Waffen-SS

‘The Most Ruthless Force?’ Reassessing the role of the Waffen SS 1933-45. Part III

German Units Waffen-SS 16 Min Read

Men of 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) III. Combat Effectiveness. In our previous discussion we documented how a potent mixture of politics and military training produced a highly effective force which was ready to carry out the Führer’s aims. A new quality emerged called ‘Härte’. It meant many things. Toughness in battle, fearlessness, ruthlessness in…

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German Units Waffen-SS 25 Min Read

10th SS Panzer Division at the Arnhem Battles I

The high-level command decision provides evidence that the OKW did not anticipate any large-scale Allied airborne operations in Holland. Army Group B approved a request by the II SS Panzer Corps for Heinz Harmel to travel to Bad Saarow one day before the Allied airborne operation began. Harmel personally met…

German Units Waffen-SS 22 Min Read

10th SS Panzer Division at the Arnhem Battles II

After the first reports of Allied airborne landings in the southern sector of the city, Colonel Henke of the 1st Parachute Training Staff, located at the Nebo Monastery south of the city, sounded the alarm for all ground units quartered in Nijmegen. With men from the homeland defense units, permanent…

German Units Waffen-SS 21 Min Read

10th SS Panzer Division at the Arnhem Battles III

Around 2000 hours on 18 September, stray Allied machine-gun fire damaged the radio belonging to SS-Cannonier Albrecht, 21st Battery, 5th Company, SS Artillery Training and Replacement Regiment. Participating in an infantry counterattack, Albrecht managed to climb onto a Sherman tank and knocked out the vehicle by dropping a hand grenade…

German Units Waffen-SS 23 Min Read

10th SS Panzer Division at the Arnhem Battles IV

SS-Standartenführer Heinz Harmel, Regimentskommandeur in der SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division “Das Reich” erhielt vom Führer als 296. Soldat der deutschen Wehrmacht das Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes verliehen. (12.9.1943). SS-PK-Aufn.Kriegsber. Zschäckl-Atl. 13.9.1943 On or about 21 September, SS-Hauptsturmführer Büthe relinquished the duties of the divisional 1st General Staff officer to SS-Sturmbannführer Hans…

Waffen-SS 23 Min Read

Muslims in the SS I

Commander of the 13th SS Division, SS-Standartenführer Desiderius Hampel confers with a Chetnik commander in the summer of 1944. The SS also recruited thousands of Muslims into its ranks. In fact, Himmler shared Hitler’s favorable attitude toward Muslim soldiers. On 2 March 1943, after a meeting with the Reichsführer-SS, General…

Waffen-SS 26 Min Read

Muslims in the SS II

Amin al-Husayni, alongside SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen SS Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig, greeting Bosnian SS volunteers in November 1943. The Eastern Turkic SS Corps under Harun al-Rashid was to become a reservoir of all Eastern Muslim volunteers. Its base became the 1st Eastern Muslim SS Regiment, although it was restructured into…

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Waffen-SS “Wiking” Division at Korsun

Wiking Waffen SS Division breaks out Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket.   Following Soviet attacks in the middle…

THE RHODESIAN SECURITY FORCES II

Army The cutting edge of the Rhodesian security forces was provided by the regular units…

The Sylwester offensives

The main Nordwind attack by the 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division in the Saar Valley went badly from…

The State of the German Forces Late 1944

The German Army suffered from a catastrophic shortage of replacements ever since it had gone…