• Fähnrich: 3 July 1907
• Leutnant: 26 May 1909
• Oberleutnant: 22 May 1915
• Rittmeister: 14 December 1917
• Major (E = Supplemental): 1 March 1935
• Oberstleutnant (E): 1 April 1937
• Oberst (E): 1 January 1941 (Active Officer effective 1 June 1941 with RDA of 1 January 1941) 
• Generalmajor: 1 January 1945

Commands & Assignments:

• Early Schooling: 4 years of Volksschule (Elementary School), 9 years of Gymnasium (High School) and 2 semesters of Technical College.
• 3 July 1907: Entered the Royal Bavarian Army as a Fähnrich in the Bavarian 1. schweres Reiter-Regiment Prinz Karl von Bayern.
• 1 March 1913: Detached for a five-month course at the Cavalry Telegraph School.
• 1914: Member of the Commission for the Budget Support Fund.
• 1914: Assigned to the Cavalry Signals Battalion of the Bavarian Cavalry Division; in the field with this unit upon the outbreak of World War I.
• 19 January 1917: Transferred to the staff of the 1st Cavalry Brigade as an Ordnance Officer.
• 1 February 1918: Named the Brigade Adjutant of the 1st Cavalry Brigade.
• 1 February 1919: Further assigned as the Adjutant of the 1st Cavalry Brigade.
• 1919: II. Adjutant of Reconnaissance Staff 101.
• 29 September 1919: Assigned to Group Command 4, München.
• 22 October 1919: Transferred to the Processing Establishment of the Bavarian 1st Heavy Mounted Regiment.
• 17 February 1920: Assigned to the Army Processing Office of the Bavarian Personnel Department.
• 20 March 1920-14 September 1920: Transferred to Signals Battalion 24 in Fürth as the Deputy Battalion Leader.
• 30 September 1920: Separated from the Army (effective 4 April 1921, granted the honor to carry the Uniform of the Royal Bavarian 1st Heavy Mounted Regiment).
• 1 October 1920: Entered the Bavarian Land Police in Landshut.
• 31 October 1934: Separated from the Police.
• 1 March 1935: Returned to the Army as a member of the Supplemental Officer Corps with the rank of Major and employed as the Military District Officer of Neuburg/Military District Command Ingolstadt.
• 1 May 1936: Training Leader Regensburg.
• 6 October 1936: Training Leader Heilbronn.
• 19 January 1939: Authorized to carry the Uniform of Cavalry Regiment 17
• 27 August 1939-24 July 1942: Commander of Infantry Regiment 380 of the 215th Infantry Division. [Commanded by Generalleutnant Baptist Knieß, the 215th Infantry Division served on the Upper Rhine as a component of the 7th Army during the early months of World War II. In January 1940, the division transferred to the Saarland as a component of Generaloberst Erwin von Witzleben’s 1st Army facing the French Maginot Line in Lorraine. Manning the West Wall fortifications (“Siegfried Line”), the 1st Army remained on the defensive during the first phase of the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. On 14 June 1940, the 1st Army finally went over to the offensive in Operation “Tiger” and attacked the Maginot Line between St. Avold and Saarbrücken achieving penetrations in several locations. The next day, the three divisions of Generalleutnant Alfred Boehm-Tettelbach’s Higher Command XXXVII, including the 215th Infantry Division, moved up as a reserve behind the advancing 1st Army. After suffering heavy casualties from the flanking fire of the French Bitsch Fortress, the division helped clear enemy forces from along the Rhine-Marne Canal. From 19-20 June 1940, the 215th Infantry Division launched a frontal assault on the Maginot Line destroying numerous fortifications and taking the towns of Lembach, Mattstall, Wörth, Fröschweiler, Urmatt and the Mutzig Fortress west of Strasbourg. Following the armistice, the division remained in France as part of the occupation force until December 1941 when it transferred to the Eastern Front. The 215th Infantry Division saw heavy combat at Tikhvin, on the Volkhov River, and at Leningrad while serving variously under the 16th and 18th Armies in Army Group North.]
• 25 July 1942-14 September 1942: Army High Command Leader Reserve – duties determined by the Commander of Wehrkreis [Military District] V, Stuttgart.
• 15 September 1942-30 April 1943: Commander of Infantry Replacement Regiment 215 of the 155th Division. [Based in Heilbronn, this training and replacement regiment provided basic training for new recruits.]
• 1 May 1943-27 August 1943: Commander of Grenadier Regiment 867 of the 355th Infantry Division. [Commanded by Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiß, the 355th Infantry Division transferred from France to the Crimea in June 1943. After heavy combat in southern Russia at Kharkov and Zaporozhye, the division was disbanded on 2 November 1943.]
• 12 September 1943: Army High Command Leader Reserve – duties determined by the Commander of Wehrkreis V, Stuttgart.
• 25 November 1943: Transferred to the General for Special Employment IV in the Army High Command (Chief of Army Armaments and Commander of the Replacement Army).
• 25 January 1944: Delegated with the leadership of the Armed Forces Patrol Service Group under the Commanding General of Security Troops and the Commander of Army Rear Area North/Army Group North. [An officer evaluation prepared on 1 July 1944 by Generalmajor Bronislaw Pawel, the General for Special Employment under the Commanding General of Security Troops and the Commander of Army Rear Area North, assessed Oberst Freiherr von Ow auf Wachendorf’s personal and command qualities: “An open, distinguished character…Industrious and reliable. Good mental acumen. Unfortunate figure, squints, therefore less than appealing outward appearance. Self-assured and skilful. Proven before the enemy with distinction. Performs satisfactorily as a commander of an Armed Forces Patrol Group.” While Oberst Freiherr von Ow auf Wachendorf possessed a strong concern for his subordinates, Generalmajor Pawel noted he could have exhibited more drive.]
• 16 October 1944: NOTE: Although not mentioned in the Dienstlaufbahn (service record) consulted for this profile, Wolf Keilig notes in his book Die Generale des Heeres that Freiherr von Ow auf Wachendorf commanded the Armed Forces Patrol Service in Wehrkreis VII (München) from 16 October 1944 until his transfer to Norway on 5 January 1945. All other entries for this officer as given by Wolf Keilig match those found in his Dienstlaufbahn.
• 5 January 1945-2 July 1945: Detached to the 20th Mountain Army in Norway (General der Gebirgstruppe Franz Böhme) as the General for Special Employment for the Armed Forces Patrol Service.
• 2 July 1945-17 May 1948: Prisoner of war in British captivity (transferred from Camp 1 to Island Farm Special Camp 11 on 9 January 1946; transferred to Camp 186 on 12 May 1948 for repatriation).

Decorations & Awards:

• German Cross in Gold: 6 April 1942, Oberst, Commander of Infantry Regiment 380.
• Prussian Crown Order, 4th Class: 15 December 1913.
• Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914): 29 July 1918.
• Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914): 20 November 1914.
• 1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class: 27 June 1940.
• 1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class: 27 May 1940.
• Medal for the Winter Campaign in Russia 1941/1942 (“East Medal”): 1 August 1942.
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords: 9 April 1915.
• Brunswick War Merit Cross, 2nd Class: Award date unknown.
• Saxon Albert Order, Knight 2nd Class: 12 December 1913.
• Cross of Honor for Combatants 1914-1918: 1 December 1934.
• Bavarian Prinzregent Luitpold Medal: 21 March 1911.
• Armed Forces Long Service Awards: 2 October 1936.
• Hungarian War Commemorative Medal with Swords: 11 July 1935.

Generalmajor Freiherr von Ow auf Wachendorf’s World War I Combat Service Record:

Western Front, 1914

6th Army:

• 8-19 August 1914: Border defense engagements in Lorraine.
• 11 August 1914: Engagement at Lagarde.
• 19 August 1914: Engagement at Liedersingen.
• 20-22 August 1914: Battle in Lorraine.
• 22 August 1914-14 September 1914: Battle of Nancy-Epinal.
• 15 August 1914-28 October 1914: Battle of Lille.
• 30 October 1914-24 November 1914: Battle of Ypern.

Eastern Front, 1915-1918

8th Army (including Group “Lauenstein” from 24 April 1915-25 May 1915 and the Niemen Army from 26 May 1915-29 December 1915)

• 26 April 1915-9 May 1915: Advance against Lithuania and Courland.
• 28 April 1915: Engagement at Kielmy.
• 30 April 1915: Engagement at Schaulen.
• 2 May 1915: Engagement at Skaiskiry and Janisehky.
• 4-9 May 1915: Advance against Kieidany.
• 5 May 1915: Engagement at Beisagola.
• 7 May 1915: Engagement at Zeimy.
• 7 May 1915-13 July 1915: Engagement on the lower Bubissa.
• 27 May 1915-4 June 1915: Engagement at Sawdyniki and Podubis (village).
• 4-7 June 1915: Engagement at Cytowiany.
• 8-9 June 1915: Engagement at Jlgize.
• 10-26 June 1915: Engagement at Zoginie and on the Bagno-Terule.
• 9 May 1915-13 July 1915: Engagement on the Windawski Canal and on the upper Windau.
• 4-14 June 1915: Engagement at Schaulen.
• 14-25 July 1915: Battle of Schaulen.
• 30 July 1915-7 August 1915: Battle of Kupischki.
• 3-10 August 1915: Engagement at Kowarsk and Willkomierz.
• 12-19 August 1915: Battle of Schimanzy – Ponedelli
• 20 August 1915-8 September 1915: Positional combat on the Swjenta and the Jara.
• 9 September 1915-1 November 1915: Battle of Dünaburg.
• 9 September 1915-2 October 1915: Battle of Vilna.
• 14 September 1915: Engagement at Soloki.
• 16-17 September 1915: Engagement at Widsy.
• 3 October 1915-4 July 1916: Positional combat between Krewo – Smorgen – Lake Narotsch.
• 18-27 March 1916: Battle of Postawy.
• 16-27 July 1916: Combat on the upper Styr and Stokhod Rivers

Army Group “Linsingen”

• 28 July 1916-4 November 1916: Battle of Kovel.
• 5 November 1916-10 July 1917: Positional combat on the upper Styr and Stokhod Rivers.
• 3 April 1917: Capture of the Toboly bridgehead.

XXXX Reserve Corps

• 15-22 July 1917: Positional combat on the Lomnica.
• 23 July 1917-5 August 1917: Combat pursuit in eastern Galicia and Bukovina.
• 24 July 1917: Engagement at Lysice.
• 26 July 1917: Combat at Kolomea.
• 30 July 1917: Combat at Oroscheny.
• 6 August 1917-12 March 1918: Positional combat on the eastern border of Bukovina until the armistice on the Romanian Front.

Army Group “Kiev”

• 12 March 1918-21 June 1918: Combat in support of the Ukraine.
• 12 March-14 April 1918: Engagement and capture of Odessa.
• 19 April 1918: Engagement at Perekop.
• 19 April 1918: Occupation of the Crimea.
• 24-25 April 1918: Engagement at Kolay.
• 22 June 1918-15 November 1918: Occupation of the Ukraine.

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