Georg-Thilo Freiherr von Werthern

Georg-Thilo Freiherr von Werthern
Birth name	Georg-Thilo Hans Freiherr von Werthern
Birth date	5 June 1892(1892-06-05)
Place of birth	Erfurt, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	20 August 1961 (aged 69)
Place of death	Hamburg, West Germany
Allegiance	Kingdom of Prussia German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1911–1945
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Poland Campaign Western Campaign Operation Barbarossa Defence of the Reich (Reichsverteidigung)
Awards	Iron Cross Wound Badge Johanniter-Orden
Relations	∞ 1916 Vera von Horn

Georg-Thilo Hans Freiherr von Werthern (5 June 1892 – 20 August 1961) was a German officer, finally Major General of the Wehrmacht and commander of a field ordnance command in World War II.

Life

Georg-Thilo attended the Royal Gymnasium in Erfurt (learning French and English), then he attended the cadet institute in Naumburg an der Saale, he then transferred to the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute (Hauptkadettenanstalt in Groß-Lichterfelde) near Berlin where he became a cadet with honors. On 2 March 1911, because of his extraordinary achievements, he was transferred to the 2. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment in Potsdam as a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. The Feldartillerie (field artillery) was equipped with the lighter cannons to guarantee speed in the field, whereas the Fußartillerie (foot artillery) was equipped with the larger (heavier) calibers. On 23 March 1911, he was sworn-in.

• 1 March 1914 Appointed adjutant of the I. Battalion/2. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment
  • August 1914 deployed into the field; Western Front
  • 21 September 1914 Major Armand von Bentivegni took over command of the 2. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment
• 14 August 1915 Wounded (shrapnel ball, right upper arm); military hospital Gotha and spa stay in Friedrichsroda
• 9 November 1915 return to the war front, again as adjutant of the I. Battalion
• 10 April 1916 Appointed battery officer
• 30 November 1916 Appointed leader of the 1st Ammunition Column
• 23 December 1916 Appointed leader of the 2nd Battery; one of his young officers was Franz-Eccard von Bentivegni
• 19 October 1917 Transferred to the staff of the Replacement Battalion/2. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment
• 2 January 1918 Commanded to the General Staff Course Sedan
• 6 May 1918 Appointed II. Orderly Officer of the 10th Reserve Division
• 9 January 1919 Return to the 2. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment as battery leader during demobilization
• 1 May 1919 Appointed I. Orderly Officer with the staff of the artillery leader of the Reichswehr Brigade 3
• 24 October 1919 Newly sworn-in
• 15 May 1920 Appointed regimental adjutant of the Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 3
• 1 November 1920 Appointed adjutant of the II. (mounted) Battalion/Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 15
• 1 January 1921 Appointed adjutant of the IV. (mounted) Battalion/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment in Potsdam
• 1 March 1922 Appointed battery officer with the 3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
• 1 December 1923 Transferred to the regimental staff of the 3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment in Frankfurt an der Oder
• 1 May 1924 Transferred to the staff of the IV. (mounted) Battalion/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
  • 4 to 19 July 1924 commanded to cavalry school
• 1 April 1925 Appointed commander of the 10th (training) Battery/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
• 1 February 1926 Appointed commander of the 12th (mounted) Battery/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
• 1 April 1926 Transferred to the staff of the IV. (mounted) Battalion/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
• 1 May 1926 Again appointed commander of the 12th (mounted) Battery/3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
  • 28 February to 9 April 1927 commanded to the shooting course for artillery officers in Ohrdruf
• 1 August 1929 Appointed regimental adjutant of the 3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
• 1 October 1933 Appointed staff officer of the 3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment
  • 1 July to 15 September 1934 commanded to the artillery school (Asta I)
• 2 August 1934 Newly sworn-in

Wehrmacht

• 1 October 1935 Appointed commander of the II. Battalion/Artillerie-Regiment Naumburg
  • 15 October 1935 renamed to Artillerie-Regiment 14
• 1 April 1938 Transferred to the staff of the Kaiserslautern command post
• 10 November 1938 Appointed artillery commander at the General Command of the Border Troops Saarpfalz in Kaiserslautern
  • 16 September 1938 renamed to General Command XXIV. Army Corps
• 25 August 1939 Staff/Artillerie-Kommandeur 112 (Arko 112)
• 25 September 1939 Appointed Staff Officer of the Artillery (Stoart) in the staff of the XXIV. Army Corps
• 1 December 1939 Appointed commander of the newly formed Artillerie-Regiment 181
• 16 April 1941 Appointed Artillerie-Kommandeur 126 (Arko 126)
• 29 January 1942 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
• 10 June 1942 Appointed Artillerie-Kommandeur 116 (Arko 116) in Western France (subordinated to the LXXX. Armeekorps/1. Armee)
  • 5 November 1942 sentenced by the Commanding General of the Army Corps to three weeks of confinement in his room for "maintaining tactless relations with a Frenchwoman as a married general" (suspicion of an affair); afterwards, a proposal to transfer him to a "colder region" (Eastern Front) was made, which was rejected after a medical examination. Later, the alleged "misconduct" was downplayed based on various witness statements, although it was still "disapproved of." Nevertheless, his 28 years of outstanding service to the country outweighed the negative aspects.
• 16 November 1942 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
• 1 September 1943 Appointed commander of the Field Ordnance Command X (Feldzeug-Kommando X) in Hamburg (Military District X)
  • The commanders of the field ordnance commands were in charge of all field ordnance depots within their respective areas. They were responsible for supplying the troops with weapons, equipment, and ammunition, and for their repair in the field ordnance workshops. They advised the commander of the military district on all matters affecting the troops and the field ordnance service. In particular, they were responsible for ensuring the provision of weapons, equipment, and ammunition to the subordinate field ordnance depots, following the instructions of the commander of the military district. The commanders of the field ordnance depots had the disciplinary authority of a regimental commander.
• 12 November 1944 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve; admitted to a military hospital
  • 2 February 1945 Discharged from military hospital (av.)
    • av. (arbeitsverwendungsfähig) = fit for work; usable in staff positions, but also in troop units and offices on the home front

Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel informed Major General Freiherr von Werthern in a letter from 5 March 1945 that, due to his health (heart disease), he would no longer be used for military service and would be discharged from the Wehrmacht effective 31 May 1945 with the right to wear his previous uniform. Keitel did, however, point out the possibility that, as Freiherr von Werthern resided within Military District X (Hamburg), he could be drafted for civilian service. Whether this ever occurred is unknown. At the end of April 1945, the British invaders were on the verge of reaching Hamburg, and on 3 May 1945, the city fell to the enemy. It is also unknown whether Freiherr von Werthern was taken prisoner of war.

Family

Georg-Thilo was the son of Protestant military district officer Major Hugo Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Werthern (1846–1899) and his wife (∞ 19 June 1881) Klara, née Freiin von Schauroth (1851–1910). He had several siblings, his older brother was Colonel Willibald Georg-Thilo Albert August Hugo Franz Freiherr von Werthern (b. 17 July 1882 in Brandenburg an der Havel).

Marriage

On 16 March 1916 in Potsdam, 2nd Lieutenant Freiherr von Werthern married his Protestant fiancée Vera Doris Nelli Gardie von Horn (b. 22 November 1893 in Hanover), daughter of Higher Administrative Court Council (Oberverwaltungsgerichtsrat) Dr. jur. Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Heinrich Eugen von Horn (1856–1923). They would have three children:

• Hans-Georg Thilo (b. 10 August 1917 in Potsdam), Major and General Staff Officer of the Wehrmacht in WWII (GCiG)
• Georg-Wilhelm Carl Friedrich (b. 10 May 1920 in Potsdam), Captain in WWII, ⚔ on 23 March 1944 in Italy
• Rosemarie Clara Cornelia Gardie (b. 16 May 1922 in Potsdam)

Promotions

• 2 March 1911 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) without Patent
  • 16 June 1911 received Patent from 2 June 1911
• 18 August 1916 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 15 September 1923 Hauptmann (Captain) with effect and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 September 1923 (2)
• 1 July 1933 Major (14)
• 16 March 1936 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 March 1936 (12)
• 31 July 1938 Oberst (Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 August 1938 (12)
• 15 May 1942 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 June 1942 (5)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 4 October 1914
  • 1st Class on 6 June 1917
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black on 12 May 1918
• Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Johanniter-Orden on 25 January 1924
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 15 January 1935
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th with 1st Class on 2 October 1936
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 30 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 18 June 1940
• West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) on 9 February 1940
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal on 8 August 1942

Sources

• German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/2055 and PERS 6/301316