Felix Steiner – not only the most important single influence behind the development of the dynamic tactical theories adopted by Waffen-SS, but one of the most innovative field commanders of World War II. He believed in the creation of highly mobile, well trained, elite troops, both physically and mentally, to fight within the battlegroup and emphasized teamwork rather than mindless obedience on the field of battle. Steiner was determined to turn his volunteers into the finest soldiers in Europe, if not the world. To do this, he abandoned many time-honored traditions of the German Army. His primary concern was to create a hardened fighting force, so he stressed athletics and sports as a way to build up the body for the rigors of warfare. He also introduced a camouflaged battledress to replace the basic field gray uniform and used live ammunition in his training exercises. Another Felix Steiner innovation was the abolishment of the class system between officers and enlisted men. He knew full well that the hardships on the battlefield demanded an unquestioned trust between the two groups. Therefore, he broke down the traditional barriers that separated the men from their superiors. Steiner created a capable formation from disparate elements, and he commanded the multinational
SS-Division Wiking competently through the many battles in the east from 1941 until his promotion to command the
III. (Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps in April 1943. After having surrendered to the Western Allies in early May 1945, he was incarcerated until 1948. Steiner faced charges at the Nürnberg Trials, but they were all dropped and he was released. After the war, Steiner wrote:
We intended to instill an unparalleled esprit de corps in our force that would mark it out as one of the finest ever assembled. In the main, I believe we achieved this objective, despite what some said about us and at times not without reason. With Paul Hausser,
Herbert Gille and Otto Kumm, Steiner became a founding member of HIAG, the lobby group founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS officers in West Germany in 1951. He dedicated the last decades of his life to writing his memoirs and several books about the
World War II, among others Die Freiwilligen der Waffen-SS: Idee und Opfergang in 1958. Felix Steiner was born in Stallupönen in Ostpreußen on May 23 1896. The region was transferred from Germany to Soviet Russia in 1945 and made a part of Kaliningrad Oblast. On May 16 1966, the former SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS died aged 69 of heart failure in München. His funeral was attended by hundreds of his men who came from all over Europe to pay their last respects. Awards, among others: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords and Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st class with Breast Star, Oakleaves and Swords. Credit: the author Pat McTaggart. Top image: SS Commander Felix Steiner in a formal sitting. Photo by Adolf Hitler's official photographer, the Nazi politician Heinrich Hoffmann. A large archive of Hoffmann's photographs was seized by the U.S. Army during the Allied occupation of Germany. Fair use. Bottom image: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner carrying out an inspection of the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 24 Danmark of the
11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland in Grafenwöhr in Bayern on June 11 1943. Behind Steiner to the left is the Commander of the
Danmark SS-Obersturmbannführer Graf Hermenegild von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg, and to the right is former Commander of the Frikorps Danmark, the Dane SS-Obersturmbannführer Knud Børge Martinsen. c. Bundesarchiv.
Of the estimated 13-15 million men who served in the German Armed Forces in World War II only 160 were awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak-leaves and Swords.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Steiner?
ReplyDeleteIs he attacking yet?
DeleteIn the last days of the Reich, Hitler entertained a fantasy of an attack southwards by SS General Steiner as his final hope for the relief of Berlin. Steiner commanded a weak hodge podge of understrength and badly equipped units consisted of about 10,000 exhausted troops and a mere handful of tanks, and was already outflanked to both north and south by vastly superior Soviet units, when Hitler's mad orders to counterattack Zhukov's Berlin force of millions of men arrived. Steiner had no intention of squandering the lives of his remaining troops, and simply ignored the orders he received from Generals Jodl, Keitel and Heinrich. During the final week of the war, he led his men westwards and saved them from slaughter and Soviet labor camps. Steiner was a highly competent and brave commander. One of the finest officers ever produced in modern combat.
ReplyDeleteDear Sirs. I stumbled on this site while trying to make some research about Felix Steiner who was an advocate of granting equal status to eastern peoples. This is just a Amazing website. What a great job you guys have done!
ReplyDeleteWaffen-SS commander Felix Steiner was a time traveler confirmed. Felix Steiner: ‘Look at all our Waffen-SS. They do a great job collaborating with every nationality volunteering. Let's make a united Europe with self-governing states, unified by German hegemony and with the Waffen-SS as a unified Army – end of quote.
ReplyDeleteRegarding combat professionalism, Felix Steiner's Waffen-SS reminds me of the Swedish Carolean army, which is regarded as one of the most effective military forces of their time. Both armies filled with élan and cran and always greatly outnumbered on the battlefield. Carolus Rex and Steiner both learned that the Russian army was as ineffective as it was large - some things never change.
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