Fritz Poleck

Peter Fritz Theodor Wilhelm Hans Poleck (8 November 1905 in Lissa - 27 November 1989) was a German army officer during the Second World War. He was notable for being a delegate at the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath as a member of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) command group.

Military career
From 10 November 1938 to 31 March 1941 he served with the OKW. He was appointed on 1 April 1941 as First General Staff Officer for the 170th Infantry Division and was promoted to Major on 12 March 1942 and awarded the German Cross in Gold. With effect from 15 April 1943, he was transferred to the Reserve Army high command. On 21 May 1943 he joined the Army General Staff and then the OKW as a Colonel. On 4 May 1945 on the Timeloberg at Wendisch Evern he was a signatory to the unconditional surrender to the British of the German forces in Holland, in north west Germany including all islands, and in Denmark and all naval ships in those areas, with Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, General Eberhard Kinzel, Rear Admiral Gerhard Wagner and Major Hans Jochen Friedel. He was promoted to Major General in the last days of the war but the German Ministry of Defence later decided that the promotion was invalid as it could not be established whether it had been ratified before the end of the war.

After his release from captivity in 1947 he joined the Gehlen Organization which was the precursor to the Federal German Intelligence Service. In 1957 he returned to army service as a colonel.

Personal life
He married to Ilse Poleck and had three sons. He died in Munich aged 84.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (25 June 1940)
 * 1st Class (5 August 1941)
 * German Cross in Gold (12 March 1942)