Wehrpass:Karl Werner

Dr. Karl Werner was a German reserve officer who served with the Heer before and during the Second World War. His surviving Wehrpass records his advancement from a short period of pre-war military training to the rank of Oberleutnant der Reserve. It also documents his service on the Western and Eastern Fronts, including operations with Infanterie-Regiment 80 during 1941.

The surviving document is marked Zweitschrift, meaning that it is an officially issued duplicate rather than Werner's original Wehrpass. It was issued at Neuwied on 4 April 1942. Earlier entries were copied from military records and subsequently certified.

The given name is transcribed here as Karl, following the spelling appearing repeatedly in the Wehrpass and in the holder's signature.

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Personal information

Detail	Information
Full name	Dr. Karl Werner
Date of birth	26 April 1901
Place of birth	Northeim, administrative district of Hildesheim
Nationality	German
Religion	Catholic
Marital status	Married
Civilian occupation	Geschäftsführer — manager or managing director
Highest recorded rank	Oberleutnant der Reserve

Werner attended a Gymnasium and university before beginning his civilian career. The Wehrpass records him as married and employed as a Geschäftsführer.

Pre-war military service

Werner began a period of military training on 4 January 1936 with the 1st Company of Ergänzungs-Bataillon 54. He was released from this initial period of service on 29 February 1936 with the rank of Schütze. The medical entry made at the time described him as healthy and fully fit for military service.

During subsequent reserve exercises and training periods, Werner advanced through the reserve ranks:

Effective date	Rank or appointment
1 May 1936	Unteroffiziersanwärter
12 December 1936	Gefreiter der Reserve
22 December 1936	Offizieranwärter der Reserve
26 June 1937	Unteroffizier der Reserve
1 July 1938	Feldwebel der Reserve and officer candidate
1 February 1940	Leutnant der Reserve
1 March 1942	Oberleutnant der Reserve

The appointment as Oberleutnant der Reserve took effect on 1 March 1942 and was administratively confirmed in April of that year.

Wartime service

Werner was assigned to the 13th Company of Infanterie-Regiment 80 at the beginning of the war. The notation in the Wehrpass identifies it as the regiment's infantry-gun company.

His recorded unit history includes:

Period	Unit or assignment
4 January – 29 February 1936	1./Ergänzungs-Bataillon 54
24 August 1939 – 11 April 1940	13./Infanterie-Regiment 80
12 – 27 April 1940	Wehrkreis-Ersatz-Depot, transit organisation
28 April – 7 June 1940	Infantry replacement battalion at Hohensalza
8 June – 28 July 1940	Infanterie-Ersatz-Regiment 34
29 July 1940 – 11 February 1942	13./Infanterie-Regiment 80
From 12 February 1942	Replacement and training formations associated with Infantry Regiment 34

Several of the later unit abbreviations are overwritten or difficult to read. They appear to refer to infantry-gun replacement and training formations connected with the number 34.

Western Front, 1939–1941

The campaign section records Werner's participation in the early period of the war in the West. The principal entries include:

• 3 September – 26 October 1939: Vorfeldkämpfe zwischen Mosel und Rhein — forward-area fighting between the Moselle and Rhine;
• 27 October 1939 – 26 January 1940: service in the rear operational area of Army Group Command C;
• 27 January – 10 April 1940: service on the Western Front in the Moselle sector;
• occupation and coastal-defence duties from August 1940 until May 1941;
• preparation and assembly for operations in the East during May and June 1941.

The exact locations named in several of the blue-ink entries are difficult to decipher, but the sequence shows that Werner remained in the West until shortly before the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Eastern Front

Werner's Wehrpass contains a detailed typed insert listing the operations in which his unit participated after 22 June 1941. These entries place him in the central sector of the Eastern Front.

Białystok and Minsk

Under the contemporary heading Doppelschlacht von Bialystok und Minsk, the document records:

• 22 June 1941 — breakthrough through the fortified positions south of Brest-Litovsk;
• 23–27 June — advance towards the Szczara;
• 29 June – 1 July — defensive fighting on the Zelwianka;
• 2–16 July — advance across the Swislotsch and Berezina;
• 17–20 July — defensive fighting near Mogilev.

Smolensk, Kritschew and Gomel

Further entries record:

• forest fighting near Gishenka;
• defensive fighting on the Sozh;
• the advance in the direction of Kritschew and Gomel;
• defensive operations along the Desna;
• the advance during the battles associated with Vyazma and Bryansk.

Advance towards Moscow

During October 1941, Werner's unit advanced across the Ugra and towards the Protva and Nara rivers. The Wehrpass subsequently records prolonged defensive fighting east of the Nara and along the Protva during December 1941.

The document uses the official German operational terminology of the period, including headings such as Doppelschlacht von Wjasma und Brjansk, Vorstoß gegen Moskau und Woronesh and Abwehrschlachten vor Moskau.

These entries demonstrate that Werner experienced intensive front-line service during the German advance towards Moscow and the subsequent Soviet winter counteroffensive.

Weapons and military training

The Wehrpass records training with the following weapons:

• Gewehr 98;
• leichtes Maschinengewehr 13;
• Pistole 08.

Additional entries refer to riding instruction and training for duties as a Zugführer, or platoon leader.

Decorations

Werner received several decorations during his service on the Eastern Front:

Decoration	Date recorded
Iron Cross, Second Class	20 September 1941
Iron Cross, First Class	17 November 1941
Infantry Assault Badge	7 December 1941
Eastern Front Medal	21 September 1942

The first three awards were received within a period of less than three months during the heavy fighting of the autumn and early winter of 1941. The award entries refer to Infanterie-Regiment 80 and the 34th Division.

Promotion to Oberleutnant

Werner was promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve with effect from 1 March 1942. By this time he had completed the principal combat period documented in the Wehrpass and had been transferred from Infanterie-Regiment 80 to a replacement formation.

His subsequent entries appear to relate primarily to replacement, training and staff assignments rather than continued service with the front-line regiment.

Release from active service

A final handwritten entry states that Werner was released from active military service under an order dated 10 June 1944. The discharge was recorded at Koblenz on 15 June 1944 and bears the stamp of the responsible military replacement authority.

The reason for his release is not stated in the pages. It should therefore not be assumed that it resulted from wounds, illness, age, or occupational necessity without additional documentation.

The Wehrpass as a historical source

Werner's Wehrpass is particularly informative because it combines personal details, reserve promotions, unit assignments, decorations and a detailed campaign record.

At the same time, it must be interpreted carefully. Because the surviving document is a Zweitschrift issued in 1942, many earlier entries were reconstructed from existing military records. Some dates were overwritten or altered, and several later abbreviations remain difficult to decipher.

Despite these limitations, the document provides a substantial outline of Werner's career: from a civilian manager and reserve trainee in 1936 to a decorated Oberleutnant der Reserve who had served in both the Western and Eastern campaigns.

See also

• Wehrpass
• Understanding the Wehrpass
• Infanterie-Regiment 80
• German military ranks of the Second World War
• Iron Cross
• Eastern Front Medal