The term Waffen-SS have been used interchangeably, and the actual history is often confused. Contrary to SS-Brigadeführer Paul Hausser's and SS-Standartenführer
Felix Steiner's original conception, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler assigned numerous units to the Waffen-SS that had purposes other than combat. These included Einsatzgruppen murder squads and wartime concentration camp guards. These men carried Waffen-SS paybooks but had more in common with the political Allgemeine-SS than with members of combat units of the Waffen-SS. These executioners and guards were not expected to serve in a military role, and did not do so. To add to the confusion, Allgemeine-SS wore uniforms nearly identical to the Waffen-SS. This doomed the classic Waffen-SS – along with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and highly-motivated foreigners – to condemnation that extends until our days. In the minds of the Waffen-SS veterans, they and their European comrades were the Waffen-SS, the others being elements forced upon them. They saw themselves as an elite; they had fought well in many battles and had usually served honorably as soldiers. Credit: Marc Rikmenspoel, Waffen-SS Encyclopedia. Left image: the Austrian volunteer SS-Obersturmführer
Kurt Sametreiter served as an Panzerjäger with SS-Division Totenkopf, Leibstandarte SS and 23.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nederland. Sametreiter was awarded the Knight's Cross during the Battle of Kursk in the tank
Battle of Prokhorovka on July 1943. He was responsible for destroying 24 Soviet tanks in one action. Kurt Sametreiter died aged 95 on January 28 2017 in Bad Gastein, Austria. Photo: a formal studio portrait of Sametreiter by SS-Kriegsberichter Max Büschel, probably made in connection with the award of the Knight's Cross, on July 31 1943. Credit: Wehrmacht39. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Right image: SS-Oberscharführer Friedrich
Fritz Henke served as a Zugführer in SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1 of the SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS in 1943. On December 29 1943, he broke up a Soviet tank assault during the Soviet
Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive.
Fritz Henke knocked out the command tank from which the enemy commander escaped, only to be hit by a pistol shot by Henke. By the end of the day he had destroyed a total of 21 Soviet tanks and 11 AT guns. Henke was presented with the Knight's Cross on January 12 1944. By this time he had destroyed 38 tanks in total. SS-Untersturmführer Fritz Henke died aged 78 on November 15 1999 in Moisburg, Niedersachsen. The photo shows Henke as SS-Oscharf. in 1944. Commons: Bundesarchiv.
In my opinion, we need to put historical facts before hearsay and rumors, and the facts are quite clear in this case. The Waffen-SS cannot be lumped together with the Allgemeine SS. It was nevertheless a military arm separate from the Wehrmacht, an elite cohort of those possessing a special patriotic fervor and allegiance to the Nazi regime united in their fear and hatred of the Soviet Union and of communism.
ReplyDeleteThese divisions that are referred to as the classic Waffen-SS divisions includes the LSSAH, Das Reich, Totenkopf, the multi-national Wiking, the Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg, and the Hitlerjugend.
ReplyDeleteTriste q confundan a las waffen-SS con las SS. Las Waffen-SS eran tropas de combate de alto nivel desplegadas en el frente oriental. Las SS eran las tropas de seguridad del tio Adolf y las encargadas de los campos de prisioneros. Al llevar la misma insignia en el cuello eran confundidos con las SS y x eso les tenian tanto odio.
ReplyDeleteThe Waffen SS Panzer Divisions need not apologize to anyone. No matter what ideology they held, they were all brave men who fought for what they thought was right in their time, and whose valor became legendary in military history. Too bad their loyalty was betrayed by Nazis and Democrats alike.
ReplyDeleteThey fought against Russian communist expansion and tyranny. The crimes by the Nazi regime is a shameful stain on them. In my book they were all heroes.
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