Brandenburgers: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Members of the German Brandenburg special forces unit during WWII}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} |
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[[File:Armband.jpg|thumb|right|Cufftitle of Division ''Brandenburg''.]] |
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{{About|the German special forces unit of World War II|the horse breed|Brandenburger|the residents of the German city|Brandenburg| other uses|Brandenburg (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=July 2009}} |
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{{Infobox military unit |
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| unit_name = '''''Battalion''''' – December 1939<br/>'''''Division''''' – February 1943 – March 1944<br/>'''''Panzergrenadier-Division''''' – 1944–1945. |
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| image = Brandenburger.png |
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| image_size = 150px |
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| caption = Division "Brandenburg" Vehicle Insignia |
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| country = {{flag|Nazi Germany}} |
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| type = [[Special forces]] |
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| branch = {{army|Nazi Germany}} |
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| dates = 1939–1945 |
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| command_structure = [[Abwehr]] |
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| size = Company (initial)<br/>[[Division (military)|Division]] (at peak) |
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| garrison = [[Stendal]]<br/>[[Friedenthal]] |
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| nickname = 'Brandenburg' |
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| motto = |
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| battles = [[World War II]] |
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| notable_commanders = [[Theodor von Hippel]]<br/>[[Adrian von Fölkersam]] |
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}} |
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The '''Brandenburgers''' were members of |
The '''Brandenburgers''' ({{lang-de|Brandenburger}}) were members of [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[Wehrmacht]] [[special forces]] unit during [[World War II]].{{sfn|Müller|2016|p=47}} |
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Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military's intelligence and counter-espionage organ, the ''[[Abwehr]]''. Members of this unit took part in seizing operationally important targets by way of sabotage and infiltration. Consisting of foreign German nationals working on behalf of the [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]], the unit's members often lived abroad, were proficient in foreign languages, and were familiar with the local culture and customs of the areas where they were deployed. |
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Units of Brandenburgers operated in almost all fronts - the [[invasion of Poland]], [[Operation Weserübung|Denmark and Norway]], in the [[Battle of France]], in [[Operation Barbarossa]], in [[Finland]], [[Battle of Greece|Greece]] and the [[invasion of Crete]], [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. Some units were sent to infiltrate [[India]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Middle East]] countries and [[South Africa]]. They also trained for [[Operation Felix]] (the planned seizure of [[Gibraltar]]), and [[Operation Sea Lion]] (the planned invasion of [[Great Britain]]). The unit had stunning successes early in the war acting as advance units that captured strategic bridges, tunnels and rail yards in Poland and the Netherlands. |
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The Brandenburg Division was generally subordinated to the army groups in individual commands and operated throughout [[Eastern Europe]], in [[northern Africa]], [[Afghanistan]], the [[Middle East]], and in the [[Caucasus]]. In the later course of the war, parts of the special unit were used in ''[[Bandenbekämpfung]]'' operations against [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] in [[World War II in Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] before the division was reclassified and merged into one of the [[Panzergrenadier]] divisions in the last months of the war. They committed various atrocities in the course of their operations. |
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{| class="wikitable" align="right" |
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{{TOC limit}} |
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|- |
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! Brandenburger Regimen |
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|- |
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| Bataillon ''Ebbinghaus'' |
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|- |
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| Lehr und Bau Kompanie z.b.V. 800''' |
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|- |
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| Bataillon ''Brandenburg'' |
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|- |
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| Regiment ''Brandenburg'' |
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|- |
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| Division ''Brandenburg'' |
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|- |
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| Infanterie-Division ''Brandenburg'' (mot) |
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|- |
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| Panzergrenadier-Division ''Brandenburg'' |
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|} |
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==Background and membership== |
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The unit was the brainchild of Hauptmann (Captain) [[Theodor von Hippel]] who, after having his idea rejected by the traditionalist [[Reichswehr]], approached Admiral [[Wilhelm Canaris]], commander of the German Intelligence Service, the [[Abwehr]]. |
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The unit was the brainchild of ''Hauptmann'' (captain) [[Theodor von Hippel]], who, after having his idea rejected by the ''[[Reichswehr]]'', approached Admiral [[Wilhelm Canaris]], commander of the German Intelligence Service, the ''[[Abwehr]]''. Hippel proposed that small units, trained in sabotage and fluent in foreign languages, could operate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with the enemy's command, communication, and logistical tails.{{sfn|Höhne|1979|p=376}} Canaris was at first against the proposal as he viewed such measures as similar to what the [[Bolsheviks]] had done and was suspicious of Hippel's motives. Still determined to form the unit, Hippel looked to his section chief, [[Helmuth Groscurth]], who supported the unit's formation, and the two men conferred on the matter on 27 September 1939.{{sfn|Höhne|1979|pp=376–377}} Just a few days after their meeting, the [[German General Staff|Army General Staff]] put forth a directive authorizing the creation of "a company of saboteurs for the West."{{sfn|Höhne|1979|p=377}} As part of the ''Abwehr's'' 2nd Department, Hippel was tasked with creating the unit.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=9}} |
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Originally, the unit Hippel assembled was named the ''Deutsche Kompagnie'', then later on 25 October it became the ''Baulehr-kompagnie 800'' and then again on 10 January 1940, the unit was called the ''Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800'' (800th Special Duties Construction Training Battalion); but its later more widely known epithet, "the Brandenburgers", stemmed from the name of the unit's first permanent quarters.{{sfn|Höhne|1979|p=377}} |
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Training for the men in the Brandenburg Division ranged from five to seven months and included course instruction on reconnaissance, swimming, hand-to-hand combat, demolitions, marksmanship in both German and Allied weapons, conventional infantry tactics, and other specialized training.{{sfn|Schuster|1999|p=658}} Brandenburg units were deployed as small commando outfits to penetrate enemy territory and conduct both sabotage and anti-sabotage operations. Despite their demonstrated successes while incurring minimum casualties, many traditionally-minded German officers still found their use abhorrent.{{sfn|Lucas|2014|p=10}} Most of the personnel were fluent in other languages, which allowed them, for example, to penetrate the Netherlands in 1940 disguised as Dutch barge crews just before the start of the [[Battle of the Netherlands|invasion]]. In 1941, they preceded the [[invasion of Yugoslavia]] undercover as Serbian workers. During the night before [[Operation Barbarossa]] began, Brandenburger units crossed the Soviet border disguised as Soviet workers and [[Red Army]] soldiers. Others even adorned themselves in Arab garments to conduct surveillance on Allied warships traversing the [[Strait of Gibraltar|Straits of Gibraltar]] ahead of the Wehrmacht deployment in North Africa.{{sfn|Lucas|2014|p=5}} Correspondingly, Department II of the ''Abwehr'', under which the Brandenburgers were subsumed, had a distinct sub-component for army, navy, and air force operations.{{sfn|Lucas|2014|pp=17–18}} |
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Regiment ''Brandenburg'' evolved out of the Abwehr's 2nd Department, and was used as a commando unit during the first years of the war. Initially the unit consisted mainly of former German expatriates fluent in other languages. Until 1944 it was an [[Oberkommando des Heeres|OKH]] unit rather than a unit of the regular army (''[[German Army|Heer]]''). The unit steadily expanded until it was reallocated to the [[Grossdeutschland Division|''Großdeutschland'' Panzer Korps]] to be used as a frontline combat unit. |
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Many of the Brandenburgers were misfits who could hardly be characterized as conventional soldiers, due in large part to the nature of their operations. They would mingle with enemy soldiers, secretly countermand orders, redirect military convoys, and disrupt communications, all the while collecting intelligence.{{sfn|Lucas|2014|p=5}} Ahead of the primary invasion forces in the USSR, operatives from the Brandenburg Division seized bridges and strategically important installations in clandestine missions lasting for weeks before they linked up with advancing forces.{{sfn|Lucas|2014|p=5}} |
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== Origins – the Abwehr == |
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During [[World War I]], General [[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]], Commander of the [[East Africa]]n theatre, conducted a brilliant [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] war against the Allied colonial troops. At the same time in the Middle East, [[T. E. Lawrence]] was enjoying great success using Arab hit-and-run tactics against the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]]. Hauptmann Theodor von Hippel had served under Lettow-Vorbeck in Africa, and after the war became a strong advocate of the tactics pioneered by his former commander and the British Lawrence. |
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The predecessor formation to the Brandenburg Division was the ''Freikorps Ebbinghaus'', which originated before the [[invasion of Poland]] in 1939. Colonel [[Erwin von Lahousen]] (and the defense groups of military districts VIII and XVII) from within Department II of the ''Abwehr'', put together small ''K-Trupps'' (fighting squads), which consisted of Polish-speaking [[Silesians]] and ethnic [[Germans]], whose job it was to occupy key positions and hold them until the arrival of regular Wehrmacht units.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}{{Efn|A large number of the recruits were small-time criminals who fled from Poland.See: ''Wrzesień 1939 na Śląsku'' (September 1939 in Silesia) – p. 37 Paweł Dubiel – 1963.}} The first members of the "K-Trupps" were German nationals. Generally, these men were civilians who had never served in the army but were briefly trained by the "Abwehr" and were led by army officers. After the Polish campaign, this changed as these commandos became members of the Wehrmacht. Despite their seeming lack of prior experience, the demands placed on these newly formed commandos were high.{{sfn|Witzel|1990|pp=119–120}} It was mandatory that they be volunteers for this duty. They were also expected to be agile, capable of improvising, endowed with initiative and team spirit, highly competent in foreign languages and in their dealings with foreign nationals, and capable of the most demanding physical performance.{{sfn|Witzel|1990|p=120}} Eventually, the early guiding principle that required members of the Division Brandenburg to be volunteers ended with their increasing use and integration with the regular army.{{sfn|Witzel|1990|p=128}} |
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Hippel's vision was reminiscent of that of [[David Stirling]], founder of the British [[Special Air Service|SAS]]. Hippel proposed that small, élite units, highly trained in sabotage and fluent in foreign languages, could operate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with the enemy's command, communication and logistical tails. When Hippel approached the [[Reichswehr]], his idea was rebuffed. The traditionalist [[Prussia]]n officers saw this clandestine form of warfare would be an affront to the rules of war, and claimed that men who fought that way would not deserve to be called soldiers. Undaunted, Hippel then took his idea to Admiral [[Wilhelm Canaris]], commander of the German Intelligence service, the [[Abwehr]]. Hippel was employed in the Abwehr's 2nd Department, and given the task of making his vision a reality. |
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== Operations == |
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== Bataillon ''Ebbinghaus'' – Poland == |
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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-680-8283A-30A, Budapest, Otto Skorzeny, Adrian v. Fölkersam.jpg|thumb|[[Otto Skorzeny]] (left) and the former Brandenburger [[Adrian von Fölkersam]] (middle) now with Skorzeny's SS-Jagdverbände in [[Budapest]] after [[Operation Panzerfaust]], 16 October 1944]] |
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[[File:Armband.jpg|thumb|Cuff title of the ''Division „Brandenburg“'', worn on the lower right sleeve from 1944 onwards]] |
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The night before the invasion of Poland (Plan White) in September 1939, small groups of German special forces dressed in civilian clothes crossed the Polish border to seize key strategic points before dawn on the day of the invasion.{{sfn|Bassett|2011|p=177}} This made them the first special operations unit to see action in the Second World War.{{sfn|Schuster|1999|p=657}}{{Efn|By no means was the Brandenburg Division the only German special operations unit of the Second World War, as they also had Otto Skorzeny's ''Friedenthaler Jagdverbände'' (which rescued Mussolini) and the Airborne [[Kampfgeschwader 200]].{{sfn|Davies|2008|p=247}} }} ''Freikorps Ebbinghaus'' engaged in atrocities against Poland's population and its captured PoWs.{{sfn|Warzecha|2003|pp=55–60}} On 4 September, members of the ''Freikorps Ebbinghaus'' executed 17 people at [[Pszczyna]], among them [[Boy Scout]]s from the town's secondary schools. They also tortured 29 citizens of [[Orzesze]] before executing them.{{Efn|See: ''The fate of Polish children during the last war'' by Roman Hrabar, Zofia Tokarz, Jacek Edward Wilczur, Rada Ochrony Pomników Walki i Męczeństwa (Poland) Interpress, 1981; Rocznik przemyski – Volume 21 – p. 130, ''Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk w Przemyślu,'' p. 130 (1982); A więc wojna":ludność cywilna we wrześniu 1939 r. Anna Piekarska, Instytut Pamieci Narodowej (2009) Reviews Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, p. 21.}} On 8 September 1939, in the upper Silesian city of [[Siemianowice Śląskie|Siemanowice]], they executed six Poles and then on 1 October 1939, shot 18 people in Nowy Bytom.{{sfn|Jankowski|Religa|1981|p=100}} Larger massacres were carried out in [[Katowice]], where hundreds of people were executed.{{sfn|Warzecha|2003|pp=55–60}} Within two weeks of the invasion of Poland, ''Ebbinghaus'' had "left a trail of murder in more than thirteen Polish towns and villages".{{sfn|Gilbert|1989|p=8}} |
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The original formation, designated '''Bataillon ''Ebbinghaus''''' was formed mostly from ''[[Volksdeutsche]]'' who were fluent in Polish. The battalion was formed with support of the [[OKW]], which had been arranged by Canaris, but meant that the unit fell under Wehrmacht command. |
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On 15 December 1939, the company was expanded and re-designated as the ''Brandenburg Battalion''.{{sfn|Adams|2009|p=50}} After its formation, the soldiers of the new special unit were initially employed to protect the Romanian oil fields and later [[Chromite|chrome ore]] supplies from Turkey.{{sfn|Witzel|1990|p=121}} The battalion consisted of four [[company (military unit)|companies]], organised along linguistic lines: |
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[[Fall Weiss (1939)|''Fall Weiss'']] (Plan White), involved small groups of German special forces dressed in civilian clothes crossing the Polish border the night before the German invasion and seizing key strategic points before dawn on the day of the invasion. The secret [[Abwehr]] battalion detailed to undertake these operations was given the euphemistic title of "Training and Construction Company 800 for Special Duties". A group under the command of Lieutenant [[Hans-Albrecht Herzner]] had to capture a railway station at [[Mosty]] in the [[Jablunkov Pass]] to prevent the destruction of a railway tunnel. Crossing the border on August 26, 1939 Herzner's group managed to capture the railway station at Mosty later that afternoon. Out of contact with the Abwehr, Herzner did not know that the previous evening, after the British and French hinted at further appeasement of Hitler's demands, [[Adolf Hitler]] had postponed the invasion; every other commando unit had been informed of this except his. It was not until 9.35am the following day that the Abwehr finally managed to get through to Herzner and order him to release his Polish prisoners and return (see [[Jabłonków Incident]]). |
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* 1st company - men from Baltic/Russian territories |
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The ''Ebbinghausers'' also had created confusion in the Polish rear by capturing or destroying major road and rail junctions, as well as helping the advancing troops by securing vital bridges and other strategic targets and preventing their demolition. Despite the success of the Bataillon ''Ebbinghaus'', it was disbanded immediately after the campaign. |
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* 2nd company - [[Volksdeutsche#Volksdeutsche in Romania|Volksdeutsche]] from Romania;{{sfn|Axworthy|1995|p=19}} |
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* 3rd company - [[Sudeten Germans]] who spoke Czech, Slovak, and [[Ruthenian language|Ruthenian]] |
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* 4th company - [[Volksdeutsche#'Volksdeutsche' in Serbia and Croatia|Volksdeutsche]] from [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] |
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In addition, the battalion contained volunteers who had lived in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=10}}{{Efn|The battalion also included motorcycle and paratroop platoons.}} |
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== Abwehr takes control – Brandenburgers == |
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Canaris gave Hippel the go-ahead to create an Abwehr controlled unit along the lines of the ''Ebbinghaus'' Battalion. Basing the new formation on many of the former ''Ebbinghausers'', Hippel formed the original [[regiment]], '''''Lehr und Bau Kompanie z.b.V. 800''''' (or Special-Purpose Training and Construction Company No. 800) on 25 October 1939. |
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A platoon of Brandenburgers took part in [[Operation Weserübung]], the invasion of Scandinavia in April 1940, during which they secured strategic properties in Denmark and Norway.{{sfn|Spaeter|1982|pp=47–54}} |
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Recruitment for the company was almost directly contrary to those of [[Heinrich Himmler]]'s [[SS]]. Rather than recruiting only those who embodied the [[Aryan]] ideal of the ''übermensch'', Hippel scoured the Reich to find Slavs, Poles and other ethnics willing to fight for Germany. Every recruit had to be fluent in at least one foreign language. However, many recruits were fluent in several. The recruits were also schooled in the customs and traditions of their specific region. Knowing every habit and mannerism in their area of operations would enable the men to blend in and operate as effective saboteurs. |
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During the spring 1940 invasions of [[Manstein Plan|Belgium and the Netherlands]], the Brandenburg units proved essential in seizing "vital points ahead of [[Heinz Guderian|Guderian's]] panzers."{{sfn|Bassett|2011|p=191}} Chronicling Brandenburger No. 3 Company's penetration into Belgium, Lahousen was gratified to report that, "forty-two out of sixty-one objectives were secured and handed over to the units following behind."{{sfn|Höhne|1979|p=414}} For their exploits in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Brandenburgers were among the most decorated units of the invading German armies, which earned them the admiration of ''Abwehr'' Chief, [[Wilhelm Canaris]].{{sfn|Höhne|1979|pp=414–415}} On 27 May 1940, chief-of-staff of the High Command of the German armed forces [[Wilhelm Keitel]] wrote to Canaris that the Brandenburgers had "fought outstandingly well" which was further validated when Hitler presented [[Iron Cross]] commendations to 75% of the 600 men who participated.{{sfn|Höhne|1979|p=415}} By October 1940, the Brandenburgers constituted an entire regiment-sized unit.{{sfn|Stone|2011|p=367n}} The rest of the Brandenburgers were assigned to [[Panzerkorps Großdeutschland|Panzer Corps ''Grossdeutschland'']] along with its old training partner from 1940 to 1941, the [[Grossdeutschland Division|''Grossdeutschland'' Division]]. |
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The formation was barracked at Stendal in the old Mark of [[Brandenburg]], [[Berlin]], and had training grounds nearby in Friedenthal (Oranienburg). The influx of new recruits meant that on 15 December 1939, less than three months after its founding, the company was expanded and redesignated '''Bataillon ''Brandenburg''''' (Brandenburg Battalion). The men of the Bataillon came to be known as the ''Brandenburgers''. |
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[[File:BArch RW 5-733.jpg|thumb|June 1942, a first lieutenant (''[[Oberleutnant]]'') and another officer from the Operation Dora special task force of the Brandenburger special forces study a map on a [[Volkswagen Kübelwagen]] in the South Sahara desert, on the western edge of the [[Basalt]]-[[Hamada]] landscape, which is impassable by truck. Launched in January 1941, Operation Dora, a German military geoscientific reconnaissance, aimed to update terrain information and reconnoiter the frontier between Libya and Chad.{{sfn|Häusler|2018|pp=38–39}}]] |
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The original battalion consisted of four [[company (military unit)|companies]]; organised along ethnic 'Front' lines, as shown below. The battalion also included a Motorcycle platoon and a Fallschirm-platoon. |
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The unit was again deployed in [[Operation Marita]], the invasion of the Balkans.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=11}} On 6 April 1941, during Operation Marita, the Brandenburgers managed to take the strategically important bridge over the [[Vardar]] and also secured the gorge on the River Danube which forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania, known as the [[Iron Gates]]. Shortly after this, they captured the island of [[Euboea]].{{sfn|Brockdorff|1967|p=427}} Additional operations were demanded of the Brandenburgers during the opening phase for the June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, as they were the first to sweep across the border, destroying power facilities, cutting communication lines, spreading disinformation, and activating "sleeper" agents.{{sfn|Bellamy|2007|p=183}} Their most notable mission was taking the bridges over the [[Daugava]] in [[Daugavpils]] on 28 June 1941, during which members of the 8th Company of the Brandenburg Kommandos crossed the bridge in a commandeered Soviet truck, overpowered the guards and held the position for two hours against significant Soviet counterattacks.{{sfn|Spaeter|1982|pp=144–150}} From June 1942 through February 1943, the Brandenburgers carried out commando operations against Allied supply lines in North Africa by way of clandestine missions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.{{sfn|Spaeter|1982|pp=250–273}} |
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* 1. Kompanie (based in [[Baden bei Wien]]), men from Baltic/Russian territories |
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* 2. Kompanie (based in [[Brandenburg an der Havel]]), men who had lived in English-speaking territories and North Africa |
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* 3. Kompanie (based in [[Bad Münstereifel]]), [[Sudetenland|Sudeten]] Germans / Yugoslavia |
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* 4. Kompanie (based in the [[Lower Rhine region (Germany)|Lower Rhine]]), Volksdeutsche [[Ethnic Germans]] from countries such as [[Poland]] |
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In early August 1942, a Brandenburg unit of 62 [[Baltic Germans|Baltic]] and Sudeten Germans led by [[Adrian von Fölkersam]] penetrated farther into enemy territory than any other German unit. They had been ordered to seize and secure the vital [[Maykop|Maikop]] oilfields. Disguised as [[NKVD]] men, and driving Soviet trucks, Fölkersam's unit passed through the Soviet front lines and moved deep into hostile territory. The Brandenburgers ran into a large group of [[Red Army]] soldiers fleeing from the front. Fölkersam saw an opportunity to use them to the unit's advantage. By persuading them to return to the Soviet cause, he was able to join with them and move almost at will through the Soviet lines.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|pp=50–52}} |
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As the battalion expanded further, it created more mixed units. The so-called [[Arabic Brigade]] was nominally connected to the Brandenburgers, took its orders from the German oriental mission, and was composed mainly of men from the [[Caucasus]]. |
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On 26 December 1942, the men of the Parachute Company of the Brandenburg Regiment were transported by gliders in an operation to destroy bridges and supply routes used by the British in North Africa. It was a disaster. Some of the gliders were shot down while flying over enemy lines and others were destroyed approaching their targets. Most of the paratroopers were killed in this operation.{{sfn|Ailsby|2000|p=91}} |
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== France and the Low Countries – Yugoslavia == |
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The ''Brandenburgers'' saw extensive action in [[Fall Gelb]]. On 8 May, two nights before the opening of the offensive the ''Brandenburgers'' went into action. Donning the enemies' uniforms over their own German ones (so they could quickly change in case of capture and be treated as POWs rather than spies and facing execution), small groups began to cross the border into the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]]. |
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Units of the division were sent to the Balkans to engage in [[Bandenbekämpfung|anti-partisan]] operations.{{Efn|It is an undisputed fact that units of the Brandenburg were used in guerrilla warfare. Covering long distances and violating the martial terms of [[Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907|Hague Convention]], the Brandenburg Division was conceived as a special forces unit designed for the sake of partisan warfare. Brandenburgers participated in partisan war in the East, in some cases as a cover for the murder of minorities. Partisan warfare was nevertheless a deadly reality to the German authorities and was considered a military necessity. This does not detract in any way or excuse the commission of war crimes by members of the Brandenburg Commandos at the local level by individual units or commands.{{sfn|Bundesarchiv, ''Die Brandenburger''}} }} |
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One of many actions from the opening days of the campaign was the seizure of the [[Meuse River|Meuse]] bridge in the Dutch town of [[Gennep]]. An 8 man team, led by Leutnant [[Wilhelm Walther (soldier)|Wilhelm Walther]], was given the task of capturing the bridge intact. At 2am on May 10, Walther's team, now disguised as Dutch [[military police]] escorting German prisoners, made their assault. Two guard posts were destroyed, but three Brandenburgers were wounded and the team was pinned down. Dressed in a Dutch uniform, Walther advanced across the bridge. The confused defenders hesitated, allowing the rest of the team to take them out, seizing the bridge and disabling the [[detonator]]s. Many more operations like this took place over the course of the campaign. |
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However on another bridge, ''Brandenburgers'' were arrested by Dutch troops and shot as spies. |
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In mid-1943, many Brandenburger units were moved from the Balkans and took part in actions to disarm Italian soldiers. One vital area was the island of [[Kos]] in the [[Dodecanese]] island chain off the coast of [[Turkey]]. Kos had been secured by British troops in September 1943, and a large garrison of allied Italian troops was also present. Along with [[Luftwaffe]] paratroop forces, Brandenburgers took part in the recapture of the island.{{sfn|Smith|Walker|1974|pp=116–127}} On 25 May 1944, members of the division, attached to ''[[500th SS Parachute Battalion|SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500]]'', took part in the unsuccessful [[Operation Rösselsprung (1944)|Operation Rösselsprung]], an airborne operation to capture Yugoslav Partisan leader [[Josip Broz Tito]].{{sfn|Eyre|2006|pp=362–370}} |
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In September 1944 it was decided that special operations units were no longer necessary. The Brandenburg Division became the Infantry Division Brandenburg and transferred to the Eastern front.{{sfn|Adams|2009|p=51}} Approximately 1,800 men (including von Fölkersam) were transferred to SS-''Standartenführer'' [[Otto Skorzeny]]'s [[502nd SS Jäger Battalion|''SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502'']] operating within ''[[SS-Jagdverband Mitte]]'', but mostly to the ''[[SS-Jagdverband Ost]]'' until the end of the war.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=76}} Only the Kurfürst Regiment retained its original role as a commando unit.{{sfn|Dear|Foot|1995|p=122}} |
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After the capitulation of France, the ''Brandenburgers'' (along with the elite [[Grossdeutschland Division|Infantrie-Regiment ''Großdeutschland'']]) were moved to northern France in preparation for [[Operation Sea Lion|Operation Seelöwe]]. After the invasion was called off, the Battalion moved to southern France and began training for another operation that was not to be, [[Operation Felix]], the proposed assault on [[Gibraltar]]. |
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In late 1944, the division was equipped with a Panzer Regiment redesignated ''Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg'' and returned to the Eastern front. The Brandenburgers were involved in [[Battle of Memel|heavy fighting near Memel]], until their withdrawal, along with the ''Großdeutschland'', via ferry to [[Baltiysk|Pillau]]. The division was all but annihilated in heavy fighting near Pillau and only 800 men escaped to the thin strip of land at [[Frische Nehrung]].{{sfn|Bartov|2001|p=10}} While some survivors surrendered to the British in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] in May, others enlisted in the [[French Foreign Legion]] and fought in the [[First Indochina War]] where their skills proved an asset.{{sfn|Higgins|2014|p=76}}{{Efn|Due to the nature of their operations and the inherent hazards they faced, very few of them survived the war.{{sfn|Schuster|1999|pp=657–658}} }} |
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During this time, the Battalion was again enlarged, and redesignated '''Regiment ''Brandenburg'''''. Along with the increase in size, the Regiment also received Coastal Raider and specialist Tropical components. |
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== Sub-battalions == |
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After [[Benito Mussolini]]'s botched invasion of Greece, Hitler was forced to postpone his invasion of the [[Soviet Union]] and invade Yugoslavia and Greece – a plan codenamed [[Operation Marita]] – and to be launched on 6 April 1941. Again, the Brandenburgers were to play a role, with a large 54 man team from III./Regiment ''Brandenburg'' (the Sudeten and Slavic battalion) seizing the vital dockyards at [[Orşova]] on the [[Danube]] a day before the opening of the campaign. |
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===Bergmann Battalion=== |
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== Training and structure == |
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{{Main|Bergmann Battalion}} |
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Despite the increased size, the Brandenburgers were still highly skilled. The training was physically and mentally demanding, with focuses on foreign languages, [[small unit tactics]], [[parachuting]], [[demolitions]], [[covert operation]]s, use of vehicles and aircraft and familiarity with enemy weapons, including [[tank]]s. Some sub-units were specifically trained as pilots or trained in [[forgery]], demolitions or [[camouflage]]. One company was formed from 127 expert [[Cross Country Skiing|cross country skiers]], and was specially trained to fight in the frozen wastes of the northern [[Soviet Union]]. The company was also equipped with [[dog sled]]s. |
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The [[Sonderverband Bergmann|Bergmann battalion]] (meaning "miner") was a military unit of the German [[Abwehr]] during [[World War II]], composed of five German-officered companies of volunteers from the [[Caucasus]] region of the Soviet Union. The battalion was formed of the émigrés and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[POW]]s from the Caucasian republics at [[Świętoszów|Neuhammer]] in October 1941. Subordinated to the German commando battalion Brandenburgers and placed under the command of ''[[Oberleutnant]]'' [[Theodor Oberländer]], the unit received training at Neuhammer and [[Mittenwald]] (Bavaria) with the ''[[Gebirgsjäger]]''. Later a special 130-men-strong [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] contingent of Abwehr codenamed "Tamara-II" was incorporated into Bergmann. By March 1942, there were five companies of some 300 Germans and 900 Caucasians.{{sfn|Hoffmann|1991|p=109}} |
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In August 1942, Bergmann went to the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]], where it saw its first action in the [[Battle of the Caucasus|North Caucasus campaign]] in August 1942. The unit engaged in [[Soviet partisans|anti-partisan]] actions in the [[Mozdok]]-[[Nalchik]]-[[Mineralnye Vody]] area and conducted reconnaissance and subversion in the [[Grozny]] area. At the end of 1942, Bergmann conducted a successful sortie through the Soviet lines, bringing with them some 300 [[Red Army]] defectors, and covered the German retreat from the Caucasus. Bergmann went through a series of engagements with the Soviet partisans and regular forces in the [[Crimean Peninsula|Crimea]] in February 1943 and was dissolved—like other ''[[Ostlegionen]]'' units—at the end of 1943. The significantly shrunken ex-Bergmann companies were dispatched to conduct police functions in [[Greece]] and [[Poland]].{{sfn|Hoffmann|1991|pp=46–47, 56, 195, 267}} |
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In action, a Brandenburger unit could consist of two-man teams, to 12-man [[squad]]s, to full 300-man companies, depending on the mission requirements. At this stage in the war, virtually all Brandenburger operations took place behind enemy lines. |
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===Nachtigall and Roland Battalions=== |
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Despite these precautions to remain within the rules of war, all Brandenburgers carried a [[suicide pill]] when operating behind enemy lines. |
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The [[Nachtigall Battalion]], officially known as Special Group Nachtigall,{{sfn|Abbott|2004|p=47}} and the [[Roland Battalion]], officially known as Special Group Roland, were subunits under command of the ''[[Abwehr]]'' special operation unit Brandenburgers (1st Brandenberg Battalion).{{sfn|Seidler|1999|pp=57–58}} They were formed on 25 February 1941 by the head of the ''Abwehr'' [[Wilhelm Franz Canaris]], which sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. They were manned primarily by occupied Polish citizens of [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] ethnicity directed to the unit by [[Stepan Bandera|Bandera]]'s [[Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists|OUN]] orders.{{sfn|Patrylyak|2004|pp=271–278}} |
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In May 1941, the German command decided to split a 700-strong Ukrainian Legion into two battalions: Nachtigall ("Nightingale") and Roland Battalion. Training for Nachtigall took place in [[Świętoszów|Neuhammer]] near Schlessig. On the Ukrainian side, the commander was [[Roman Shukhevych]] and on the German, [[Theodor Oberländer]]. (Oberländer was later to become Federal Minister for Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims in the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]].) Ex-Brandenburger ''Oberleutnant'' Dr. Hans-Albrecht Herzner was placed in military command of the Battalion. The Nachtigall unit was outfitted in the standard Wehrmacht uniforms. Before entering Lviv, they placed blue and yellow ribbons on their shoulders.{{sfn|Patrylyak|2004|pp=272–277}} In comparison to Nachtigall – which used ordinary Wehrmacht uniform – the Roland Battalion was outfitted in the [[Czechoslovakia]]n uniform with yellow armband with text "''Im Dienst der Deutschen Wehrmacht''" (In the service of the German Wehrmacht). They were given Austrian helmets from World War I.{{sfn|Patrylyak|2004|p=287}} |
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== North Africa == |
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{{Main|Operation Salaam}} |
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When the [[Afrika Korps]] shipped to Libya, Brandenburgers did also. The men, raised as four companies of special Tropical Units, were fluent in either [[English language|English]] or [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and used captured [[United Kingdom|British]] vehicles to operate behind enemy lines in raids and [[reconnaissance]] missions, mirroring the actions of the British [[LRDG]]. Generalfeldmarschall [[Erwin Rommel]] at first disapproved of the Brandenburgers, but after he saw the damage being inflicted by the LRDG and Stirling's SAS, he realised their value and accepted their unorthodox methods. The unit was charged with disrupting British supply lines, but it was difficult to resupply them or provide transportation, so most men were either killed or captured. |
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The battalion was set up by the ''Abwehr'' and organized by [[Richard Yary]] of the OUN(b) in March 1941, before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Approximately 350 Bandera's OUN followers were trained at the ''Abwehr'' training centre at the Seibersdorf under the command of the former Poland Army major Yevhen Pobiguschiy. In Germany, in November 1941 the Ukrainian personnel of the Legion were reorganized into the [[201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion]]. It numbered 650 persons and served for one year in Belarus before disbanding.{{sfn|Patrylyak|2004|pp=371–382}} Many of its members, especially the commanding officers, went on to the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] and 14 of its members joined [[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)]] ''SS-Freiwilligen-Schützen-Division Galizien'' in spring 1943.{{Efn|See: Боляновський А.В. Дивізія «Галичина»: історія — Львів: , 2000. (Bolyanovsky AV Division "Halychyna": History — Lviv, 2000)}}{{Better source needed|date=September 2018}} |
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== Operation Barbarossa - Ostfront == |
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{{Main|Operation Barbarossa}} |
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The first German units to cross the Soviet frontier in June 1941 were the men of the ''Brandenburg'' Regiment. On the first day, Brandenburgers seized road and rail junctions, secured river crossings and wreaked havoc with the already inadequate Soviet communications and supply lines. |
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During the early days of Barbarossa, a Brandenburger unit seized the bridge over the [[Daugava]] in [[Dünaburg]] (in [[Latvia]]). This prevented a halt in the advance of [[Army Group North|Heeresgruppe Nord]] on [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]]. |
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Meanwhile, the "Küstenjäger-Abteilung" (or Coastal Raiders Battalion) performed many [[amphibious warfare|amphibious]] raids along the coasts of the [[Black Sea]], The [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] and the [[Sea of Azov]]. |
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In [[Ukraine]], the Brandenburgers operated in co-operation with the volunteer Ukrainian unit [[Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall]] in support of [[Army Group South|Heeresgruppe Süd]]. The units enjoyed overwhelming success, despite the questionable actions of some of the Ukrainian units. |
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In early August 1942, a Brandenburger unit of 62 [[Baltic Germans|Baltic]] and Sudeten Germans led by [[Freiherr]] Adrian von Fölkersam penetrated farther into enemy territory than any other German unit. They had been ordered to seize and secure the vital [[Maikop]] oilfields. Disguised as dreaded [[NKVD]] men, and driving Soviet trucks, Fölkersam's unit passed through the Soviet front lines and moved deep into hostile territory. The Brandenburgers ran into a large group of [[Red Army]] deserters fleeing from the front. Fölkersam saw an opportunity to use them to the unit's advantage. By persuading them to return to the Soviet cause, he was able to join with them and move almost at will through the Russian lines. |
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Operating under false identity of NKVD Major Truchin based in Stalingrad, Fölkersam explained his role in recovering the deserters to the Soviet commander in charge of Maikop's defenses. The commander not only believed Fölkersam, but the next day gave him a personal tour of the city's defenses. By August 8, the German spearheads were only 12 miles away. The Brandenburgers made their move. Using grenades to simulate an artillery attack, they knocked out the military communications center for the city. Fölkersam then went to the Russian defenders and told them that a withdrawal was taking place. Having seen Fölkersam with their commander and lacking any communications to rebut or confirm his statement, the Soviets began to evacuate Maikop. The German spearhead entered the city without a fight on August 9, 1942. |
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This is only one example of the hundreds of missions performed by the Brandenburgers during the advance into Russia. |
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By 1943, the most common mission assignment was long range reconnaissance. During the 1942 advance of [[Army Group South|Heeresgruppe Süd]] in Ukraine, the Brandenburgers revived their role from the early days of the campaign, forging ahead of the [[Panzer]] columns, seizing bridges, road and rail junctions, and attacking the Soviet command and control structure. Mostly, these missions were performed by units of 20-60 Brandenburgers, dressed as Soviets and driving captured Red Army vehicles. |
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Between January and April 1943, the Brandenburgers were expanded to the size of a [[division (military)|division]], and specialized subunits for [[U-boat]] crews, [[air defense]], [[artillery]], tank, [[antitank]] and [[combat engineer]]ing were created. Men were transferred from the Afrika Korps and [[Kriegsmarine]]. |
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== Brandenburg Division - the Balkans == |
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By late 1942, the majority of the Brandenburg regiment was being used in ''fire brigade'' duties, acting as elite infantry and plugging gaps in the German lines. In February 1943, the Brandenburgers were pulled out of the line and moved back to Germany. The Regiment was being expanded again, this time to become '''Division ''Brandenburg'''''. The division's first commander was to be Generalmajor Alexander von Pfuhlstein. The division was to be formed by four regiments. One regiment was returned to the Eastern front, to resume duties as a ''fire brigade'', One battalion was sent to Africa to continue harassing the Allies in the [[Mediterranean]]. The remainder of the division was sent to the Balkans, to engage in anti-[[Partisans (Yugoslavia)|Partisan]] operations. |
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On May 25, 1944, specialist members of the division, attached to SS-[[Fallschirmjäger]]-Bataillon 500, took part in [[Operation Rösselsprung (1944)|Operation Rösselsprung]], an airborne operation to capture Yugoslav Partisan leader [[Josip Broz Tito]] at his headquarters near [[Drvar]], thereby ending communist resistance in the Balkans. Tito escaped just before the SS-Fallschirmjäger reached the cave in which he made his headquarters and the SS-Fallschirmjäger were forced to withdraw to the town cemetery, where they dug in and endured a night of ferocious partisan assaults. German casualties were 213 killed, 881 wounded, and 51 missing, with a total of about 6000 on the Partisan side (German wartime estimates). SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 was all but wiped out, one of four times this happened to the unit and its successor, SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 600, in the eighteen months from November 1943 to May 1945. |
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== Dodecanese Islands == |
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{{Main|Battle of Leros}} |
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In mid 1943, King [[Victor Emmanuel III]] of Italy ousted the Fascist dictatorship of [[Benito Mussolini]] and changed sides. Following this, many Brandenburger units were moved from the Balkans, and took part in actions to disarm Italian soldiers and secure regions vital to the German war effort. |
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One vital area was the island of [[Kos]], in the [[Dodecanese]] island chain off the coast of [[Turkey]]. Kos had been secured by British troops in September 1943, and a large garrison of allied Italian troops was also present. The island had a vital airstrip, and had to be recaptured. Along with [[Luftwaffe]] [[Fallschirmjäger]]s, men of the Küstenjäger-Abteilung along with the Fallschirm-Kompanie of the Brandenburg Division took part. The Brandenburgers, under command of Leutnant Langbein, landed at night on the southern coast of the island, and quickly subdued the beach defenses, controlled by Italian troops. The unit then advanced to the town encountering no resistance, and began clearing the town. The British and Italians attacked later in the evening, the Brandenburgers repulsed them and then assaulted and captured the British and Italian positions, linking up with the [[Fallschirmjäger]]s and securing the island. |
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== Loss of Abwehr control - transfer to the Front == |
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Since the beginning, Admiral Canaris and the Abwehr had been watched closely by Himmler's SS and in particular by [[Walter Schellenberg]], Chief of Amt VI, [[Sicherheitsdienst#Ausland-SD|Ausland-SD]] that made up the foreign intelligence branch of the [[Sicherheitsdienst|SD]]. |
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The anti-Nazi views of the Abwehr came to a head in July 1944, when several high ranking Abwehr officials, including Canaris himself, were implicated in the [[July 20 plot]] to kill Hitler. Control of the Brandenburg division was passed to the SD, but in September 1944 it was decided that special operations units were no longer necessary. The Brandenburg Division became '''Infanterie-Division ''Brandenburg'' (mot)''', was equipped as a motorised infantry division and transferred to the Eastern front. |
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1,800 men (including Freiherr Adrian von Fölkersam) managed to obtain transfers to SS-Standartenführer [[Otto Skorzeny]]'s [[502nd SS Jäger Battalion]] and continue operating as special forces till the end of the war. |
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For the rest of the division, the return to conventional operations damaged [[morale]], but despite this, the Brandenburgers were still considered élite, and so was assigned to ''Panzerkorps'' ''Großdeutschland'' along with its old training partner from 1940-41, the [[Grossdeutschland Division|Großdeutschland division]]. The Brandenburg fought well in the Eastern front, being involved in the fighting retreat through the [[Baltic States]] and into [[East Prussia]]. |
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In late 1944, the division was equipped with a Panzer Regiment and redesignated '''Panzergrenadier-Division ''Brandenburg''''' and returned to the front. The Brandenburgers were involved in [[Battle of Memel|heavy fighting near Memel]], until their withdrawal, along with the ''Großdeutschland'', via ferry to [[Baltiysk|Pillau]]. The division was all but annihilated during the heavy fighting near Pillau, and while some survivors surrendered to the British in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] in May, many Brandenburgers, highly skilled in evading detection, simply disappeared. |
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== Orders of battle == |
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'''Battalion ''Brandenburg'' - December 1939''' |
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* 1. Company |
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* 2. Company |
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* 3. Company |
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* 4. Company |
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* Motorcycle platoon |
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* Parachute platoon |
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'''Division ''Brandenburg'' – February 1943 - March 1944''' |
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* Division staff |
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* Jäger Regiment - 1 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Jäger Regiment - 2 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Jäger Regiment - 3 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Jäger Regiment - 4 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Tropische Einheiten ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Coastal Raiders Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Parachute Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Signal Company ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Independent Companies - |
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** 14.Company |
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** 15.Parachute Company |
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* Auxiliary Units - |
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** Lehrregiment ''Brandenburg'' z.b.v Nr.800 (Training Regiment) |
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'''Panzergrenadier-Division ''Brandenburg'' - 1944-1945.''' |
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* Division Staff |
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* Panzer Regiment ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Jäger(mot) Regiment 1 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Jäger(mot) Regiment 2 ''Brandenburg'' |
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* [[Panzerjäger]] Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Artillery Regiment ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Heeres [[Flak]] Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Reconnaissance Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Pionier Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Signals Battalion ''Brandenburg'' |
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* Supply Train |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[Battle of Velikiye Luki]] |
* [[Battle of Velikiye Luki]] |
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* [[KSK]] or [[Kommando Spezialkräfte]], has a disputed heritage of the Brandenburgers |
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* [[Special Staff F]] |
* [[Special Staff F]] |
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*[[Operation Mammoth]] |
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* [[Robey Leibbrandt]] |
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*[[Kampfgeschwader 200]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{notelist}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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=== Citations === |
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<references /> |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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== |
=== Bibliography === |
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{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}} |
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* [http://www.thirdreich.net/Brandenberg_Commandos.html The Brandenburg Commandos] |
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* {{cite book | last = Abbott | first = P. E. | title = Ukrainian Armies, 1914–55 | publisher = Osprey | location = Oxford | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-1-84176-668-3}} |
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* {{cite web|url=http://www.freetimebooks.com.au/brandenburgers-the-third-reichs-special-forces-p-69.html|first=Ian|last=Westwell|authorlink=|title=Brandenburgers - The Third Reich's Special Forces}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Adams| first = Jefferson | title = Historical Dictionary of German Intelligence | publisher = Scarecrow Press | location = Lanham, MD | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0-81085-543-4}} |
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* {{cite book | last=Ailsby| first=Christopher | title=Hitler's Sky Warriors: German Paratroopers in Action, 1939–45 | publisher=Spellmount | location=Staplehurst, UK | year=2000 | isbn=978-1-86227-109-8 }} |
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* {{Cite book|last=Axworthy|first=Mark|title=Third Axis Fourth Ally|location=London|publisher=Arms and Armour|year=1995|isbn=1-85409-267-7}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Bartov | first = Omer | title = The Eastern Front, 1941–45: German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare | location = New York | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-0-33394-944-3}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Bassett | first = Richard | title = Hitler's Spy Chief: The Wilhelm Canaris Betrayal | location = New York | publisher = Pegasus Books | year = 2011 | isbn = 978-1-60598-450-6}} |
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* {{cite book |last=Bellamy |first=Chris |title=Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War |publisher=Vintage Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-375-72471-8 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Brockdorff | first = Werner | title = Geheimkommandos des Zweiten Weltkrieges | language=de| location = Wels| publisher = Verlag Welsermühl | year = 1967 | isbn= 3-88102-059-4}} |
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* {{cite web | author=Bundesarchiv | title= Die Brandenburger" Kommandotruppe und Frontverband | work= Bundesarchiv | url= https://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/bilder_dokumente/00863/index.html.de | access-date= September 28, 2016 | ref= {{sfnRef|Bundesarchiv, ''Die Brandenburger''}} | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160307233610/https://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/bilder_dokumente/00863/index.html.de# | archive-date= 7 March 2016 | url-status= dead | df= dmy-all }} |
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* {{cite book | last= Davies | first= Norman | year= 2008 | title= No Simple Victory: World War II in Europe, 1939-1945 | location= New York | publisher= Viking | isbn= 978-0-67001-832-1 | url= https://archive.org/details/nosimplevictoryw00norm }} |
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* {{cite book | editor1-last = Dear | editor1-first = Ian | editor2-last = Foot | editor2-first = M.R.D. | editor2-link = M. R. D. Foot | year = 1995 | title = The Oxford Guide to World War II | publisher = Oxford University Press | place = Oxford; New York | isbn = 978-0-19-534096-9 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last = Eyre | first = Wayne Lt.Col. (Canadian Army) | year = 2006 | title = Operation Rösselsprung and the Elimination of Tito, May 25, 1944: A Failure in Planning and Intelligence Support | journal = The Journal of Slavic Military Studies | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 343–376 | publisher = Routledge | doi = 10.1080/13518040600697969 | s2cid = 144383512 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Martin | title = The Second World War: A Complete History | year = 1989 | place = New York | publisher = Henry Holt and Company | isbn = 0-8050-0534-X | url = https://archive.org/details/secondworldwar00mart }} |
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* {{cite journal|title=Sonderkommando Dora – Special Military Geoscientific Unit of the German Counter-Intelligence Sevice in North Africa 1942|url=https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/sonderkommando-dora-special-military-geoscientific-unit-of-the-ge|first=Hermann|last=Häusler|journal=Science Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies|publisher=University of Vienna|location=Vienna|date=2018-12-01|volume=46|issue=1|pages=37–57|access-date=2024-08-28|doi=10.5787/46-1-1224|doi-access=free}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Higgins | first = David | title = Behind Soviet Lines: Hitler's Brandenburgers Capture the Maikop Oilfields 1942 | publisher = Osprey | location = Oxford | year = 2014 | isbn = 9781782005995}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Hoffmann | first = Joachim| title = Kaukasien 1942/43: Das deutsche Heer und Orientvölker der Sowjetunion |trans-title=Caucasus 1942–43: The German Army and Oriental Peoples of the USSR| publisher = Rombach Druck und Verlagshaus | language=de | location = Freiburg | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-3-79300-194-2}} |
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* {{cite book | last= Höhne | first=Heinz | year=1979 | title= Canaris: Hitler's Master Spy | location= New York | publisher= Doubleday | isbn = 0-385-08777-2 }} |
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* {{cite book | last1 = Jankowski | first1 = Joseph | last2=Religa | first2=Jan | title = Zbrodnie hitlerowske na wsi polskiej, 1939–1945 |trans-title=Nazi Crimes in the Polish Countryside, 1939–1945 | language=pl | location = Warsaw | publisher = Książka i Wiedza | year = 1981 }} |
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* {{cite book | author=Lefevre, Eric| title=Brandenburg Division: Commandos of the Reich | year=1999 |publisher=Histoire & Collections | isbn=978-2-908182-73-6}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Lucas | first = James | title = Kommando: German Special Forces of World War Two | location = Barnsley | publisher = Frontline Books | year = 2014 | isbn = 978-1-84832-737-5 }} |
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* {{cite book| last=Müller| first=Rolf-Dieter | title=Hitler's Wehrmacht, 1935–1945 | year=2016 | place=Lexington | publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-81316-738-1}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Patrylyak | first = I.K. | title = Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940–1942 |trans-title=Military activities of the OUN (B) in the years 1940–1942 | language=uk | location = Kiev | publisher = Shevchenko University Press | year = 2004 }} |
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* {{cite book | last=Schuster | first=Carl | year=1999 | chapter=Brandenburg Division | title=World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia | editor=David T. Zabecki| volume= 1 | location=London and New York | publisher=Garland Publishing Inc. | isbn=0-8240-7029-1 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Seidler | first = Franz Wilhelm | title = Die Kollaboration 1939–1945: Zeitgeschichtliche Dokumentation in Biographien | language=de| location = München | publisher =Herbig Verlag | year = 1999 | isbn= 978-3-77662-139-6}} |
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* {{cite book| last1=Smith | first1=Peter | last2=Walker | first2 = Edwin | title= War in the Aegean | year=1974 | location=London | publisher= William Kimber Publishing | isbn= 978-0-71830-422-5 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Spaeter | first = Helmuth | title = Die Brandenburger: Eine deutsche Kommandotruppe | language=de | location = München | publisher = Angerer | year = 1982 | isbn=978-3-92212-800-7}} |
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*{{cite book | last=Stone | first=David | author-link=David John Anthony Stone | title=Shattered Genius: The Decline and Fall of the German General Staff in World War II | year=2011 | publisher=Casemate | location=Philadelphia | isbn=978-1-61200-098-5 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last = Warzecha | first = Bartłomiej | title = Niemieckie zbrodnie na powstańcach śląskich w 1939 roku |trans-title=German crimes against the insurgents in Silesia in 1939| language = pl | journal = Bulletin of the Institute of National Remembrance | date = 2003 | volume = 3 | issue = 12–1 | pages = 55–60 }} |
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* {{cite book | last = Witzel | first = Dietrich F. | chapter = Kommandoverbände der Abwehr II im Zweiten Weltkrieg | title = Militärgeschichtliche Beiträge | editor = Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt| year = 1990 | publisher = Mittler Verlag | location = Bonn | isbn = 978-3-81320-361-5}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==Further reading== |
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== Bibliography == |
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* |
*{{cite book |last1=Cavaleri |first1=Leo |title=Das 2. Regiment der "Division Brandenburg" eine Dokumentation zum Einsatz der Brandenburger-Gebirgsjäger im Osten bzw. Südosten Europas |date=2017 |publisher=Helios |location=Aachen |isbn=978-3-86933-186-7}} |
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* |
*{{cite book |last1=Hamilton |first1=A. Stephan |title=Panzergrenadiers to the Front!: The Combat History of Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg on the Eastern Front, 1944-45 |date=2016 |publisher=Helion & Co. |location=Solihull, UK |isbn=978-1-910777-13-8}} |
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* |
*{{cite book |last1=Paterson |first1=Lawrence |title=Hitler's Brandenburgers: The Third Reich's Elite Special Forces |date=2018 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-68247-372-6}} |
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* {{cite book | author=Kurowski, Franz| title=The Brandenburger Commandos: Germany's Elite Warrior Spies in World War II | year=2005 | isbn=978-0-8117-3250-5}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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* {{cite book | author=Spaeter, Helmut| title=Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland: Panzergrenadier-Division Grossdeutschland, Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg und seine Schwesterverbände, Führer-Gren ... Träger des Ritterkreuzes : Bilddokumentation | year=1984 | isbn=978-3-7909-0214-3 | unused_data=|Germany : Podzun-Pallas-Verlag}} |
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* {{cite book | author=Lefevre, Eric| title=Brandenburg Division: Commandos of the Reich (Special Operations Series) | year=1999 | isbn=978-2-908182-73-6 | unused_data=|UK : Histoire & Collections}} |
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* {{cite book | author=Lucas, James| title=Kommando - German Special Forces of World War Two | year=1998 | isbn=978-0-304-35127-5 | unused_data=|UK : Cassell Military Paperbacks}} |
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[[Category:Abwehr]] |
[[Category:Abwehr]] |
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[[Category:German World War II special forces]] |
[[Category:German World War II special forces]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:41, 2 September 2024
Battalion – December 1939 Division – February 1943 – March 1944 Panzergrenadier-Division – 1944–1945. | |
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![]() Division "Brandenburg" Vehicle Insignia | |
Active | 1939–1945 |
Land | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Typ | Special forces |
Size | Company (initial) Division (at peak) |
Part of | Abwehr |
Garrison/HQ | Stendal Friedenthal |
Nickname(s) | 'Brandenburg' |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Theodor von Hippel Adrian von Fölkersam |
The Brandenburgers (German: Brandenburger) were members of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht special forces unit during World War II.[1]
Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military's intelligence and counter-espionage organ, the Abwehr. Members of this unit took part in seizing operationally important targets by way of sabotage and infiltration. Consisting of foreign German nationals working on behalf of the Third Reich, the unit's members often lived abroad, were proficient in foreign languages, and were familiar with the local culture and customs of the areas where they were deployed.
The Brandenburg Division was generally subordinated to the army groups in individual commands and operated throughout Eastern Europe, in northern Africa, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and in the Caucasus. In the later course of the war, parts of the special unit were used in Bandenbekämpfung operations against partisans in Yugoslavia before the division was reclassified and merged into one of the Panzergrenadier divisions in the last months of the war. They committed various atrocities in the course of their operations.
Background and membership
[edit]The unit was the brainchild of Hauptmann (captain) Theodor von Hippel, who, after having his idea rejected by the Reichswehr, approached Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, commander of the German Intelligence Service, the Abwehr. Hippel proposed that small units, trained in sabotage and fluent in foreign languages, could operate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with the enemy's command, communication, and logistical tails.[2] Canaris was at first against the proposal as he viewed such measures as similar to what the Bolsheviks had done and was suspicious of Hippel's motives. Still determined to form the unit, Hippel looked to his section chief, Helmuth Groscurth, who supported the unit's formation, and the two men conferred on the matter on 27 September 1939.[3] Just a few days after their meeting, the Army General Staff put forth a directive authorizing the creation of "a company of saboteurs for the West."[4] As part of the Abwehr's 2nd Department, Hippel was tasked with creating the unit.[5] Originally, the unit Hippel assembled was named the Deutsche Kompagnie, then later on 25 October it became the Baulehr-kompagnie 800 and then again on 10 January 1940, the unit was called the Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 (800th Special Duties Construction Training Battalion); but its later more widely known epithet, "the Brandenburgers", stemmed from the name of the unit's first permanent quarters.[4]
Training for the men in the Brandenburg Division ranged from five to seven months and included course instruction on reconnaissance, swimming, hand-to-hand combat, demolitions, marksmanship in both German and Allied weapons, conventional infantry tactics, and other specialized training.[6] Brandenburg units were deployed as small commando outfits to penetrate enemy territory and conduct both sabotage and anti-sabotage operations. Despite their demonstrated successes while incurring minimum casualties, many traditionally-minded German officers still found their use abhorrent.[7] Most of the personnel were fluent in other languages, which allowed them, for example, to penetrate the Netherlands in 1940 disguised as Dutch barge crews just before the start of the invasion. In 1941, they preceded the invasion of Yugoslavia undercover as Serbian workers. During the night before Operation Barbarossa began, Brandenburger units crossed the Soviet border disguised as Soviet workers and Red Army soldiers. Others even adorned themselves in Arab garments to conduct surveillance on Allied warships traversing the Straits of Gibraltar ahead of the Wehrmacht deployment in North Africa.[8] Correspondingly, Department II of the Abwehr, under which the Brandenburgers were subsumed, had a distinct sub-component for army, navy, and air force operations.[9]
Many of the Brandenburgers were misfits who could hardly be characterized as conventional soldiers, due in large part to the nature of their operations. They would mingle with enemy soldiers, secretly countermand orders, redirect military convoys, and disrupt communications, all the while collecting intelligence.[8] Ahead of the primary invasion forces in the USSR, operatives from the Brandenburg Division seized bridges and strategically important installations in clandestine missions lasting for weeks before they linked up with advancing forces.[8]
The predecessor formation to the Brandenburg Division was the Freikorps Ebbinghaus, which originated before the invasion of Poland in 1939. Colonel Erwin von Lahousen (and the defense groups of military districts VIII and XVII) from within Department II of the Abwehr, put together small K-Trupps (fighting squads), which consisted of Polish-speaking Silesians and ethnic Germans, whose job it was to occupy key positions and hold them until the arrival of regular Wehrmacht units.[citation needed][a] The first members of the "K-Trupps" were German nationals. Generally, these men were civilians who had never served in the army but were briefly trained by the "Abwehr" and were led by army officers. After the Polish campaign, this changed as these commandos became members of the Wehrmacht. Despite their seeming lack of prior experience, the demands placed on these newly formed commandos were high.[10] It was mandatory that they be volunteers for this duty. They were also expected to be agile, capable of improvising, endowed with initiative and team spirit, highly competent in foreign languages and in their dealings with foreign nationals, and capable of the most demanding physical performance.[11] Eventually, the early guiding principle that required members of the Division Brandenburg to be volunteers ended with their increasing use and integration with the regular army.[12]
Operations
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-680-8283A-30A%2C_Budapest%2C_Otto_Skorzeny%2C_Adrian_v._F%C3%B6lkersam.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-680-8283A-30A%2C_Budapest%2C_Otto_Skorzeny%2C_Adrian_v._F%C3%B6lkersam.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Armband.jpg/220px-Armband.jpg)
The night before the invasion of Poland (Plan White) in September 1939, small groups of German special forces dressed in civilian clothes crossed the Polish border to seize key strategic points before dawn on the day of the invasion.[13] This made them the first special operations unit to see action in the Second World War.[14][b] Freikorps Ebbinghaus engaged in atrocities against Poland's population and its captured PoWs.[16] On 4 September, members of the Freikorps Ebbinghaus executed 17 people at Pszczyna, among them Boy Scouts from the town's secondary schools. They also tortured 29 citizens of Orzesze before executing them.[c] On 8 September 1939, in the upper Silesian city of Siemanowice, they executed six Poles and then on 1 October 1939, shot 18 people in Nowy Bytom.[17] Larger massacres were carried out in Katowice, where hundreds of people were executed.[16] Within two weeks of the invasion of Poland, Ebbinghaus had "left a trail of murder in more than thirteen Polish towns and villages".[18]
On 15 December 1939, the company was expanded and re-designated as the Brandenburg Battalion.[19] After its formation, the soldiers of the new special unit were initially employed to protect the Romanian oil fields and later chrome ore supplies from Turkey.[20] The battalion consisted of four companies, organised along linguistic lines:
- 1st company - men from Baltic/Russian territories
- 2nd company - Volksdeutsche from Romania;[21]
- 3rd company - Sudeten Germans who spoke Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian
- 4th company - Volksdeutsche from Yugoslavia
In addition, the battalion contained volunteers who had lived in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.[22][d]
A platoon of Brandenburgers took part in Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Scandinavia in April 1940, during which they secured strategic properties in Denmark and Norway.[23]
During the spring 1940 invasions of Belgium and the Netherlands, the Brandenburg units proved essential in seizing "vital points ahead of Guderian's panzers."[24] Chronicling Brandenburger No. 3 Company's penetration into Belgium, Lahousen was gratified to report that, "forty-two out of sixty-one objectives were secured and handed over to the units following behind."[25] For their exploits in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Brandenburgers were among the most decorated units of the invading German armies, which earned them the admiration of Abwehr Chief, Wilhelm Canaris.[26] On 27 May 1940, chief-of-staff of the High Command of the German armed forces Wilhelm Keitel wrote to Canaris that the Brandenburgers had "fought outstandingly well" which was further validated when Hitler presented Iron Cross commendations to 75% of the 600 men who participated.[27] By October 1940, the Brandenburgers constituted an entire regiment-sized unit.[28] The rest of the Brandenburgers were assigned to Panzer Corps Grossdeutschland along with its old training partner from 1940 to 1941, the Grossdeutschland Division.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/BArch_RW_5-733.jpg/220px-BArch_RW_5-733.jpg)
The unit was again deployed in Operation Marita, the invasion of the Balkans.[30] On 6 April 1941, during Operation Marita, the Brandenburgers managed to take the strategically important bridge over the Vardar and also secured the gorge on the River Danube which forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania, known as the Iron Gates. Shortly after this, they captured the island of Euboea.[31] Additional operations were demanded of the Brandenburgers during the opening phase for the June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, as they were the first to sweep across the border, destroying power facilities, cutting communication lines, spreading disinformation, and activating "sleeper" agents.[32] Their most notable mission was taking the bridges over the Daugava in Daugavpils on 28 June 1941, during which members of the 8th Company of the Brandenburg Kommandos crossed the bridge in a commandeered Soviet truck, overpowered the guards and held the position for two hours against significant Soviet counterattacks.[33] From June 1942 through February 1943, the Brandenburgers carried out commando operations against Allied supply lines in North Africa by way of clandestine missions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.[34]
In early August 1942, a Brandenburg unit of 62 Baltic and Sudeten Germans led by Adrian von Fölkersam penetrated farther into enemy territory than any other German unit. They had been ordered to seize and secure the vital Maikop oilfields. Disguised as NKVD men, and driving Soviet trucks, Fölkersam's unit passed through the Soviet front lines and moved deep into hostile territory. The Brandenburgers ran into a large group of Red Army soldiers fleeing from the front. Fölkersam saw an opportunity to use them to the unit's advantage. By persuading them to return to the Soviet cause, he was able to join with them and move almost at will through the Soviet lines.[35]
On 26 December 1942, the men of the Parachute Company of the Brandenburg Regiment were transported by gliders in an operation to destroy bridges and supply routes used by the British in North Africa. It was a disaster. Some of the gliders were shot down while flying over enemy lines and others were destroyed approaching their targets. Most of the paratroopers were killed in this operation.[36]
Units of the division were sent to the Balkans to engage in anti-partisan operations.[e]
In mid-1943, many Brandenburger units were moved from the Balkans and took part in actions to disarm Italian soldiers. One vital area was the island of Kos in the Dodecanese island chain off the coast of Turkey. Kos had been secured by British troops in September 1943, and a large garrison of allied Italian troops was also present. Along with Luftwaffe paratroop forces, Brandenburgers took part in the recapture of the island.[38] On 25 May 1944, members of the division, attached to SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, took part in the unsuccessful Operation Rösselsprung, an airborne operation to capture Yugoslav Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito.[39]
In September 1944 it was decided that special operations units were no longer necessary. The Brandenburg Division became the Infantry Division Brandenburg and transferred to the Eastern front.[40] Approximately 1,800 men (including von Fölkersam) were transferred to SS-Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny's SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 operating within SS-Jagdverband Mitte, but mostly to the SS-Jagdverband Ost until the end of the war.[41] Only the Kurfürst Regiment retained its original role as a commando unit.[42]
In late 1944, the division was equipped with a Panzer Regiment redesignated Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg and returned to the Eastern front. The Brandenburgers were involved in heavy fighting near Memel, until their withdrawal, along with the Großdeutschland, via ferry to Pillau. The division was all but annihilated in heavy fighting near Pillau and only 800 men escaped to the thin strip of land at Frische Nehrung.[43] While some survivors surrendered to the British in Schleswig-Holstein in May, others enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and fought in the First Indochina War where their skills proved an asset.[41][f]
Sub-battalions
[edit]Bergmann Battalion
[edit]The Bergmann battalion (meaning "miner") was a military unit of the German Abwehr during World War II, composed of five German-officered companies of volunteers from the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union. The battalion was formed of the émigrés and Soviet POWs from the Caucasian republics at Neuhammer in October 1941. Subordinated to the German commando battalion Brandenburgers and placed under the command of Oberleutnant Theodor Oberländer, the unit received training at Neuhammer and Mittenwald (Bavaria) with the Gebirgsjäger. Later a special 130-men-strong Georgian contingent of Abwehr codenamed "Tamara-II" was incorporated into Bergmann. By March 1942, there were five companies of some 300 Germans and 900 Caucasians.[45]
In August 1942, Bergmann went to the Eastern Front, where it saw its first action in the North Caucasus campaign in August 1942. The unit engaged in anti-partisan actions in the Mozdok-Nalchik-Mineralnye Vody area and conducted reconnaissance and subversion in the Grozny area. At the end of 1942, Bergmann conducted a successful sortie through the Soviet lines, bringing with them some 300 Red Army defectors, and covered the German retreat from the Caucasus. Bergmann went through a series of engagements with the Soviet partisans and regular forces in the Crimea in February 1943 and was dissolved—like other Ostlegionen units—at the end of 1943. The significantly shrunken ex-Bergmann companies were dispatched to conduct police functions in Greece and Poland.[46]
Nachtigall and Roland Battalions
[edit]The Nachtigall Battalion, officially known as Special Group Nachtigall,[47] and the Roland Battalion, officially known as Special Group Roland, were subunits under command of the Abwehr special operation unit Brandenburgers (1st Brandenberg Battalion).[48] They were formed on 25 February 1941 by the head of the Abwehr Wilhelm Franz Canaris, which sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. They were manned primarily by occupied Polish citizens of Ukrainian ethnicity directed to the unit by Bandera's OUN orders.[49]
In May 1941, the German command decided to split a 700-strong Ukrainian Legion into two battalions: Nachtigall ("Nightingale") and Roland Battalion. Training for Nachtigall took place in Neuhammer near Schlessig. On the Ukrainian side, the commander was Roman Shukhevych and on the German, Theodor Oberländer. (Oberländer was later to become Federal Minister for Displaced Persons, Refugees, and War Victims in the Federal Republic of Germany.) Ex-Brandenburger Oberleutnant Dr. Hans-Albrecht Herzner was placed in military command of the Battalion. The Nachtigall unit was outfitted in the standard Wehrmacht uniforms. Before entering Lviv, they placed blue and yellow ribbons on their shoulders.[50] In comparison to Nachtigall – which used ordinary Wehrmacht uniform – the Roland Battalion was outfitted in the Czechoslovakian uniform with yellow armband with text "Im Dienst der Deutschen Wehrmacht" (In the service of the German Wehrmacht). They were given Austrian helmets from World War I.[51]
The battalion was set up by the Abwehr and organized by Richard Yary of the OUN(b) in March 1941, before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Approximately 350 Bandera's OUN followers were trained at the Abwehr training centre at the Seibersdorf under the command of the former Poland Army major Yevhen Pobiguschiy. In Germany, in November 1941 the Ukrainian personnel of the Legion were reorganized into the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion. It numbered 650 persons and served for one year in Belarus before disbanding.[52] Many of its members, especially the commanding officers, went on to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and 14 of its members joined 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) SS-Freiwilligen-Schützen-Division Galizien in spring 1943.[g][better source needed]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ A large number of the recruits were small-time criminals who fled from Poland.See: Wrzesień 1939 na Śląsku (September 1939 in Silesia) – p. 37 Paweł Dubiel – 1963.
- ^ By no means was the Brandenburg Division the only German special operations unit of the Second World War, as they also had Otto Skorzeny's Friedenthaler Jagdverbände (which rescued Mussolini) and the Airborne Kampfgeschwader 200.[15]
- ^ See: The fate of Polish children during the last war by Roman Hrabar, Zofia Tokarz, Jacek Edward Wilczur, Rada Ochrony Pomników Walki i Męczeństwa (Poland) Interpress, 1981; Rocznik przemyski – Volume 21 – p. 130, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk w Przemyślu, p. 130 (1982); A więc wojna":ludność cywilna we wrześniu 1939 r. Anna Piekarska, Instytut Pamieci Narodowej (2009) Reviews Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, p. 21.
- ^ The battalion also included motorcycle and paratroop platoons.
- ^ It is an undisputed fact that units of the Brandenburg were used in guerrilla warfare. Covering long distances and violating the martial terms of Hague Convention, the Brandenburg Division was conceived as a special forces unit designed for the sake of partisan warfare. Brandenburgers participated in partisan war in the East, in some cases as a cover for the murder of minorities. Partisan warfare was nevertheless a deadly reality to the German authorities and was considered a military necessity. This does not detract in any way or excuse the commission of war crimes by members of the Brandenburg Commandos at the local level by individual units or commands.[37]
- ^ Due to the nature of their operations and the inherent hazards they faced, very few of them survived the war.[44]
- ^ See: Боляновський А.В. Дивізія «Галичина»: історія — Львів: , 2000. (Bolyanovsky AV Division "Halychyna": History — Lviv, 2000)
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Müller 2016, p. 47.
- ^ Höhne 1979, p. 376.
- ^ Höhne 1979, pp. 376–377.
- ^ a b Höhne 1979, p. 377.
- ^ Higgins 2014, p. 9.
- ^ Schuster 1999, p. 658.
- ^ Lucas 2014, p. 10.
- ^ a b c Lucas 2014, p. 5.
- ^ Lucas 2014, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Witzel 1990, pp. 119–120.
- ^ Witzel 1990, p. 120.
- ^ Witzel 1990, p. 128.
- ^ Bassett 2011, p. 177.
- ^ Schuster 1999, p. 657.
- ^ Davies 2008, p. 247.
- ^ a b Warzecha 2003, pp. 55–60.
- ^ Jankowski & Religa 1981, p. 100.
- ^ Gilbert 1989, p. 8.
- ^ Adams 2009, p. 50.
- ^ Witzel 1990, p. 121.
- ^ Axworthy 1995, p. 19.
- ^ Higgins 2014, p. 10.
- ^ Spaeter 1982, pp. 47–54.
- ^ Bassett 2011, p. 191.
- ^ Höhne 1979, p. 414.
- ^ Höhne 1979, pp. 414–415.
- ^ Höhne 1979, p. 415.
- ^ Stone 2011, p. 367n.
- ^ Häusler 2018, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Higgins 2014, p. 11.
- ^ Brockdorff 1967, p. 427.
- ^ Bellamy 2007, p. 183.
- ^ Spaeter 1982, pp. 144–150.
- ^ Spaeter 1982, pp. 250–273.
- ^ Higgins 2014, pp. 50–52.
- ^ Ailsby 2000, p. 91.
- ^ Bundesarchiv, Die Brandenburger.
- ^ Smith & Walker 1974, pp. 116–127.
- ^ Eyre 2006, pp. 362–370.
- ^ Adams 2009, p. 51.
- ^ a b Higgins 2014, p. 76.
- ^ Dear & Foot 1995, p. 122.
- ^ Bartov 2001, p. 10.
- ^ Schuster 1999, pp. 657–658.
- ^ Hoffmann 1991, p. 109.
- ^ Hoffmann 1991, pp. 46–47, 56, 195, 267.
- ^ Abbott 2004, p. 47.
- ^ Seidler 1999, pp. 57–58.
- ^ Patrylyak 2004, pp. 271–278.
- ^ Patrylyak 2004, pp. 272–277.
- ^ Patrylyak 2004, p. 287.
- ^ Patrylyak 2004, pp. 371–382.
Bibliography
[edit]- Abbott, P. E. (2004). Ukrainian Armies, 1914–55. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84176-668-3.
- Adams, Jefferson (2009). Historical Dictionary of German Intelligence. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-81085-543-4.
- Ailsby, Christopher (2000). Hitler's Sky Warriors: German Paratroopers in Action, 1939–45. Staplehurst, UK: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-109-8.
- Axworthy, Mark (1995). Third Axis Fourth Ally. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-267-7.
- Bartov, Omer (2001). The Eastern Front, 1941–45: German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-33394-944-3.
- Bassett, Richard (2011). Hitler's Spy Chief: The Wilhelm Canaris Betrayal. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-60598-450-6.
- Bellamy, Chris (2007). Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-375-72471-8.
- Brockdorff, Werner (1967). Geheimkommandos des Zweiten Weltkrieges (in German). Wels: Verlag Welsermühl. ISBN 3-88102-059-4.
- Bundesarchiv. "Die Brandenburger" Kommandotruppe und Frontverband". Bundesarchiv. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- Davies, Norman (2008). No Simple Victory: World War II in Europe, 1939-1945. New York: Viking. ISBN 978-0-67001-832-1.
- Dear, Ian; Foot, M.R.D., eds. (1995). The Oxford Guide to World War II. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534096-9.
- Eyre, Wayne Lt.Col. (Canadian Army) (2006). "Operation Rösselsprung and the Elimination of Tito, May 25, 1944: A Failure in Planning and Intelligence Support". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 19 (1). Routledge: 343–376. doi:10.1080/13518040600697969. S2CID 144383512.
- Gilbert, Martin (1989). The Second World War: A Complete History. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-0534-X.
- Häusler, Hermann (1 December 2018). "Sonderkommando Dora – Special Military Geoscientific Unit of the German Counter-Intelligence Sevice in North Africa 1942". Science Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies. 46 (1). Vienna: University of Vienna: 37–57. doi:10.5787/46-1-1224. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- Higgins, David (2014). Behind Soviet Lines: Hitler's Brandenburgers Capture the Maikop Oilfields 1942. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781782005995.
- Hoffmann, Joachim (1991). Kaukasien 1942/43: Das deutsche Heer und Orientvölker der Sowjetunion [Caucasus 1942–43: The German Army and Oriental Peoples of the USSR] (in German). Freiburg: Rombach Druck und Verlagshaus. ISBN 978-3-79300-194-2.
- Höhne, Heinz (1979). Canaris: Hitler's Master Spy. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-08777-2.
- Jankowski, Joseph; Religa, Jan (1981). Zbrodnie hitlerowske na wsi polskiej, 1939–1945 [Nazi Crimes in the Polish Countryside, 1939–1945] (in Polish). Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza.
- Lefevre, Eric (1999). Brandenburg Division: Commandos of the Reich. Histoire & Collections. ISBN 978-2-908182-73-6.
- Lucas, James (2014). Kommando: German Special Forces of World War Two. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-737-5.
- Müller, Rolf-Dieter (2016). Hitler's Wehrmacht, 1935–1945. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-81316-738-1.
- Patrylyak, I.K. (2004). Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940–1942 [Military activities of the OUN (B) in the years 1940–1942] (in Ukrainian). Kiev: Shevchenko University Press.
- Schuster, Carl (1999). "Brandenburg Division". In David T. Zabecki (ed.). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. London and New York: Garland Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-8240-7029-1.
- Seidler, Franz Wilhelm (1999). Die Kollaboration 1939–1945: Zeitgeschichtliche Dokumentation in Biographien (in German). München: Herbig Verlag. ISBN 978-3-77662-139-6.
- Smith, Peter; Walker, Edwin (1974). War in the Aegean. London: William Kimber Publishing. ISBN 978-0-71830-422-5.
- Spaeter, Helmuth (1982). Die Brandenburger: Eine deutsche Kommandotruppe (in German). München: Angerer. ISBN 978-3-92212-800-7.
- Stone, David (2011). Shattered Genius: The Decline and Fall of the German General Staff in World War II. Philadelphia: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-61200-098-5.
- Warzecha, Bartłomiej (2003). "Niemieckie zbrodnie na powstańcach śląskich w 1939 roku" [German crimes against the insurgents in Silesia in 1939]. Bulletin of the Institute of National Remembrance (in Polish). 3 (12–1): 55–60.
- Witzel, Dietrich F. (1990). "Kommandoverbände der Abwehr II im Zweiten Weltkrieg". In Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (ed.). Militärgeschichtliche Beiträge. Bonn: Mittler Verlag. ISBN 978-3-81320-361-5.
Further reading
[edit]- Cavaleri, Leo (2017). Das 2. Regiment der "Division Brandenburg" eine Dokumentation zum Einsatz der Brandenburger-Gebirgsjäger im Osten bzw. Südosten Europas. Aachen: Helios. ISBN 978-3-86933-186-7.
- Hamilton, A. Stephan (2016). Panzergrenadiers to the Front!: The Combat History of Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg on the Eastern Front, 1944-45. Solihull, UK: Helion & Co. ISBN 978-1-910777-13-8.
- Paterson, Lawrence (2018). Hitler's Brandenburgers: The Third Reich's Elite Special Forces. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-68247-372-6.