Werner Schulze

class="fn" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | Werner Schulze
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Nickname	"Papa Schulze"
Birth date	15 January 1895
Place of birth	Calbe, Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	3 November 1966 (aged 71)
Place of death	Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	File:War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army File:Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army File:Freikorps Flag.jpg Freikorps File:War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Reichswehr File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945) (vector version).png NSDAP File:Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Years of service	1913–14 1914–18 1919–23 1931–45 1935–45
Rank	Generalmajor of the Reserves
Commands held	Grenadier-Regiment 551 329. Infanterie-Division 131. Infanterie-Division 14. Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Poland Campaign Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of Moscow Siege of Leningrad Battle of Narva (1944) Baltic Offensive (1944) East Prussian Offensive (de)
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Werner Schulze (15 January 1895 – 3 November 1966) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalmajor d. R. and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II.

He must not be confused with the judge and Reich Court Concil (Reichsgerichtsrat) Hauptmann der Reserve Werner Schulze (b. 19 April 1882 in Berlin), who was murdered on 2 March 1946 by the Soviets in the NKVD Special Camp No. 1.

Military career (chronology)

File:Generalmajor der Reserve Werner Schulze.JPG

After his time as acting leader of the 329. Infanterie-Division, his commanding general Hermann Foertsch (X. Armee-Korps) and commander-in-chief (18. Armee) Ehrenfried Oskar Boege (de) assessed Schulze as not qualified for divisional command. But Ferdinand Schörner (de) overruled them with two short sentences.

• 14 September 1913: Joined the Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36 as an officer candidate
• 2. August 1914: Platoon leader in the 6. Kompanie/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 14 September 1914: Adjutant of the II. Bataillon/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 6 October 1914: Leader (Führer) of the Maschinengewehr-Kompanie/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 21 November 1914: Again adjutant of the II. Bataillon/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 10 May 1915: Again leader (Führer) of the Maschinengewehr-Kompanie/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 15 September 1916: Leader of the 1. MG-Kompanie/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 1918: Deputy leader (stellvertretender Führer) of the I. Bataillon/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 16 May 1918: Adjutant of the Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36
• 14 December 1918: Leader of the 8. Kompanie/Freiwilliges Landesjäger-Korps (Freikorps) under Generalmajor Georg Ludwig Rudolf Maercker
• 9 February 1919: Leader (Führer) of the Maschinengewehr-Kompanie/III. Bataillon/Freiwilliges Landesjägerkorps
• June 1919: Transferred to the 1. Landesjäger-Regiment/Landesjägerkorps Reichswehrbrigade 16 (Provisional Reichswehr)
• 15 November 1919: Adjutant of the III. Bataillon/Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 31
• 1 October 1920: Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 110
• 1 January 1921: 4. MG-Kompanie/I. Bataillon/16. Infanterie-Regiment in Oldenburg
• 17 November 1923 Retired from the army with effect from 1 December 1923
• Schulze became an insurance salesman and then general manager (Prokurist)
• 1 October 1931 Member of the NSDAP
  • Head of a NSDAP local group office (Amtsleiter, later Ortsgruppenleiter der NSDAP)
• 1 January 1935: Hauptmann der Reserve (Captain of the Reserves) with the Infanterie-Regiment Crossen (the later Infanterie-Regiment 29)

Wehrmacht

• 15 October 1935: Reserves training with the Infanterie-Regiment 29
• 9 May 1939 Activated as a reserves officer of the Wehrmacht
• 26 August 1939: Company commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 29
• 6 September 1939: Commander of the replacement company of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 29
• 1 December 1939: Commander of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 479
• 1 February 1941: Commander of the II. Bataillon/Infanterie-Regiment 510
  • 1 March 1942, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross: Awarded for his proven abilities in the heavy defensive battles near Krasnyj (10km south of Mzensk) during the time period 15 January to 1 February 1942. He particularly distinguished himself by salvaging one particularly critical situation. When a group of Soviet soldiers in well over company strength (along with heavy weapons) succeeded in penetrating to a depth of 2 km behind the German lines through forested gullies, it was Schulze who, on his own initiative, launched an immediate counterattack. This succeeded in destroying the Red Army force and prevented them from reinforcing their penetration which, according to prisoner statements, had the aim of advancing to sever the Mzensk—Orel railroad. Due to Schulze's immediate action, this turn of events was avoided, and two hours later the Germans launched a major counterattack that was able to restore the old main line (Hauptkampflinie).
• May 1942: stellvertretender Kommandeur, Infanterie-Regiment 418
• August 1942: Leader of the Infanterie-Regiment 551
• 15 October 1942: Leader of the Grenadier-Regiment 551
• 1 December 1942: Commander (after his promotion to Oberstleutnant der Reserve) of the Grenadier-Regiment 551
  • 16 April 1944 to 1 July 1944: Delegated with the deputy leadership of the 329. Infanterie-Division
  • 16/17 July 1944: Once again delegated with the deputy leadership of the 329. Infanterie-Division
  • 23 August 1944: Schulze was appointed as the acting commander of the 329. Infanterie-Division. In this capacity, during the time period 18 July to 16 August 1944, he was able to successfully guide his division during its withdrawal from the Latvian position to new defenses in the Laudona bridgehead. Shortly afterwards, on the 26 July 1944, he was able to recapture the old German line at Ratinieki and put the hostile units there to flight. For these actions he would be awarded the Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross.
• 25/28 October 1944: Delegated with the deputy leadership of the 131. Infanterie-Division replacing Generalleutnant Friedrich Weber
• 10 December 1944: Delegated with the leadership of the 131. Infanterie-Division
• 1 January 1945: Commander of the 131. Infanterie-Division
• 10 April 1945: Commander of the 14. Infanterie-Division
• May 1945 to 1948 British prisoner of war (POW)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
21 September 1944 (Addendum)		In the norther sector of the Eastern Front, the East Prussian 121st Infantry Division under the command of Colonel Ranck and the Rhenish-Westphalian 329th Infantry Division under the command of Colonel of the Reserves Schulze, have proven themselves to be excellent.

Promotions

• 14 September 1913: Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 20 May 1914: Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 6 August 1914: Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 29 January 1913
• 18 April 1918: Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 January 1935: Hauptmann der Reserve (Captain of the Reserves)
• 1 October 1941: Major der Reserve
• 1 December 1942: Oberstleutnant der Reserve (Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserves)
• 1 June 1943: Oberst der Reserve (Colonel of the Reserves)
• 30 January 1945: Generalmajor der Reserve with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 January 1945

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class on 30 June 1941
  • Clasp to EK II on 27 July 1941
  • Clasp to EK I on 4 August 1941
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords on 20 October 1940
• Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) on 7 March 1942
• Eastern Front Medal on 7 September 1942
• Honour Roll Clasp (Ehrenblattspange des Heeres) on 28 November 1941
• Namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht) on 21 September 1944
• German Cross in Gold on 2 October 1943 as Oberst of the Reserves in Grenadier-Regiment 551
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 1 March 1942 as Major of the Reserves and commander of the II. Bataillon/Infanterie-Regiment 510
  • 557th Oak Leaves on 23 August 1944 as Oberst of the Reserves and commander of thr Grenadier-Regiment 551

Further reading

German sources

• Franz Thomas: Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945, Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z], Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1998 (in German)
• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German), Podzun-Pallas, Wölfersheim 2000, ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6
  • English: The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches, expanded edition, 2000
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.