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Werner T. Angress
| Werner T. Angress | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Tom |
| Born | 1920 Berlin son of Henry and Henny |
| Died | 2010 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 33043440 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Rank at Ritchie | Sergeant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | Richmond, Virginia |
| Team | IPW 45 |
On film Werner T. Angress appears in The Ritchie Boys (Christian Bauer, 2004).
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
Werner T. Angress (1920–2010) was a German-born Jewish trainee who studied German Order of Battle at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 45. His memoir Witness to the Storm recounts his route from Nazi Berlin to the U.S. Army. Teammates included Fred Guttman, Siggi Koesterich, Leo Brodsky, and Ernest Greenwald.
He parachuted into France on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne Division, was captured and held as a prisoner of war, later jumped into Holland in Operation Market Garden, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and helped liberate Camp Wöbbelin, a subcamp of Neuengamme. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
Research notes
- Gross Breeson
- Ritchie Boy
- 508th PIR BS
- Historian, SUNY Professor
- Author, "Between Fear and Hope"
- Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).
Gallery
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Cover of Witness to the Storm by Werner T. Angress -
-
Technical record
| 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
- 7/13/1844 Captured some Germans (23). Interrogated German Cpl Kegel. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 45)
- 6/27/1920 Born in Berlin son of Henry and Henny Angress (Jewish). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 4)
- 8/25/1943 Entered Class 11. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 14)
- 12/15/1943 Promoted to S/Sgt. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 19)
- 6/27/1944 Liberated by US 9th Infantry Division. Rejoined the 508th PIR. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 40)
- 6/28/1944 Started to interrogate POWs while with 1st Battalion, 508th PIR. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 42)
- 9/9/1944 Assigned to IPW Team 40 (thru 12/13/1944). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 48)
- 9/9/1944 Assigned to IPW Team 40 (thru 12/13/1944). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 48)
- 12/11/1944 Promoted to T/Sgt per Special Order F-88. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 53)
- 12/13/1944 Assigned to IPW Team 47 from IPW Team 40. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 54)
- 12/16/1944 Unit moved to the Ardennes. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 55)
- 1943 Maneuvers in North Carolina with 116th Infantry Regiment (29th Infantry. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 10)
- 7/1943 Communications Sergeant with 314th Infantry (Nashville). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 12)
- Assigned to IPW Team 45 attached to 82nd Airborne Division consisting of:. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 25)
- Awards: Purple Heart; Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman Badge. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 60)
- Colonel Whitfield Jack (ACoS G-2). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 70)
- Division). (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 11)
- Later, Emanuel; Angress; Brodsky; Guttman; Greenwald. Also Capt. John A. Breen. (Dan Gross private research timeline; WERNER T. ANGRESS (2021).doc, page unknown; paragraph 35)
Sources
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-02-09 (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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Werner T. Angress for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)