 6/241545
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