Andreas Penners

Andreas PENNERS (born on February 11^th, 1890 in Tueddern n. Aachen/Germany, died on December 9^th, 1952 in Wuerzburg/Germany) was an extraordinary professor ("ao. Prof.") for zoology at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna.

He was persecuted in times of Nazism because of his political orientation lost his position and was forced toe leave the university in 1938.

Penners, the son of a farmer couple, attended secondary school in Gangelt from 1900 until 1906, and then in Eschweiler (1906/07) and Neuhs (1907-1910). Following this, he studied natural sciences in Bonn and Würzburg, his studies being interrupted by his service in the First World War.^[1] In 1914 he enlisted in the 2. Rekruten Depot J. R. 69 (2^nd Reserve Training Division)^[2] and advanced to lieutenant of the Reserve.^[3] On January 10th, 1919, his military service ended and he was demobilized from the 28th Reserve Infantry Regiment.^[4] He was awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class, the Verwundetenabzeichen (Wound Badge),^[5] as well as the Cross of Honor for front-line soldiers.^[6]

In October 1920 he finally obtained his doctorate. Subsequently, he began working at the zoological institute in Würzburg as an assistant and habilitated as private lecturer for zoology and comparative anatomy in August 1923. Four years later he became associate professor and also acted as curator at the zoological institute in Würzburg.^[7] In 1937 he accepted a chair at the University of Vienna, where he took over the 1st zoological institute.

After Austria’s “Anschluss” to the German Reich, only half a year after taking up the position in Vienna, Penners had to stop teaching. The Nazi authorities forced him to apply for a leave for the rest of the academic year, which he did on April 22^nd, 1938.^[8] He had to refrain from all work at the University of Vienna until the Reichsstatthalterei (Reich deputy’s office) had come to a decision about possible measures against him. Ultimately, the Reichsstatthalterei forced him into retirement as of August 31^st, 1938.^[9] He was granted maintenance payments^[10] and the authorities told him they would take back the retirement if he for example found a job at a museum.^[11] He was not allowed any further employment at Reich-German universities, however.^[12] The reasons for these measures are not completely clear, but Penners’ decision to accept a call to Austro-Fascist Austria in 1937 probably played a part. He had furthermore been a member of the Bavarian People’s Party and of the Freikorps Würzburg (Würzburg volunteers’ corps).^[13]

After being barred from scientific work, Penners entered military service and took part in World War II as a captain until 1945. When exactly he joined the war is not clear. After the war, he did not return to Austria and the University of Vienna: Beginning in 1946 he again worked at the zoological institute in Wuerzburg,^[14] where he also became associate professor and acting chairman of the zoological institute in August 1947.

Penners’ most important fields of research were developmental history and developmental physiology of oligochaeta and amphibians.^[15]

Lit.: Federal Archives Berlin/MF B 37; Austrian State Archives OeStA/AdR, BKA, BBV, PA Penners; OeStA/AVA, PA Penners; Archives of the University of Vienna/UA PH PA 2852, PHIL GZ 659 ex 1937/38; Handbuch der deutschen Wissenschaft. Bd. 2, Berlin 1949; Lit.: MÜHLBERGER 1993, 46.

Andreas Huber (translated by Thomas Rennert)