Fritz Goecke

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Fritz Goecke
Fritz Goecke.jpeg
Birth date 25 April 1904(1904-04-25)
Place of birth German Empire
Death date 4 July 1990 (aged 86)
Place of death Federal Republic of Germany
Allegiance  Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).png Reichswehr
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Years of service 1925–1935
1935–1945
Rank Colonel
Commands held Panzer-Regiment 6
Chef HPA/A
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Iron Cross
German Cross in Gold

Fritz Goecke (25 April 1904 – 4 July 1990) was a German officer of the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht as well as recipient of the German Cross in Gold during WWII.

Life

Presumably after school, apprenticeship and being employed for a while, Goecke joined the Reichswehr in October 1925, served as an enlisted man as well as a NCO and was commissioned in 1931 serving in the 1st Company (Stuttgart-Canstatt) of the 5. Kraftfahr-Abteilung,[1] one of seven battalions (until 1934) who had the task of supplying the fighting troops. In addition to many other vehicles, the companies included five armored personnel carriers, each with two heavy machine guns. Within the Wehrmacht, the Kraftfahr-Abteilungen would build the basis for the reconnaissance battalions and later for the armored reconnaissance battalions (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilungen) and the Panzer regiments.

Goecke was eventually transferred to the Panzer-Regiment 7 in Vaihingen (Württemberg), where he would become a company commander. At the end of July 1939, the regiment began to pack up in order to take part in an exercise by the 1st Army Corps in East Prussia. It was also take part in the Tannenberg memorial parade. On 3 August 1939, Königsberg was reached and the regiment was unloaded again. Some soldiers even had the opportunity to help the locals in East Prussia bring in their harvest. On 8 August 1939, the regiment did an exercise with SS-Verfügungstruppe units, as they had previously hardly been able to practice together with tanks.

WWII

On the morning of 1 September 1939, the regiment under Colonel Franz Landgraf was ready for action at the Polish border at 3:30 a.m. The regiment was subordinate to the Panzer Division "Kempf" (also known as the Panzerverband "East Prussia") under Major General Werner Kempf. In addition to the regiment, the SS Infantry Regiment (motorized) Deutschland, the SS Artillery Regiment, the Pioneer Battalion 505, the SS Reconnaissance Battalion and other units fought as part of the division. This division was subordinate to the 1st Army Corps under General der Artillerie Walter Petzel, and at times also to the 2nd Army Corps under General der Infanterie Adolf Strauß. The corps was part of the 3rd Army under General der Artillerie Georg von Küchler. All of the units mentioned belonged to Army Group North under Colonel General Fedor von Bock.

The fighting in the first days was harsch, the regiment had many casualties, the light tanks (Panzerkampfwagen I) were having great problems with the Polish tank barriers. On 13 September 1939, the 5th Company under Captain Goecke received the order from Colonel Landgraf to advance via Seroczyn – Lomnica – Wodynie to Olesnica – Ruda and to attack the enemy who broke through there. For this purpose, he also had a SS infantry company and a motorized 10.5 cm gun with him. He was also in radio communication with a battery that depended on cooperation. First of all, the 5th Company quickly recovered the tanks of the 1st Company that had been left behind. Immediately before the rescue was carried out, Captain Goecke had the gun bombard targets in Borki in an open firing position and with direct aim. He also radioed the battery to launch a fire attack on Strachomina in order to eliminate any flanking fire from the enemy from there. The tanks were then quietly recovered and the three destroyed anti-tank guns were brought back as loot. The unit then headed north to carry out its mission. When the Goecke reached Lomnica, he learned from German forces there that Wodynie was under enemy occupation. The Goecke unit was taken out of Wodynie in the dark and moved into the Zgornica area and secured there, but victory was near.

On 3 October 1939, at 9:45 a.m., the regiment marched towards East Prussia. The regiment crossed the German border between Kucklin and Wetzhausen. It moved to the old quarters in the Kommusin forest. 19 of the regiment's fallen soldiers were buried in Wetzhausen. The regimental staff celebrated on 4 October 1939 in the Kommusin forestry department, the 1st Battalion in the Springborn forestry department and the 2nd Battalion in the Wolfsgarten forestry department. On 5 and 6 October 1939, the regiment prepared for an upcoming parade in honor of the division commander. On 7 October 1939, the parade took place to mark the dissolution of the Panzer-Division "Kempf". Captain Goecke was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross for his exceptional servive during the Poland Campaign. The regiment was now subordinated to the 10th Panzer Division.

On 1 November 1939, Goecke was appointed commander of the 1st Company/Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 7 (replacement battalion). In the last days of November 1939, the regiment, since 15 October 1939 under Lieutenant Colonel Bruno Ritter von Hauenschild, was moved by rail to the area around Limburg an der Lahn and thus moved closer to the border with France. On 1 January 1940, Goecke ws transferred to the Panzer Troops School in Wünsdorff. On 16 May 1940, he was commanded to the 3rd department (Panzer and supply troops; 3. Abteilung) of the Amtsgruppe P 1 (planning human resources, personnel management of the officers; Ag P 1) with the OKH Army Personnel Office (Heerespersonalamt; HPA). His service was very satisfactory, on 1 October 1940 he was officially transferred to the Army Personnel Office and appointed consultant (Referent).

On 20 May 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Goecke was appointed commander of the 3rd Battalion of the new Panzer-Regiment 36. The former regiment had been destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad. The 3rd Battalion was still in the setup and completed on 25 April 1943. In July 1943, the 1st Battalion was converted to the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, the III. Department received assault guns. In October 1943, the regiment returned to Russia, but Goecke was placed in the Führerreserve (leader reserve) and received leave. On 6 January 1944, shortly before the Battle of Korsun–Cherkassy, Goecke returned to the Panzer-Regiment 36 under Colonel Willy Langkeit at the Eastern Front to be trained as a regimental commander. On 15 February 1944, Goecke was delegated with the leadership of the Panzer-Regiment 36[2], on 1 April 1944, he was officially appointed commander of the regiment (some sources falsely claim, he was commander of the Panzer-Regiment 6) subordinated to the 14. Panzer-Division under Lieutenant General Martin Friedrich Karl Unrein. Goecke was severly wounded and had to give up his command.

On 1 October 1944, he was transferred back to the OKH Army Personnel Office, on 28 October 1944, he was appointed head (Chef) ob the 3rd department (OKH/PA/Ag P 1/3. Abteilung). The Heerespersonalamtes was under the command of General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf. Colonel Goecke created an Heerespersonalamt-Außenstelle (field office; HPA/A). From 21 to 24 April 1945, the field office of the Army Personnel Office branch was split off due to the Battle of Berlin and relocated to Marktschellenberg (district Berchtesgadener Land) in Bavaria. Burgdorf stayed in Berlin, Goecke was appointed Chef HPA/A and was responsible for forwarding the decisions about promotions, appointments and decorations to the units defending the Reich. Berchtesgadener Land surrendered to the Americans on 4 May 1945.

Promotions

  • 1 January 1931: Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
  • 1 July 1933: Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 1 March 1937: Hauptmann (Captain)
  • 1 February 1941: Major
  • 1 May 1943: Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • 1 September 1944: Oberst (Colonel)

Awards and decorations

Fritz Goecke II.jpeg

References

  1. ↑ Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, 1931, p. 87
  2. ↑ Willy Langkeit from the Panzer-Regiment 36 (now taken over by Fritz Goecke) took over the command of the Panzer-Regiment Großdeutschland in February 1944, when the former commander Otto Karl Gerd Lorenz Adolf Büsing was delegated with the deputy leadership of the Panzer-Division Großdeutschland.
  3. ↑ Goecke, Fritz at tracesofwar.com
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