Misconceptions about the Waffen-SS

SS-Oberscharführer Heinrich Gottke

SS-Unterscharführer Alfred Schneidereit

There is a widespread assumption that the men of Waffen-SS were indoctrinated political soldiers of one sort or another, with the precise meaning of this term varying with the outlook of the user. This outlook, in turn, is assumed to account for the greater proportion of war crimes attributed to the Waffen-SS. Surviving records, however, support Waffen-SS veterans´ claims that political indoctrination was at most a minor part of their training. It is essential to realize that most cases of atrocities result from some previous atrocity committed in violation of laws and customs of war and were often of an exceptionally heinous nature. In other words, they were often a part of the pernicious cycle of cruelty that stem from other, similar acts. The results are often disturbing and sometimes inexcusable, but not unique to the Waffen-SS. Each case must be examined individually and closely before any opinion on the general nature of the Waffen-SS can be considered to be well informed. Credit: Marc Rikmenspoel, Waffen-SS Encyclopedia. Left image: a portrait of SS-Oberscharführer Heinrich Gottke who served in the SS-FlaK-Abteilungs of the SS-Division Leibstandarte SS, Totenkopf and 17.Panzer-Grenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen. Gottke was awarded the Knight's Cross for his bravery in action on December 13-14 1944. After detecting Allied troops in battalion strength supported by light tanks, he directed fire down onto the advancing forces which forced the attack back. During a second attack he directed fire onto his own position. During a third attack, he was forced to move to his secondary location from which he managed to direct fire onto the attacking force, again stopping the attack. Gottke joined the German Bundeswehr in 1958 and from 1964 he was the Envoy of the Federal Ministry of Defense. He retired on September 30 1975 as a Hauptmann, after a combined military service of 21 years. Heinrich Gottke died aged 77 on August 12 1998 in Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen. Credit: Matthias Ruf. Private Collection. FU. Right image: a formal studio portrait of East Prussian SS-Untersturmführer Alfred Schneidereit made in connection with the award of the Knight's Cross on December 20 1943. Schneidereit served as an anti tank gunner with SS-Division Leibstandarte SS. He was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions on the Eastern Front where he participated in the battles at Lutsk, Kherson, Taganrog, Rostov, Kharkov and Kursk. Schneidereit was also promoted for bravery in the face of the enemy, and posted to the SS officer training school at Bad Tölz, which he graduated from in October 1944. He surrendered to the Soviet Red Army on May 12 1945. Alfred Schneidereit died aged 79 on February 21 1999 in Nördlingen, Bayern. Commons: Bundesarchiv.