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Wolfgang Römer

Wolfgang Römer, (23 June 1910 in Chemnitz, Saxony - unknown) was a highly decorated Oberleutnant (Lieutenant First Class) in the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) during World War II.

Biography

Wolfgang Römer was born on 23 June 1910 in Chemnitz in the province of Saxony, German Empire, into a family of civil-engineers. Little is generally known about Römer, but according to official records he joined the army (Das Heer) on 26 August 1939, only five days before the outbreak of war. As of 1 October 1942 Römer held the rank of an Oberleutnant der Reserve (Lieutenant First Class of the Reserves). On 15 April 1943 he was promoted to Kompanie-Ingenieur (Company Engineer) of the Werkstattkompanie (Repair Workshop Company) of Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 654, part of Schweres Panzerjägerregiment 656. This unit was equipped with the formidably armed yet technically troubled Ferdinand (named after its designer Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, later renamed Elefant) tank destroyer.

Several technical innovations had made the Ferdinand overly complex. This, in combination with a combat-loaded weight of approximately 68,5 Tonnes made the vehicle prone to overheating and gave it a fairly low power-to-weight ratio. According to documents, however, Römer had quickly immersed himself in the technical intracacies of the new vehicles (including the equally new Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär", which operated alongside the Ferdinands). This insight in combination with very hard work (including personal participation in the removal and overhaul of parts of each vehicle that came into the workshop facility) made him highly respected among his fellow soldiers. Over a four-and-a-half months period starting with the beginning of the Kursk Offensive (Unternehmen Zitadelle) on 5 July 1943 to December 1943 Römer was credited with having repaired a grand total of 1,031 vehicles, amounting to a working-input of some 430,000 man-hours! The cut-off date of December 1943 is when the entire regiment was withdrawn back to Germany for a complete overhaul of its Panzerjäger and Sturmpanzer. The general overhaul (Generalinstandsetzung) was carried out at partly at the Nibelungenwerke in St. Valentin (Austria), partly at the Heeresarsenal, Vienna (Austria).

The precise completion of this monumental task is largely ascribed to Römer, the leading figure of the operation, with the following words: "... ist es wieder R.[ömer], der im Mittelpunkt dieser wichtigen Aktion steht" The documents record this as a particularly difficult operation due to the time-pressure under which it had to be undertaken.

On 15 February Römer, who was promoted to Regimental Engineer of Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 653, had been able to make 47 Ferdinands serviceable and combat ready again in little less than three months. For this and previous contributions to the overhaul of the Ferdinands and Sturmpanzer he was awarded the much-coveted Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern (Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords) on 4 June 1944 in St. Pölten, Austria. The proposition for this award had already been put forward on 20 April 1944 by Römer's commanding officer, Oberst Schmidtgen. On 11 May 1944 it was acknowledged by General Eberhard, Inspector of Armoured Troops. The final sanctioning was made by Generaloberst Guderian, the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen (General Inspector of Armoured Troops) on 17 May of the same year.

It is unclear how long Römer stayed on as Regimental Engineer with his old unit. What is known is that his name is reported as part of the newly established Panzer-Brigade 101 from 22 August 1944. Here he is stated as Offizier der Kraftfahrzeug-Parktruppen (Officer of motorized vehicles). Römer's eventual fate during the last months of the war and after the end of hostilities is obscure, never having been properly cleared.

Awards

• Iron Cross 2nd class (1939) (11 August 1941)
• War Merit Cross with Swords 2nd Class (20 April 1942)
• War Merit Cross with Swords 1st Class (20 April 1942)
• Eastern Front Medal (30 July 1942)
• Panzer Badge in Silver (29 January 1944)
• Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords (4 June 1944)

References

Bibliography

• Münch, Karlheinz (1997). Combat History of Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 653. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing Inc.
• Münch, Karlheinz (2002). Combat History of Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 654. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing Inc.
• Spielberger, Walter J., Hilary L. Doyle, Thomas L. Jentz (2011). Schwere Jagdpanzer. Entwicklung, Fertigung, Einsatz. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag.