Waffen SS troops

[Canuck Farrier]

Superb pictures!

Fsck politics, they kicked ass and took names, everyone **** their pants when the Waffen SS was coming.
Nothing but respect for them as warriors.

I agree about the respect for them as warrriors.For allied soldiers knowing your going to fight against the ss meant fear and anger.I cant imagine,it would be a frustrating fight!The 12th ss in normandy put up a hell of a fight!

[the dakota kid]

Hello all,

not all of the Lithuanians, Latvians, or Estonians welcomed the Nazis with open arms, but they were very receptive to their dislike of Communists, Russians, and Jews. Many of the people viewed the three as one in the same, but that was not only in the Baltic states. The monument in Estonia is in honour of those who chose to fight Bolshevism. Unfortunately, they also chose to fight under the German flag as well. We all know what happened to them after the war, ie Gulag or the bottom of a pit. Lastly, the "Russian" memorial is to the Soviet soldiers, many of whom were not Russians. Especially in the states, we used to believe that all Soviets/Communists were Russian, but we all know this is not true.

Many of the Baltic states, as well as the Ukraine, continued to fight the Soviets until the 1950's. I believe there is a forest in the Ukraine that was off limits to everyone, simply because of all of the arms that were buried there by either the Nazis or the Soviets.

How would I know as an Ami? I lived for a time near Vilnius, formerly known as the "Jerusalem of the East". When the Soviets arrived, non-Lithuanians were the first to join the Communist Party and to openly support them. When the Nazis arrived, you can guess who were the first to put up against the wall....

FWIW,
tdk

[towelie]

http://presentations.uib.no/web4/legionminner/liten.pdf

norweigan SS propaganda phamplet.

[gadzook]

Waffen SS were only feared due to their fanatical craze for Nazism. While they were usually the best supplied and best fed they were remarkably mediocre as soldiers. You can look through the battle histories of various SS units and see that they were chopped to pieces just as fast as conscript units from occupied countries.

It's interesting that in THE REAL WORLD, the one outside of the internet, the world views the Waffen SS as butchers, murderers and killers. Most SS talk surrounds snappy outfits, totenkopf patches and shiny boots. How lame.

Walk the battlefields of the Ardennes and you will see acres and acres of perfectly manicured cemeteries with the graves of fallen Allied soldiers.



The German cemeteries are largely unkept, ugly and overgrown. Germans, here is the resting place of your superhuman super race. Germans, here lies the graves of your best-of-the-best Ardennes soldiers. Here they are. Forgotten for good reason. Killed by lowly hick American farmboys and hillbillies.

Why don't proud Germans take care of their war dead like other countries? Arent there any Germans proud of all that their country accomplished in World War II? Or is it all just anonymous talk?

[abhor]

I agree about the respect for them as warrriors.For allied soldiers knowing your going to fight against the ss meant fear and anger.I cant imagine,it would be a frustrating fight!The 12th ss in normandy put up a hell of a fight!

I can not condone the things that many of the ss divisions did in the war such as the totenkopf. But not all of the ss divisons were crazed butchers as is widely believed. The 12th ss is a perfect example of some of the finest soldiers in the german army during WW2 (65% of the first battalion was under 18 and only 3% over 25). The 12th ss fought fanatically durring the battle for normandy and was almost always outnumbered. My avatar is a pic of Max Wünsche who was Obersturmbannführer (Lt. Colonel) of the 12. ss panzer division at the age of 29. Despite their youth and inexperience Wünsche's regiment was still credited with destroying 219 tanks from June 6th to mid july 1944, and if thats not proof that they were tenacious warriors I don't know what is.

[jmatucd]

Waffen SS were only feared due to their fanatical craze for Nazism. While they were usually the best supplied and best fed they were remarkably mediocre as soldiers. You can look through the battle histories of various SS units and see that they were chopped to pieces just as fast as conscript units from occupied countries.

It's interesting that in THE REAL WORLD, the one outside of the internet, the world views the Waffen SS as butchers, murderers and killers. Most SS talk surrounds snappy outfits, totenkopf patches and shiny boots. How lame.

Walk the battlefields of the Ardennes and you will see acres and acres of perfectly manicured cemeteries with the graves of fallen Allied soldiers.



The German cemeteries are largely unkept, ugly and overgrown. Germans, here is the resting place of your superhuman super race. Germans, here lies the graves of your best-of-the-best Ardennes soldiers. Here they are. Forgotten for good reason. Killed by lowly hick American farmboys and hillbillies.

Why don't proud Germans take care of their war dead like other countries? Arent there any Germans proud of all that their country accomplished in World War II? Or is it all just anonymous talk?

thank you for the post

[abhor]

Waffen SS were only feared due to their fanatical craze for Nazism. While they were usually the best supplied and best fed they were remarkably mediocre as soldiers. You can look through the battle histories of various SS units and see that they were chopped to pieces just as fast as conscript units from occupied countries.

The waffen ss had a very mixed battle record due to most of the divisons being nothing more then criminals in uniform, sent to pillage, kill, and spread fear with their dispicable acts of violence. When the more political divisions of the ss entered battle they were slaughtered because they were only suposed to police the populace of occupied citys. Although there were a few waffen ss divisions that have a very respectable battle record. But it is rather taboo to glorify any soldiers of the ss due to many divisions being very ratical nazi strongarms who commited horrible acts durring the war, and that i can agree with.

[PeterG]

The waffen ss had a very mixed battle record due to most of the divisons being nothing more then criminals in uniform, sent to pillage, kill, and spread fear with their dispicable acts of violence. When the more political divisions of the ss entered battle they were slaughtered because they were only suposed to police the populace of occupied citys. Although there were a few waffen ss divisions that have a very respectable battle record. But it is rather taboo to glorify any soldiers of the ss due to many divisions being very ratical nazi strongarms who commited horrible acts durring the war, and that i can agree with.

Too many rants and comments now folks. Post more pics!

[Sergei]

Soviet recon was using camo all the time throughout the war. What kind of fetish do people have for Waffen SS?

[v-twin]

It's simple, they were awesome. Their panzer divisions were great. The greatest tank comander in the war was Michael Wittman of the Leibstandarte division.

and then some were sent to pacify villages but that was a common practice with the Soviets as well. So they weren't worse than the NKVD from this point of view.
And I don't want to start a flame

[Heinzi]

The German cemeteries are largely unkept, ugly and overgrown. Germans, here is the resting place of your superhuman super race. Germans, here lies the graves of your best-of-the-best Ardennes soldiers. Here they are. Forgotten for good reason. Killed by lowly hick American farmboys and hillbillies.

Why don't proud Germans take care of their war dead like other countries? Arent there any Germans proud of all that their country accomplished in World War II? Or is it all just anonymous talk?

I visited alot of cementeries in France. Not all are in a bad condition. Many are well kept, but very simple and a bit hidden sometimes.
I like the atmosphere more then some gigantic pompous statues and stuff on the france cementeries.

I know and kew some veterans, even some of the WaffenSS. They are very nice and good men. I cant judge about their actions in the war. The saw and survived to much that they really want to talk about it. The undertone in your post ist pretty ignorant and generalizing. If you lack the kowledge about the WaffenSS units and their development at the end of the war please dont post about them.
Thanks
Heinzi

Great photos.

[Holycrusader]

Soviet recon was using camo all the time throughout the war. What kind of fetish do people have for Waffen SS?

They like skulls and shining leather... Waffen SS look like modern time pirates with SM motives .

[Holycrusader]

It's simple, they were awesome. Their panzer divisions were great. The greatest tank comander in the war was Michael Wittman of the Leibstandarte division.

and then some were sent to pacify villages but that was a common practice with the Soviets as well. So they weren't worse than the NKVD from this point of view.
And I don't want to start a flame

Too late. Telling me that some Naziwarcriminals were "awesome" is clearly invitation to some flame war...
SS as band of nazicriminals are some kind outlawed military formation. They pacify village and kill POW. Nothing to respect here.
WWII German have many good soldiers but very small amount of heroes. To be a hero you need to fight for a good cause - you know. Ie German officers who were killed after failed attempt to kill Hitler are heroes...
Wittman was good soldier serving Evil empire (simple american description) nothing great in him...

[PeterG]

Too late. Telling me that some Naziwarcriminals were "awesome" is clearly invitation to some flame war...
SS as band of nazicriminals are some kind outlawed military formation. They pacify village and kill POW. Nothing to respect here.
WWII German have many good soldiers but very small amount of heroes. To be a hero you need to fight for a good cause - you know. Ie German officers who were killed after failed attempt to kill Hitler are heroes...
Wittman was good soldier serving Evil empire (simple american description) nothing great in him...

Well, evil empire or the forces of Satan - it is still 'strictly photos&videos'....I didn't know every soldier depicted here had to be a certified 'hero' of democracy, fighting a just war. Is red army troops ok, communism and all? Or were they all just scum? How about veterans of wars considered to have been wrong or unjust - like Vietnam. Would you 'allow' pics of them to be posted here..?

[Argyll]

Read the book "Black Edeilweiss"......not all W-SS were butchers and murderers