Re: Slovenia and Waffen-SS
Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:14 am
Hello to all ; more ..............................
Brutal and incompetent. Battalion of SS-Karstwehr 1943-1944
Battalion of the SS-Karstwehr: self-image and culture of violence.
In this ethnically heterogeneous and tense environment, the SS Karstwehr Battalion operated against the Italian and Yugoslav guerrillas. Initially planned only as a company, the battalion had established itself in Pottenstein, in Upper Franconia, in the summer of 1942 and was directly subordinate to the Reichsführer SS. In reality, the new battalion had a double function: on the one hand, as a specialized combat force for use in the mountainous karst terrain, on the other hand as a geological troop for speleology (a story for Indiana Jones ). Therefore, the choice of the commander of the battalion fell on the SS-Standartenführer Hans Brand, a respected geologist and speleologist. But above all he was not at all an experienced and competent military officer and the other officers of this battalion were not "high-flying" military men either. The members came from all over the German Reich; including ethnic Germans from Romania and Yugoslavia. Although the battalion had extensive training - including the high mountain one, the end result was remarkably weak.
The battalion always lamented the lack of material and weapons. Apart from these difficulties, however, a look at a weekly training plan reveals a much larger problem: the emphasis was on theoretical instruction, while training outside the barracks remained the exception. After lunch, an hour of rest in bed was always ordered and punctually at 17:30 hours, the instructors were working. So it was not surprising that the battalion after one year had just begun Platoon-level training!
However, Brand saw great potential in his new troop, which he called "a special mountain force absolutely independent for battle in the karst," which was outside any military standard. He understood it that way, the SS Karstwehr Battalion outwardly showed an elitist character. Therefore, the SS propaganda companies accompanied the battalion initially during the training and then in the action. Here Brand repeatedly praised Himmler in his reports for the alleged successes of his Battalion. This narrative continues to be found in publications about the SS Karstwehr Battalion.
Source: Militärgeschichte · Zeitschrift für historische Bildung · Ausgabe 1/2017.
Cheers. Raúl M .
Brutal and incompetent. Battalion of SS-Karstwehr 1943-1944
Battalion of the SS-Karstwehr: self-image and culture of violence.
In this ethnically heterogeneous and tense environment, the SS Karstwehr Battalion operated against the Italian and Yugoslav guerrillas. Initially planned only as a company, the battalion had established itself in Pottenstein, in Upper Franconia, in the summer of 1942 and was directly subordinate to the Reichsführer SS. In reality, the new battalion had a double function: on the one hand, as a specialized combat force for use in the mountainous karst terrain, on the other hand as a geological troop for speleology (a story for Indiana Jones ). Therefore, the choice of the commander of the battalion fell on the SS-Standartenführer Hans Brand, a respected geologist and speleologist. But above all he was not at all an experienced and competent military officer and the other officers of this battalion were not "high-flying" military men either. The members came from all over the German Reich; including ethnic Germans from Romania and Yugoslavia. Although the battalion had extensive training - including the high mountain one, the end result was remarkably weak.
The battalion always lamented the lack of material and weapons. Apart from these difficulties, however, a look at a weekly training plan reveals a much larger problem: the emphasis was on theoretical instruction, while training outside the barracks remained the exception. After lunch, an hour of rest in bed was always ordered and punctually at 17:30 hours, the instructors were working. So it was not surprising that the battalion after one year had just begun Platoon-level training!
However, Brand saw great potential in his new troop, which he called "a special mountain force absolutely independent for battle in the karst," which was outside any military standard. He understood it that way, the SS Karstwehr Battalion outwardly showed an elitist character. Therefore, the SS propaganda companies accompanied the battalion initially during the training and then in the action. Here Brand repeatedly praised Himmler in his reports for the alleged successes of his Battalion. This narrative continues to be found in publications about the SS Karstwehr Battalion.
Source: Militärgeschichte · Zeitschrift für historische Bildung · Ausgabe 1/2017.
Cheers. Raúl M .