SS-Sturmmann Gehrhardt werner
AWARDS: |
Infanterie Assault Badge in Silver: 18. Aug. 1940
Wound Badge in Black: 22. Sep. 1941 |
PROMOTIONS: |
SS-Schutze: 21. Okt. 1938
SS-Oberschutze: 18. Marz, 1940 SS-Sturmmann: 22. Sep. 1941 |
Gehrhardt Werner II was born in Dresden on 28. Marz, 1918. His father, Gerhardt was a carpenter, and his mother, Karin stayed at home. Gehrhardt's home was in a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of Dresden, and he lived there with his parents until joining the SS in 1938. After seeing a group of LSSAH men in a rally, attracted to their smart black uniforms and crisp precision of their drill, Gehrhardt decided he wanted to join the new SS instead of the Heer.
Gehrhardt was too short to be accepted into the LSSAH, and was instead sent to the SS-Totenkopfverbande. He was assigned to SS-Totenkopfstandarte 1. 'Oberbayern'. He served with this unit at it's camp at Dachau, and although he never made any formal complaints, he was quite unhappy with his assignment, and his rejection from the LSSAH.
Werner was with the unit during the invasion of Poland, and was introduced to the true brutality of the war they would be fighting, which was even more brutal than what he had experienced working in the camp system prior to the invasion. After the invasion of Poland, Gehrhardt was among the cadre of men from his Standarte used to form the core of a new SS-Division, commanded by Theodor Eicke.
Gehrhardt began to excel once the unit began combat training, and finally felt like he was doing what he had signed on to do. He signed the waiver not to speak about his experiences in the division, as did every other soldier, and prepared for the invasion of France with his comrades.
In March of 1940, Gehrhardt was promoted to the rank of SS-Oberschutze and became the assistant machine gunner on a ZB-26 team. Although he was not of the largest build, he would become one of the best assistant gunners in the company.
One night while his company was dug in along the Le Blassee Canal, Gehrhardt was among a group of men, led by SS-Uscha. Otto Zoepf, who took a rubber raft across the canal to scout the enemy positions opposite of his company. A brief firefight ensued, and the group was split up. SS-Ostz. Werner and SS-Ostz. Josef Sievers were captured by British troops.
The Gruppenfuhrer, Zoepf and his machine gunner, Mahlandt were the only troops remaining, and instead of returning across the canal, they layed low for several hours, then worked their way to a nearby farmhouse where the English had taken Werner and Sievers. Zoepf and Mahlandt rushed the guards and subdued them with bayonets, before entering the house and clearing it with a burst of fire from their sub-machine guns. Werner and Sievers had a close call, but were able to return to their lines and participate in the main crossing of the canal two days later.
Werner would survive the campaign in France, and as the Division is moved to the South of France to refit, and Werner had time to reflect, he along with many other "Totenkopf" men had trouble coping with the sights they had seen. However, a bit of confidence was instilled in the men of the Division, who returned from the campaign victorious.
Gehrhardt rolled into Russia, with the rest of the SS-Totenkopfdivision. Still a member of 2. Kompanie, he participated in the brutal assault on the Stalin Line, and participated on the drive on Leningrad. On September 19, near the village of Lushno, near Staraya Russa, in the Demjansk Sector, Gerhardt's unit was hit with a Soviet counter-attack, and encircled and cut off from the rest of the Company, and Division.
Gehrhardt and the rest of his Kompanie managed to fend off the attack, and even managed to counter-attack, and link up with the rest of the Battalion. However, he was wounded in the fighting, taking shrapnel from Soviet artillery in his back. He was awarded the Wound Badge in Black on 22. September, and returned to his unit the day after.
Gehrhardt was too short to be accepted into the LSSAH, and was instead sent to the SS-Totenkopfverbande. He was assigned to SS-Totenkopfstandarte 1. 'Oberbayern'. He served with this unit at it's camp at Dachau, and although he never made any formal complaints, he was quite unhappy with his assignment, and his rejection from the LSSAH.
Werner was with the unit during the invasion of Poland, and was introduced to the true brutality of the war they would be fighting, which was even more brutal than what he had experienced working in the camp system prior to the invasion. After the invasion of Poland, Gehrhardt was among the cadre of men from his Standarte used to form the core of a new SS-Division, commanded by Theodor Eicke.
Gehrhardt began to excel once the unit began combat training, and finally felt like he was doing what he had signed on to do. He signed the waiver not to speak about his experiences in the division, as did every other soldier, and prepared for the invasion of France with his comrades.
In March of 1940, Gehrhardt was promoted to the rank of SS-Oberschutze and became the assistant machine gunner on a ZB-26 team. Although he was not of the largest build, he would become one of the best assistant gunners in the company.
One night while his company was dug in along the Le Blassee Canal, Gehrhardt was among a group of men, led by SS-Uscha. Otto Zoepf, who took a rubber raft across the canal to scout the enemy positions opposite of his company. A brief firefight ensued, and the group was split up. SS-Ostz. Werner and SS-Ostz. Josef Sievers were captured by British troops.
The Gruppenfuhrer, Zoepf and his machine gunner, Mahlandt were the only troops remaining, and instead of returning across the canal, they layed low for several hours, then worked their way to a nearby farmhouse where the English had taken Werner and Sievers. Zoepf and Mahlandt rushed the guards and subdued them with bayonets, before entering the house and clearing it with a burst of fire from their sub-machine guns. Werner and Sievers had a close call, but were able to return to their lines and participate in the main crossing of the canal two days later.
Werner would survive the campaign in France, and as the Division is moved to the South of France to refit, and Werner had time to reflect, he along with many other "Totenkopf" men had trouble coping with the sights they had seen. However, a bit of confidence was instilled in the men of the Division, who returned from the campaign victorious.
Gehrhardt rolled into Russia, with the rest of the SS-Totenkopfdivision. Still a member of 2. Kompanie, he participated in the brutal assault on the Stalin Line, and participated on the drive on Leningrad. On September 19, near the village of Lushno, near Staraya Russa, in the Demjansk Sector, Gerhardt's unit was hit with a Soviet counter-attack, and encircled and cut off from the rest of the Company, and Division.
Gehrhardt and the rest of his Kompanie managed to fend off the attack, and even managed to counter-attack, and link up with the rest of the Battalion. However, he was wounded in the fighting, taking shrapnel from Soviet artillery in his back. He was awarded the Wound Badge in Black on 22. September, and returned to his unit the day after.
DISCLAIMER: 2. Kompanie is a non-political organization We do not support naziism, or fascism. We are not associated with nor do we condone the actions of the Third Reich or the actual 3.SS Division.