Erika Franke
Major General and physician of the German Army
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erika Franke (b. May 8, 1954) is a German military doctor and general staff doctor who served in the Bundeswehr, the German military forces, for twenty-six years, until her retirement in 2016.[1] Franke was the first woman in the Bundeswehr to reach the rank of two-star general,[2] the second to become a general, and the first woman from former East Germany to attain that rank.[3] She headed the Bundeswehr Medical Academy for three years.
_meldet_dem_Inspekteur_des_Sanitätsdienstes_Generaloberstabsarzt_Dr._Michael_Tempel_(r.).jpg)
Erika Franke | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | May 8, 1954 |
| Education | Humboldt University of Berlin (MD) |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Employer | Bundeswehr |
| Awards | Bavarian Order of Merit |
Franke was born in East Berlin and grew up in the German Democratic Republic. Franke realized she wanted to be a doctor early in life, and would clean volunteer clinics during her school breaks.[4] After receiving her Abitur, Franke studied at Humboldt University in Berlin, becoming a doctor in 1978.[5] She would go on to receive a doctorate in microbiology and epidemiology in 1985.[3][5]
Beginning in 1978, when she became a doctor, Franke worked in the People's Police Hospital in East Berlin, where she was eventually promoted to head doctor.[5] After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the hospital was taken over by the Bundeswehr,[3], which Franke joined as a medical officer.[1] Following this, Franke led Laboratory Department I in the Central Institute of the Medical Service of the Bundeswehr until 2001.[6] She deployed twice overseas, to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997 and Kosovo from 2000-2001.[5] In 2006, Franke was promoted to the rank of general in the Bundeswehr[6] and became the head doctor of the Bundeswehr hospital in Ulm.[5] Three years later, in 2009, Franke began working at the medical office in Munich.[7] In 2013, she was promoted again, to the rank of two-star general, making her the highest ranking female German soldier in the history of the Bundeswehr, a position in which she commanded more than 300 soldiers.[4] In concert with this promotion, Franke was given command of the Bundeswehr Medical Academy, a position she held until her retirement three years later.[2][8][9]
In her personal life, Franke married and had two children.[5] She remains well known in German military circles, and has been recognized for her service since her retirement.[3]