Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

June 23rd, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

June 29th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 7th, 1941

Silver version.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)

Unit:

7. Kompanie, II. Abteilung, Panzer-Regiment 27, 19. Panzer-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

August 10th, 1941

67th Award.
According to the Beurteilung awarded on 12-8-1941.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)

Unit:

Chef, 1. Kompanie, I. Abteilung, Panzer-Regiment 27, 19. Panzer-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

November 18th, 1941

On the 18.10.1941 the Panzer-Regiment 27 was ordered to advance from its newly created bridgehead and against the village of Malojaroslawetz. The Regiment encountered only minor resistance alone the way, and the village was firmly in German hands by around midday. In light of this quick success, the divisional commander ordered the Regiment to continue advancing along the road to Moscow as far as it possibly could. The route chosen would take the Regiment and the other lead elements of the 19. Panzer-Division over the Protwa, Werabyi and Nara rivers, and it was intended that the day’s advance would carry the Division at least as far as the Werabyi river.

The Regiment captured the two large bridges over the Protwa in an undamaged state, and thereafter continued its attack with effective Luftwaffe support. During the late afternoon the Regiment’s point Kompanie, commanded by Oberleutnant Freiherr von Werthern, approached the Werabyi river. As the Kompanie crested a hill just before the river, Werthern would notice that anti-tank gun fire was coming from the direction of the road bridge. The next moments would decided whether the Germans would seize the road bridge or not.

Werthern thus ordered his Kompanie to drive towards the river at top speed, all guns blazing. Soon the lead Panzer (commanded by Leutnant Range) reached the bridge and crossed it, however it was knocked out just after making it to the opposite bank. The next Panzer met the same fate, and both crews fled into the road ditch. Now Werthern’s Panzer was the point vehicle. The Soviets continued to fire their guns but were unable to achieve mastery in the firefight, and those that survived retreated into the forest.

A great success was thus achieved for the Panzer-Regiment. The point Kompanie was over the bridge, and the remaining elements of the German group proceeded to clear the guns on either side of the bridge and remove the bridge explosives. The crossing was firmly in German hands by 16:50. It turned out that the Regiment had preempted the establishment of a strong Soviet defensive line that was to have been built along this river, one which was now irrelevant due to it being breached at a decisive point. The Regiment had advanced a distance of over 60 km on this day, and it was only the slowness of follow-up elements that forced it to halt operations at this stage of the advance.

Werthern would be awarded the Knight’s Cross for the invaluable role he and his Kompanie played in securing the bridge over the Werabyi in an intact state.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

November 24th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 13th, 1942