Frank Rossi

Franz Rossi
Born	13 August 1889
Died	23 June 1944
Allegiance	Germany
Service/branch	German Army
Rank	Generalleutnant
Battles/wars	World War II

Franz Rossi (13/8/1889-23/6/1944) was a German general (generalleutnant) and a key figure in WW2

Life

Franz Rossi attended the infantry cadet school in Marburg an der Drau. On August 18 In 1908 he joined the Austro-Hungarian army as a cadet officer's deputy (ensign) a. He was assigned to the Austro-Hungarian Infantry Regiment "Archduke Rainer" No. 59 to Salzburg-Lehen. There, after attending the war school, he was promoted to Lieutenant. As such, he was then commissioned as a company officer in the k.u.k. Infantry Regiment "Archduke Rainer" No. 59. Well ahead of the outbreak of the 1st World War, it became artillery on 15 October 1913. He joined the new Mountain Artillery Regiment No. 8 in Brixen. On August 1, 1914 there he was promoted to first lieutenant (supernumerary) and then also advanced with the Mountain Artillery Regiment No. 8 as a battery officer to the front. From 20 June 1916 he was also as a battery leader in the Mountain Artillery Regiment No. 8. On 9. In July 1917 he was transferred to the Mountain Cannon Division 3/9. On 1. In August 1917 he was promoted to captain. As such, he was born on 17. May 1918 Commander of the 1st Division of the Mountain Artillery Regiment No. 9 . In addition to many Austrian awards, he was also awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. From 1918 to 1920 it became a service provider commanded by the provisional Austrian Wehrmacht. There he was ranked 1. Officer at the Mountain Cannon Battery of the 5th Brigade Artillery Division. In September 1920 he was transferred to the new Austrian Armed Forces, where he was commissioned on 1 January 1921 he was promoted to major. After objections by the Entente against the in their view too high a number of staff officers, he was appointed on 1 March 1923 Staff Captain. On 1 July 1924 he was appointed as a battery officer to the Mountain Cannon Division 1. On September 27, 1927, he was renamed promoted to major. In the years that followed, he obtained the sports badge in Gold. At the end of April 1931, he was appointed as department adjutant. From 1 July In 1933 he was appointed battery commander in the Brigade Artillery Division 7 after Klagenfurt. On May 1, 1934, he completed a staff officer course. In He was elected Klagenfurt on 28 December Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1935. In January 1936 he was assigned to the command of the 5th Infantry Division. Division to Graz. On 1 April 1936 he was appointed as a staff officer z.b.V. to the light artillery regiment 6. On 1 October 1936 he was promoted to commander of the I. Division of the Light Artillery Regiment 8. On March 15, 1938, after the annexation of Austria, he was taken over as a lieutenant colonel in the Wehrmacht. His seniority was now set at 1 March 1936. He was by renaming his department at the time of the takeover, now also to the Commander of the 1st Division of the Mountain Artillery Regiment 113. On 1 February 1939 he was promoted to colonel, his seniority was set for 1 October 1938. With the beginning of the mobilization for World War 2 on 26 August 1939 he was transferred to the OKH Fuehrer Reserve. His service was now regulated by the Wehrkreis XVIII. On September 30, 1939 he was appointed commander of the 33rd Artillery Regiment as successor to Colonel Wilhelm Berlin. In the spring of 1940, he led his regiment in the formation of the 33rd Infantry Division. Infantry Division in the Western Campaign. After that, he already wore the Iron Cross 1. Klasse. In November 1940 he also remained with the motorization of the regiment and the resulting renaming to the Artillery Regiment (motorized) 33 further the commander. His regiment now belonged to the 15th Panzer Division. On March 10 In 1941, before the regiment was transferred to Africa, he was again assigned to the Fuehrer Reserve OKH and reassigned to Wehrkreis XVIII. His private address was Zwerggasse 9 in Graz. On April 25, 1941 he became commander of the new coastal artillery regimental staff z.b.V. 837. He was then transferred to Norway with his staff. On 1 April 1942 he received the following assessment from Major General Kurt Schmidt, Kdr. of the 702nd Infantry Division. Infantry Division: "yourself and subordinates. Good comrade, Ready for action, energetic. Proven as a regimental commander in the face of the enemy. Capable artilleryman with excellent teaching talent. Has changed during setup of the Army coastal artillery. Rating: Fills out well. Recommendation: Artillery commander, commander of a mountain artillery school or Army Coastal Artillery School." Lieutenant General Emmerich von Nagy, Kdr. from the Higher Command LXXI: "Agreed! Has a good name as an artilleryman. Is very and successful in training." Another addition came by Lieutenant General Ernst Goettke, Higher Coastal Artillery Commander North: "Full Aptitude to be an artillery commander." From 7 May 1942 he was appointed Successor to Major General Friedrich Kammel as Artillery Commander 127 (Arko 127) in Kirkenes in Norway. On July 1, 1942, his Promoted to major general. From August 1942 onwards, he dived several times with his name Rossi Group in the northern theater of war around Petsamo. This was formed at the end of August 1942 from Kampfgruppe Nord and Verteidigunggruppe "Liinahamari". This included the 193rd Infantry Regiment as a core force. The association was subordinated until at least the beginning of November 1942 to the Mountain Corps Norway. The group was set up for reconnaissance, offensive and defence operations and for coastal protection in the area of Linakhamari, Parkkina, Luostari and Petsamo Fjord. Above all, they should Secure the fisherman's neck. On 9 January 1943, he was judged by Colonel General Eduard Dietl, Lord Mayor of the 20th Mountain Army, in a private letter to Major General Rudolf Schmundt, the head of the army personnel office: "Fills out very well. To the division commander after further probation. Should be taken into account difficult and extensive area of responsibility (leader of an important Kampfgruppe am Fischerhals) is also in the current position." In February 1943, this loose association was dismantled as Divisional Group Rossi or Divisional Group Petsamo. The name Fortress Commander's Office Petsamo was used for this. This association was now under the command of the XIX Mountain Army Corps and was recruited in the area of Petsamo, Linakhamari, Parkkina, Luostari and Petsamo Fjord. On February 15, 1943, he was also Commander of Petsamo in Finland. On March 1, 1943 he received the following assessment from General of the Ferdina Mountain Troopsnd Schörner, KG of the XIX Mountain Army Corps: "Proven as leader of the Rossi division group. Technically and practically very good artilleryman, even for larger conditions. Higher Artillery Commander, Division commander if necessary." On 4 March 1943, Colonel General Eduard Dietl, Lord Mayor of the 20th Mountain Army, added: "Agreed." From July 1943 he led with his troops in the area of Petsamo, Kutovaya and Luostari reconnaissance, attack and Defense operations. Furthermore, they were also used for coastal protection . On 1. In 1943 he was promoted to Lieutenant General. On October 8, 1943, he was then appointed commander of the Rossi divisional group. At the end of 1943 the units under his command were located in the area of Titovka, Parkkina, Linakhamari, Rybachi Peninsula, Petsamo Fjord, Peura-Vuono Bay. In the first In the first half of 1944, operations followed in the areas of Petsamo, Kutovaya, Parkkina, Luostari, Linakhamari and Petsamo Fjord. On March 1, 1944, he received the following assessment by General of the Mountain Troops Georg Ritter von Hengl, KG of XIX. Mountain Army Corps: "Harsh, somewhat withdrawn personality. Hard against himself and subordinates. Personally brave and ready for action. Special artillery capabilities. As leader of the Rossi Division Group on the Fisherman's neck well proven. Mentally well inclined, very good alpinist, physically particularly tough. Artillery skills on a larger scale. Little contact with his subordinates. Rating: Average. Recommendation: Division Commander, Coastal Security Association, Higher Artillery Commander. Leave." To this end, added on 13 March 1944 Colonel General Eduard Dietl, Mayor of the 20th Mountain Army: "Agreed. Particularly suitable as a senior artillery commander." On 15 May 1944 he received the following assessment from General der Gebirgstruppe Georg Ritter von Hengl, KG of XIX. Mountain Army Corps: "On the occasion of my transfer as Chief of the NS Command Staff in the OKH, I conclude my assessment without addition." On On June 22, 1944, he was assassinated, along with other leading generals of the northern Kriegsschuaplatz to a meeting with Adolf Hitler about the possibilities of the Finns to continue fighting on the Obersalzberg. After the group was to fly to Helsinki to participate in negotiations with the leading Finnish politicians and military officers. That doesn't even two-year-old Ju 52/3m-8e, (NB+GT or A2+AA; work number 7596), which Flight readiness of the Commanding General of the German Air Force Finland took off on the morning of 23 June 1944 from Graz to Aspern Airport near Vienna. On the approach to the 1,800 m high Hochwedel, the aircraft got into a squandered and shattered at 7:42 a.m. on the Styrian side of the Hochwechsel, in Waldbach-Breitenbrunn near Hartberg in Styria, 15 km southeast Semmering. He had an accident on June 23, 1944 together with the other passengers, Colonel General Eduard Dietl, General of the Infantry Thomas-Emil von Wickede, General of the Karl Eglseer, Oberfeldwebel Georg Huber (Dietl's driver) and Oberleutnant der Reserve Altfeld killed. Of the crew also died Oberleutnant Erich Jakob (observer), Oberleutnant Hans Kowollik (pilot), Sergeant Heinz Thieme (gunner). The aircraft was 95 percent destroyed. Only the on-board radio sergeant Huber and the Flight mechanic Oberfeldwebel Mayer. Lieutenant General Rossi was posted posthumously on 2 August. In 1944 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. On 3 July 1944, Lieutenant General Ferdinand Jodl, Fuehrer of the XIX. Mountain Army Corps, left the following entry in his index card: "Lieutenant General Rossi died in an airplane accident in southern Germany on June 23, 1944 deadly." His unit continued to exist under his name for a while, before they were then appointed using the name of the new commander as Divisionsgruppe van der Hoop was deployed in the autumn of 1944.

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