25. GENERAL DER FLIEGER JOHANNES FINK
Born Pfullingen/Württemberg, 28.3.1895. Prot. WWI: 15.8.1914 entered Army, Company Cdr, Battalion and Regimental Adjutant, Inf.Reg.127, finally Oberleutnant. Reichswehr: Various positions, including Signals Officer, Inf.Reg.13; 1.9.1933 transferred into Luftwaffe; 1.6.1938 Oberst. WWII: 1.11.1938–20.10.1940 CO, KG 2 (bomber wing); 20.6.1940 awarded Knight’s Cross; 1.10.1940 Generalmajor; 1.10.1942 Generalleutnant; 1.11.1942–9.2.1944 CO, 2.Flieger Div.; 1.4.1944 General der Flieger; 10.2.1944–11.9.1944 Cmmdg Gen. Luftwaffe, Greece; from 3.2.1945 Führer-Reserve; 23.4.1945 PoW Heggbach (French); 30.4.1945 Trent Park. Repatriated 15.5.1948.
CSDIC (UK) opinion: Considered ‘no Nazi’, thought the Wehrmacht would cast him off for capitulating without a fight, which in turn freed him from his oath of loyalty. For this reason he felt at liberty to answer truthfully the questions of the British interrogators.
26. GENERALMAJOR GERHARD FISCHER
Born Greifenberg/Pomerania, 16.5.1894. Prot. WWI: 3.8.1914 entered Army, finally Leutnant, Inf.Reg.42. Reichswehr: Infantry officer; 1.10.1937 Oberstleutnant. WWII: 26.8.1939 CO, Inf.Ersatz-Reg.34; 1.4.1940 CO, Inf.Reg.478; 1.10.1940 Oberst; from 5.2.1941 to Führer-Reserve and homeland duties because of heart condition; 1.6.1944 Generalmajor; from 2.10.1944 Wehrmacht Kommandant, Koblenz; 26.3.1945 PoW Limburg/Lahn (US); 14.4.1945–5.7.1945 Trent Park. Repatriated 15.5.1948. Died Gielgen near Bonn, 24.3.1967.
Acting Generalkommando XII.Armeekorps (Wiesbaden), where Fischer was course leader for reserve officers, assessed him on 16 March 1943 as: ‘Of open, happy nature, strong personality. Good National Socialist, knows how to influence his students with its philosophy. Proven at the front. Specially proven as leader of numerous officer courses. Vigorous and competent.’
CSDIC (UK) opinion: ‘A regular officer of a bluff and jovial type, but not a very striking personality. He has a very low opinion of Nazi rule and is thoroughly defeatist.’
27. GENERALLEUTNANT GOTTHART FRANTZ
Born Berlin, 5.5.1888. Prot. Entered Army 4.3.1907 WWI: Cdr, field artillery units, finally Hauptmann and Adjutant, Art.Kommandant.56. Reichswehr: 3.8.1921 discharged; 1.11.1937 reactivated, Luftwaffe, Flak Cdr, Oberstleutnant; 1.1.1939 Oberst. WWII: 6.7.1940–30.11.1941 CO, Aerial Warfare School, Bernau; 1.9.1941 Generalmajor; 20.12.1941–28.2.1942 Staff Officer, 12.Flak.Div. in Russia; 28.2.1942–20.12.1942 CO, 12.Flak.Div.; from 21.12.1942 CO, 19.Flak.Div. in Tunisia; 1.4.1943 Generalleutnant; 12.5.1943 PoW Tunisia (US); 18.5.1943 awarded Knight’s Cross (advised in England); 22.5.1943–21.8.1943 Trent Park, then to USA. Repatriated to Germany 1.2.1945 on health grounds; April 1945 PoW (Soviets), released 2.11.1949. Died Bad Homburg, 21.1.1973.
Assessed on 15.3.1939 as ‘A personality with clear objectives, approaches a task with skill or energy. Never idle. Gets involved successfully, based on good knowledge and experiences from current training, has a decisive, uniform influence without limiting the responsibility of the battery commanders… fully proven in tense situations. Dyed in the wool soldier and National Socialist, transmits National Socialist philosophy by deed and word in uplifting manner.’
CSDIC (UK) opinion: Another perfect caricature of the Prussian generaclass="underline" ‘He is of medium height, slim, beak nose, wrinkled face, thin lips and has been seen without his monocle on only one occasion – that was when he took it out after a few minutes of emotion. He even wears it under his tropical sun-glasses and seems to sleep with it as it is always in place when he is counted in bed in the morning… It took him nearly three weeks to learn that it was not the duty of British officers to search the shops of London for red-brown boot-polish, not even for a German General.’ He decorated his immaculate uniform with every medal he had ever been awarded, including those from the defunct kingdoms of the old Kaiserreich. His preoccupation with appearance was the source of much hilarity at Trent Park, and Frantz gradually became a totally isolated figure.
28. GENERALMAJOR GERHARD FRANZ
Born Bobeck, Thuringia, 26.2.1902. Prot. WWI: 15.10.1917 NCO, Training School, Weilburg. Reichswehr: With Inf.Reg.17; 1.4.1939 Major; 15.7.1939 1a Gen. Staff, 29.Inf.Div. (mot.). WWII: 1.4.1941 Oberstleutnant; 24.7.1941 awarded Knight’s Cross; 1.1.1942–30.9.1942 Chief General Staff various Armee and Panzer Korps, Eastern Front; 1.7.1942 Oberst; August 1942 sentenced to two years’ imprisonment postponed to end of the war (officer of his Staff was shot down behind Russian lines carrying plans for 1942 summer offensive in south); 1.10.1942–15.2.1943 Chief General Staff, Afrika Korps; from 1.9.1944 CO, 256.Inf.Div.; 1.12.1944 Generalmajor; end March 1945 notified of new court martial (lost contact with his Division, Rhein-Main area), 8.4.1945 sought out US forces and surrendered at Birnfeld; 5.5.1945–5.7.1945 Trent Park. Repatriated 15.5.1948. Died Bad Wildungen, 24.12.1975.
CSDIC (UK) opinion: ‘He gave the impression of being a man of above-average intelligence and a strong and outspoken anti-Nazi.’
29. GENERALMAJOR PAUL GOERBIG
Born Saarbrücken, 23.5.1895. Prot. WWI: 8.8.1914 entered Army, pioneer and mortar units; finally Leutnant and Comp. Cdr, Minenwerferbataillon 23. Reichswehr: Mortar and mechanised units; 2.10.1938 Oberstleutnant. WWII: 10.11.1939 CO, Pz.Abt.67; from 1.11.1939 General Army Office; 1.9.1941 Oberst; 1943/44 Feldkommandant, 509, Russia; 1.4.1944 Generalmajor; 1945 CO, Sennelager Military Training Depot; 10.4.1945 PoW Bad Grund (US); 29.4.1945 Trent Park. Repatriated 1947. Died Hamburg, 17.8.1974.
Following an anonymous accusation not proceeded with, the February 1943 character assessment considered Goerbig thus: ‘Oberst G. is a very judicious, very shrewd, very well-disposed and perhaps rather mercantile-motivated man (to say trafficker would be going too far) who does favours willingly, enjoys the good life, is a good friend to everybody and by his manner at the present time could easily uplift the people’s spirits…’
CSDIC (UK) opinion: ‘He is looked upon by officers in touch with him before his arrival at No. II Camp as a smooth, untrustworthy type, endowed with more shrewdness than intelligence and determined to treat his captors courteously in the hope of obtaining some personal advantage.’
30. GENERALMAJOR ALFRED GUTKNECHT
Born Badingen/Stendal, 20.6.1888. Prot. Entered Army 19.3.1908. WWI: April 1914 – November 1917 Comp. Cdr police troops, German East Africa; 28.11.1917 PoW (British). Reichswehr: 1920 joined German police; 16.6.1936 transferred to Army; 1.4.1936 Oberst; from April 1938 passed over for promotion. WWII: 3.10.1939–5.3.1940 Staff Officer, Grenzabschnittskommando Nord (border command), various appointments as Senior Officer, Transport including Staff Officer, AOK 16 (West); 1.7.1942 Generalmajor; from 20.9.1942 Senior Cdr, Transport Troops, West; 29.8.1944 PoW between Reims and Soissons (US); 5.9.1944–25.10.1944 Trent Park, apparently repatriated and in April 1945 employed as Motor Managerial Inspector with Oberbefehlshaber Süd. Suicide, Berlin, 12.11.1946.
CSDIC (UK) opinion: ‘PoW seemed to be no fervent Nazi, nor to be very politically minded, but just a patriotic German who realised the hopelesssness of Germany’s war situation and who was therefore anxious to see an end made of the present useless sacrifice of lives, even if Germany must sue for peace. He strongly condemns atrocities.’