Willi Bittrich

[GeneralFeldMarschall_List]

Hello,

During Operation Market Garden Bittrich commanded II-SS Panzer Corps.
Before this he was a divisional commander. Can anyone out there give me more of a biographical details? Also, Bittrich seems to have been one of the more military (as opposed to political) soldiers in the SS, one forum member even went as far as to call him "humane" in one of the threads. However, a commander of Waffen-SS troops, particularly one that saw service on the Ostfront, must have been implicated in some war crimes. Can anyone furnish with any details?

[Timo]

http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.d ... ilhelm.htm

[GeneralFeldMarschall_List]

Thank you Timo. Unfortunately my German goes no further than "bitte" and "danke", so if there's anybody that can give me some biographical details in English, I would be very grateful.

List

[Timo]

Nach dem Krieg wurde die militärische Vergangenheit von Bittrich natürlich genauestens durchleuchtet. Da die Alliierten keinerlei Vorwürfe oder Anschuldigungen gegen ihn vorzubringen vermochten - auch nicht im sgn. Caen-Prozess gegen seinen damaligen Untergebenen Brigadeführer Meyer -, ließ man ihn bereits nach wenigen Monaten Kriegsgefangenschaft frei. Von den Franzosen erneut verhaftet, wurde Bittrich vor ein Kriegsgericht gestellt - die Anklage bezog sich auf einen Anti-Partisaneneinsatz seiner SS-"Hohenstaufen" im Gebiet von Nimes. Bei den im Februar 1944 stattgefundenen Gefechten hatten SS- und Heerestruppen einen gezielten Angriff gegen Lager der Résistance unternommen, um deren erfolgreiche Stör- und Sabotageaktionen zu unterbinden. Für seine damals führende Rolle als Divisionskommandeur wurde Bittrich zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt. Da diese durch die Kriegsgefangenschaft und Untersuchungshaft bereits verbüßt waren, ließ man ihn 1953 endgültig frei.

In short: allied investigations after the war did not reveal anything that could be used against him, not even in the so called "Caen trials" against Kurt Meyer. Thus he was released as a POW after only a few months. He was then arrested by the French for anti-partisan actions carried out by the Hohenstauffen Division in the area around Nimes in February 1944, when SS and army troops had attacked a resistance camp to counter sabotage actions. For his role as Divisional commander Bittrich was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Because he had already been imprisoned for such a time as a POW and during French investigations prior to his trial, he was released in 1953.

[Marko]

Bittrich a war criminal?

The answer is no. The site Timo mentioned has some errors in particular regarding his supposed warcrime. In spring 1944, Hohenstaufen's III./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.20 was used in a raid against a resistance center in the Nîmes area. They managed to capture 10 resistence members, who were then handed over to the Gestapo. These were later hanged and this is also the reason why Bittrich, as divisional commander, was accused as the one responsible for their deaths. Though promised a speedy trial it took the French whole five years to even start it (Bittrich nevertheless spend the time in prison). In 1953 the process finally started and Bittrich was acquitted on the grounds that no one in the Hohenstaufen knew about the executions until after they had happened. During the trial Bittrich received numerous support letters from his German (Guderian, Eberbach, von Manteuffel, von Schwappenburg, Hausser, etc. - the individuals who had the utmost respect of his leadership during the war) and Allied comrades and interestigly also the support from the local media (a French journalist decribed him as "a general and cavalier par excellence") and public.
The info comes from Sons of the Reich and Verkauft und verraten.

For Bittrich's bio in English:
http://www.dasreich.ca/bittrich.html

Willi Bittrich was also a realist (or as Heinz Kling would putt it - defeatist), when on one occasion (in 1943) asked when will Germany finally win the war, he simply answered that this is no more possible and hoped Germany will at least retain pre-war borders.

[Timo]

Thanks for the additions and correction Marko.

Does anyone know more about this...

In den Tagen nach der Invasion kam es zu einem Gespräch, das besonders erwähnenswert ist. Am 16. Juli 1944 traf Bittrich mit dem Oberbefehlshaber der Heeresgruppe B, GFM Erwin Rommel, zusammen, um mit ihm über die Frontlage zu sprechen. Als die beiden einander sympathischen Offiziere auf die schlechte Führung Hitlers zu sprechen kamen, offenbarte der mit dem militärischen Widerstand zusammenarbeitende Rommel dem SS-General, dass es in Kürze einen Putschversuch geben würde. Der für seine Haltung gegen Hitler und Himmler bekannte Bittrich zögerte keine Sekunde und sagte: "Herr Feldmarschall, wenn dieses Wort gilt, dann stehe ich mit meinem II. SS-Panzerkorps hinter Ihnen und Ihrer Führung. Meine Kommandeure denken genauso wie ich darüber!"

...it seems very similar to the Dietrich-Rommel meeting discussed earlier on this board.

[balaton]

hi all,

Could anyone point out what Bittrichs post war activities were ? It's an area often neglected concerning well known vetereans, and I'd really be interested in finding out not only Bittrichs, but also other high ranking veterans post war careers.

-Gary

[heinz kling]

Thanks for the additions and correction Marko.

Does anyone know more about this...

In den Tagen nach der Invasion kam es zu einem Gespräch, das besonders erwähnenswert ist. Am 16. Juli 1944 traf Bittrich mit dem Oberbefehlshaber der Heeresgruppe B, GFM Erwin Rommel, zusammen, um mit ihm über die Frontlage zu sprechen. Als die beiden einander sympathischen Offiziere auf die schlechte Führung Hitlers zu sprechen kamen, offenbarte der mit dem militärischen Widerstand zusammenarbeitende Rommel dem SS-General, dass es in Kürze einen Putschversuch geben würde. Der für seine Haltung gegen Hitler und Himmler bekannte Bittrich zögerte keine Sekunde und sagte: "Herr Feldmarschall, wenn dieses Wort gilt, dann stehe ich mit meinem II. SS-Panzerkorps hinter Ihnen und Ihrer Führung. Meine Kommandeure denken genauso wie ich darüber!"

...it seems very similar to the Dietrich-Rommel meeting discussed earlier on this board.

Nobody in his right mind at the front will support that cowardly traitor Rommel and his clique of deskbound patriots.

[Timo]

Kling again. Nevermind, it's not my website:

http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.d ... ilhelm.htm

[behblc]

Heinz , I would again differ with you . Certainly not cowards and not all desk bound.
Not sure were Bittrich fits into this ( not being able to speak German) but from his record Willi Bittrich was neither of the above.

[heinz kling]

I refer to deskbound traitors like Halder, Beck, Witzleben, and cowards like Speidel, Kluge, Rommel....

[behblc]

All held high Command positions , Kluge , Beck Halder , for example.
I would not call Rommel a coward , few of his old hands from Africa would agree.
Coward , can you give specific examples in relation to each man being a coward.
I know from previous exchanges you don't value them as servants to the Hitler Govermant in that they ultimately were disloyal to Hitler , but I would again say not to the best interests of the german people or Germany.
I think you use the term coward in a subjective rather than objective way , Rommel was certainly no coward.

[GeneralFeldMarschall_List]

Heinz,

What exactly constistutes a coward in your eyes? Is it someone is a realist, someone who recognises the impossible odds that are stacked against him. Someone who has to overturn a whole system of loyalty that had been instilled in him since birth, to act out of a greater feeling of loyalty to his country. Someone who was wounded several times in battle, someone who one the highest awards for gallantry and bravery in both World Wars, or someone like you, who feels that he can mouth off against people who have long since died, who are in no position to defend themselves. Someone that wasn't even a witness to any of these events that you describe. Someone who only has this knowledge second hand and probably never saw combat in World War II. Who is the greater coward Heinz?

[GeneralFeldMarschall_List]

Heinz,

What exactly constistutes a coward in your eyes? Is it someone is a realist, someone who recognises the impossible odds that are stacked against him. Someone who has to overturn a whole system of loyalty that had been instilled in him since birth, to act out of a greater feeling of loyalty to his country. Someone who was wounded several times in battle, someone who one the highest awards for gallantry and bravery in both World Wars, or someone like you, who feels that he can mouth off against people who have long since died, who are in no position to defend themselves. Someone that wasn't even a witness to any of these events that you describe. Someone who only has this knowledge second hand and probably never saw combat in World War II. Who is the greater coward Heinz?

[Edelweiss.]

Rommel a coward? Hardly. Afrika Korps veterans would seriously contest that viewpoint, as they would for the link between Rommel and the assassination attempt - he steadfastly refused on more than one occasion to become a part of the July Plot.

Regards,
Edelweiss