WAPFEN-SS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE" CONTENTS: Editorial notes Book Reviews: 22nd SS-Kavallerie Div. “Maria There- sie* “The British Free Corps" (Part III) “A Belgian in SS—Dotenkopf" Waffen-SS Photo Archive Page Booklist Sample Copy: $1.50 Published by:: Richard Landwehr Box 70, Mt. Reuben Ra., Glendale, OR 97442 USA Subs: 4 for $5 8 for $9.50 Bimonthly + Two Specials MARCH 1978 ISSUE Above? Squadron from the SS-Kaval- terie Brigade pausing for map orientation in Russia, Summer 1941, (Photo courtesy of Military Photo Archives)SIBGRUNEN #7 Dedication, Editorial, Notes SED OUOHIOSUROEEIFII AIEEE FI NEMA SEI ECE EIS A rg aE EE tse ate This issue is dedicated to SS-Brigadefuehrer August Zehender and the valiant soldiers of the 22nd SS-Kavallerie Div. "Maria There- sia", The troops of this Division, after enormous self-sacrifice on the battlefield, fell victim to one of the most heinous and un- punished Allied crimes of the war. See the feature article. JASE ODED EI EEE ISON EOEE SEI IDI IO Ea IGEODB DEI JOU GIO I IO DI TIM AI EDITORIAL: Narva (Narwa) is a fortified town in Northeastern Estonia between Take Peipus and the Gulf of Finland that has been a battlefield throughout history. It has been called a natural demarcation point between East (Asia) ‘and West (Burope) and at no time was this more true than in WW2. During 1944 the Narva Bridgehead was held magnificently against overwhelming enemy concen- trations by the soldiers of the III.SS-Panzer-Korps (Germanische). When fin~ ally compelled by events elsewhere to leave their positions in Sept. 1944, the troops of III.SS-PZ.-Korps entered in to one of the most brilliant fighting withdrawels in history. But beyond that, Narva symbolized something very spe- cial; for it was here that the first truly united nations army was forged to- gether, never to be severed except in death. The following excerpt was writ- fen by an officer of the Dutch volunteer Sturmbrigade "Nederland", SS-Unter- sturmfuehrer Erich Kern, later to become a well-known historian. "Mhe Estonians fighting for their native land in the ranks of the 20th Waffen $8 Division, coined a battle cry which became the watchword of the whole Narva front: "Out of the rubble grows revenge." The Kremlin had little to hope for from these men. Side by side with these Estonians, with the Dutch and Norwegians, the Flemish and the Danes stood men from the German settle~ ments of the south-east, descendants of the old German pioneers and settlers. Prom the Banat and fertile Batchka country, from the forests of the Sieben— uergen and Rumanian mountains, they had come here to the far north to defend their families, their homes and their country. Between these men from the south-east and’ the men from the north and west, fighting together at Narva for ‘the future of Burope itself, there grew up a comradeship and a bond--the bond of a common experience, a common er, a common fight." Se asec eaten RS RE OC nf en a IE SPECIAL NOTICE: For a limited time SIEGRUNEN is very pleased to offer the took titled The Captive Dreamer to our subscribers. This concerns the story te French volunteer, Christian de la Maziere, in the 33rd Waffen-Grenadier Sive der SS "Charlemagne". It 4a told truthfully and without apologetics, (see review in SR#2), and constitutes a very important piece of Waffen-SS liter— ature. Although’it once sold for $6.95 it is now out-of-print with sone deal- ere asking up to $20 for it (I know, I paid that to get it originally). Due to a special purchase Iam able to offer The Captive Dreamer to subscribers only for $5.95 postpaid, (40¢ extra for imatrence), available for imnediate shipments This is a great book and is highly recommended Perret eer terre trier rit rr irre eceer rere NOTES: All back issues are now in short supply and are available while the) last at the following prices: #1--$1, #2--$1.50, #3--$1.50,#5--31.50, #6-—$1.50 SR #4 will be reprinted and is being sold in advance for 31.50. The book list on page 12, is more or less an experiment, all funds that I take in will be Used for the improvement of SIBGRUNEN. The books are available in quantity. Ihave managed to obtain a large quantity of seldom seen photographs and they will be used unsparingly in issues to come. Next issue will see an awesome ‘the first battles of Sturmbrigade “Wallonien" and SR #9 should be a special issue on the SS-Kavallerie Brigade and 8.SS-Kav.-Div. "Florian Gey- er", very heavily illustrated with rare photos. In both cases material that has never been made available before will be utilized. Other promised art- icles and features will appear in due cour: eee atta knea wR ei o enN IO PerrierSIEGRUNEN #7 22. SS-Prw.-Kav--Div. "Marie Theresa" nAAAnananhannannunnunnnnnanKnNnnnaKaTavia eaeE ENTREES Rtannnnndahasananated SS_CAVALRY: 22, Freiwilligen Kavallerie Division "Waris Theresa” 1944-1945.) = This heroic division was aut= horized in the Spring of 1944 ty the RF-SS. Its nucleus was SS Kav.Ret. Nr.17, from the 8.SS-Kav.-Div. "Florian Gey- er". Personel for the divis- ion were to be draw from the thousands of Hungarian ethnic Germans who had volunteered for service with the Waffen- SS. Recruiting began in March 1944 with the unit officially established in May 1944. Divisional commander was SS- Oberfuehrer August Zehender (promoted to Brigadefuehrer), ‘@ former regimental comman— der and Kampfgruppe leader with "Florian Geyer". He had been awarded the Knig- ht's Cross in March 1943. Although the title "Maria Theresa" was selected for the Division it may never have been officially bestowed. The unit was also re~ ferred to as Hungarian Div. Rr.1 and an armshield bearing the divisional en- blem (a corn flower) and the Hungarian flag was designed but never issued. The corn Zlower emblem had originally been intended for the SS.Kav.Rgt. Nr.18, which was based on some 1,200 ethnic Germans from Russia. The above photo is an enlargement of an original right collar patch worn ty enlisted men in the 22, SS-Div. By mid-Summer 1944, the Division had reached almost half strength or roughly 10,000 soldiers’in the Regiments 17, 52, 22 artillary, and various support unite. Regiments 53,54,55 were also authorized and began forming. It was hoped to develop the regiments of the Division into two brigades which could alternate between anti-partisan and front-fighting. Due to the critical nature of the Eastern Front, the two fully formed Regiments, 17 and 52, were detached from the main Division and readied for combat. In late August’1944 these two regiments were sent as a Kampfgruppe .to..the Siebenturger area of Northwest Rumania to safeguard the interests of the German inhabitants and to help relieve the Soviet pressure on the Danube estuery bridgeheads further south. The 22nd SS Kampfgruppe fought alone- side elements of the 4.SS-Polizei-Panzeraren- adierdivision during the withdrawel from the Balkans to the Debrecen area of Eastern ihin- ary. On 4 October 1944 elements of the Red Army reached the Tisza iver some 50 miles to the west of Debrecen and the Hungarian and German troops at Debrecen were forced to withdraw. For the next two months they fought magnificent defensive battles aguin— st the Soviets. This war reflected ir. the award of many Knight's Crosses including one to the CO of the 52nd 3S Rgt., SS-Haupt- sturmfuehrer Anton Ameiser. He was also promoted to the rank of 5S-Sturmbann- fuehrer. Ameiser had been called up from the Waffen-SS reserves to serve in the new Division, His Knight's Cross was awarded on 1 Fovember 1944. Above Right: ID signs used on vehicles of the 22nd SS Div.SIEGRUNEN #7 22, SS-Frw.-Kav.-Div. "Maria There: 4 pore trerrecr itt r ier reteeereerrerrrttrr ert rer tert tt rrr errres While the 22nd SS Kampfgruppe was fighting in eastern Hungary, the rest of "Maria Theresa" was being put together in Budapest. On 15 October 1944 this part of the Division was put on alert and was given the task of sealing off Hungarian government buildings in Budapest. This included placing a cordon around the "Burgberg" (Castle Hill), the citadel home of Hungary's regent, Admiral Horthy. On 16 Octover elements of the 22nd SS took part in "Operation Panzerfaust" led by SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Otto Skorzeny, the famous commando. The purpose of this action was to prevent the defection of Hungary to the Soviets and to install a more dependable regime in that country. Some small amount of fighting took place during this successful operation and troops from "Maria Theresa" spent most of the day disarming Honved (Hungarian Nati- onal Guard) soldiers whose loyalty was questionable. In early November the 17th SS-Kav.-Ret. was combined with the newly form ed 54th SS-Kav.-agt. No firm evidence exists as to whether or not the 55th SS- Kav.-Rgt. ever got beyond the cadre stage. In the middle of November 1944, another Kampfgruppe from "Maria Theresa" was sent out from Budapest to help stem the expanding Russian bridgeheads across the Tisza aiver. This element of the 22nd SS-Div. fought alongside units of the "Florian Geyer" Div. near Jaszherery about 48 miles east of the Hungarian capital. In late November both of these SS Divisions were pulled back to Budapest to prepare to defend the city. The two Divisions were supposed to have been joined together into the VIII. $S-Kavallerie-Korps, but due to combat contingencies had not been able to do so. Instead they came under command of the IX. SS~Gebirgs-Korps, which had formerly controlled two Bosnian loslem Divisions of the Waffen-33. The Bosnian Divisions had been whittled down to the size of Kampfgruppes and the Korps staff had been left afloat. It was subsequently assigned the task of overseeing all German and Hungarian units in Budapest. IX. SS Korps was commanded by the veteran SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Karl von Pfeffer-Wildenbruch. On 24 December 1944 the Soviets launched an unexpected attack on Buda- pest and actually drove armored units into the township of Buda on the west ‘bank of the Damibe. Troops of the 8th and 22nd SS responded and eliminated every Russian tank that entered the city. The Reds withdrew in the face of determined resistance and reverted to the tactic of pincher encirclement. On 27 December two Red Army "Fronts" linked up west of Budapest totally en- circling the city. The 50 day siege of Budapest proved to be one of the grim- mest military episodes in WW2 and one of the most mrderous for soldiers of the Waffen-SS. A relief attempt by IV. SS-Panzer-Korps on 11 Jamary was on the verge of success when the attack was called off so that the divisions in- volved could prepare for the Lake Balaton offensive. Hitler felt Budapest would not fall or in any event could be relieved at any time. The garrison no doubt felt differently. On 17 January 1945 the defenders of the city were driven into the hilly, fortified positions of Budd township on the west bank of the Danube. Horses of the cavalry divisions were converted into rations. After a heroic defense of the city a war council was held by the Divis- ional commanders in Budapest on 11 February 1945. Thinking that they had been written off by the Army High Command, a breakout was decided upon for the next day. Plans for the breakout, which involved three independent task forces attacking in three different directions were betrayed to the Soviets by a Hungarian deserter. The breakout coimenced on the night of 11-12 February and it was-a de affair. Russian heavy weapons were able to zero in on all of the escaping columns and only 5,000 (out of the 45,000 man garrison) sold- ere were successful in getting out of the city. Out of that total only 750, including 170 members of the 8th and 22nd SS Divisions,ever reached the Germ en lines. Commander of “Maria Theresa" SS-Brigadefuehrer Zehender was killed during the breakout. Von Pfeffer-Wildenbruch and a few others were taken (Continued Next Page) iSIEGRUNEN #7 22. SS-Frw.-Kav.-Div. "liaria Theresa" 5. FEDERER IORI IOFOTO ERO UOUGUOS IOERI TOT I I I IEICE A EKA IA RO IIE IEI captive, Some 25,000 other troops surrendered to the Sovietss*they were alse” armed and mirdered (in some cases tortured to death). An equal mmber of © Hungarian civilians were dressed up in uniforms to parade as honorary POWs for visiting American Generals. They were subsequently shipped to forced labo: camps and never heard from again. Budapest died in a bloodbathi=. — Among the survivors from the 22nd SS-Div. was SS-Sturmbannfuehrer Ameiser. He formed a Kempfgruppe from members of the two SS cavalry divisions that had not been trapped in the°city, these included soldiers who had been in the hospital or on leave at the time of the Budapest encirclement and also the troops from some divisional support and replacement battalions. Kampfaruppe Ameiser later became the mcleus of the 37. SS-Frw.-Kav.-Div. Litzow". Although "Florian Geyer" was reformed on paper, "llaria Theresa" was written off tl SS rolls. Its soldiers had performed with penultimate courage in a hopeless situation only to become victims of Allied "war criminals" who were never brought to trial for their crimes. PERI HHEEE EEE HEHEHE COREE EHEC HEHE EEE eee Enight's Cross Recipients of the 22. SS-Frw.-Kav.-Div. "Maria Theresa": SS-Haupsturmfuehrer Anton Ameiser as cormanding officer 52.SS-Kav.-Ret., 1 November 1944. SS-Oberscharfuehrer Paul Reismam es deputy commander of a cavalry squadron of17.SS-Kav.-Rgt. in E.Hungary, Posthumous Award on 16 November 1944, SS-Sturmbannfuehrer Anton Vandiekan as commander of a Kampfgruppe cut-off be- bind the Russian lines. Awarded 16 December 1944. Vandieken is still alive. SS-Obersturmfuehrer Werner Dallman as an Untersturmfuehrer and regimental ad- jutant with the 53.SS-Kav.-Ret. in Budapest. Awarded 17 January 1945. Later @ied of severe wounds in Budapest, Dullman was only 20 years old at the time. SS-Brigadefuehrer August Zehender as officer commanding 22.SS—Kav.-Div, he received the Oak Leaves to his Mmignt's Groce on Pebruary 1945. Killed lead- ing his Division on 11 February 1945. EEE IEEE EEE HEHEHE EEE EEE EE EEE EEE HERE EE EEE HEHEHE HbR abe Order-of-battle 22.SS-Kav.-Div. "Marie Theresa" (This is the English spelling and in German should properly read "Maria Sheresia"): Formed: May 1944 Destroyed in Battle: 11/12 February 1945 Commanding Officers SS-Brigadefuehrer August Zehender Regiments: Frw.-Kav.-Ret. 52 commanded by SS-Sturmbanfuehrer Ameiser. Spring “February 1945. parker. cBat. 1 (formerly S3-aei ter Ret..3 1941-1943). winter 1943- ar " e SS-Frw.-Kav.-Rgt. 54 Autumn 1944 to February 1945. Formed from ‘17 Ret. SS-Frv.-Kavs—gt. 5} Summer 1944 to February 1945, S8-Frw.—Kav.-Ret. 55 (2) September 1944 to November 1944, S$S-Frw.~Art.-Rgt. 22 (Not. ) Summer 1944 to February 1945, Support’ Unite: SS-Pz.-Aufklarungs Bat,22 (llecconnaissance), SS-Pz.-Jaeger Bat.22 (anti-tank), SS-Flek bet.(Air Defense) 22, SS Pionere Bat.22 (llotori- zed Engineers), SS-Nachrichten Bat.22 (Hotorized Signals). These elements served from the Summer of 1944 until the destruction of the Division. Some of these battalions muy not have been in Budapest at the time of the siege. EERE EEE HEHEHE EEE EH EERE EEE EEE HEHEHE EEE EEE EE Hert Addendum: Iilustration»to the left is that of a farrier's specialty sleeve Giamond-in the Waffen-SS...1V.S5-Pz.-Korps launched another relief attack in late Jamary that was beaten back ty the Soviets...0n 11 Jamary the Korps Divisions had driven to within 12 miles of the city...785 German soldiers reached their lines (rather than 750) on 13 February 1945 and a few isolated groups may have done so in the following weeks.SIEGRUNEN #7 British Pree Corps 1943-1945 (Part III) aessan ann annnnnnnannnnnnnnnnnne venae axe eteenat on Ean EaTEEO annnunnanensnnna(ten THE SAGA AND ORDEAL OF THE BRITISH ZREE SORPS (Conclusion): (uch of the information in the first two parts of this story came from Yeomen of Valhalla ty the Marquis de Slade. This gentleman apparantly hed some relution to the defense attorney for BPC neubers after the war, one Gerald Slade, and to protect the privacy of individuals still living he altered the names of some individuals. I followed his fo, mat in these articles but having since come across a piece of "atrocity" literature titled A New Kind of Treason’ by Rebecca West, in which names of Free Corpsmen are freely slandere ve de- cided to change certain of the names back to the originals. The individual disted-as°"Sut-Butcher" was in reclity Thomas Halle (or ilaller) Jouper, a Briton of Gornun ancestory who enlivted in the Leibstandarte So aloif Aitler in 1939, who was engaged on. the Eastern Front in 1941-42. Other names that have ‘not'appeared ‘before have been corrected for this part of tne article). During the Spring of 1944 a big push for recruits was aimed at some 270 pro-llazi South “African POils; however only thrae of the joined the Free Corps. The net results of Spring recruiting foxays had incressci the PC strength by about 10 members, although in many POW camps the senior British officers had managed to halt any BP2 propagandising. As the camyaign for Italy was now in full cwing, the first recruiting leaflet was prepared for uetive sol- ters. This was dispersed over the allied lines in Italy and rena as follows: Follow Countryme of ‘the British Free Corps are fighting for you! We are fighting with the best cf Burope's youth to preserve our Buropean ciy- ilisation from the menace of Jewish Communism. MAKE NO WISTAKE ABOUT IT! Bur= ope includes England. Should Soviet Russia ever overcome Germany and the other European countries fighting with her, nothing on this earth would save the. Continent. from Communism, ‘and our dun courtry sould ivivitcbly sooner or ister succomd. We are British. We love England and all it stands for. “out of us have fought on the battlefields of France, of Litya, Greece, or Italy, and many of our best comrades are,lying there--~sacrificed in this war of vewish revenge. We Telt then, that. we were being lied to and betrayed. Now we know it for certain, This conflict between England und Germany is racial SUICIDE. We mst unite and take up!arns against the common eneny. Je ask you fe come into our ranks and-fight shoulder tc shoulder with us for Europe ond for England}! (Published by the British Free Corps)." Whatever, effect this may have had’on the troops was minimal, The 1st of April 1944 marked the issuance of new uniforms to the Corps in which the S$ ski cap Was introduced aswell as surplus greateoats and a cuffband in Gothic jettering (later replaced ty one:in;block letters). Prom this time on a train- ing schedule was followed at the Haus Germanian and sidearme without ammine ition were issued to. the BFC/NCO's. ‘No-rifle drills or live firing practice Were yet permitted. However the Free Corpsmen went through a daily routine of Grills and exercises starting off each morning at 5 A.M. with an inspection parade. ‘This was a formal affdir éonducted ty senior NCO's. Bach parade was ended with @ fascist salute and cousing “Heil ilitlers!" from all participants. Afterwards a daily report on the condition of the Corps was subuitted to sa Hauptsturufuehrer Rogenfeld. In the ufternoon, foruation marches were made through the tovm of Hilde- sheim, with the Corps en route to the local swimming pool or soccer field. On 20 April (Hitler's birthday) two recruits were accused of mitiny and drummed cut of the Corps. ‘As punishment, Hpstuf.lioggenfeld made the rest of the Corps (Continued on Following Page)SIBGRUNEN #7 British Free Corps 1943-1945 @. ARAN RH NN HEE ERE EA ERNE RRR K ARRON AO RHA I RR ol for the entire day. Other major developments conc: co ‘Hohe: ‘sito be allowed to wear their Union Jack armshields ichens This request was approved by Roggenfeld who passed it on to ‘the ‘58 Wain Office which did not approve it. The month of May 1944 saw the sur- prise addition of an English Captain from a Scottish Rgt. who had duly vol- unteered for the Corps. Unfortunately nobody had checked out his ments) state Qnd he proved to be considerably demented. Within a week Roggenfeld detailed SS-Scharfuehrers Cooper and licCarthy to return him to his POW camp. Instead the two Britons just deposited him at the nearest railroad station and left him on his own. Presumably he reached his destination. It also became known that certain BFC recruiting teams that made the rounds of the camps had been continually rejecting applicants to the Corps for fear that the unit would grow to large and that they would lose their gm priveleged positions. At any rate recruiting efforts became increasingly futile as Germany's military posture diminished. The text of another Spring 1944, recruiting flyer read as follows: "Ag @ result of repeated applications from British subjects from all parte of the world wishing to take part in the common Buropean struggle Qgainst Bolshevism, cuthorisation has recently been given for the ereation of a British volunteer unit. The British Pree Corps publishes herewith the following short statement of the aims and principals of the unit. 2) The BFC is a thoroughly British volunteer unit conceived and created by British subjects from all parts of the Empire who have taken up arms and pledged their lives in the common European struggle against Soviet Russia. 2) The BFC condemns the war with Germany and the sacrifice of British blood in the interests of Jewry and international Finance, and regards this conflict as a fundamental betrayal of the British People and British Imperial interests. 3) The BFC desires the establishment of peace in Europe, the development of close friendly relations between England and Germany, and the encourage- ment of mitual understanding and collaboration between the two great Gerwanic peoples. 4) The BFC will neither make war against Britain or the British Crown, nor support eny action or policy detrimental to the interests of the British peo- ple. Published by the British Free Corps." "0 1433" Distribution of BFC leaflets at POW camps were always countered by the Posting of statements by Senior POW officers that BFC membership constituted an act of treason. Nonetheless recruits contimied to trickle into the BFC, but they were usually just enough to make up for desertions and expulsions. At ary given tine in 1944 unit strength ranged betneon 30 and 50 members. The successful invasion of Normandy brought a termination to all BFC recruitment activities and marked a change in the German attitude towards the unit as a whole. Both Hpstuf.Roggenfeld and the British SS liaison officer, Sturmbann- fuehrer Stranders expressed the desire to immediately end priveleged treat— ent for the BFC and have it fully integrated into a Waffen-SS combat unit. further recruitment among POWs was to be continued tut only under a tightly supervised pyschological, medical and ideological screening process. For the most part in July 1944, BPC members acted as rescue and clean-up workers after Allied bombing attacks in the Hildeshein area, but otherwise affairs begun to drift ominously. This was highlighted by a small mtiny in which five British volunteers sewed on their Union Jack armshields above the German national emblem in defiance of regulations. Roggenfeld was unable to to convinee the uroup to rescind their actions so he threw two Britons out (Continued on Following Page)SORTER ET wenn nnsies sRGB gDERh OTe 1g 1943-1945, 8. RRR Rn RK KIO SoSeM out.of the Corps and»sentenced three others to several weeks at hard labor. In response to the "ucting commanders" actions, two of the Britons chose to transfer into the "Kurt Eggers" war reporters regiment, while many others sought relief from further service. For a brief time the BFC was threatened with dissolution. This was halted by the return to duty of the vol- unteers who had been in labor camps, the ouster of Roggenfeld from his position and the addition of a popular half-English medical orderly from 9.SS-Panzer-Div."Hohenstaufen". Houpsturmfuehrer Jupp, a one-legged veteran from the 2.35 Panzer-Div."Das Reich" was named the New "acting commander". Jupp immediately made preparations to move the BFC to a proper ‘raining area in Dresden, Wehrkreis IV. On 4 September 1944, the Corps, consisting of 2 Sergeants, 4 Corporals and 21 privates¥ route marched in full uniform to the reilroad station and entrained for the "Wild Mann" varracks in Dresden. This was an excellant facility, home of the SS-Pionere battalion "Dresden" which also served as\a multi-national training school for Waffen-SS engineers. 4,000 other 3S men were stationed there under the com- mand of SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Heinrich Eisenmann, a disabled veteran from 5.85-Fanzer-Div. "Wiking". Eisenmann greeted the BFC when it arrived at the barracks and in’a short address informed them of the other Buropean volun- teers at the establishment and of his confidence in their abilities. The BFC was given @ single story barracks all its own in which was displayed the Corp's ensign and a portrait of King Edward VIII (who had abdicated). A comprehensive schedule of language, ideological and infantry-engineer training was drawn up for the Corps ty Hystuf.Jupp with assistance from a German-American, Hpstuf.Harry Wehner. Wehner became “acting commander" in the end of September when Jupp went on an extended convalescense leave. At this time training was carried out in earnest and morale in the unit climbed. The program was fairly basic with German language lessons generally limited to coverage of military terminology. Ideological lessons stressing the need for a Pan-European Union against the communists were also given by Hpstuf.Mehner and by Waffen-SS students from nearby Martin Luther university wno served as guest lecturers. In October 1944, SS-Standartenfuehrer D'Alquen as CO of. the “Kurt Eggers" Rgt. made the suggestion. that the BFC be disbanded, ‘stating that it had lost its propaganda value and that it would prove e hindrance in negotiating with the Allies. He was over ruled by the head of the SS Main ‘Office, 53-Obergrup- penfuehrer Berger, who officially implimented Hinmler's orders that the BFC be made a part of the II1. SS (Germanische) Panzer Korp. As a result of their new status, the British volunteers were given permission to wear the cuff-title of the "Germania" Ret, along with their BFC one. They were also given new armshields displaying the Union Jack surmounted by the title "Great Britain". In addition new dress collar patches were issued. They depicted three leopards in silver thread on red velvet and were for use on both collars. They were not to be worn on field dress. These patches probably constitute the rarest collector's items from the Third ieich and so far they have never been reproduced by firms engeged in such enterprise. On 4 November 1944, Hpstuf.Jupp, never too enthusiastic about his com- mand, relinquished it to Obersturmfuehrer Dr." Wilhelm (willi) Xumearre, a veteran who had been severaly wounded both in 1941 and 1943 and had been de- clared unfit for further military service. (The British Free Corps article will conclude in SIEGRUXEN #8 with the story of its front-line coumitment, “battle action", disengagement and post-war treatment). JEU OOO S DUDS TE GO II I IUD IE J A ITO ETI SI aA ABEDOE SEDI AAA AIOE “These strengths do not count some other Corpsmen detached elsewhere.SIEGRUNEN #7 A Belgian in the Totenkopf (Part 11) SHRAAHRNAHMAAKRNAAAANAARNERA ENA aRAES HRGERER SEER GREENE ES kiran nana SS A BEIGIAN IN THE TOTENKOPF DIVISION (Conclusion) by Jean-Louis Roba (It is now the Summer of 1944). At Baka, many training exercises were held in @ short time; indeed, the Division had to move to Hun- gary. They had to cross Poland. In that country the partisans were very active. Twice sand was thrown on axles of railroad flatcars, (upon which vehicles were loaded). The axles quickly became red hot and broke. The first time, the unit did not lose many hours; tut, on the sec- ond time the train stopped for two days. As the sabotage took place not far from Warsaw, the men of the SS slept in barracks located near the central sta- tion. After that forced stay in the Polish capital, the men of the SS were on the platform ready to climb on the repaired train when suddenly "A.M." heard the howl of @ siren. The SS men took their weapons and hurried out of the station. They quickly learned the reason for the alert: the Warsaw uprising had begun! (1 August 1944). There were Polish soldiers of the organized un- derground forces shooting everywhere at the occupation troops. It was the be- ginning of a dirty job, which included pulling soldiers out from the sewers. The fighting engagements were hard and the Polish soldiers very brave, This accident of war caused another Malmedian to be at Warsaw at the same time. Indeed, he was a "Malgre lui" drafted into the Division "Hermann Goering" (a Iuftwaffe unit) and, driving a truck in the streets of Warsaw, he was also surprised by the uprising. His vehicle was destroyed but he was fot injured himself. He rejoined another Wehrmacht unit and fought with it until the German victory (which happened because the Russian troops near the Polish captial never moved:). Today, these two men who never met on the eastern front live only a very few miles apart in Belgium! The SS—Totenkopf Div. had to move afterwards to the area near Modlin (an the Nesse Draieck"-i.e. the "wet triangle"). When the Russians launched one attack, was injured and sent to a hospital. So, at Christmas 1944 he was at Nazielsk in a hospital which contained many volunteers of different nationalities: Belgian, French, Spaniards, Ukrainians... "Aull" quickly recovered dnd moved with his unit at last to Hungary. (Kom- ron and Tata). The Totenkopf suffered heavy losses after. the many attacks all along the Danube River, The SS were happy to see the aircraft of the luft- waffe in support. The most appreciated of all was the great pilot, Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel. With his Ju 67 G "Stuka" (tank killer), he destroyed the pursuing T 34's and the bridges on the river after the German's crossed them. At that time, the soldiers were surprised by the amount of US material (trucks and tanks—~mostly Shermans) sent to the USSR under the lend/lease program. The retreat continued without stopping. The Totenkopf was near Budapest. in dJamary/February 1945. later it was involved in the great battles around Lake Balaton. "A.M," however was sent to the great Panzer training camp of Pader- born. When his training was completed he was sent with a Kampfgruppe to G&tt~ ingen. There he fought against the US troops when they crossed the Wieser. On 21 April 1945 he bacame a POW in the Hartz. He was in a great camp with many German soldiers. For him this was the end of the Reich! "A.M." said that he was better treated than his Wehrmacht comrades. For instance, the camp was near a river. The American guards forced the men of the regular army to sleep in the lower parts of the camp (which was very wet) and reserved the dry areas to the captured SS! In April, some French officers visited the camp, One of them talked to “A.M." and said: "You are a Belgian who volunteered in the SS. You are a trai- tor and if you go back to your Fatherland, you will certainly be killed. So, join the French Foreign Legion and go to fight the Japanese in S.E. Asia." (Continued next page)seeetnat EL annennnnivainnnntSORiaDean se RoteorE Go. TAM.” replied that ne had had enough of the war, He had fought with hid Ger- man comrades, but for him, the war was over. The Frenchman laughed and ans— wered: “You did not ecept tut you are right. Take a German Waffen SS, a US infantryman, a French soldier or a Russian cavalryman, Take their uniforms off aha You wilt only ‘see naked men; they are all the same! Only the uniform was ‘erence. So, "A.M." was transfered from one POW camp to another. He"traveled" via ell the camps on the Rhine. In the end he returned to Belgium in August 1945, At Neder-Overembeek, he was questioned by the Belgian police. He was later tried and remained one year in the prison of Verviers, Today, "A.M." is mar- tied. For him it is all over. He is always happy to talk of his past but, being 8 soldier, he refused to become a member of any political association. and, ag the French officer said, ne is righ’ Jean-Louis Roba Midcenhbteuiebnen tan Lui LTE Lier TTT ietrerstTrerrt tir iat reer nian EDITOR'S NOTE: It is probably a good time to state that tne opinions of con- tritutors: are their own and are rot necessarily endorsed by SISGRUTEN. Like~ wise the contritutors may not always agree with our viewpoints. 2 New books on the Waffen-SS are bursting out all over. STBGRUNEN casts one vote for the best ilaffen-S3 book TIRE — yet to see print and that is Verleihung Genehmigt!/their Honor was Loyalty by Jost i, Sehnetiee sebrianee Gee published by, Roger James Renters 480pp/450+illus. Color Cover. $17.95 This bi-lingual book covers the Knight's Cross holders of the W-SS and Polizei with rare photos and mich excellant data. The text is excellant throughout and does a great service to the former members of the Waffen-SS. Book design and graphic quality is extraordinary.Words fail me; if you subscribe to SR you mst have this volume. Good beyond hope. Forward by SS~Brigadefuehrer,a.d., Heinz Harmel. Another fine book recently released by Munin-Verlag in Osnabrick W.Germany, is Die Guten Glaubens jaren Band ITI/Bildband; an extra fine photo history of the 4-88-Pol iaaipanseras eater a ‘igeipanzergrenadier-Div. There are several hundred photos (30+ in color) covering the Division in chronilogical order. Most of these I have never seen before anywhere. The coverage of uniforms, personaliti- es, and combat actions is excellent. A good many situation maps are also in- cluded. It is fascinating to see the wide variety of uniforms worn--from trop- ical with pith helmet to winter camo-attire--as the Division slowly moved from the Agean Sea to the Baltic Sea during 1944, Pighting all the way, we night add. Photo clerity and graphic design are absolutely first rate. There is even a foldout section giving a panorama of Divisional positions in Russia. Cost will run you from $25-$30, but it is well worth it. Very similar to the quality of Wenn Alle Brtider Schweigen. Hoon Hoenen TROT EOE nN nnn EONS OG HE EEC OF En Kio MR HOCH IO PINAL NOTES: Thanks to everyone who sent in letters to SIEGRUNEN; we'll run some of them in Crossed Swords next issue. There was some well-deserved erit— icism of spelling errors in SR#6 and I hope things have improved this time: Also some people felt that we were going a little overboard at tir in re personel comments. So we'll try and work with lighter hand./Just as I was finishing this I received another incredibly good article that you will be seeing in the future; the title: "SS Schwere Panzer Abteilung 102" by L. Swan- son. A fascinatingly detailed account of a little known unit./We are now ac— cepting classified ads at the rate of 4¢ per word/$l minimum for future is- sues. It should allow SR to expand further and provide a valuable service for subscribers./Recommended: MILITARY PHOTO ARCHIVES, 218 Beech St., Bennington, “VT 05201 USA--Offers thousands of B&W and Color military photos--all topics—— at absurdly low prices. Send them $2.00 for a year’s maili: / We sincerely thank MPA for allowing SR to use their photo: definitely fit in a list of the best dealers for Waffen-s Contributions and couments are always appreciated! Write ust RE LSI EIOUEEIEUEEIENEDE MI GHUDDOSEE OE I IJUrEOEE IO CIO EESTEORUNEN #7 Waffen-SS Photo Archives Page JERI ILO ILI I TIER AE EIU IDES Rn aon ESE si eaten ex aCe Kee LEFT: SS-Sturmbannfuehrer und Major der Waffen-SS Walter Reder (here an SS-Houptsturmfuehrer). Walter Reder has the unfortunate distinction of being the POW held for the longest number of years in modern history. He has now been in captivity for 33 years and is still being held in the Gaeta Fortress in Italy. Reder won the Knight's Cross while serving with 3.55-Panzer-Div. "foten- kopf" during the epic battle of Khar- ov in March-April 1943. He also lost his right hand in the fighting. In 1944 he commanded the reoce battalion of 16.S8-Div."Reichsfuehrer-Ss" again- st the notorious "Red Star" parti- san Brigade in Italy. During the course of very bloody fighting unfor- tunate incidents were perpetrated by both sides. After the war Reder was sentenced to life imprisionment by an Italian court. Two Italian military tribunals however ordered Reder re- leased. But a communist dominated civilian court over-ruled them. For some years an international effort has been in motion to secure Reder's release. SIEGRUNEN earnestly hopes that they will be successful. SOIREE RIESE EIR ROIS EI EI IESE IC ICSE AI AE IEEE RIGHT: The HQ Staff of SS-Kampfgruppe "Nord" in Southern Norway, late 1940 or early 1541. This unit wes formed by com- Dining the 6th and 7th SS Totenkopfstanderten, In the center is SS-Brigade— fuehrer Richard Hermann, the CO. This Kampfgruppe provided the nucleus for 6.SS-Gebirgs-Div. "Nord", and was engaged on the extreme northern sector of the Russian Front in June 1941. Further re- search indicates photo dates from April-liay 1941.