Manfred Franz Joachim Pernass

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NSDAP

In the NSDAP membership index at the Federal Archives Berlin (BArch), from the holdings of the former Berlin Document Center (BDC), the membership cards of the Pernass family were found.

Willi Pernass Joined on 01.08.1932 Membership number 1229398
Charlotte Pernass Joined on 01.01.1933 Membership number 1460916
Manfred Pernass Joined on 01.09.1939 Membership number 7142855

The parents of Manfred Pernass were actively involved in the party. Since there is virtually no information about the political path of Manfred Pernass, the political path of the parents shall be examined more closely. Charlotte Pernass was, from 01.01.1933 to 01.06.1936, the local treasurer of the NS-Frauenschaft in Wusterhausen/Dosse. From 01.06.1936 she was an officeholder in the NS-Frauenschaft in Wusterhausen Dosse. Charlotte Pernass began her duty as local treasurer on 01.01.1933; on another form, 01.02.1933 is mentioned. Such discrepancies in individual dates are, however, nothing unusual and crop up from time to time. Genealogists know what is being talked about. Willi Pernass had been the treasurer of the NSDAP local branch Wusterhausen/Dosse since 01.02.1933. On 01.08.1942, an application for the award of the NSDAP service decoration for 10 years of activity was submitted by the local branch leader of the NSDAP for the Pernass couple. The information regarding the activities within the party is taken from these applications. The applications were however returned because they could no longer be processed by the Reich leadership for the duration of the war.

There are so far 2 indications of politically motivated activities by Manfred Pernass. The first indication is no great surprise — only the fact that such a list still exists. Manfred Pernass appears on a membership list of the Deutsches Jungvolk. In the original handwritten membership list of the Fähnlein 23/1/24 Langemarck, Manfred Pernass is listed as Jungzugführer (joined on 05.03.1933). A transcript was made available by the Wusterhausen local historian Jörg Wirsam. Since the date of joining is given for all members and the most recent date is 02.11.1935, the list can have originated at the earliest at that time. The second indication is a letter to school director Wegener, in which the local branch leader requested leave for Manfred Pernass. The 17-year-old Manfred was scheduled as a march participant for the Reichsparteitag 1938.

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Education

In the entry of the Wusterhausen death register, of which a certified copy is available, the profession is given as “Schüler” (pupil).

In the Brandenburg State Main Archive in Potsdam, a letter dated 25 August 1938 to Director Wegener was found. In it, a request is made that Manfred Pernass be granted leave for the period from 7 – 15 September, since he was scheduled as a march participant for that year’s Reichsparteitag.

Who was Director Wegener?

Only the hint from Wusterhausen brought light into the darkness. Dr. Richard Wegener was director of the Jahnschule in Kyritz (1933 – 1948). From 1926 – 1937 it was the Staatliche Aufbauschule, from 1938 the Oberschule für Jungen in Aufbauform. Today it is the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Gymnasium. It is located in Perlebergstrasse in Kyritz.

Manfred Pernass attended the Aufbauschule until completing the “Einjähriges” (one-year diploma), and afterwards went voluntarily to the Arbeitsdienst and then to the Wehrmacht.

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According to his own statement (First Army PWI Report No. 17 19-20 Dec.), Manfred Pernass was a member of the 3. Kompanie of the 4. Nachrichten-Ersatz-Abteilung (Chemnitz) before he became a member of the Kommandokompanie (Einheit Stielau).

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The Deutsche Dienststelle has recorded one hospital stay for Manfred Pernass.

On 04.11.1941 in the Field Hospital A 32, due to illness (infection). The admission took place from the casualty collection point. The discharge was not recorded.

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The Family History

From the address book of the towns and villages of the Ruppin district from 1927, it can be seen that the Pernass family initially lived at Kyritzerstrasse 12, in Wusterhausen. The street was temporarily renamed Horst-Wessel-Strasse. The house no longer exists today. Around 1933 the family moved and from then on lived at Adolf Hitlerplatz 20 (Info J. Wirsam/Wusterhausen). After the end of the war, the name was changed to Roter Platz; this address is taken from Manfred Pernass’s death certificate, which was entered in the Wusterhausen death register on 14.08.1949. The same house, only the name of the square was changed. Today the address is Am Markt 3. Normally the address would not be worth mentioning. The house, built in 1764, which the Pernass family shared with others at the same time, is however no ordinary house. It is well known far beyond the borders of Brandenburg. The Herbst’sche Haus, which is under heritage protection, has now been fully restored and made accessible to the public. The house owes its name to the Wusterhausen merchant August Herbst, who bought the house in 1917. Today, the house houses the tourist information and library, as well as the Wegemuseum (local history museum) of Wusterhausen an der Dosse.

It was not easy to obtain useful information from Wusterhausen. Much has fallen into oblivion, or simply the right people had not yet been found. That is why, in the Pernass case, there was close cooperation with the legal successor of Manfred Pernass’s family. Research was commissioned at the Brandenburg State Archive. Documents that came to light during the research at the State Archive in Potsdam reveal a highly explosive situation in the political landscape of Wusterhausen at that time. In parts, the documents read like the script of a comedy. However, with highly dangerous explosive material. In doing so, only those documents were selected which are directly connected with members of the Pernass family. The history of Wusterhausen/Dosse and the NSDAP was, in connection with this research, of secondary importance. The few documents are nevertheless quite sufficient to get a taste of what still slumbers in the Potsdam archive on the subject of Wusterhausen and the NSDAP. The wrangling — well below the belt — between members of the SA on the one hand and NSDAP local branch leader Köhler, who was simultaneously the mayor, and Willi Pernass on the other hand, will receive no further great attention here, since Willi Pernass appears to play only a supporting role in this play from the madhouse. In any case, it appears that until his sudden death from heart failure on 05.02.1944, Willi Pernass carried out his offices as before. More important than the spying on Mayor Köhler by a named SA informant is the career of Willi Pernass. The career of Willi Pernass could be reconstructed with the help of various documents. Among others, the patient file of Martin Pernass was a helpful source.

Willi Pernass’s mother died when he was 4 years old. Subsequently, he was placed in a Berlin orphanage. After 1½ years, he was placed in foster care. That did not work out well, and Willi Pernass returned to the orphanage. At the age of 5½ years, he was placed in foster care in Dommitsch/Elbe. Willi Pernass remained there until he left school. He obtained a position with the city administration in Dommitsch. Willi Pernass went off as a volunteer (2. Kompanie Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon 15) into the First World War and returned wounded in 1916. His right forearm and stomach had taken some heavy damage.

In a correspondence which extended over a longer period of time between the Landratsamt, the regional president in Potsdam and Mayor Köhler, the career of Willi Pernass is described. The correspondence concerns a higher salary class for the city head treasurer Willi Pernass. The career is presented as follows:

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There is a letter from the Glaubensgemeinschaft Deutscher Christen on hand from which it is evident that Willi Pernass was also active there. Further information on this subject is, however, not available.

Letter from the Glaubensgemeinschaft Deutsche Christen. Source: Jörg Wirsam/Wusterhausen Dosse.

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Only little information was found about Charlotte Pernass. Charlotte Pernass attended the Ev. Mittelschule in Stassfurt up to the 1st class. After leaving school, she attended the housekeeping school and afterwards got married.

Martin Pernass

At the Brandenburg State Archive in Potsdam, during a routine check, files were found which relate to Charlotte Pernass. On enquiry as to the extent of the files, the additional information emerged that Manfred Pernass had a brother, but that this brother had already died as a child. There was even a patient file. One of the files found relates to the widow’s pension of Mrs. Pernass. In the file, alongside the marriage certificate, there is also a birth certificate – issued in the name of Martin Willi Pernass, born 29.12.1936 in Wusterhausen / Dosse. The file also contains a brief note stating that Martin had died on 02.12.1940. The patient file of Martin Pernass points to one of the darkest chapters of the Nazi era — euthanasia. The file comes from the Landesanstalt Brandenburg-Görden. According to documents, Martin had a difficult start to life. After the mother contracted a severe flu in the 8th month of pregnancy, she went, on the advice of the family doctor, to the Kreiskrankenhaus Kyritz. There an attempt was made to induce labour; this failed and the pregnant woman was sent home again. On 29.12.1936, in the presence of the family doctor, she gave birth to the child. After the birth, Martin had a hard struggle. The boy was developmentally delayed. At the age of 4 months, the first symptoms appeared. In 1937, the family doctor diagnosed spasms during a home visit. From a certain point on, the mother was overwhelmed with caring for Martin. The boy was to be handed over to the Landesanstalt Brandenburg-Görden. For this purpose, the family doctor had to fill out a questionnaire, the “Ärztliche Zeugnis” (“Medical certificate for the admission of the mentally ill, feeble-minded and idiots of any age”). From the questionnaire, it emerges that, according to the family doctor, Martin suffered from Little’s Disease. According to the legislation of the time, the family doctor had to report Martin for that reason alone. Dr. Rust denied in the questionnaire (question 17) that Martin was hereditarily ill within the meaning of the Law of 14.07.1933 . In the admission register of the Landesanstalt preserved in the Potsdam archive, Reichsausschuss children were marked with an “R”, but this was not always done. The missing “R” is therefore not a usable indication either. According to the State Archive, Martin’s name was not provided with such an “R”. On 25.11.1940, Martin Pernass was admitted to the Landesanstalt. The first examination of the child was carried out by the senior doctor Dr. Pusch. As a preliminary diagnosis, the report names cerebral palsy, together with the suspicion of Status Marmoratus (Vogt’s Disease). Based on this diagnosis, according to information from Willi Pernass, a “Sippentafel” was drawn up, a small family tree to ascertain whether the child was hereditarily predisposed; this was however not the case. No further cases of cerebral palsy or other suspicious illnesses were named in the family tree. At the front of the medical file lies a small slip, a consent declaration. On 24.11.1940, Willi Pernass gives his consent for X-ray images of the head to be taken on his son, and for cerebrospinal fluid to be drawn. Owing to the suspicion that Martin could have been the victim of a homicide, one reads each sentence twice and pays attention to every peculiarity. (Among other things, it is striking that in the Sippentafel the place of birth of Martin’s older brother Manfred was given as Wusterhausen Dosse and not as Gollnow.)
After the examination result, from 26.11.1940 onward a kind of diary was kept for Martin. According to the report, Martin had had a slight fever already since the previous evening. Bronchial sounds were detected in the right lung. A so-called “Schlechtmeldung” (notification of deterioration) was sent to the parents. The next day, a right-sided lower lobe pneumonia was diagnosed. It is striking that only at this point a report follows describing how Martin had arrived at the institution. The report states the following: “On parting from his parents he cried for some time, but soon allowed himself to be distracted and beamed when toys were given to him, with which he occupied himself in his own way.” ………”On the first day it became apparent that Martin possesses a certain capacity for absorption. He was able to immediately distinguish children from the carers and knew who was particularly looking after him. It was precisely this carer whom he greeted especially joyfully the next morning, attempting to stretch out his little hand uncertainly toward her. Affectively, M., as far as the short duration of observation allowed, was easily excitable. He cried along when one of his comrades cried, and could only be calmed with difficulty”.
On 28.11.1940 it was reported that the symptoms of the illness had progressed further. Martin was hardly reacting to his surroundings any more. Martin lay almost completely apathetic in bed. The fever rose to around 40 degrees. Food intake declined. The report states that Martin had eaten poorly from the very start. This stands in contrast to what the parents are said to have reported.
On 02.12.1940 the general state of health continued to deteriorate. Martin was completely unresponsive. The child died at 5:30 a.m., barely 7 days after admission to the institution. In the afternoon at 4 p.m., the body was autopsied. The autopsy report (number 324) is enclosed in the file. As clinical diagnosis, cerebral palsy was named. As cause of death, the pathologist of the time established lobar pneumonia and cardiac muscle weakness. In addition, the boy’s brain was examined; a separate report (40, 324) is also enclosed. The Status Marmoratus was established during the examination of the brain.
Whether the boy was murdered is hard to say, but certainly not to be ruled out. In our opinion, however, in this individual case there is a lack of solid evidence. Care is appropriate when there is such a serious suspicion.
Should further documents come to light regarding this particular case, there will of course be an update.

The end of Manfred Pernass

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US report on the capture of the team. Source: NARA, 498:245:box1283:folder December 12-31 1944.

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Death sentence. Source: BayHStA, Dachauer Kriegsverbrecherprozesse M1106 Fiche 18-Seiten 54-55

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Schmidt, Billing and Pernass.
The photo was taken shortly after the capture of the three.
It may be a coincidence: the three are standing in the photo as on the day of the execution.

Source: The National WWII Museum New Orleans / Signal Corps US-Army.

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Manfred Pernass is being prepared for his execution. Source: Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers.

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Henri-Chapelle, 23.12.1944. Source: Film footage NARA.

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In order to discourage visits to the execution site, the wall was almost entirely covered with earth.
Henri-Chapelle, 2021. Photo: © Rico Vogels.

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Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 – 1985. Source: National Archives

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US document of the handover of the body, for the purpose of burial. Source: Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)

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US document of the burial. Source: Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)

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Federal Archives Department PA, formerly Deutsche Dienststelle Berlin (WASt)
From the personnel index card* of the central personnel file of the Federal Archives, it can be seen that Manfred Pernass, according to a report dated 28.03.1945, has been considered missing in the Malmedy area since 23.12.1944.
In a report dated 26.11.1947, the Death Certificate is mentioned and quoted. The death of Manfred Pernass and the circumstances which led to it are thus known.
*_{Signature see source reference}

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Information from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva

(International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC)

The death certificate at the Red Cross in Geneva is registered there under RAD 93941.

The certificate otherwise contains no special features. As with Günter Billing, the details concerning the capture are missing.

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.German War Cemetery Lommel, Belgium. Photo: © Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers.

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German War Cemetery Lommel, Belgium. Photo: © Rico Vogels.

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The graves of Manfred Pernass and his two comrades are now and then decorated by unknown persons. In certain circles, the three still have admirers today. Presumably this is due to the fact that the executions were both filmed and photographed and could be made accessible via the internet. The circumstances of the deaths of the commando soldiers are sometimes glorified on the internet. The claim that the commando soldiers were murdered is completely fabricated. All participants in the operation knew what was in store for them if they were caught in US Army uniform. In addition, the soldiers had the option to back out. One could also turn the whole thing around and ask what the Wehrmacht would have done with a US soldier in Wehrmacht uniform?