Best division in the Waffen SS??

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:22 am

2nd SS Panzer Das Reich wrote:
mikerock wrote:Mark,

Do you know how many tanks total Das Reich had throughout the war?

--Mike
3000

You have a reliable source for this number?

Mark C Yerger · Post by **Mark C Yerger** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 5:23 am

See the divisional history by Weidinger, the number is over 4000, not 3000.

Mark C. Yerger
moderator

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 5:42 am

Mark C. Yerger wrote:See the divisional history by Weidinger, the number is over 4000, not 3000.

Mark C. Yerger
moderator

Hi Mark

The question was how many tanks the division had.

\Christoph

2nd SS Panzer Das Reich · Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:27 pm

Christoph Awender wrote: You have a reliable source for this number?

I read it from a website, I forgot the link am I wrong?

Mark C Yerger · Post by **Mark C Yerger** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:14 pm

No division ever had a strength of 3000 tanks, even when formed away from the front.

Mark C. Yerger

Uli · Post by **Uli** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:42 pm

Comparing combat effectiveness of the various W-SS divisions is rather difficult: While Das Reich was most highly decorated of all, Wiking spent 38 months in the east participating in the bitterest no-holds-barred war ever fought. I wonder which of the divisions received the most "frozen meat" awards?

Nibelung · Post by **Nibelung** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 12:00 am

2nd SS Panzer Das Reich wrote:
mikerock wrote:Mark,

Do you know how many tanks total Das Reich had throughout the war?

--Mike
3000

Don't be smarter than the moderator, you don't know who you're dealing with...

best,
Nibelung

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 4:49 am

Mark C. Yerger wrote:No division ever had a strength of 3000 tanks, even when formed away from the front.

Mark C. Yerger

I think he means how many tanks went through the inventory of the division in total. Besides that it would be nearly impossible to find out it would show how many tanks were lost compared to destroyed. But as in most cases his source is a website he forgot.

\Christoph

Benoit Douville · Post by **Benoit Douville** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 10:23 pm

Tom,

You are talking about the 6 SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord right? Just want to make sure. That's true that this Division is often overlooked.I have to go for the Wiking Division with the Totenkopf Division not far behind.

Regards

Custom Cruiser · Post by **Custom Cruiser** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:23 am

I´m not putting Nord down but you have to remember that in Lappland, Finland there was a whole lot less action between 1942 and 1944 than in areas where for example Das Reich, Wiking and LAH operated. In fact, I don´t think German high command had anywhere a more fit and unharmed SS-division (not to mention the whole 20th Mountain Army) than in northern Finland.

Juha Hujanen · Post by **Juha Hujanen** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:44 am

Igorn wrote:
M.Wittmann wrote:
1. First foreign volunteer Waffen-SS unit. Never accused about warcrimes. Outstanding record IMO even the russians respected them.
Source of information please.

Best Regards from Russia,

Captured Russian General-Major Paul Artemenko after Norland Regiment had fought against his troops in Kiev July 41:

XXXVII Corps faced Wiking between Terterov and Sdvinsk.The fighting power of Wiking proved to be legendary.The battalion of this SS unit would beat easily his best Regiment.When SS was transfered elwhere,we were greatly reliefed.We noticed the great difference between it and one infantry division,which was much inferior to SS.

That quote is from Jokipii's book Panttipataljoona.The original statement of Artemenko is in:

Feldnachrichtenblatt Nr 40,Pz.AOK 1 Ic/AO Nr 4627/41 geheim.

Cheers/Juha

Sebastian Pye · Post by **Sebastian Pye** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:50 am

I remember a quote about wiking from some interview with a russian soldier.
he said something along the lines of "they were fanatical soldiers, they did not retreat".

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 10:07 am

Captured Russian General-Major Paul Artemenko after Norland Regiment had fought against his troops in Kiev July 41:

XXXVII Corps faced Wiking between Terterov and Sdvinsk.The fighting power of Wiking proved to be legendary.The battalion of this SS unit would beat easily his best Regiment.When SS was transfered elwhere,we were greatly reliefed.We noticed the great difference between it and one infantry division,which was much inferior to SS.

That quote is from Jokipii's book Panttipataljoona.The original statement of Artemenko is in:

Feldnachrichtenblatt Nr 40,Pz.AOK 1 Ic/AO Nr 4627/41 geheim.

Cheers/Juha

Juha, you think this is an objective oppinion? I can give you at least two dozens of such "reports" about other german units. Every allied unit seemed to fight against the finest, best, elite unit of the germans once. So this mysterious unit must have been really busy.

\Christoph

Nibelung · Post by **Nibelung** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:26 am

Christoph Awender wrote: Juha, you think this is an objective oppinion? I can give you at least two dozens of such "reports" about other german units. Every allied unit seemed to fight against the finest, best, elite unit of the germans once. So this mysterious unit must have been really busy.

\Christoph

Christoph, because you have the sources and info, please do tell of some cases where such things were reported for the opposiong german forces (no idealistical reason for asking so, just for comparisson, espacially if you can tell us what units were they talking about). We might even have a laugh at some of them...

best,
Nibelung

exarchos · Post by **exarchos** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 9:33 am

Also because Wiking was made of foreigners, played a significant role I think. Maybe more convinced of anticommunist opinions?!

Interesting question would be, what id Wiking was ordered to Normandy or Ardennes. Would they fought the same then?

Feldgrau.net

Best division in the Waffen SS??

Talking about SS-Nord