Werner Wolff (SS officer)

Werner Wolff
Born	28 November 1922 Memel, French-occupied Memelland
Died	March , 1945 (age 22) Lower Austria, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1940–45
Rank	Obersturmführer
Unit	1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Werner Wolff (28 November 1922 – 19 or 29 March 1945) was an Obersturmführer, in the Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) of the Waffen-SS, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. This was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Wolff was awarded the Knight's Cross on 7 August 1943 while serving as Joachim Peiper's Adjutant in the 3rd Battalion of 2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Peiper recommended Wolff for the his actions after he took command of the leaderless 13th Company, following the wounding of its commander, during the Battle of Kursk in early July, and stopped a Soviet tank attack. Wolff destroyed one tank single handedly and refused to give ground to the Soviet attack.^[1]

In November 1943 Wolff was shot through the thigh and was due to have the leg amputated. However, when the medical orderly arrived to take Wolff to be operated on, he drew his pistol and warned the orderly he was not losing his leg, even firing a warning shot into the ground. Wolff made a complete recovery.

In the Normandy Campaign (Operation Overlord) he particularly distinguished himself during the defense of Tilly, and was awarded the Wehrmacht's Honour Roll Clasp of the Army as a result. According to Fellgiebel's book (2003 online edition) Wolff died in the military hospital of Götzendorf, in Lower Austria, on 29 March 1945.

Awards

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 7 August 1943 as SS-Untersturmführer and adjutant of the III./2. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler".^[2]

References

Citations

1. Agte 2006, p. 126.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 797.

Bibliography

• Agte, Patrick (2006). Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in World War II, Volume 1. Mechanicsburg, PA, USA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0811733342.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.