ϟϟ-Gebirgs-Division „Nord“

SS-Uscharf. Felix Benesch of the Nord

SS-Geb.Div. Nord in North Karelia

The rebuilt SS-Division Nord was called into action against the Soviet spring offensive in 1942 and this time managed to hold its lines. The Soviets made little progress in the rugged terrain and the attack soon stalled. For the remainder of 1942 and 1943 there were no large-scale operations conducted and the Kestenga front settled down to relative quiet. The long frontier, forests and lack of roads all combined to make trench lines impractical in the North. Borders were patrolled regularly and there were many small-scale skirmishes. Soviet attacks on village populations caused deep resentment among the Finns. A number of small scale raids captured strategic features. Several small bases changed hands frequently during this time. Soviet and Finno-German patrols continued to probe the lines in eastern Karelia, where the earthworks gave way to expanses of wooded wilderness. In Sept. 1942, the unit was remnamed SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord and in Oct. 1943 became the 6.SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord. The division's manpower strength was 20,129 officers and men in Dec. 1943. Nord was stationed in the Arctic Circle and fought in Karelia until the Finnish armistice in Sept. 1944. Credit: Battlefront and the Nord veteran Johann Voss, a pseudonym; Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS. Top image: Austrian veteran of the SS-Infanterie-Regiment 7 of the SS-Kampfgruppe Nord SS-Unterscharführer Felix Benesch in North Karelia. Benesch ended the war as a SS-Untersturmführer having been awarded the Finnish Medal of Liberty First Class, the Iron Cross First Class, the Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and the Infantry Assault Badge in Silver. Felix Benesch died aged 91 on Dec. 2 2013 in Wien in Austria. Priv.coll. FU. Bottom image: soldiers of the Nord in winter gear. The camouflage Zeltbahn in the background is constructed from several tent panels tied together. The Zeltbahn was a multipurpose piece of equipment that could be used either as a rain cape, as a means of personal camouflage, for camouflaging equipment, and as the means to construct multi-person pyramid tent. They were made in a such a way that literally any number could be combined to make larger and larger tents. Source: Edition Zeitgeschichte.