Had never heard of this before, but given the Nazi track record of bending the "rules of war", it's not really that surprising. http://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/07/29/condemned-men-meet-hitlers-penal-battalions/
Whilst accurate in intent and some facts this article shows a worrying lack of knowledge about the progression of Dirlewanger's unit from a battalion to a Divison and what this means. The unit was never called 36th SS until 1945 and by then a considerable number of it's members were ordinary soldiers and nothing to do with the penal/concentration camp system.
I believe a goodly percentage of the Dirlewagers were recruited from the dregs of the NAZI empire in the East. There was a case where some hardened communists conned their way into the unit with the objective of defecting? As I recall the communists did a battlefield defection but such was the infamy of the Dirlewangers that they were all shot-I assume by the NKVD- for their unit patches. Another thread; http://www.ww2f.com/topic/18928-the-dirlewanger-ss-brigade-the-worst-of-the-worst/ and another; http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-115887.html And apparently Dirlewanger had a monkey for a sidekick; http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=27801 There is also a reference to defecting former communists who apparently were not so "former". JeffinMNUSA PS. I have been playing the "Unity of Command" and "Red Turn" scenarios-usually the Russki side- from time to time? Well if an SS unit shows up in theater I find myself really going after them with a vengeance just from the stories I have heard. I think that it must have been like this in the real GPW/Eastern Front also.
The SS were a varied organization that ranged from the bad (the Waffen SS proved to be more prone to crimes than the average Heer unit) to units that could only be called a collection of criminals, and Dirlewanger was definetly amongst the later. I agree the simple fact of it's creation and growth is significant, such a unit is fit for only one purpose. Totenkopf an Polizei divisions also recruited amongs concentration camp guards (but not inmates) . Very unlikely communist ever joined, the party cadre were often killed outright by the nazis and anyone who decided to "hide amongst the enemy" would be a lot better amongst the hiwi auxilliaries than amongst troops that mostly operated way behind the front. Doesn't look like a life saving move anyway, the soviets were suspicious even of liberated prisoners, and sometimes executed captured SS soldiers outright, a hiwi that managet to reach the red army lines would not likely be treated well, even if he had a party background, and a Dirlewanger brigade that defected or was captured would have a very small chance of not being immediately shot.
Not exactly off topic of the op ..still discussing war crimes...Notice in first few sentences...we didn't fight against you...What an ill mannered bunch... Age does not weary then...and at the going down of the sun...We will remember...them. And The buggers living in denial..I'll remember them too. http://twentytwowords.com/2013/09/24/german-ww2-veterans-defend-nazi-germanys-wehrmacht/
In 1934, Direlwanger was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl from the League of German Girls (BDM), as well as the illegal use of a government vehicle and damaging said vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Dirlewanger served with the Condor Legion from 1936 to 1939 and was wounded three times in Spain. Sonderkommando Dirlewanger composed originally of a small group of former poachers along with soldiers of a more conventional background. It was believed that the excellent tracking and shooting skills of the poachers could be put to constructive use in the fight against partisans. Later, Dirlewanger's soldiers were mostly recruited from volunteers among convicted German criminals (civilian and military) and concentration camp inmates, eventually including even political prisoners and mental asylum patients. -wikipedia
Up until Mid '42 the unit was 94% poachers picked from the concentration camp system (although they did have problems finding enough actual poachers and they had to send considerable numbers back to the camps). The % of foreign troops never exceded 30% and this was at a peak July 43-Mid-44. From July 43 they accepted troops straight from the camp system and until the upgrade to Brigade size consisted the largest part of the unit. Once the unit hits reputed "Division" status it consists 40% SS and Army penal troops and 30% regular Army, by this time the number of poachers was down to 5%.
