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Waffen-SS

Page 52

by Adrian Gilbert


  Kursk offensive and, 225–228

  Lammerding and, 103

  leadership, 222

  military assessment of, 421

  military tribunals and, 412

  Panzer Corps and, 207

  preparation to return to Eastern Front 1942, 209

  See also “Der Führer” Regiment; “Deutschland” Regiment

  D-Day landings, 315, 316, 322

  Degrelle, Léon, 199, 240, 241, 258–259, 260, 361, 415–416, 419

  Demelhuber, Karl-Maria, 30, 58, 104, 151

  “Der Führer” Regiment

  creation of, 41–42

  defense against Red Army advance into Yugoslavia, 385

  drive on Moscow and, 167–168, 169, 174–175, 175

  on Eastern Front during winter 1941–1942, 183

  end of war and, 404–405

  German offensive in France and, 345–347, 351

  invasion of France and, 83–84, 90, 93

  invasion of Netherlands and, 67, 68–69, 70, 72–74

  invasion of Yugoslavia and, 116–117

  Kharkov counterstroke and, 209, 211, 213

  Kursk offensive and, 227

  SS-V Division and, 58, 59

  “Deutschland” Regiment, 16, 27, 104

  drive on Moscow and, 169, 172, 175, 176

  German offensive in France and, 346–347, 352

  invasion of Austria and, 41

  invasion of France and, 86, 88

  invasion of Netherlands and, 72, 74–76

  invasion of Poland and, 45, 46–47, 50, 54

  invasion of Yugoslavia and, 116–117

  SS-V Division and, 57–58

  Steiner and, 28–29

  See also Das Reich

  Diebitsch, Karl, 13

  Dietrich, Sepp

  Allied offensive in France and, 316, 317, 323, 328, 334, 336, 340, 341, 343

  awards and honors, 98, 178–179

  command of Panzer Corps, 221

  defense against Red Army advance into Yugoslavia, 383, 388, 390

  departure from Leibstandarte, 221–222

  Eicke and, 17

  end of war and, 403

  German offensive against Allies in France and, 348

  Germany’s final offensive in Belgium and, 362, 365

  HIAG and, 413

  Hitler and, 178–179, 373

  invasion of France and, 86, 89

  invasion of Greece and, 120, 122–123

  invasion of Poland and, 45, 48, 52

  invasion of Ukraine and, 154, 162, 163–164

  Kharkov counterstroke and, 212–213, 219

  misgivings over Russian campaign, 264

  Night of the Long Knives and, 18, 19, 20

  origin of SS and, 14–15, 16

  trial of, 411–412

  See also Leibstandarte SS “Adolf Hitler”

  Dirlewanger, Oskar, 106, 293, 295, 296

  Dirlewanger Brigade, antipartisan warfare and, 295, 296–297

  Dollman, Friedrich, 336–337

  Dombrowski, Wolfgang, 357–358

  Dönitz, Karl, 399, 401, 403, 407

  Doren, Gustav, 38–39

  Eastern Europe

  expansion of Waffen-SS and Volksdeutsche from, 241–245

  view of Waffen-SS veterans in, 417–420

  See also individual countries

  Eastern Front

  defense of Ukraine, 253–266

  German retreat from north, 267–273

  Kharkov battle, 209–219

  Kursk offensive, 222, 223–231

  map of 1941–1942, 129

  map of 1943–1944, 210

  map of 1943–1945, 394

  1941–1942, 177–189

  1942–1943, 191–204

  Operation Bagration, 277–282

  partisan warfare on, 287–297

  See also Leningrad; Moscow; Ukraine

  Eberbach, Heinrich, 339, 346, 350

  Eberling, Wilhelm, 246

  Ehrhardt, Arthur, 291

  Eicke, Theodor

  arguments with army commanders, 202–203

  Army Group North’s campaign and, 142, 143–144, 147, 148

  attack on Moscow and, 149

  biographical sketch of, 16–18

  on convalescent leave, 188–189

  Dachau and, 16, 17–18

  Dietrich and, 17

  discipline among troops of, 91

  at Eastern Front during winter 1941–1942, 185–187, 188

  hatred of Christianity, Jews, Freemasons, and communists, 38

  Himmler and, 102–103

  Hoepner and, 141

  invasion of France and, 79, 80, 82, 84–85, 88

  invasion of Poland and, 44

  Kharkov counterstroke and, 216

  Le Paradis massacre and, 92

  Mauthausen concentration camp and, 42

  Night of the Long Knives and, 19, 20

  Russian weather and, 150

  SS-VT and, 16

  Totenkopf Division and, 63, 64–65, 66, 205

  Totenkopfstandarten and, 55

  Totenkopfverbände and, 37–38, 39

  Einsatzgruppen killing squads, 287

  Eisenhower, Dwight D., 400–401, 403

  encirclement operations, 155, 291

  Engelhardt-Ranzow, Paul, 161

  Estes, Kenneth, 421

  Estonia

  defense of with Soviets, 269

  German retreat from, 271–272

  SS recruits/conscripts from, 250, 251–252, 421–422

  welcome to Waffen-SS veterans in, 418

  Estonian Division, 272–273

  Estonian Legion, 250–252

  Estonian Regiments, 269

  ethnic Germans. See Volksdeutsche

  Fegelein, Hermann, 105–106, 173, 184–185, 293, 401

  Fenet, Henri, 417

  Finland

  cease-fire with Soviets, 272, 274

  “Nord” in, 150–152, 273–276

  “Nordost” battalion and, 131

  Winter War with, 132

  Fitzthum, Josef, 194

  Flanders Brigade, 271–272, 421

  Flanders Legion, reorganization as Langemarck Brigade, 239–240

  Flemish Brigade, 270

  Flemish Legion, 137–138, 191–192, 239–240

  Florian Geyer Division, 292, 378, 380, 422

  foreign workers drafted into Waffen-SS, 238

  Förster, Jürgen, 133

  France

  initial invasion and defeat of, 65–66, 79–98

  military tribunals in, 412

  national legion, 241, 359

  Operation Nordwind, 370–373

  See also Normandy, battle for

  Frankreich Brigade, 241, 359

  Frederick the Great, 13

  Freikorps Danmark, 136–137, 187–188, 192–193, 421

  Freikorps movement, 11–12, 14

  Freitag, Fritz, 249, 277, 278–279, 293

  Der Freiwillige (magazine), 415, 417

  Die Freiwilligen der Waffen-SS (Steiner), 138–139, 415

  French Resistance, 290, 332

  Frey, Albert, 334, 336

  Frost, John, 355–356

  Frundsberg, Georg von, 262, 421

  Frundsberg Division, 262, 350, 351, 354–355, 371–372, 395–397

  Fry, Albert, 256

  Galician Division, 248–250

  Gamory-Dubourdeau, Paul Marie, 241

  Geissendorf, Hans, 388–389

  General SS, armed SS vs., 37

  Geneva Conventions, 99, 410

  German army

  conflict and negotiations over armed SS role, 60, 61–62

  criticism of SS performance during invasion of Poland, 55, 56

  function of SS-VT relative to, 39–40

  See also Army Group Center; Army Group North; Army Group South; Wehrmacht

  German blitzkrieg, map of, 69

  “Germania” Regiment, 16, 27, 29–30

  on Eastern Front during winter 1941–1942, 182

&nbs
p; invasion of France and, 84, 86

  invasion of Netherlands and, 71, 72, 75

  invasion of Ukraine and, 154, 159

  Oberkamp and, 110–111

  SS-V Division and, 58

  Wiking Division and, 33, 104

  Germanics, as source of recruits for Waffen-SS, 107–110. See also Volksdeutsche

  Germany

  Soviet seige of Berlin, 392–393, 397, 399–400

  surrender of, 403–405

  Gille, Herbert, 30, 111, 280, 282–284, 381–382, 388, 413, 415

  Glaise-Horstenau, Edmund von, 302

  Goebbels, Joseph, 10, 179, 398, 399, 401

  Göring, Hermann, 18, 36, 74, 85, 90, 179, 399

  Graebner, Viktor, 356

  Grass, Günter, 235, 261, 395–396, 398

  Greece

  antipartisan warfare in, 308–309

  German assault on, 115–116, 119–123

  Mussolini and invasion of, 115

  Grossdeutschland Regiment, 117–118, 165

  Guderian, Heinz, 2, 41, 177, 223, 257, 392, 393, 415

  drive on Moscow and, 165, 167, 171, 173

  invasion of France and, 83, 85–86

  guerrilla actions in World War II, 290–291

  Halder, Franz, 43, 166, 170–171, 178

  Handschar Division, 246–248, 288, 304–305, 308

  Hanreich, Jacob, 349

  Hansen, Max, 404

  Hansen, Peter, 43, 58, 265

  Harmel, Heinz, 118, 353, 355, 357, 371–372, 395, 396

  Harzer, Walter, 355

  Hausser, Paul, 24, 196

  Allied offensive in France and, 328, 334, 336–337, 338, 344

  Deutschland and, 29

  drive on Moscow and, 165, 166–167, 168–169, 174

  Germania and, 29–30

  German offensive against Allies in France and, 345–352

  HIAG and, 413, 414

  on inclusion of new soldiers, 62

  invasion of France and, 86, 95

  invasion of Netherlands and, 71–72

  invasion of Yugoslavia and, 116–117, 118

  Kharkov counterstroke and, 211, 212–213, 216, 217

  Kursk offensive and, 224–225, 228, 229

  Leibstandarte SS “Adolf Hitler” and, 30, 31–32

  Ostendorff and, 330

  Panzer Corps and, 207–208

  removal of SS troops from army command, 56

  SS-V Division and, 57

  SS-VT and, 21, 22, 27

  in Ukraine, 260

  Waffen-SS im Einsatz, 415

  Heck, Walter, 13

  Heike, Wolf-Dietrich, 249, 297

  Heinrich, Jakob, 212

  Herrgesell, Gerhard, 400

  Heydrich, Reinhard, 18, 36, 44, 55

  HIAG (Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS), 413–417, 418, 419, 420–421

  Himmler, Heinrich, 7

  ambitions for SS and a Pan-Germanic Europe, 1–2, 4, 60, 252, 421, 430

  antipartisan warfare and, 3–4, 287, 288, 292–293, 295, 296, 311–312

  appointed head of SS, 9

  Army Group Upper Rhine and, 370

  Army Group Vistula and, 373, 392, 393

  attempts to negotiate peace with Allies, 391, 399, 400–401

  attitudes toward army and SS and, 40, 265

  biographical sketch of, 9–11

  collaborator recruits and, 359–360

  Command Staff of the Reichsführer SS and, 172

  concern over failed Russian campaign, 264

  congratulating Waffen-SS in Greece, 124

  creation of last round of Waffen-SS divisions, 391–392

  Dietrich and, 14, 31–32

  disgrace of Kampfgruppe Nord and, 152

  dismissal by Dönitz, 407

  Eicke and, 16, 39, 102–103

  end of war and, 399, 401, 407

  expansion of definition of term “Waffen-SS,” 131

  expansion of SS and, 35, 36

  failed assassination of Hitler and, 341

  failure of Spring Awakening offensive and, 390

  formation of SS main office, 102

  Hitler and, 2

  inclusion of Volksdeutsche and Germanics in Waffen-SS, 107, 108–109, 113, 250

  invasion of France and, 98

  invasion of Norway and, 104, 105

  Kryssing and, 137

  Latvian units and, 251

  Le Paradis massacre and, 92

  Montigny and, 64

  Mooyman and, 195

  Muslims recruits and, 245–246, 248

  national legions and, 135, 237

  negotiations with army over armed SS role, 61–62

  Night of the Long Knives and, 18, 19, 20

  paratroop force for special operations and, 305–306

  Peiper and, 211

  Phleps and, 302

  praise for Leibstandarte, 179

  Pripet Marshes and, 173

  private army of, 105–106

  racial struggle for mastery of Europe and, 107–108

  recruitment of Norwegians and, 138

  removing SS from army jurisdiction, 55–56

  reserve troops on eve of war, 43

  selection criteria for SS and, 23–24, 62–63

  special role of Waffen-SS and, 421

  suicide of, 407–408

  training of SS and, 21, 22, 240

  Ukrainian recruits and, 248, 279–280

  Hitler, Adolf

  antipartisan warfare and, 3–4, 287, 289–290, 305

  assault on Greece and, 116

  attempted assassination of, 282, 341

  conquest of Norway and, 104

  continued exhortations to troops to keep fighting at end of war, 398

  decision to starve Leningrad, 145

  defense against Red Army advance in Germany and, 396, 397

  defense against Red Army advance into Hungary and, 380, 381, 383, 385, 386

  defense against Red Army advance into Yugoslavia and, 379–380

  Dietrich and, 178–179

  Eastern Front 1942–1943 and, 191

  Eastern Front strategy after Kharkov, 219–220

  equipment for Waffen-SS and, 206

  expansion of SS and, 35–37, 61

  final offensive in the West (Ardennes), 359, 362

  function of SS relative to army, 39–40

  fury at German retreat on Eastern Front, 177–178

  Himmler and, 2

  ignorance of effect of Russian weather, 150

  invasion of France and, 85, 86, 94, 98

  invasion of Netherlands and, 74

  invasion of Poland and, 42, 44, 47–48

  invasion of the West and, 57

  Kharkov counterstroke and, 213–214, 219

  Klingenberg and, 118

  Kluge and, 350

  Kursk offensive and, 223, 225, 230, 231

  Leibstandarte SS “Adolf Hitler” and, 59

  loss of confidence in SS, 400–401

  Muslims in SS and, 246

  Mussolini and, 115

  Night of the Long Knives and, 18–20

  Nordwind offensive and, 370

  occupation of Vichy France and, 208

  Operation Barbarossa and, 127, 128, 135

  Operation Nordwind and, 372–373

  Operation Sealion and, 101–102

  Operation Sonnenwende and, 393, 395

  origins of SS and, 9, 14–15

  in Paris, 100

  reasons for invasion of Russia, 131, 132

  refusal to negotiate peace, 391

  relationship with army generals, 36, 178, 199

  removing SS from army jurisdiction, 55–56

  response to Hungarian armistice, 377–378

  siege of Berlin and, 399–400, 401

  Skorzeny and, 233

  Spring Awakening campaign and, 389–390

  strategy for attack against Allies in France, 343–344, 345, 346, 347

  suicide of, 401

  Ukraine and,
163–164, 171, 258

  Ukrainian recruits and, 248

  war on Eastern Front during winter 1941–1942 and, 185–187, 189

  Warsaw Uprising and, 295

  Hitlerjugend Division, 221

  Allied offensive in France and, 315, 316, 318–319, 321, 323–325, 327, 329, 334–336, 340, 353

  casualties in Normandy, 352

  defense against Red Army advance into Hungary, 386

  end of war and, 401–402

  German offensive against Allies in France and, 348–349, 350–351

  Germany’s final offensive in Belgium and, 363, 365, 368

  massacres of prisoners and civilians during Allied invasion of France, 333

  military assessment of, 421

  Hitler Youth, 23, 182, 221, 261, 316, 363

  HMS Rodney, 321–322, 328

  Hoepner, Erich, 85, 88, 91–92, 133, 141, 144

  Hoess, Rudolf, 17, 37–38

  Höfle, Hermann, 296

  Hohenstaufen Division, 261–262

  Bittrich and, 33

  defense against Red Army advance into Hungary, 385, 389

  end of war and, 404

  German offensive in France and, 350

  Germany’s final offensive in Belgium and, 367–368, 369

  military assessment of, 421

  in Netherlands, 354–356

  Höhne, Heinz, 60, 103, 265

  Horst Wessel Division, 296

  Horthy, Miklós, 377–378

  Hoth, Hermann, 79, 165, 171

  Hube, Hans-Valentin, 260, 262

  Huber, Hans, 225

  Hummelkeier, Karl, 244

  Hungaria Division, 378

  Hungary

  antipartisan warfare and, 308, 311

  armistice in, 377

  celebration of Waffen-SS in 1997, 418

  Waffen-SS and Volksdeutsche from, 243, 244, 378, 380

  “Hunger Plan,” 132

  Hunyadi Division, 378

  ideological indoctrination, Eicke and, 38

  International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg), 411–413

  Iron Crosses awarded following invasion of France, 98

  Italy

  Allies offensive against, 230

  antipartisan warfare in, 310–311

  armistice with Allies, 302–303

  Leibstandarte in, 231, 232–233

  “Jackboot Wood,” battle for, 184

  Jews

  killing of in Galicia, 134–135

  killing of in Soviet Union, 134, 156, 157, 288, 289, 290

  killing of Polish, 55

  Kristallnacht, 42

  transfer of Warsaw Jews to death camps, 294

  viewed as antipartisans, 287–288

  violence against Latvian, 250

  Josupier, Werner, 340

  Junkerschule (officer cadet school), 21, 37

  Jüttner, Hans, 102, 103, 147, 244, 420

  Kahr, Gustav von, 19

  Kaisergruber, Fernand, 259

  Kama Division, 305

  Kaminski Brigade, 295

  Kaminsky, Bronislav, 295, 296

  Kämpfe, Helmut, 332

  Kampfgruppe, German offensive in France and, 345–346, 349

 

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