Franz Bäke
| Dr. med. dent. Franz Bäke | |
|---|---|
 Franz Bäke, February 1944 | |
| Born |
28 February 1898 Schwarzenfels, Sinntal, Province of Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died |
12 December 1978 (aged 80) Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918).svg.png){kind=small} Weimar Republic (to 1933).svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Years of service | 1915–20, 1937–45 |
| Rank | Generalmajor |
| Unit | 6th Panzer Division |
| Commands held |
Panzer-Regiment 11 106. Panzer-Brigade Panzerdivision Feldherrenhalle 2 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
| Other work | Dentist |
Dr. med. dent. Franz Bäke[Note 1] (28 February 1898 – 12 December 1978) was a German Army officer and tank commander during World War I. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. A reservist, Bäke was a dentist in civilian life, having received his doctorate in dental medicine in 1923.
Early life and World War I
Bäke was born on 28 February 1898 in Schwarzenfels, present-day part of Sinntal, in the Province of Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, as part of the German Empire.[1]
In August 1914, the outbreak of World War I changed his plans. In May 1915, Bäke volunteered for the German Army. He was posted to Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3, based in Köln.[Note 2] After basic training, Bäke was transferred to Infanterie-Regiment Nr.11, which was in action on the Western Front.
In mid-1916, Bäke accepted an offer to become an officer candidate and was briefly transferred to Infanterie-Regiment Nr.10. In November 1916, Bäke was transferred to the artillery arm and served with Artillerie-Regiment zu Fuß Nr.7. After the armistice, Bäke remained in the army until his demobilisation on 25 January 1919.
Inter-war years
From 1919 to 1921, Bäke served in the Einwohnerwehr of Würzburg as part of the Freikorps Epp, a right-wing paramilitary unit named after Franz Ritter von Epp. In parallel (1919–1922), he studied medicine and dentistry at the University of Würzburg, University of Bonn and University of Münster and attained his Doctor of Medical Dentistry in 1923.[2]
Bäke established his own dentistry practice in Hagen. In early 1937 he applied to join the reserves, being accepted on 1 April 1937. Bäke was given his World War I rank of officer cadet and posted to Aufklärungs-Abteilung 6, a reconnaissance unit.[Note 3] After two major exercises, Bäke returned to his dentistry practice, spending the required time in reserve training to achieve the rank of Leutnant (2nd lieutenant) of the Reserves by December 1937. Soon after, he was mobilized for full-time service as an officer and took part in the Occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Second World War
Early campaigns
During the Invasion of Poland, Bäke's unit was attached to General der Panzertruppen Werner Kempf's 1st Light Division on 12 September, and completed the campaign serving under Kempf's formation, Panzer Division Kempf. On 1 November 1939 he was promoted to Oberleutnant of the Reserves (1st lieutenant) and appointed company commander. In October 1939, the division was redesignated 6th Panzer Division. On 1 May 1940, Bäke was promoted to Hauptmann of the Reserves (captain).
On 10 May 1940, Bäke and 6th Panzer took part in Fall Gelb, the invasion of France. The division formed a part of Panzer Group Guderian, an army-sized formation attacking through the Ardennes and encircling the Allied forces engaged in combat in Belgium. Bäke was awarded the Iron Cross first class following the campaign.
Operation Barbarossa
Following the campaign in the West, 6th Panzer was moved to East Prussia to refit in preparation for the coming offensive against the Soviet Union. With the launch of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, the division took part in Army Group North's strike towards Leningrad. On 1 August 1941, Bäke was promoted to Major of the Reserves.
In October 1941, the division was transferred to Army Group Centre, where it formed a part of 3rd Panzer Group, commanded by General Georg-Hans Reinhardt. The Panzer Group took part in Operation Typhoon, an offensive aimed at the capture of Moscow. On 27 November, elements of the Panzergruppe reached the Volga Canal, only 19 miles (31 km) from Moscow. The offensive ultimately failed. The division ended the campaign as part of General Erich Höpner's 4th Panzer Group, acting as a reserve for Army Group Centre forces.
Eastern Front
After refitting in France, the division was transferred to the Eastern Front. After the encirclement of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, 6th Panzer was sent to Ukraine to join Erich von Manstein's Army Group Don, currently struggling to halt the advancing Soviet forces. The division arrived at the front in December 1942 and took part in the abortive attempt to relieve the 6th Army in Operation Wintergewitter. Bäke commanded a regiment during the withdrawal to Kharkov. On 11 January 1943, Bäke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The division took part in the battle to retake Kharkov and was then attached to Army Detachment Kempf. In May, the division was pulled back to act as reserve.
Battle of Kursk
In June, 6th Panzer was attached to German Fourth Panzer Army under General Colonel Hermann Hoth, which was to form the southern pincer of the attack on the Kursk salient during Operation Citadel. Bäke's unit fought near Belgorod. The offensive was cancelled on 13 August 1943, and Bäke's regiment saw heavy combat during the withdrawal to the Dniepr. For his actions during Operation Citadel, Bäke was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
On 1 November 1943, Bäke was promoted to Oberstleutnant of the Reserves (lieutenant colonel) and appointed as a regimental commander. In December 1943, he was ordered to form an ad hoc reinforced tank regiment named Heavy Panzer Regiment Bäke. The regiment consisted of 46 Panther and 34 Tiger I tanks, supported by self-propelled artillery and a mechanized engineer battalion. In January 1944, Bäke commanded his regiment during the battles for the Balabonovka pocket. Bäke single-handedly destroyed three Soviet tanks during the battle with infantry weapons at close range, for which he received three Tank Destruction Badges, worn on his upper right sleeve.[3]
Next, the regiment was part of a relief force tasked with extricating Gruppe Stemmermann, named after its commander Wilhelm Stemmermann, encircled in the Cherkassy Pocket. For his actions during these battles, Bäke received the Swords to the Knight's Cross on 14 February 1944, becoming the 49th Wehrmacht soldier to receive this commendation. In March, the regiment was trapped in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket along with the entire 1st Panzer Army. Bäke's regiment formed one of the spearheads moving west to break the encirclement, and effected a link up with II SS Panzer Corps.
Feldherrnhalle commands
On 1 May 1944, Bäke was promoted to Oberst of the Reserves.[4] His regiment was involved in defensive battles for the rest of the month, after which it was disbanded and the component units sent back to their parent divisions. Bäke was ordered west to take command of Panzer Brigade Feldherrnhalle, which was forming in Mława.[5]
Bäke's unit attacked the U.S. 90th Infantry Division near Aumetz on the night of 7–8 September 1944.[6] Bäke's command found itself poorly deployed and under sustained counter-attack from American infantry. By the evening of 8 September, Bäke had lost thirty tanks, sixty half-tracks, and nearly a hundred other vehicles in the lopsided battle.[7] His infantry losses were also heavy, with the unit reporting to OB West that it had only nine armored vehicles and that unit strength was down to 25 per cent of the authorized establishment.[7]
On 28 February 1945, Bäke transferred from reserve to active duty.[4] On 10 March he was tasked with the leadership of the newly formed Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle, formally the 13th Panzer Division, and sent to Hungary. Bäke's division fought as part of the Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle during the retreat through Hungary and Czechoslovakia. On 20 April, Bäke was promoted to Generalmajor and officially given command of the 13th Panzer Division/Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2. On 8 May 1945 he surrendered to American forces.[8]
Post-war
Bäke spent several years as a prisoner of war, being released in 1947. He returned to Hagen and resumed his dental practice.
He died in a hospital at Bergmannsheil in Bochum of injuries sustained in a car accident on 12 December 1978.[1]
Summary of career
Awards
- Iron Cross (1914)
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918[8]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Wound Badge (1939)
- Panzer Badge
- Sudetenland Medal (10 September 1940)[8]
- Eastern Front Medal (1 August 1942)[8]
- 3 Tank Destruction Badges for Individual Combatants (17 July 1943)[8]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross on 11 January 1943 as Major of the Reserves and commander of the II./Panzer-Regiment 11[10][11][12]
- 262nd Oak Leaves on 1 August 1943 as Major of the Reserves and commander of the II./Panzer-Regiment 11[10][13][14]
- 49th Swords on 21 February 1944 as Oberstleutnant of the Reserves and commander of Panzer-Regiment 11[10][15][16]
- Mentioned three times in the Wehrmachtbericht
Wehrmachtbericht references
The daily Wehrmachtbericht (Wehrmacht propaganda report) noted the following:
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 31 January 1944 | Die westfälische 16. Panzerdivision unter Führung des Generalmajors Back und ein unter der Führung des Oberstleutnants Bäke stehendes schweres Panzerregiment haben sich hier besonders bewährt.[17] | The westfalian 16th Panzer division under the leadership of Generalmajor Back and a heavy Panzer regiment under Oberstleutnant Bäke distinguished themselves here. |
| 6 December 1944 (addendum) | In den Abwehrkämpfen im Unterelsaß hat sich die Panzerbrigade 106 "Feldherrnhalle" unter Führung des mit dem Eichenlaub mit Schwertern zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ausgezeichneten Oberst Baeke durch hervoragenden Angriffsgeist und besondere Standfestigkeit ausgezeichnet. Sie schoß in 3 Tagen 40 feindliche Panzer ab.[18] | The 106th Panzer Brigade "Feldherrenhalle" under the leadership of Oberst Baeke, who is decorated with the Oak Leaves with Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, distinguished itself by showing attacking spirit and determined stableness in the defensive battles in the lower Alsace. It shot up 40 enemy tanks in 3 days. |
Promotions
| 1 December 1937: | Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) of the Reserves[4] |
| 1 January 1940: | Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) of the Reserves, with a rank age of 1 November 1939[4] |
| 1 May 1941: | Hauptmann (Captain) of the Reserves[4] |
| 1 August 1942: | Major (Major) of the Reserves[4] |
| 1 November 1943: | Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) of the Reserves[4] |
| 1 May 1944: | Oberst (Colonel) of the Reserves[4] |
| 28 February 1945: | Oberst, effective as 1 January 1945, with a rank age of 1 May 1944[4] |
| 20 April 1945: | Generalmajor (Brigadier General)[4] |
Notes
- ↑ In German a Doctor of Medical Dentistry is abbreviated as Dr. med. dent. (Doctor medicinae dentariae).
- ↑ According to Wegmann, Bäke joined the 5. Westfälisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 53 in Köln. The Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3, at the time, was referred to as Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm I. (2. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 3, and was based in Königsberg.[2]
- ↑ To hide its existence at the time, Aufklärungs-Abteilung 6 was referred to as Kraftfahr-Abteilung Münster, motor vehicle detachment in Münster.[2]
References
Citations
- 1 2 Wegmann 2004, p. 31.
- 1 2 3 Wegmann 2004, p. 32.
- ↑ Nash 2002, p. 127.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Wegmann 2004, p. 34.
- ↑ Stoves 1994, p. 321.
- ↑ Cole 1950, p. 158.
- 1 2 Cole 1950, p. 159.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Wegmann 2004, p. 33.
- 1 2 3 Thomas 1997, p. 15.
- 1 2 3 Scherzer 2007, p. 199.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 120.
- ↑ Von Seemen 1976, p. 74.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 70.
- ↑ Von Seemen 1976, p. 36.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 42.
- ↑ Von Seemen 1976, p. 16.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 23.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 359.
Bibliography
- Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
- Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. OCLC 1253758.
- Federl, Christian (2000). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Panzerdivisionen 1939–1945 Die Panzertruppe [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Panzer Divisions 1939–1945 The Panzer Force] (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3-925480-43-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 – The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Kurowski, Franz (1992). Panzer Aces. New York: Ballantine Book. ISBN 0-345-44884-7.
- Nash, Douglas E. (2002). Hell's Gate: The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket, January–February 1944. Stamford, CT: RZM Publishing. ISBN 0-9657584-3-5.
- Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Stoves, Rolf (1994). Die gepanzerten und motorisierten deutschen Grossverbände 1935–1945. Wölfersheim-Berstadt: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0279-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
- Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.
- Wegmann, Günter (2004). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil VIIIa: Panzertruppe Band 1: A–E [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part VIIIa: Panzer Force Volume 1: A–E] (in German). Bissendorf, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2322-1.
- Williamson, Gordon (2006). Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941–45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-643-0.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber |
Tasked with the leadership of 13th Panzer Division 10 March 1944 – 20 April 1945 |
Succeeded by 13th Panzer Division |
| Preceded by 13th Panzer Division |
Commander of 13th Panzer Division 20 April 1944 – 8 May 1945 |
Succeeded by — |
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