This photo shows the Swedish linguist SS-Standartenoberjunker of the SS-Kriegsberichter-Zug 11 and later
SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers war correspondent Hans-Caspar Kreuger with his driver in Narva after the Soviet bombing raid of March 1944. Kreuger's Pan-European articles and writings frequently appeared in the Scandinavian press and was widely published in newspapers throughout Europe. He is reported to have been fluent in six languages (Swedish, German, English, French, Spanish and Russian). Kreuger volunteered in the
Russo-Finnish Winter War and enlisted with the Waffen-SS in July 1941, where he is said to have become a
Tapferkeitsoffizier. He is known to have served with the Allgemeine SS during 1941-42. Following training at the
SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz in 1943-44, Kreuger served with SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 of the multinational 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking in Ukraine. The Swede participated in the breakout of
Korsun-Cherkassy after denying orders to leave with the last plane out of the pocket. Following the bloody breakout in Feb. 1944, he joined SS-KB-Zug 11 of the 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland in the
Narva bridgehead. He was promoted to SS-Untersturmführer on June 21 1944. Kreuger had a large unit file stamped “Geheim” (86 pages of documents) in the SS-Kriegsberichter Abteilung. There is a very detailed investigation for homosexuality against him while he was assigned to the Nordland division. Allegations of misconduct behavior during a
Kameradschaftsabend is often a common thread in disciplinary actions against Waffen-SS officers. Kreuger was finally acquitted. According to various sources, he ended the war serving with the newly formed French SS-Sturmbataillon Charlemagne during the
Battle for Berlin in April 1945. Kreuger survived the war and with the help of a U.S. Army Captain he was able to leave captivity. He immigrated to Argentina in 1948 with some other Scandinavian Waffen-SS comrades. Kreuger works as a military instructor with the Argentine Army before he opens the travel agency Via Nord at Suipacha 156 in Buenos Aires with main focus on helping former SS men escape from Europe. It's on the same street as the Swedish Embassy. After 1953, he operated the agency as a partnership with the Leibstandarte SS veteran Thorolf Hillblad, another Swedish Nazi. Kreuger later returned frequently to Europe to attend Waffen-SS veteran's reunions. The son of a landlord and veteran of some of the most savage fighting on the eastern front, Hans-Caspar Kreuger died aged 74 on Nov. 15 1977 in a car accident at an railroad crossing in Buenos Aires under unclear circumstances. Credit: Feldgrau inter alia. Photo courtesy of Joakim Munter. Bottom image: the SS-Kriegsberichter cufftitle was worn by individual correspondents assigned to a Waffen-SS unit, as opposed to correspondents who served in the actual SS War Correspondents unit Kurt Eggers. The cufftitle was first introduced with Gothic script but was soon altered to the Latin style.
I am searching for the story ok Pk 698, hans scheck, the one who took in picture Mickael Wittmann in normandy (from paris to villers bocage shooting)...I need it both for a illustration work ans text,( I plan to make a "bande dessinée out of it)...any news would be fine and really helpfull... my mail is fmarest84@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance.
The Argentine researcher Uki Goñi used new access to the country's archives to show that Argentine diplomats and intelligence officers had, on Perón's instructions, vigorously encouraged SS men to make their home in Argentina. According to Goñi, the Argentines set up ratlines of their own running through Scandinavia, Switzerland and Belgium. The ratlines were supported by clergy of the Catholic Church, and historian Michael Phayer claims this was supported by the Vatican and in many cases, by the U. S.
ReplyDeleteA really great photo of Kreuger. I noticed that he is wearing a SS visor cap and belt buckle for enlisted men/NCOs. I just love details like that. He should have known better being gay and all!
ReplyDeleteHans-Caspar Kreuger left Stockholm for Buenos Aires aboard the sailing ship Falken on 30 Dec 1947. The ship was owned by former SS-Hauptsturmführer Dr Ludwig Lienhard. Onboard were 16 Nazis including the intrepid 24-year-old German-born Argentine Carlos Schulz, who travelled to Scandinavia to rescue as many fugitive Germans as possible from postwar justice, SS-Sturmbannführer Arthur Grönheim, former SD-leader of the Scandinavian countries, and the Scandinavian Waffen-SS volunteers Kurt Lundin, Torbjørn Johansen, Börge Spliid and Erik Lynge-Nielsen. The popular Swedish platoon commander SS-Untersturmführer Heino Meyer is also believed to have been onboard the Falken at this time. We know, however, that the ship did not arrive at the Yacht Club Argentino in Buenos Aires until early July 1948.
ReplyDeleteAccording to my aunt, the passenger Heino Meyer’s sister, Heino enrolled in the Waffen-SS because he regarded the Soviet Union as a threat. Following the South America trip, he led a normal life in Spain were he died in 1995.
Deletevery interesting. Do you have any sources on this subject? in particular on all crew members ?
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