Wehrpass:Alfred Jauerneck
| Dr. Alfred Jauerneck | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck |
| Born | 5 April 1892 |
| Birthplace | Posen, German Empire |
| Civilian profession | Physician; later specialist in ear, nose, and throat medicine |
| Military rank | Oberstabsarzt der Reserve |
| Approximate equivalent | Major-grade medical officer |
| Branch | Heer |
| Recorded wartime formation | 2. Feldlazarett (mot.), Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung 532 |
| Document | Wehrpass |
Dr. Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck was a German physician who served as a reserve medical officer during both world wars. His surviving Wehrpass records his earlier military service, his status as an Oberstabsarzt der Reserve, and his renewed mobilisation during the Second World War. The document is especially valuable because it provides an example of a medically qualified reservist whose military career extended across several decades. Jauerneck was not an enlisted Sanitäter or medical NCO. He was a physician and held the rank of:
The rank Oberstabsarzt was approximately equivalent to the ordinary Army rank of major. 'XUnited States War Department, TM 30-506: German-English Military Dictionary, 20 May 1944, entry Oberstabsarzt. Available online: German-English Military Dictionary.
Early life
Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck was born in Posen on 5 April 1892.
His Wehrpass records:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Surname | Jauerneck |
| Given names | Alfred Heinrich August |
| Date of birth | 5 April 1892 |
| Place of birth | Posen |
| Nationality | German Reich |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Marital status | Married |
| Civilian profession | Arzt — physician |
The personal-information page also records his parents. The surviving photograph appears to show Jauerneck in civilian dress.
His identity is independently supported by the surviving Posen population register, which lists Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck. e-kartoteka, Posen population register, entry for Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck: e-kartoteka.
Medical education
Jauerneck completed medical training and wrote a dissertation published in Berlin in 1917:
This title can be translated approximately as:
The dissertation comprised 30 pages and was published by H. Blanke in Berlin.Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General’s Office, United States Army, entry “Jauerneck (Alfred Heinrich August)”: Internet Archive.
His later medical career was connected with ear, nose, and throat medicine, usually abbreviated in German as HNO for Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde.
First World War service
The campaign page of Jauerneck’s Wehrpass records military service during the First World War.
The following entries are clearly legible:
| Period | Recorded theatre |
|---|---|
| 2 August 1914 – 15 September 1917 | Western Front |
| 1 October 1917 – 1 December 1917 | Eastern Front |
| 8 December 1917 – 30 November 1918 | Western Front |
A unit-history page also contains several earlier assignments. One of the most recognisable entries refers to:
The page contains additional unit names and dates, but several are difficult to decipher reliably.
Jauerneck’s First World War service is significant because it explains his later reserve status. By the time the Wehrmacht mobilised in 1939, he was already an experienced physician with previous military service.
Promotion to Oberstabsarzt der Reserve
The reserve-service promotion page records that Jauerneck was appointed:
with effect from:
The abbreviation d. R. stands for:
An Oberstabsarzt der Reserve was therefore a reserve medical officer holding a major-grade rank.
This was a comparatively senior medical position. Jauerneck should not be confused with an Unterarzt, Assistenzarzt, or Stabsarzt, which were lower grades within the military medical hierarchy.
Wehrpass issued in Berlin
Jauerneck’s Wehrpass was issued in Berlin on:
The first page bears a stamp from the responsible military administrative authority. The document records a military registration number, or Wehrnummer, beginning with:
Mobilisation in 1939
Jauerneck was mobilised again at the beginning of the Second World War.
The wartime pages contain a clearly visible unit stamp:
Armee-San.-Abt. 532
This can be expanded as:
Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung 532
In English:
of Army Medical Battalion 532
A Feldlazarett was a field hospital. It provided hospital-level care behind the immediate front line and could treat sick and wounded soldiers, perform surgery, stabilise patients, and prepare casualties for evacuation farther to the rear.
The abbreviation mot. stands for motorisiert, meaning motorised.
The surviving stamps show that Jauerneck was connected with this hospital formation during the opening phase of the Second World War.
Service in Poland
The campaign page records Jauerneck’s service during the German invasion of Poland in 1939.
The handwritten wording includes:
meaning:
A following entry appears to refer to service with occupation troops in Poland:
The document therefore places Jauerneck and his medical formation in Poland during the early months of the war.
The wider historical context must not be overlooked. The invasion of Poland began a brutal occupation marked by extensive violence, persecution, and repression. A military medical document records an individual’s administrative service history, but it should always be interpreted within the context of the war and occupation in which that service took place.
Release from active service
A later entry appears to record Jauerneck’s release from active military service in April 1940.
The handwriting is partly difficult to decipher. The safest interpretation is that his active wartime service with the field-hospital formation ended during the spring of 1940 and that he returned to civilian medical work.
The release did not erase his reserve status. Later pages contain administrative entries showing that he continued to remain within the military-registration system.
Award
The decorations page records that Jauerneck received the:
on:
This was the War Merit Cross, Second Class.
Civilian medical career during the war
Jauerneck continued his work as a physician after his period of active wartime service.
A medical article published in 1943 identifies him with the:
des Städtischen Krankenhauses Berlin-Neukölln
This was the department for patients with ear, nose, and throat disorders at the municipal hospital in Berlin-Neukölln. Alfred Jauerneck, “Geheilter Schläfenlappenabszeß mit Ventrikeleinbruch”, Archiv für Ohren-, Nasen- und Kehlkopfheilkunde, vol. 152 (1943), pp. 247–252. DOI: 10.1007/BF01587048. The article was titled:
or approximately:
This publication confirms that Jauerneck remained professionally active as an HNO physician during the war.
Post-war career
Secondary literature on the history of German ear, nose, and throat clinics records that Jauerneck later played an important role in rebuilding the HNO department of Berlin’s Rudolf-Virchow-Krankenhaus.
A history of German HNO clinics states that Jauerneck took over leadership of the department in 1948. Tilman Brusis, Geschichte der deutschen Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Kliniken im 20. Jahrhundert (Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer, 2002), section on Berlin. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-56301-0.
His career therefore extended beyond military medicine. The surviving Wehrpass documents only one part of the life of a physician who also contributed to civilian clinical medicine and specialist medical literature.
Selected timeline
| Date | Event | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 5 April 1892 | Born in Posen | Confirmed |
| 1914–1918 | Recorded service on the Western and Eastern Fronts during the First World War | Confirmed |
| 1917 | Dissertation Geschwülste am Wurmfortsatz published in Berlin | Confirmed by external bibliographic source |
| 1 June 1936 | Appointed Stabsarzt der Reserve | Confirmed |
| 28 August 1936 | Wehrpass issued in Berlin | Confirmed |
| 1939 | Mobilised during the opening phase of the Second World War | Confirmed |
| 1939–1940 | Served with 2. Feldlazarett (mot.), Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung 532 | Confirmed by stamps; precise appointment not yet established |
| 1939 | Recorded service during the campaign against Poland and subsequent occupation duty | Confirmed in general terms |
| January 1940 | Appointed Oberstabsarzt der Reserve | Confirmed |
| April 1940 | Release from active military service appears to have been recorded | Probable; handwriting should be checked |
| 1943 | Published an HNO medical article while associated with the municipal hospital in Berlin-Neukölln | Confirmed by external publication record |
| 1 September 1943 | Awarded the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse | Confirmed |
| 1948 | Took over leadership of the HNO department at the Rudolf-Virchow-Krankenhaus | Confirmed by secondary literature |
Transcription notes
This article is based on photographs of selected pages from the surviving Wehrpass. Several entries remain difficult to read.
The following information is considered secure:
- the surname Jauerneck;
- the full given names Alfred Heinrich August;
- the date of birth: 5 April 1892;
- the birthplace: Posen;
- the civilian profession: Arzt;
- the rank: Oberstabsarzt der Reserve;
- the effective date of that rank: 1 June 1936;
- the field-hospital stamp: 2. Feldlazarett (mot.), Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung 532;
- recorded First World War service on the Western and Eastern Fronts;
- recorded service during the campaign against Poland;
- the award of the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse on 1 September 1943.
The following points should remain provisional until clearer scans or archival sources are available:
- the complete Wehrnummer;
- several early unit assignments;
- the full wording of the April 1940 release entry;
- the exact military appointment held within Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung 532;
- whether the War Merit Cross was awarded with or without swords;
- several later reserve-administration entries.
Source
- Wehrpass of Dr. Alfred Heinrich August Jauerneck, ww2archive.de collection. Selected pages photographed and examined for ww2archive.de.
