By october 1944 the waffen ss had grown to over 910,000 men. One of the main myths about the battle of dien bien phu is that it was the last battle of the waffen ss or variations of that. Jan 10, 2017 the book follows a nazi ss officer named hans josef wagemueller who manages to fight his way out of czechoslovakia in the waning days of world war ii, only to flee germany and join the french. Waffen ss is the first definitive singlevolume military history of the organization in more than 50 years. Forgotten german veterans of frances vietnam war yahoo. Waffen ss original camo material post ww2 made cap. The book is basically about hans joef wagemuller and describes what he and his german friends got up to while serving in vietnam. The book details the authors experience as part of the charlemagne ss during mid to late 1944 through to the end of world war ii. He made his first mike test in december and was deemed good enough to make radio broadcasts. The book follows a nazi ss officer named hans josef wagemueller who manages to fight his way out of czechoslovakia in the waning days of world war ii, only to flee germany and join the french. Herbert was assigned to the leibstandarte ss adolf hitler german for adolf hitlers bodyguard regiment was a unit of the ss.
He did so well that he achieved the rank of untersturmfuhrer similar to a second lieutenant. It you purchase the book be prepared for lots of praise for the waffen ss and it officers. His stories of the incompetence of the french makes it clear why they lost indochina. It originated from sovietbloc communist sources and the pcf french communist party in france itself. There are many out there who dont believe that the book is based on fact, i on the other hand believe a lot of it is true, and that it has been padded out a little to make it a good read, but some of the. Known as hitlers asphalt soldiers they fought on all the main battlefronts, but most notably in the east against the soviet union and in normandy.
Founded as adolf hitlers armed bodyguard, the waffen ss quickly. The elite german waffen ss troops of ww2 were the first units ever issued their own distinctive camouflage uniforms. Peter mooney volume 2 in this new series continues the overview of each waffenss unit that fought during world war ii, where it was raised and where it fought. If the book is a fiction,it is probably based on some facts,with some spice tossed into the mix to make a good read. The history of the second ss divison, 194145 by gregory louis matt. And i just finished a book recently about the 1948 arabisraeli conflict and that book mentioned former ss soldiers serving among the arab forces during that conflict. Some 24,000 german soldiers the majority of which were waffenss attempted to break out of the city through russian lines on the 11th of february 1945. Cautiously impressed, the germans took him to berlin. This book traces the history, organization, uniforms and equipment of the waffen ss between 1939 and 1945. Wehrmachtwaffen ss veterans fighting abroad post 1945. Danish volunteers of the waffenss casemate publishers. Movie scene from fury 2014 when a waffen ss officer gets executed during the city battle.
In december, 1940 heinrich himmler, head of the schutzstaffel ss, established the waffen ss. Soldbuch only black slip case is available separately item agg7159. Towards the end of the war in april 1945 remnants of several waffen ss. Yes and no there definetely were former members of the ss in the foreign legion, but a lot of it is based on exaggeration. He convinces the french ffl commander in vn to allow him to build a battlion sized unit of former ss heerpara personnel only. Combat action ivolving the waffen ss in ww2 would appear almost super human also. Oct 22, 2010 the true story of the hitlers waffen ss soldiers that joined the foreign legion in vietnam following the myths and legends about nazis recruited by the french foreign legion to fight in indochina, eric meyers new book is based on the real story of one such former waffen ss man who lived to tell the tale. During the period of the third reich it represented a state within a state, its military arm, the waffenss, an army within an army. Book the waffen ss by herbert walther ww2 elite pictorial photo history. Faithful reproduction german waffen ss soldbuch pay book. The true story of the hitlers waffen ss soldiers that joined the foreign legion in vietnam following the myths and legends about nazis recruited by the french foreign legion to fight in indochina, eric meyers new book is based on the real story of one such former waffen ss man who lived to tell the tale. The waffen ss was a paramilitary organization within the ss. In considering the actions of its leading personalities and analyzing its training and ideological outlook, historian adrian gilbert chronicles the battles and campaigns that brought the waffen ss. You are right, many ss soldiers of the waffen ss went to vietnam.
Devils guard, by george robert elford published in 1971, is the story of a former german waffenss officers string of nearconstant combat that begins. Devils guard, by george robert elford published in 1971, is the story of a former german waffenss officers string of nearconstant combat that begins on world war ii s eastern front and continues into the books focusthe first indochina war, as an officer in the french foreign legion. From what i know of thorne, he didnt have a lot of respect for the vietnam war, but he. Its the first in the series to describe their events in the. The combat arm of the nazi partys paramilitary wing, the waffen ss has often been labeled the most lethal fighting force of world war ii. We were thrown into the battle once, noted one waffen ss soldier, and i tasted action for the first. To train the arabic armies and south american armies the art of torture, how to set ieds, booby traps, guerilla warfare. In the late 80s or early 90s the authorjust checked, 1988 wrote another book called recall to inferno that takes his story up until the americans started to become involved in vietnam.
We are talking about the french foriegn legion here and things wre different in the legion during that time im sure. From these humble beginnings, the ss rose to a nominal strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945, representing a sizeable portion of germanys land forces. You make it sound like waffen ss units were sent over in forcenot so. The waffen ss occupies a unique niche in the history of adolf hitlers third reich. I served in both the eastern front with the waffen ss and then with the french in indochina. In 194445 the waffen ss formed many nominal divisions from a motley range of sources, whose battlefield value was as varied as their backgrounds. The nature of the combat actions in the book seem untrue to many. The books tone offers a direct and straightforward explanation for the state of affairs. In ww2, this usaaf pilot defected, he flew his p38 to. Others were welcomed to the middle east and south america. Adrian gilbert examines the dark world war ii history of nazi germanys waffen ss aka the alibi of the nation. Buechner, who wrote a book called the hour of the avenger, the ss garrison had a capacity of 1473 men. The majority of the 30,000 werent waffen ss troops either.
With the full support of the nazi regime, the waffen ss fought on all european fronts between 1939 and 1945. I just saw in another thread that there were former ss soldiers serving among the french forces in vietnam indochina following the end of ww2. The men of ss panzer regiments 1, 2, and 3 in operation citadel, july 515, 1943 by french l. Devils guard, by george robert elford published in 1971, is the story of a former german waffenss officers string of nearconstant combat that begins on world war iis eastern front and continues into the books focusthe first indochina war, as an officer in the french foreign legion. Members of the waffen ss join the french foreign legion fighting in vietnam. Their original job was to protect higherranking people in the ss and the nazi party. The waffen ss had a reputation for committing war crimes in occupied territory. Their thoroughly researched, well developed, and specially designed smocks, zeltbahns, and helmet covers have been of great interest to collectors for decades, leading michael d. The divisions of the waffen ss were made of specially trained soldiers. For many of the waffenss soldiers this attempt to escape was to result in their slaughter. The viet mihn were later renamed or replaced by the viet cong. Popular waffen ss books meet your next favorite book. It was a waffen ss security and combat formation which saw action on both the eastern and western fronts during world war ii. This 32page issue identity book carried by every german ss serviceman in ww2.
Top page ends at end of text have a pink color to them, o. Waffenss or any schutzstaffel veterans in the united. Frenchmen who served in the ss or wehrmacht were either killed outright or could join the foreign legion. Mar 14, 2014 update 1732019 to the people who expressed interest in learning more about these two men, there is a book hitlers irishmen by terence o reilly. With the full support of the nazi regime, the waffen ss. There were former waffen ss soldiers in the french foreign legion, but theres little truth to the claims that they were active during the indochina war. Early volunteers were promised that they would not leave scandinavia and that they would serve under native norwegian officers but. Many an author, popular and academic, has tackled the topic of the ss and waffen ss but very few have done so in an objective fashion like stein. The third book in eric meyers acclaimed new series on the real story behind the ss in vietnam. The combat history of ss panzer regiment 12 and ss panzerjager abteilung 12, normandy 1944, based on their original war diaries kindle edition by norbert szamveber.
The book covers their successes and losses in vn in the 50s. The guards of the concentration camp, who were ss totenkopf soldiers, were quartered at the ss garrison, along with waffen ss soldiers who had recently arrived from the front. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. German wwii soldbuch waffenss soldier identity payment book. The best were built around existing western european volunteer regiments. Waffenss simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Waffenss in vietnam yes, the title is devils guard. Lauri allan torni 28 may 1919 18 october 1965, later known as larry alan thorne, was a finnish soldier who fought under three flags. Leon degrelle the epic story of the waffen ss youtube. The battle begins with members of a viet cong cell bringing in the beaten up leader of the waffen ss team as a prisoner.
Update 1732019 to the people who expressed interest in learning more about these two men, there is a book hitlers irishmen by terence o reilly. Heres what historian and author of the excellent book on the th ss, himmlers bosnian division had to say on the subject of ss in the ffl. This is an exact copy of an original in the ima collection, tan cover, printed in german. Danish volunteers of the waffenss tells the story of freikorps danmark in pictures from 19411943.
Find waffen ss and ww2 german from a vast selection of militaria. If not, its about waffen ss escaping germany after the war and fighting with the french foriegn legion against the viet mihn in the 1950s. The vietnam conflict and the soldiers of fortune who. Verton and his compatriots were among the 22,000 to 25,000 dutch who served in the waffen ss, the elite armed wing of the ss the nazi partys schutzstaffel or protective echeloninfused with the doctrines of national socialism and loyalty to adolf hitler. Lost honour, betrayed loyalty the memoir of a waffen. Germany 1945 the dying days of hitler s third reich and a waffen ss commando captain, betrayed by his own side, goes on the run with a list of western traitors and nazi sympathisers unknowingly acting as a pawn in a lastditch plot to drive a. The only comprehensive photographic book on waffen ss uniforms is finally available. Ailsby and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This three volume set is unquestionably the best reference on german ss military uniforms ever produced. And i just finished a book recently about the 1948 arabisraeli conflict and that book mentioned former ss soldiers serving among the. The real story devils guard, book 1 by eric meyer fantastic fiction. There he spent the next seven weeks training with the waffen schutzstaffel ss the protective squadron of germanys nazi party.
This new army grew rapidly and within six months grew to over 150,000 men. Following the nazi occupation of norway in 1941, the waffenss began recruiting volunteers to serve in their ranks. Arrested by the gestapo he was pressed into service for the ss in 1941. After the second world war france lacked the will to keep fighting another war and was short on men. Before germany went to war the term waffen ss had not been coined. Waffen ss 89 ladies apparel 18 aviation 53 economy 9 other nations 3 united kingdom 6 russia 5 france 6. The true story of the hitlers waffen ss soldiers that.
This is the riveting true story of paul martelli, a fifteenyearold germanitalian, who fought in pomerania, on the eastern front, in 1945 as a member of the 33. I have read and heard of account of former ss and german soldiers fighting in the french foreign legion in indochina. This new book is a concise combat history of the three waffen ss cavalry divisions in world war ii. Borsarello to write an authoritative reference book on the subject in 1995. Originally labelled the stosstruppe adolf hitler, they later became known as the ss schutz staffeln, or protection squads. Any that were alive at the end of the war and surrendered may have violated their oath. Fall in his book hell in a very small place about the siege of dien bien phu writes that while many of the french foreign legionnaires at dien bien phu were german, they were probably not waffen ss members, since most of them were in their early 20s during the battle 1953 so they would have been circa 15 years old in 1945. This is the riveting true story of paul martelli, a fifteenyearold germanitalian, who fought in pomerania, on the eastern front, in. Towards the end of the war in april 1945 remnants of several waffenss divisions fell back. The book follows a nazi ss officer named hans josef wagemueller who manages to fight his way out of czechoslovakia in the waning days of world. This elite wing of the nazi party counted nearly one million volunteers from all the countries of europe. During the period of the third reich it represented a state within a state, its military arm, the waffen ss, an army within an army. High ranking german politicians courted former waffen ss members and their veteran organisation, hiag.
Waffen ss veterans in postwar germany played a large role, through publications and political pressure, in the efforts to rehabilitate the reputation of the waffen ss, which had committed many war crimes during world war ii. The book follows a nazi ss officer named hans josef wagemueller. Did ex members of the waffen ss escape germany and join. The schutzstaffel ss was the most inexplicable political and military organization in german history. Waffen ss hitlers elite guard at war, 19391945 by george h. How many former ss soldiers fought in the french legion. Some accounts i have read is that there were probably only 60 or 70 former ss troops in vietnam and that some 37000 troops comprised of german regulars were fighting in vietnam with the legion. In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the sa to serve as hitlers personal bodyguard. The true story of the hitlers waffen ss soldiers that joined.
The armed resistance, in contrast, numbered only between 5,000 to 12,000, most. There monti was brought into the ss standarte kurt eggers studio a propaganda arm of the waffen ss where many foreign defectors worked. Following the nazi occupation of norway in 1941, the waffen ss began recruiting volunteers to serve in their ranks. Freikorps danmark was established as a danish corps to fight communism and, from its beginning, was controlled from denmark, being placed under the control of the ss division totenkopf and 1. This is the naziapologia war novel that apparently inspired. Interesting early history of the mess that the americans later wound up in. The book devils guard i have the paperback edition is the story mainly of an ss antipartisan col who joins the ffl after ww2. The real story devils guard, book 1 by eric meyer book cover. Unfollow nazi waffen ss to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Aug 28, 2018 leon degrelle the epic story of the waffen ss state of grace. After many years of research and preparation, mike beaver, author of camouflage uniforms of the waffen ss, has again produced another breakthrough publication. A battalion of paratroopers of the waffenss was formed in the fall of 1943, in order to carry out special missions. Nazi germany has invaded indochina later vietnam and the viet cong resists them.
It also covers a decade or so after world war ii, which includes postworld war ii life in france and his escape from prison, as well as joining up and fighting the viet minh in vietnam. Even today the member of the waffen ss prinz eugen division are still frequently falsely accused by the titos partisans and the history writers of former yugoslavia as well as other countries as having betrayed their country while fighting against the titos partisan terrorists in yugoslavia. The ss in indochina myth began even before the release of the novel the devils guard. From german waffen ss to american green beret historynet.
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