Oskar Dirlewanger and SS-Sturmbrigade "Dirlewanger"

http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/cv_dirlewang.htm

Oberführer Dr. Oskar Dirlewanger was an extreme example of the type of characters that gravitated towards Hitler and the Nazis. He was a decorated WWI soldier ( both classes of the Iron Cross ) and a commander of a freikorps (anticommunist militia) unit in 1920's Germany.

Dirlewanger finshed his university education, eventually obtaining a PhD in Political Science. He joined the NSDAP in 1923, but was eventually expelled. He rejoined years later, receiving Party No 1,098,716. His eventual SS No was 357,267.

Dirlewanger's troubled personality first came to public attention in 1934, when he was convicted of molesting a female minor. He lost his teaching position, and could never return to it. Dirlewanger served a two year prison sentence, and then, back in society, received a second conviction for molestation. Later, from within a concentration camp, he contacted his old Freikorps friend Gottlob Berger, now working closely with Heinrich Himmler in the SS. Berger decided to do what he could for Dirlewanger, despite the latter's two convictions and growing reputation as an alcoholic. Berger secured an appointment for Dirlewanger with the Condor Legion in Spain. He received three wounds while there, returning to Germany in 1939. Berger then arranged a reserve Allgemeine-SS officer's commission for Dirlewanger. Berger realized that Dirlewanger could only keep his behavior in check while on military duty. The two sought to use military service to rehabilitate convicts, beginning with poachers.



Dirlewanger formed his brigade in 1940 from former concentration camp inmates convicted of poaching, replacing casualties with Soviet turncoats and criminals. Sonderkommando Dirlewanger went into action behind the front lines during Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. The unit quickly earned an inhuman reputation for counterinsurgency operations. (Of course, the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians on a mass scale does tend to "pacify" an area - if only for a time.) The unit, never large, spent almost all of its career raping, looting and killing in the Soviet Union, but cemented its reputation for barbarity it its brutal suppression of the Warsaw uprising.

Reclassified as a "paper" division in February 1945, Soviet troops annihilated the 36th Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS the following April.

Oskar Dirlewanger was recovering from his last wound at a hospital in Althausen, Bavaria, at the end of the war. On June 1st, 1945, French occupation forces used Polish soldiers in their service to forcibly bring him to the Althausen jail. Dirlewanger was beaten and tortured over the next several days. He died under torture from the Polish guards during the night of June 4-5. This information was supressed at the time, and many bogus sightings of him were made around the world, until his remains were exhaumed and identified in 1960.

Biography

Born 1895
Mercenary; joined French Foreign Legion & Condor Legion
1935: jailed for sex crimes
Suggested the creation of a special Sonderkommando to SS-Recruitment officer Gottlob Berger as a method of atonement for SS men convicted of crimes.
Infamous sadist & degenerate, supposedly entertained his officers with the convusions of female Polish Jews injected with strychnine.
Beaten to death June 1945, by Polish soldiers of French occupation army.


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36th Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Dirlewanger"


One of the most notorious divisions ever to have evolved from the Waffen SS. Its members committed numerous atrocities during the Warsaw Uprising in the summer of 1944. The unit commander, Oskar Dirlewanger was a World War One veteran and former army comrade of Brigadeführer Gotlob Berger-head of recruitment for the Waffen SS. Dirlewanger was jailed in 1935 for indecently assaulting a female minor and other sex crimes of a vile nature. When he was released from the concentration camp, where he had spent two years, Berger arranged a posting for him with the Condor Legion in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

In 1940 he was appointed to form a small battalion of ex-poachers which operated as a penal unit with the Totenkopf Division in Poland during 1941. They were attached to Totenkopf Standarte 5 for a short time during which they guarded Jewish labour gangs. They were assigned to hard labour themselves as well as guarding labour gangs as a form of punishment and also used for anti-partisan duties. During this time they used several different titles such as Wilddieb-Kommando Orianburg, Sonderkomando Dr Dirlewanger, SS-Sonderbattalion Dr Dirlewanger, Einsatz Battalion Dirlewanger, SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger and finally 36th Waffen Grenadier Division Dirlewanger.
From 1942 to 1944 they grew in numbers first to brigade , its numbers coming from German prisons, concentration camps and SS prisons as well as attracting a sizeable number of Russians. It was transferred to Russia where it operated as a security unit against partisans and its record for atrocities was appalling but complaints from army sources were ignored by Himmler. Dirlewanger himself, by now almost alcoholic, was implicated in several atrocities but was never punished quite the reverse-he was awarded the German Cross in Gold in August 1943 for his actions.

The unit had been involved in numerous firefights with partisan bands, and Dirlewanger had suffered several wounds. He received the clasp to his Iron Cross II on May 24, 1942, and that to his Iron Cross I on September 16, 1942. Dirlewanger often directly led his men in battle, leaving much of the planning for his regiment's operations in the hands of his Ia, SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Kurt Weisse. The regiment fought in its heaviest combat yet during the destruction of the Lake Pelik Autonomous Republic, in August of 1943. It suffered 300 casualties between February and the end of August. Dirlewanger received the German Cross in Gold on December 5, 1943 in recognition of his regiment's successes during this time.

Dirlewanger had received his final promotion, to SS-Oberfuehrer der Reserve, on August 15th. Reinfarth was so impressed with his bravery that he recommended Dirlewanger for the Knight's Cross. The award was approved on September 30, 1944. Dirlewanger had already achieved the Wound Badge in Gold, and in Warsaw he received the 11th wound of his career.


In 1944, 4,000 members of the Dirlewanger Division were sent in to quell the Warsaw Uprising and soon their record for atrocities reached new heights. It came to a point where the army and even the SS commanders complained about their appalling conduct and demanded their withdrawal. As a reward for his actions Dirlewanger was incredibly awarded the Knights Cross.
The unit was transferred to Slovakia, Hungary and the Oder, Dirlewanger eventually being wounded was taken out of command.

At the beginning of February 1945, the brigade returned to front line combat because of the emergency situation along the Oder River in Silesia. The unit had been slated for expansion to a division, but entered combat near Guben before this happened. The orders enlarging it to the 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Dirlewanger arrived on February 14th. The next day, Oskar Dirlewanger was wounded for the 12th time, while personally leading a counterattack. He never returned to his new division. Schmedes assumed command, leading the division until the end of the war.

In 1945 the Brigade was given a status of a full grown division and was composed of 6000 Germans, Ukrainians, Belorussians and Russians. The Division included:
72nd SS Grenadier Reg.
73rd SS Grenadier Reg.
Panzer battalion (28 self propelled guns)
687th Pioneer Brigade (Wehrmacht)
1244th Grenadier Reg. (Wehrmacht)
681st Panzer-Jaeger battalion.


As for the rest of his division it was reportedly surrounded by the Soviets and massacred during the final battles in Berlin during late April 1945. One famous member of this division was Harald Momm who was a well known equestrian and derby winner. He had been demoted from the rank of Colonel to Leutnant and sent to this division as a form of punishment for his defeatist and anti-Hitler remarks. He ended up in Soviet captivity but survived and was eventually sent back to Germany.


http://www.feldgrau.com/36ss.html

http://www.geocities.com/ssgalitsija/Dirlewanger.html

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The "Short" story

SS-Sturmbrigade "Dirlewanger"

This infamous unit was formed originally as Wilddiebkommando Oranienburg on June 15th, 1940. It soon became known as the SS-Sonderbataillon Dirlewanger. By September, 1943, the unit was a regiment in size. After falling in size as a result of sustaining heavy losses, it was again enlarged in the fall of 1944, this time to brigade size as the SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger. The brigade took part in the brutal supression of the Warsaw uprising in 1944, and in February of 1945, was formed into the 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS.

http://www.feldgrau.com/ssbdirl.html

 

I've got other material I could post on this slime ball but why ? ! He and the Kamanski brigade are the total taint on the W-SS units. In fact I do not even associate these crumbs with the Waffen SS as they answered to know one and all they were, were a bunch of murdering sob's

~E

 

I find that thats interesting that he led a Freikorps unit--but then again--I can see why he became a Waffen SS member.

I find this sack of slime the tarnish on all Ritterkreuztrager. I rank this creep up there with the likes of wilhelm mohnke and reinhard heydrich.

Great info as always Kai.

[ 29. April 2003, 04:51 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

 

Erich, Carl!

Thanx for replies!

Agreed on the man´s ( Dirlewanger ) totally *****. I guess he received the cross for doing what Hitler wanted and a man of honour would not have done that.

AS well I think it is important to notice what kinda men were in his troops so later on it cannot be said that Dirlewanger and LAH were the same. The starting points , in my view, were quite different. The Dirlewanger was meant to be a group of thieves and rapists.

 

Quite welcome my friend.

Also on Dirlwanger. I think he actually did get his RK because of other actions as he had it before he had the Dirlwanger Brigade. I just don't know details. Trouble is, is this RKT taints the image of all RKTs for what he and his men did in Warsaw. Shame too because he could have gone down in history as a hero and not a scumbag.

 

guys :

Wasn't this clown and his band of hoodlum's all captured by the Soviets at war's end and then all summarily executed ?

just wondering

~E

 

Im not sure what happened. I do know that the Germans executed Kaminski and made it look like partisans had killed him. They then disbanded the Brigade and arrested several members of it and sent the others elsewhere. Ssssssssssss about all I know on these two crappy units.

 

I have a site here with a picture and awards of this infamous bastard:

Dirlewanger

Reading his story annoyed me and made me wanting to throw up. Never a RK was so wronlgy awarded... How could you compare other heroes who sacrificed their lives for their friends with this scum, rapper, assassin and burglar piece of ****! Killing innocent civilians, raping women and kids, torturing partisans!!! This makes me sick!!!

I think that man is indeed at the level of Monke, but not Heydrich. Heydrich is far beyond with the intellectual and evil butchers as Hitler, Himmler and Stalin. At least Heydrich was a 'decent' man, more educated and classy, an assassin, but an 'attractive' one.

This Dirlewanger isn't more important than a procesed meal...

yeah... he only had to be born again to be not a hero, but a MAN...

 

I wish that site was in English too--so I can fully understand what is written there.

 

Quite frankly I don't understand some of the outrage and lack of underständing. Yes, Dirlewanger was an extreme, but, hey, reality check!, he was SS.

Dirlewanger was a Waffen-SS commander, he was extremely brutal, and he received awards by his Nazi Government. The romantic idea that W-SS soldiers were "herotic knights" or something alike is like saying the Khmer Rouge were Humanists.

Many other brutal SS and Wehrmacht men got EK's, RK's and were promoted because of their recklessness and brutality.

Just look at the awards raining down on the men of the SS-Cavallary-Brigades, Police-Batallions etc. after they cleansed the rear areas from the jews.

I mean, get real: Uless you know his story and believe him, you just cannot know if a holder of a Iron/whatever Cross got it for a bravery like risking his own life to save his comrades lifes or for mowing down hundreds of women and children.

For the Nazi Government who awarded the medals both was equally "brave".

The old, traditional Iron and Knights Crosses were befouled and that's exactely the reason why this awards ceased to exist in today's german military tradition.

Cheers

 

DECENT
Heydrich was an evil scumbag, the fact that he was "more educated and classy" makes his crimes even more obscene
He wasn't an assassin, but a mass murderer of innocent men, women and children.

 

My main idea on bringing up this subject was to learn and understand what these DIRLEWANGER troops were all about. And I still cannot put the first Waffen-SS divisions under "the same roof" after this.

Or maybe it is like decided between the big powers that all Germans are evil and thus should be killed to prevent any further wars from entering Europe...??Right?AndyW? Is this what it all comes to?

By the same logic Wehrmacht ( the normal army ) cannot defend its men if some of its troops took part in the slaughters. They were all the same.Same Führer befehls, same "untermensch" view taught to the men.No mistake here.

Waffen-SS=SS=Wehrmacht=German people

And thus the policy of total destruction for Germany would be legal and acceptable. The German people gassed and terminated in the camps. The Final solution for Europe and end for wars?

Or were there good German people somewhere? How do you make the difference, actually?

 

Some examples



Paul Häusser



Felix Steiner



Kurt Meyer



Max Wünsche



Fritz Witt


I think they were great soldiers but maybe we´re not all thinking the same way....

 

DECENT
Heydrich was an evil scumbag, the fact that he was "more educated and classy" makes his crimes even more obscene
He wasn't an assassin, but a mass murderer of innocent men, women and children. [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Concur wholeheartedly Redcoat..the word decent and Heydreche...do not relate in any manner.

Will our future generations look back and compare Udi Hussein to Mullah Omah and state one was more decent than the other...I hope not.

 

Define what makes one a "great" soldier. Obeying orders? Recklessness? Bravery? Many kills? Commiting war crimes? Fighting for the Nazi weltanschauung until last breath? What about those who did all of those?

Is the Waffen-SS soldier who put out Soviets tanks with nothing but a candle and a milk bottle in 1945 a "great" soldier even though he participated in mass executions of civilians in 1942?

To answer your question: I don't think in that catogories at all.

This segregation is interestingly quite common. "The SS was bad, but not the Waffen-SS, Yes the Waffen-SS commited atroicities, but not that particular Division, Yes, this Division did commit atrocities, but not that commander...".

Of course we can go on and discuss the crimes or heroic acts of all those SS-Meyers or other "decent" SS-leaders (Heydrich ) in great depth by deliberately ignoring the context of what the SS was and stood for, why those men joined particulary the SS and so on.

This, of course hasn't much to do with a historical assesment on the SS and her leaders, but more with worshipping or creating false myths.

Guess there are fine, brave, reckless and heroic fighting Al Quida or NKVD leaders or men, too. Intresting enough, those men aren't put out of the context of the organisation and political ideas they were serving for.

Cheers,

 

I mostly agree with Andy in what he said.

Redcoat, as always you don't read my posts carefully. Do you know what the '' are for? I meant that Heydrich are Dirlewanger are in two very different levels of bloody assassins and criminals.

Signing a written order to exterminate 10 million people is an ENORMOUS crime. And Heydrich did that and more. From his office. That's an evil but more according to human nature crime; all about politics, cyphers and selfishness. Too bad.

BUT, Dirlewanger was one of the men who carried out those orders in a beastial and animal way. Raping a girl or a woman, torturing child and men with your own hands is not about politics and cyphers, its about animal brutality.

Heydrich is a criminal in a gigantic level, because with his signature he killed millions.
But it is still not in the same level as killing and raping 'only' one hundred with your own hand.

Dirlewanger: 'minor' criminal. ANIMAL.
Heydrich: MAJOR criminal. 'civilised'.

Now you get my point? I am not defending any of those. I am just making cathegories to their crimes.

 

As for the examples I took the things for a great soldier ( commander ) are:

1. Bravery
2. Tactical knowledge and capable of using it and all the weapons ( artillery, planes ) available
3. Immediate vision of the situation and capability of changing tactics in case
4. Fast decisions
5. Trust by the men you lead
6. Unselfishness if needed
7. Recklessness ( often needed to make a hero )
8. Respect for the enemy ( not official in ost front )
9.Feared by the enemy

Just some things that comes to my mind.

The Waffen-SS was the elite of the time, maybe created by the politicians, but they had the best tactics ( Häusser ), the best men ( aryan race ), later on the newest weapons, camouflage clothing before Wehrmacht , and as well the control among men was not the usual Prussian control where officers and men could not have talks with each other. As for that the relationship between men and officers definitely was high grade in Waffen-SS. As well in Waffen-SS almost any man , to my knowledge , was capable of taking the lead in case, if the officer fell, so the attack of defence would continue unlike in many other circumstances. The recklessness of Waffen-SS was a problem, as many men were killed but that can as well be seen as the price to pay in short successful attacks, the wars in the west and Balkans did not make many dead soldiers, some thousands, but for the victory not a big ****.
And like we´ve seen the Waffen-SS was especially after 1941 seen as a big relief to the normal army troops with their attitude and spontaneus effort. They were a couple of times thanked for saving the lives of many Heer men as they noted the dangerous situation and attacked without an order and destroyed the enemy that was trying to make a breakthrough. Von Manstein had an eye for Totenkopf to secure the flank and I guess he was not a very dumb man.
In 1943 Kharkov they saved the southern front and later on the fronts very many times. Sure it was for the Reich (and Führer), what else? I don´t really think that the Germans were anymore after summer 1944 at the latest fighting for Hitler anymore. Did they have a choice? Unconditional surrender and the destruction of Germany afterwards, would you surrender Andy? With or without Hitler? The old saying: you´re damned if you do, you´re damned if you don´t...

It does take a difference to make a stand in 1945 or kill civilians in 1942. I don´t really think many of those were in army clothes in 1945 anymore if you really think about it. They were setting Red army flags in their windows by then..
and killed nazis with the Russians! I know from Finland´s case that suddenly communists appeared everywhere( 1944 )...

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..this Division did commit atrocities, but not that commander....

How very true! If you put rapists in one division and selected men in the other, what do you get? Besides, wasn´t it in the German Army that you had to have an order by the commander to rob and rape, if you did it yourself you were shot for breaking the military law...quite interesting.

And I suppose the Nurnberg trials gave us the sentences for the crimes that existed?

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Why going for the SS if they were Waffen-SS? That is labelling!

-------

I do find that these soldiers were great. Hitler´s intention on destroying jews is not.
As a matter of fact I think I am looking for the truth and not making any myths.
Besides, 100 years from now on, it won´t bother you or me...
As well, I think the allied side was great but just happens my side was on the axis side...
Because the ***** British and French and US were sendind us telegrams instead of troops!!!



--------

Communism and nazism sucks. For the men and women I have sent posts for what they did for Russia and will. You should check them.


http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000032

http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000045

http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000059

http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=000289



[ 02. May 2003, 03:08 PM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

Good list you have assembled there Kai on what makes a good soldier..I would though differ in one area..Bravery....with good tactical knowledge, capable leadership and knowledgte and the having of good weaponary, and good intelligence..Bravery should not be the number one need of a good soldier..With the other factors..bravery should be a last resort...

It means the rest of you list has broken down somewhere if the individual soldier finds himslef needing to commit a selfless act of bravery..


But as we knoww in real world..the list does break down and plans go out of window when shooting starts..Bravery is still an individual accomplishment met by many soldiers..but not all soldier are or need to be brave..its not a pre requisite.

Most bravery acts are commited in the heat of the moment without time to think of consequnces..otherwise a sensible person would not act in that brave manner..

 

I'm far from being an "expert" on Dirlewanger, but I think one can argue that he fits at least to your points 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9. So either Dirlewanger was very close to be a "great" soldier or your rules are somewhat messy, Kai.

As for the rest of the post, first I doubt that the Waffen-SS leaders had better tactics than thei Heer counterparts, at least this would be new to me.

Second, I'd say the segmentation between SS and Waffen-SS is - at least for the first 4 years of the war - meanly artificial (out of apologetic reasons and done in an attempt to "whitewash" the Waffen-SS) and not reflecting the personal and organizational amalgamation of the organizational sub-unit (W-SS) with her overhead organizational unit (SS).

That changed much from 1944 onwards, when the Waffen-SS became a mass army and consequentely lost all her former esprit d'corps as elite troops of the Nazi Party.

Cheers,

 

Just some thoughs, agreements and disagreements.

I doi know dirlwanger was in the Waffen SS and unfortunately so were scumbags like wilhelm mohnke, adolf eichmann and kaminsky. Each a rotten apple because of his own actions and from the actions of someone appointed above them.

Names like: Leon DeGrelle, Paul Hausser, Max Wunische, Panzer Meyer, Fritz Witt, Heinz Harmel, Otto Kumm, Wilhelm Bittrich, Carl-Maria Demelhuber, Herbert-Otto Gille, Gustav Krukenberg, Gustav Lombard, Carl von Oberkamp, Artur Phleps, as examples--simply cannot be put into the same catagory as mohnke, von dem Bach-Z, eichmann, kaminski and dirlwanger.

Now--names like these are somewhat "controversial and can possibly be put into the good catagory or the bad one. Names like: Josef "Sepp" Dietrich, and yes--Joachim Peiper to a degree.

My personal thoughts on "Sepp" is that facts to his true past are few and as well as important facts of hie life through the early 1930's. I think that Sepp (In ww1) was a hard-fighting soldier, tho probably almost brutally fanatical. As he was in the Freikorps Oberland and at the same time--employed as a policeman, still having his brutal tendancies through his service in peacetime to the end of ww2. He is one I would hate to designate either a Hero or a Criminal. Fanatical yes--to a degree.

Joachim Peiper---from what I do know of him, yes I would say he was a brave and sometimes brutal soldier with brutal qualities but, I personally do not feel that he was a criminal in any way, shape or form. I think his name was "muddied" by just him being near controversial actions--like The Malmedy Massacre.

Now, eichmann--early on could have continued to be a "hero" but, after he was wounded in battle on the Eastern Front--he was sent to "recooperate" in a rear area--and this was when he became "introduced" to Concentration Camps and what he soon was to be doing in these camps. So as we know--he turned out to be nothing but an un-common criminal.

I have to agree with kai on his postings and assessments.

The VAST majority of all RKTs got their high awards for their bravery in combat and or for their command skills in which battles were won, situations were saved and men saved. They didn't get this high award because they were brutal or fanatical etc--yes--a few did but, not the vast majority.

True, some of the W-SS and Polizei units were filled with gutter trash, but most of those were filled with men of decent qualities. Yes--even decent men are called on to do unpleasane things--and unfortunately that taints their records but, I believe that most of these men did as they were ordered and not from hatred of others.

You will possibly be shocked at what I put next but???? Make sure this is read closely, I do NOT want someone misinterpreting what im saying here.

If I were someone who was NOT criminal minded or who was a brute or a fanatic, and if I were unfortunately posted to a rear echelon type unit--I.e. a Polizei unit--which unfortunately has the job of hunting partisans and the like. If I were a part of one of those units--and if I constantly saw my fellow comrades and friends having their throats slit or being killed not in a combat role--and by people who can only fight by stab-in-the-back-tactics, yes--I think that if I ever participated in an Partisan-hunting operation, and if some were cought--yes--out of saddness and anger of my fellow comrades and close friends being killed in such a cowardly manner--yes--I think I would not have too much of a difficult time if I were to be picked as part of a firing squad to shoot captured partisans. I think that if you faced this same situation--I think you would feel as I would, IF I were in that situation.

I fully believe the stories that German vets tell me--they were there and I was'nt--so I have no other choice than to fully believe what they have to say. Samething goes to hearing the stories of American vets too. I know that the VAST majority of the soldiers DID get their Eks and RKs because of bravery in combat and for making the correct decisions on the battlefield that made the outcome favorable to their position.

Yes a few RKs were presented for more political reasons--and that was wrong--nothing we can do to change that can we?

My defination of a "great soldier" simply is in the name of my RKT/friend Remy Schrijnen. His service is VERY well documented so there is no way that his good name can be tarnished by anyone. Remy got his RK because of his bravery and tenacity, as well as he did not get it because he was fanatical--which he clearly was and is not. He is my definition of a "great soldie" as is Audie Leon Murphy, my defination of a "great soldier."

Men like these cannot be compared to the NKVD, Al Queida. Men like mohnke, eichmann, dirlwanger and kaminski, can be compared to the NKVD and Al Queida.

Hope noone is pissed because of this post--I do not feel like going into a long sins-song explanation for every detail of this long-winded post.

I will reply, but they will be short.

[ 02. May 2003, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]