One might also look at the many ss polizei regiments operating both inYugoslavia and Russia, they are known for extreme cruelty (a fine reseacher on this subject is Mark V from AHF)
Myself i have read SS sonderkommando Dirlewanger (French L Maclean)
one might also take a look at the composition of kampfgruppe von Gottberg.
Maybe someone with great knowleadge can post some about the security divisions (not much known of) in the dirlewanger account there are some mentions about security divisions but only after spring 44 later they were all formed/focussed on the russian regular forces whilst many of the ss polizei and polizei regiments aswell as security divisions were formed into different kampfgruppes to help to sten the russian mass Bagration offensive...
Like many polizei units also dirlewanger unit operated mainly in Belo-Russe / White russia in the area of Minsk (does someone know a lot more about security ops in this region?)
And other notorious units like the 1st ss inf.(mot) brigade and 2nd operating more in the southern areas as well as the ss kavallerie brigade Fegelein....
I think we mostly must search within these units to get some sort of overall picture of the mass pacification operations(not counting the einsatzgruppen though)
Dirlewanger career:
1. IX. 1940 - Wilddiebkommando Oranienburg (SS-Sonderbattailon) - guard unit in Oranienburg.
In 1942 transformed to SS-Sonderkommando Dirlewanger (Feldpost nr 00512) - terror actions in Lublin area, in autumn sent to Byelorussia against partisants.
August 1943 SS-Sonderregiment "Dirlewanger", - still Byellorussia.
Spring 1944 regiment was withdraw to Olecko near Suwalki (north-eastern Poland) and reorganised to SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger.
September/October 1944 Brigade was sent to Slovakia for pacification of civilians.
December 1944 - Brigade was sent to Hungary on Eastern Front. This was first ever combat action of those brigade. 14/15 December brigade got contact with Red Army. Half soldiers went on Russian side, rest fleed.
18 III 1945 Brigade was transformed to 36th SS-Grenadierdivision, but those unit was only on paper
Well, in July 1944 Dirlewanger and his regiment in Olecko.
I have no info about June, but Olecko is not so far from Minsk (200 km?), so maybe they were there?.
In August 1944 as a brigade they were in Warsaw.
Bach Zelewski wrote that Dirlewanger Brigade was useless as a combat unit, and they had terrible influence on morale of other German units.
SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger to Himmler about Dirlewanger brigade:
"If those bunch of criminals did not disapear from my region, i personaly arrest Dirlewanger!"
For me no doubt that SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger was the most cruel German unit.
No doubt Pirx! have you read the Mathias Schenk account?
It's on a polish website about warsaw august 44, he was a sturmpionier (wehrmacht) assigned to dirlewanger brigade.
I agree with Sid that a lot about the sicherungs divisions and ss-polizei/
polizei / alarmbataljons is not known very well.
Maybe someone with great esteem can open such a topic , i mean a serious reasearch one to evaluate those ss- polizei regiments and their actions against irregulars.
Maybe the ss polizei regiment 18 could be a nice starter, (ops in greece, and yugoslavia)
Hi, there is a question about the von Gottberg group in the Bagration Battle near Minsk. My one source about this is Hinze's "East Front Drama" which is not known for its ease of reading. Clearly there was a "Von Gottberg" force, it is listed as containing a number of polizei regiments, but not the Dirlewanger Brigade. The fighting took place in July near Minsk then around Baranovichi. What bothers me is that, according to Hinze, the name of the commander was Joachim Von Gottberg, not Curt von Gottberg. Any insight into this oddity? The rank is the right one for Curt von Gottberg, but I can't seem to find anything on an S.S. Obergruppenfuhrer named Joachim von Gottberg.
Bestens,
~D, the EviL
Death is lighter than a Feather, Duty is heavier than a Mountain....
