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Angress, Werner T. (33043440): Difference between revisions

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|class_number=11
|class_number=11
|class_section=5A
|class_section=5A
|class_rank=Sgt
|class_rank=Sergeant
|birth_year=1920
|birth_year=1920
|death_year=2010
|death_year=2010
|nativity=Ge
|nativity=Germany
|religion=J
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=RICHMOND VIRGINIA
|enlistment_place=RICHMOND VIRGINIA
|state=VIRGINIA
|state=VIRGINIA
Line 20: Line 20:
|marital=Single without dependents
|marital=Single without dependents
|certificate=3743
|certificate=3743
|photo=Angress, Werner (33043440).jpg
|photo=Angress, Werner (33043440) press TANGRAM.jpg
|confidence=high
|confidence=high
|class_display=11
|class_display=11
|overseas=Y
|overseas=Y
|birth_place=Berlin, Germany
|rank_final=Colonel
|awards=Purple Heart
|awards_grid=Purple Heart
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|birth_date=27 June 1920
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''Werner T. Angress''' (1920–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (born Tom; from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 45.
'''[[Angress, Werner T. (33043440)|Werner T. Angress]]''' (1920–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (born Tom; from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 45.
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Werner Angress was born in Berlin in 1920. In 1937 his family fled to the Netherlands, and about two years later he emigrated to the United States with a group of friends. He joined the U.S. Army in 1941. After infantry service he was sent to Camp Ritchie in 1943—where trainees joked that MITC stood for “Military Institute of Total Confusion”—then to England with an airborne assignment.


On D-Day night he parachuted into France with the 82nd Airborne Division despite never having jumped before; after a misdrop he evaded capture for nine days before he and other lost GIs were betrayed and taken prisoner. He concealed his identity and was liberated about two weeks later. He later parachuted into Holland in Operation Market Garden, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and helped liberate Camp Wöbbelin, a subcamp of Neuengamme.


 
On Mother’s Day in 1945 he was reunited in Amsterdam with his mother and two younger brothers, who had survived in hiding; his father, arrested in 1941, had been killed in Auschwitz. In fall 1945 he returned to the United States, studied at university, and later became a professor of history at Berkeley and then at Stony Brook. He later published the memoir ''Invisible Ink''.
 
 
I enjoyed reading Ritchie Boy Werner Angress' memoir, "Witness to the Storm," about his growing up in Berlin in the 1930's, emigration to the United States and return to Europe as a soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division. RB Angress parachuted into France on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne Division (where over 50% of his Parachute Regiment was wounded), was captured and served as a prisoner of war, parachuted into Holland as part of Operation Market Garden, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and helped liberate Camp Wobbelin, a sub-camp of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp.
 
Are there any other books about Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys that readers would recommend? Here is how RB Angress describes his route to Camp Ritchie. "One day a message from division headquarters appeared on the company's bulletin board urging all those able to speak another language, especially German or Japanese, to apply for the next training course at the Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC) at Camp Ritchie, in order to become POW interrogators, propagandists, or interpreters." More to follow.
 
In Ritchie Boy Werner Angress' book, he describes the most important class he took at Camp Ritchie - The German Order of Battle.
 
It is a well-written book packed with facts and memories from growing up in Berlin in the 1920's and 1930's. One interesting anecdote he mentions is the involvement by Reichswehr General Gerd von Rundstedt in enforcing an emergency measure in 1932 following the Coup of Prussia. On the top of my list, however, is a new book to be released on May 5, Invisible Ink, by Ritchie Boy Guy Stern, probably the best known Ritchie Boy because of his being featured in Bruce Henderson's book, Sons and Soldiers, and his feature role in the 2004 documentary, The Ritchie Boys.
 
There are many, many more books about the Ritchie Boys that are on my reading list, including books by authors such as Roger Sabbadini, Werner Angress (Witness to the Storm), Alfred de Grazia (A Taste of War; Soldiering in World War II), and Hugh and Alex Nibley (Sergeant Nibley, PhD, Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle). I've just begun to read Ritchie Boy Werner Angress' autobiography. Coincidentally, just this week we learned that another Ritchie Boy, Joseph Haas, was involved in the interrogation of Wehrmacht Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt!
 
"The officer who introduced us to this extensive subject matter was Captain Cohn....We had to know who the commanders of the various German divisions were, which regiments belonged to which divisions.... not only the Wehrmacht but also the Waffen SS....In this course, my head was stuffed with dates, names, military formations, rank insignia, and so on." Members of Ritchie Boy Werner Angress' IPW team included RB's Fred Guttman, Siggi Koesterich, Leo Brodsky, and Ernest Greenwald. Ritchie Boy Werner Angress received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
 


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
Line 55: Line 50:
* Historian, SUNY Professor
* Historian, SUNY Professor
* Author, "Between Fear and Hope"
* Author, "Between Fear and Hope"
* Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]).


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
2941905925831309.jpg
4216741738347715.jpg|Cover of ''Witness to the Storm'' by Werner T. Angress
4216741738347715.jpg
4323900430965178.jpg
4323949004293654.jpg
4323949004293654.jpg
4323984584290096.jpg
4323984584290096.jpg
Angress, Werner (33043440).jpg|Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)
</gallery>
</gallery>
</div>
</div>
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| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* Born 27 June 1920 in Berlin son of Henry and Henny Angress (Jewish).
* 1937 — Family fled to the Netherlands.
* c. 1939 — Emigrated to the United States.
* 1941 — Joined the U.S. Army; father arrested (later killed in Auschwitz).
* 15 December 1943 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
* 23 October 1943 — Graduated Class 11 (German Document Examiner).
* 25 August 1943 — Entered Class 11.
* 11 December 1944 — Promoted to T/Sgt per Special Order F-88.
* 11 November 1944 — Moved to Camp Sissones (nr Reims).
* 13 December 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 47 from IPW Team 40.
* 13 December 1944.
* 16 December 1944 — Unit moved to the Ardennes.
* 27 June 1944 — Liberated by US 9th Infantry Division. Rejoined the 508th PIR.
* 28 June 1944 — Started to interrogate POWs while with 1st Battalion, 508th PIR.
* 9 September 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 40 (thru 13 December 1944).
* Fall 1945 — Returned to the United States.
* March 1945 — IPW Team 47 assigned to 82nd Airborne (1st Army).
* Mother’s Day 1945 — Reunited with mother and brothers in Amsterdam.
* Assigned to IPW Team 45 attached to 82nd Airborne Division consisting of.
* Awards: Purple Heart; Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman Badge.
* Division).
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
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* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-05-22 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-05-22 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-06-29 (3 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-06-29 (3 posts)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Werner T. Angress for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Angress, Werner T. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc)
* [https://ritchieboys.com/EN/boys_angress.html The Ritchie Boys: Werner Angress]
* [https://ritchieboys.com/EN/camp_life.html The Ritchie Boys film site — Life in Camp Ritchie (Werner Angress MITC quote)]
* [[The Stories/Life in Camp Ritchie]] (Bauer film excerpts)
* [https://ritchieboys.com/EN/press_photos.html The Ritchie Boys film site — press photos] (© TANGRAM; high-res https://ritchieboys.com/DL/photos-highq/boys/angress.jpg)

Latest revision as of 15:00, 16 September 2026

Werner T. Angress
Werner T. Angress
Personal details
Birth nameTom
Born27 June 1920
Berlin, Germany
Died2010
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN33043440
RankColonel
Rank at RitchieSergeant
Camp RitchieClass 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943)
Section5A
EnlistedRichmond, Virginia
TeamIPW 45
On film Werner T. Angress appears in The Ritchie Boys (Christian Bauer, 2004).
Awards and honors
Purple Heart
Teammates
Team — IPW 45
These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.


Werner T. Angress (1920–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (born Tom; from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 45.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Werner Angress was born in Berlin in 1920. In 1937 his family fled to the Netherlands, and about two years later he emigrated to the United States with a group of friends. He joined the U.S. Army in 1941. After infantry service he was sent to Camp Ritchie in 1943—where trainees joked that MITC stood for “Military Institute of Total Confusion”—then to England with an airborne assignment.

On D-Day night he parachuted into France with the 82nd Airborne Division despite never having jumped before; after a misdrop he evaded capture for nine days before he and other lost GIs were betrayed and taken prisoner. He concealed his identity and was liberated about two weeks later. He later parachuted into Holland in Operation Market Garden, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and helped liberate Camp Wöbbelin, a subcamp of Neuengamme.

On Mother’s Day in 1945 he was reunited in Amsterdam with his mother and two younger brothers, who had survived in hiding; his father, arrested in 1941, had been killed in Auschwitz. In fall 1945 he returned to the United States, studied at university, and later became a professor of history at Berkeley and then at Stony Brook. He later published the memoir Invisible Ink.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Gross Breeson
  • Ritchie Boy
  • 508th PIR BS
  • Historian, SUNY Professor
  • Author, "Between Fear and Hope"

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Cover of Witness to the Storm by Werner T. Angress
    Cover of Witness to the Storm by Werner T. Angress
  • Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)
    Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 90
Nara ASN 33043440
Nara Name ANGRESS WERNER T
Nara State 33
Nara County 133
Nara POE 3386
Nara DOE 70541
Nara Grade Alpha PVT
Nara Grade Code 8
Nara Branch Alpha BI
Nara Branch Code 0
Branch Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Nara Term or Enlistment 0
Term of enlistment Unknown
Defer. Date 0
Nara Source 0
Nara Nativity N1
Nara Year of Birth 20
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 4
Nara Civilian Occupation 316
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 65
Nara Weight (lbs) 126
Class_ASN 33043440
Class_Name ANGRESS, Werner T.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • Born 27 June 1920 in Berlin son of Henry and Henny Angress (Jewish).
  • 1937 — Family fled to the Netherlands.
  • c. 1939 — Emigrated to the United States.
  • 1941 — Joined the U.S. Army; father arrested (later killed in Auschwitz).
  • 15 December 1943 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
  • 23 October 1943 — Graduated Class 11 (German Document Examiner).
  • 25 August 1943 — Entered Class 11.
  • 11 December 1944 — Promoted to T/Sgt per Special Order F-88.
  • 11 November 1944 — Moved to Camp Sissones (nr Reims).
  • 13 December 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 47 from IPW Team 40.
  • 13 December 1944.
  • 16 December 1944 — Unit moved to the Ardennes.
  • 27 June 1944 — Liberated by US 9th Infantry Division. Rejoined the 508th PIR.
  • 28 June 1944 — Started to interrogate POWs while with 1st Battalion, 508th PIR.
  • 9 September 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 40 (thru 13 December 1944).
  • Fall 1945 — Returned to the United States.
  • March 1945 — IPW Team 47 assigned to 82nd Airborne (1st Army).
  • Mother’s Day 1945 — Reunited with mother and brothers in Amsterdam.
  • Assigned to IPW Team 45 attached to 82nd Airborne Division consisting of.
  • Awards: Purple Heart; Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman Badge.
  • Division).


Sources[edit | edit source]

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