Wehrpass:August Bauer

August Bauer (born 11 October 1895) was an Austrian former officer who served during both the First and Second World Wars. During the Second World War he served principally with German Army construction formations and held the rank of Hauptmann der Reserve zur Verfügung, abbreviated Hauptmann d. R. z. V..

His Wehrpass records earlier Austro-Hungarian service between approximately 1914 and 1918, participation in the German campaigns in France and the Soviet Union, and his release from active service in March 1942.

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Personal information

Detail	Information
Full name	August Bauer
Date of birth	11 October 1895
Place of birth	Rodaun, near Mauer
Nationality	German Reich
Religion	Old Catholic (altkatholisch)
Marital status	Married
Wife	Hermine Bauer
Civilian occupation	Agricultural specialist, apparently a qualified agriculturalist
Highest recorded rank	Hauptmann der Reserve zur Verfügung

Bauer was born at Rodaun, then a community near Vienna and today part of Vienna's 23rd district. His Wehrpass records his wife as Hermine Bauer, living in Vienna's fourteenth district.

The occupational entry appears to describe him as a qualified agriculturalist, probably a Diplom-Landwirt. The remainder of the overwritten entry is difficult to read with certainty. His education included elementary school, Bürgerschule and commercial or agricultural studies.

The Wehrpass was issued in Vienna on 28 July 1938.

First World War service

Bauer's Wehrpass contains retrospective entries concerning his service in the Austro-Hungarian armed forces during the First World War. His first recorded formation is abbreviated as:

F.H.J.R. 3

This probably refers to an Austro-Hungarian field-howitzer regiment, although the precise expansion of the abbreviation should be confirmed from additional records.

The campaign page appears to record service at or near:

• Brody;
• the Isonzo front;
• the Piave front in Italy;
• other operations during 1916, 1917 and 1918.

The handwriting is partly unclear, but the entries indicate that Bauer served on both the Eastern and Italian Fronts.

First World War promotions

The promotions page records Bauer's advancement through several Austro-Hungarian ranks. The entries appear to include:

Date	Rank or appointment
1916	Officer-candidate or enlisted leadership appointment
1916	Korporal
1916	Zugsführer
26 June 1917	Fähnrich in der Reserve
August 1917	Leutnant in der Reserve

Some of the earliest abbreviations and dates are difficult to distinguish because of overlapping stamps. The entries nevertheless show that Bauer received a reserve officer's commission during the First World War.

First World War wound and decorations

The medical section records a Granatsplitterwunde, or shell-fragment wound, sustained during Bauer's earlier service. The entry refers to the same formation abbreviated as F.H.J.R. 3.

His decorations appear to include several Austro-Hungarian awards:

• the Karl Troop Cross (Karl-Truppenkreuz);
• the Wound Medal (Verwundetenmedaille);
• an Austrian military decoration whose full handwritten designation is partly obscured.

The reference to the Wound Medal is consistent with the recorded shell-fragment wound. The precise class and full description of the remaining Austrian decoration require further examination.

Return to military service

After the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich, Bauer was registered for service with the Wehrmacht. His earlier Austro-Hungarian rank and experience were recognised, and he was placed among the reserve officers available for renewed service.

The Wehrpass records his promotion or appointment as:

Effective date	Rank
1 September 1940	Oberleutnant der Reserve zur Verfügung
1 July 1941	Hauptmann der Reserve zur Verfügung

The addition zur Verfügung indicated that Bauer belonged to the category of reserve officers available for assignment rather than to the regular active-officer corps.

Construction-troop service

During the Second World War, Bauer served with German Army construction formations. The principal unit entry appears to read:

Bau-Bataillon I/XVII (Bau-Bataillon 153)

The Roman numeral XVII refers to Wehrkreis XVII, the military district centred on Vienna. The battalion number appears to be 153, although the handwritten and stamped entry should be treated with some caution.

From 11 November 1941 until 13 March 1942, Bauer was assigned to:

Bau-Ersatz-Bataillon 17

or Construction Replacement Battalion 17. His service number within this formation was recorded as 259.

Construction battalions performed essential military-engineering and labour duties. Their tasks could include building and repairing roads, bridges, field positions, accommodation and other infrastructure behind the advancing combat formations.

Campaign in France

A typed campaign insert records Bauer's participation in the campaign in the West during 1940. The listed operations include:

Period	Recorded operation
6 March – 9 May 1940	Forward-area fighting between the Moselle and Rhine
10 May 1940	Penetration of the fortified approaches to the Maginot Line south of Saarbrücken
14 May – 11 June 1940	Capture of the fortified area between the Moselle and Rhine
12–16 June 1940	Breakthrough battle through the Maginot Line south of Saarbrücken
17–20 June 1940	Advance across the Seille and the Rhine–Marne Canal
21–23 June 1940	Fighting near the Moselle and in the Vosges
25 June – 3 September 1940	Participation in the occupation of France

These entries place Bauer in the southern sector of the German campaign, particularly in the Saar, Moselle and Vosges regions.

After the main campaign, the Wehrpass records security or occupation duties in France.

Campaign in the Soviet Union

Bauer subsequently served during the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. One entry describes:

Vormarsch- und Bewegungskämpfe über den Bug, Wolhynien und Ukraine, Charkow

This may be translated as advance and mobile fighting across the Bug, through Volhynia and Ukraine, towards Kharkov.

More detailed entries include:

• border fighting in Volhynia from June 1941;
• fighting in the area north of Zhytomyr;
• pursuit operations towards the Dnieper;
• fighting around Kyiv;
• an advance towards the Donets region;
• subsequent fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Several dates and place names are difficult to read, but the general sequence follows the German advance through western Ukraine towards Kyiv and the Donets Basin during the summer and autumn of 1941.

Weapons training

The weapons-training page records Bauer as trained with the:

• Infanteriegewehr 95.

This was almost certainly the Austro-Hungarian Mannlicher M1895 rifle, reflecting his earlier service in the imperial and royal armed forces.

The document also appears to mention reserve-officer or front-officer instruction, although the course names are only partly legible.

Second World War decoration

In addition to his Austro-Hungarian awards, Bauer's Wehrpass appears to record the:

• Iron Cross, Second Class.

The award entry is dated during the 1941 campaign. Because the handwriting and stamps overlap, the exact award date should be checked against the original page before being quoted as definitive.

Release from active service

Bauer was released from active military service on 13 March 1942 as a Hauptmann der Reserve zur Verfügung. His final active formation was Bau-Ersatz-Bataillon 17.

He was released to his home address in Vienna. The discharge entry records him as medically assessed and formally instructed regarding military secrecy, espionage prevention and his continuing obligations following release.

The reserve-status section contains additional administrative entries made after his release, including an entry dated 9 August 1943. These appear to concern his continued classification within Wehrkreis XVII rather than renewed front-line service.

Historical significance

August Bauer's Wehrpass is notable because it documents military service under two different states. He began his career as an Austro-Hungarian soldier during the First World War, rose to commissioned rank, and was wounded during that conflict.

More than twenty years later, his earlier rank and experience were incorporated into the Wehrmacht's reserve system. As a construction-troops officer, he participated in the campaigns in France and the Soviet Union before being released from active service in 1942.

The document also demonstrates the importance of construction units in German military operations. Although such formations were not normally front-line combat units, they followed the advancing armies and operated in areas exposed to combat, air attack and difficult logistical conditions.

Notes on interpretation

Several entries in the Wehrpass are obscured by stamps, overwritten text or difficult handwriting. In particular:

• the full designation of Bauer's Austro-Hungarian regiment;
• the precise wording of his civilian occupation;
• several First World War campaign entries;
• the full titles of some decorations;
• several dates in the 1941 campaign record.

These readings should be compared with Austrian military personnel records, German reserve-officer files and any surviving award documentation before being treated as final.

See also

• Wehrpass
• Understanding the Wehrpass
• Bau-Bataillon
• Bau-Ersatz-Bataillon 17
• Wehrkreis XVII
• German Army construction troops
• Austro-Hungarian Army
• Karl Troop Cross
• Iron Cross

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