SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger
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The SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger, often referred to as the Dirlewanger Brigade, was a German Waffen-SS formation which saw action during World War II. Originally formed for anti-partisan duties, it eventually saw action against the Red Army near the end of the War. Although upgraded to divisional status, it never reached above brigade strength. It is among the most infamous of all Waffen-SS units of the war.
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[edit] Oskar Dirlewanger - Legión Cóndor
The history of the Dirlewanger Brigade is inextricably linked to the life of its commander, Oskar Dirlewanger. Born 26 September 1895, Oskar Dirlewanger was arguably a skillful psychopath. After winning the Iron Cross first and second class while serving in the Imperial German Army during World War I, Dirlewanger joined the Freikorps and took part in the vicious street fighting against communist insurgents. When the crisis was averted, he returned to university and obtained a PhD in political science. Joining the NSDAP in 1923, he was soon expelled and was forced to reapply and rejoin the formation.
After completing his PhD, Dirlewanger went on to hold a teaching job. In 1934, he was convicted of sexually assaulting a female minor. He lost his position and was forbidden from returning to teaching. After serving a two year jail sentence, Dirlewanger was released. Soon after, he was again accused of sexual assault and was thrown into a Concentration Camp. Desperate, Dirlewanger contacted Gottlob Berger, an old Freikorps comrade now working closely with Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer-SS. Despite the two convictions and the fact that Dirlewanger was an alcoholic, Berger secured his comrade's release and secured an appointment for him with the Legión Cóndor, a German volunteer unit fighting in the Spanish Civil War on Franco's Nationalist side. Dirlewanger fought bravely during this campaign, being wounded in combat three times.
Returning to Germany in 1939, Dirlewanger was granted admission to the Allgemeine SS and given the rank of SS-Untersturmführer. Berger realised that Dirlewanger could be kept in check only while on military duty, so he organized the creation of a military unit which would be used to rehabilitate convicts.
On June 15, 1940, the Wilddiebkommando Oranienburg (Poacher's Command Oranienburg) was formed. This unit was to be composed of criminals convicted of poaching. It was felt that poachers were in possession of skills which would make them excellent scouts and anti-partisan troops. By July 1, 1940, the unit numbered 84 men.
[edit] Composition
Initially a unit of convicted poachers, it became over time composed of increasing numbers of common criminals. In contrast to those who served in the penal battalions (or the so called 999 battalions) for minor offences, the volunteers sent to the Dirlewanger were convicted of major crimes which would be considered criminal in civilian courts. While the theory was that service in the Dirlewanger would rehabilitate the criminals, it in fact provided them with the ability to continue committing criminal acts with no repercussions. The actions of the battalion was the subject of several complaints by high ranking Heer officers, but these went unnoticed.
As the news spread of the new formation, hundreds of concentration camp prisoners applied for service with the unit. By September, the formation numbered over 300 men. With the influx of criminals, the emphasis on poachers was now lost, and those convicted of other more severe crimes, including assault, burglary and rape joined the unit. Accordingly, the unit name was changed to Sonderkommando Dr. Dirlewanger (Special Command Dr. Dirlewanger). As the unit strength continued to grow, the unit was placed under the command of the SS Totenkopfverbände (the formation responsible for the administration of the concentration camps) and it was redesignated SS-Sonderbatallion Dirlewanger.
In its final phase, Dirlewanger's men came to include, besides common criminals, increasing numbers of political prisoners (Communist, Socialist, trade unionists, anarchists and so on), patients from psychiatric hospitals and homosexuals, as well as others considered unfit to serve in normal military units.
[edit] Sonderkommando - Foreign volunteers
In mid 1941, the Dirlewanger was assigned to anti-partisan duties in the General Government region in Poland, and was answerable only to Heinrich Himmler himself. In January 1942, the battalion was authorised to recruit from Russian and Ukrainian volunteers to rebuild its strength.
During the battalion's service in Poland, it was involved in numerous cases of corruption, rape, indiscriminate slaughter, beating and looting. Desertion was common. The General Government's Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger was disgusted with the behaviour of the Dirlewanger, and his complaints resulted in its transfer to Belarus.
In Belarus, it came under the command of Central Russia's Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer, Erich von dem Bach Zelewski. The Dirlewanger resumed anti-partisan duties in this area, working in cooperation with the Kaminski Brigade for the first time. Its conduct in Russia, rather than improving, worsened and atrocities were a daily occurrence.
[edit] Expansion - Operations in Belarus
On 20 August, 1942, the expansion of the Dirlewanger to regimental size was authorised. Recruits were to come from more criminals, Eastern volunteers and military delinquents.
The second Battalion finally arrived in spring 1943. The battalion was now redesignated SS-Sonderregiment Dirlewanger. In May 1943, the ability to volunteer for service in the regiment was extended to all criminals, even those convicted of the most heinous crimes. Five hundred men convicted of the most severe crimes were absorbed into the regiment in late May. In August 1943, the creation of a third battalion was authorised.
With its expansion, the Dirlewanger was allowed to display rank insignia and a unique collar patch. In August 1943, the regiment took part in heavy fighting as a part of the efforts to annihilate the so-called Partisan's Republic near Lake Pelik. During this period, the regiment saw heavy fighting, and Dirlewanger himself led many assaults, winning several awards for bravery. In November 1943, the regiment was committed to front line action with Army Group Centre in an attempt to halt the Red Army advance. The regiment, untrained and ill-equipped for actual combat, performed poorly and suffered heavy casualties. By the end of the year the Dirlewanger could muster only 259 men.
[edit] Retreat - Warsaw
Large numbers of criminals were sent to rebuild the regiment. By late February 1944, the regiment was back up to full strength. It was decided that Eastern volunteers would no longer be admitted to the regiment, as the Russians had proven particularly unreliable in frontline combat. Anti partisan operations continued until June 1944, when the Soviets launched Operation Bagration, aimed at the destruction of Army Group Centre. The Dirlewanger was caught up in the retreat and began falling back to Poland. Unusually, the regiment distinguished itself in several rearguard actions and reached Poland in good order.
When the Armia Krajowa initiated the Warsaw Uprising on 1 August 1944, the Dirlewanger was sent into action as part of SS-Gruppenführer Heinz Reinfarth's Kampfgruppe. Fighting alongside Bronislav Kaminski's Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA, the regiment went into action on 5 August. During the battle, the Dirlewanger behaved atrociously, raping, looting and killing citizens of Warsaw regardless of whether they belonged to the Polish resistance or not. On August 5 to August 8, the regiment took part in the Wola massacre, the mass executions of tens of thousands of civilians in the Wola district of the city. While the regiment's actions were looked on with disdain by Bach Zelewski and the sector commander, Generalmajor Günter Rohr, Dirlewanger nonetheless was recommended by his superior Heinz Reinefarth for the Knight's Cross and the promotion to SS-Oberführer der Reserve.
The regiment suffered extremely high losses in the battle. Dirlewanger arriving in Warsaw numbered 881 men and officers, and during the battle they received reinforcements of 2,500 soldiers, losing 2,733 in progress, and leaving only 648 healthy. Casualties in the battle reached 315%. By October 2, 1944, the Poles had surrendered and the depleted regiment spent the next month guarding the Vistula line. During this time, the regiment was upgraded to brigade status, and redesignated SS-Sonderbrigade Dirlewanger (SS Special Brigade Dirlewanger). In Early October, it was decided to upgrade the Dirlewanger again, this time to a Waffen-SS combat brigade. Accordingly, it was redesignated 2.SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger, and soon reached its complement of 4,000 men.
[edit] Slovak Uprising - Division - Surrender
When the Slovak National Uprising began in late August 1944, the newly formed brigade was committed to action. The brutal actions of the brigade played a large part in putting down the rebellion, and by October 30 crisis was averted. With the outcome of the war no longer in doubt, large numbers of Communist and Socialist political prisoners began applying for the Dirlewanger in hope of defecting to the Soviets. SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Schmedes, the disgraced former commander of the 4.SS-Polizei-Division was assigned to the Dirlewanger by Himmler as punishment for refusing to carry out orders. With his extensive combat experience, Schmedes became the unofficial advisor to Dirlewanger on frontline combat.
In December, the brigade was sent to the front in Hungary. While several newly formed battalions made up of Communist and Socialist volunteers fell apart, several other battalions fought well. During a month's fighting, the brigade suffered heavy casualties and was pulled back to Slovakia to refit and reorganise. During this time, the brigade continued its practise of looting, raping and killing, even though Slovakia was an allied area. Complaints soon began to flow in, and some disciplinary measures were introduced. These did little to halt the atrocities taking place.
In February 1945, plans were put in action to expand the brigade to divisional status, however before this could begin it was sent north to the Oder-Neisse line to attempt to halt the Soviet advance. On 14 February, the brigade was redesignated 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS. On the 15th, Dirlewanger was seriously injured in combat for the twelfth time. Schmedes immediately assumed command, while Dirlewanger was sent to the rear. He would not return to the division. After being captured by the western allies, Dirlewanger was beaten to death by his fellow prisoners. (An alternate story of Dirlewanger's death is given by French MacClean in The Cruel Hunters, in which he states that he was beaten to death in a French military prison by Polish soldiers in the French army, undoubtedly a retribution for his treatment of Poles in Warsaw.)Also in Sven Hassel's "Assignment Gestapo" he is said to have been roasted alive by his own men.
With its expansion to a division, the Dirlewanger had several Heer formations attached, including a Pionier and a heavy Panzerjäger component. When the final Soviet offensive began on 16 April, the division was pushed back to the northeast. Desertion became more and more common, and when Schmedes attempted to reorganise his division on 25 April, he found it had virtually ceased to exist. The situation was highly fluid, with men of the 73.Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS lynching their commanding officer, whose previous posting had been as commander of Dachau concentration camp.
The small remnant of the division attempted to reach the Americans on the Elbe river. Most of the men were captured and executed by the Soviets, however Schmedes and his staff managed to reach the Americans and surrendered on 3 May, 1945. A list of several suspected war criminals from Dirlewanger still alive and never prosecuted was made by the Warsaw Uprising Museum in May 2008.[1]
[edit] Commanders
- SS-Oberführer der Reserve Dr. Oskar Dirlewanger (15 Jun 1940 - ? Apr 1945)
- SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Schmedes (? Apr 1945 - ? May 1945)
[edit] Orders of battle
[edit] SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger, August 1944
- Brigade Stab
- SS-Regiment 1
- SS Regiment 2
- Artillerie-Abteilung
- Füsilier-Kompanie
- Pioneer-Kompanie
- Nachrichtren-Kompanie
[edit] 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS, March 1945
- Division Stab
- 72.Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS
- 73.Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS
- Panzer-Abteilung Stansdorf I
- Artillerie Abteilung 36
- Füsilier Kompanie 36
- 1244.(Heer) Grenadier-Regiment
- 687.(Heer) Pioneer-Brigade
- 681.(Heer) schwere-Panzerjäger-Abteilung
[edit] See also
- List of German divisions in WWII, Concentration Camp
- Waffen-SS, Paramilitary, Oskar Dirlewanger
- Kaminski Brigade, Warsaw Uprising
[edit] References
- ^ Odkryta kartoteka zbrodniarzy, Rzeczpospolita, 17-05-2008
- The Dirlewanger Brigade: The Most Infamous of all SS Combat Units of World War Two
- Witness account of a German soldier from the Warsaw uprising
- 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS at www.feldgrau.com
- MacLean, French L. - The Cruel Hunters: SS-Sonder-Kommando Dirlewanger Hitler's Most Notorious Anti-Partisan Unit
- Michaelis, Rolf - Das SS-Sonderkommando Dirlewanger: Ein Beispiel deutscher Besatzungspolitik in Weißrussland
