Waffen Ss facts
While investigating facts about Waffen Ss Divisions and Waffen Ss Uniform, I found out little known, but curios details like:
The Battle for Castle Itter where defected Wehrmacht soldiers requested the help of American soldiers to help defend the castle from the Waffen-SS, who planned to execute the French VIP's inside. It is the only known battle in World War II where the German and American armies fought together.
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In the final days of WWII, German Wehrmacht soldiers fought alongside US Army troops to defend a medieval castle from the Waffen SS
What was the waffen ss?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what does waffen ss mean in english. Here are 50 of the best facts about Waffen Ss Ranks and Waffen Ss Vs Wehrmacht I managed to collect.
what does waffen ss mean?
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Lauri Törni, a finnish soldier that after fighting in the winter war against the USSR, he joined the Waffen-SS and kept fighting until the end of the war. After WW2, he migrated to the US and joined the Green Barets, dying in combat against the vietcong in 1965.
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In 1944, a small militia of 30 men in Luxembourg defended a medieval castle successfully against the onslaught of 250 Waffen SS, killing 18 nazis and forcing the rest to retreat. The castle proved to be a useful Allied watchtower into German territory for months to come.
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The Battle for Castle Itter, a WWII battle that occurred after the fall of Berlin, where American Soldiers, French Prisoners, and German Soldiers defended a former prison from a Waffen SS Attack. It is the only WWII battle where Germans and Americans fought as allies.
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Very few of the Waffen SS soldiers were tried for war crimes, as they were essentially a military unit with recognized uniforms and had little to do with the concentration camps.
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Hitler sent the Waffen SS to free Mussolini from prison. They greeted Mussolini with "Duce, the Führer has sent me to set you free!", to which Mussolini replied "I knew that my friend would not forsake me!"
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With most of southern Italy under Allied control by that time, the Italians who were still fighting in the Axis forces were often "true believers" of Mussolini and the Fascist cause. Two Italian SS divisions fought at Anzio and were elevated to Waffen status due to their actions holding the line.
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Because D-Day's secrecy and decoy measures were so well planned, it took Germany's 2nd Waffen SS Division forces two weeks, instead of two days, to reach the front. Spies and French Resistance also helped to delay German forces.
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During World War 2 , The Canadian National Vimy Memorial Was Rumored To Be Destroyed. In Fact Hitler Had Ordered Waffen SS Troops To Protect The Memorial From Both The Axis And Allied Armies To Prevent Any Damage Or Destruction.
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Ulrich Schnaft, a former member of the Waffen-SS who pretended to be a Jew, moved to Israel, and joined the IDF. He later became a spy for the Egyptian military, was captured by Israeli intelligence, was imprisoned for five years, then returned to Germany.
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There was unit of Waffen SS composed entirely of British and Dominion prisoners of war recruited by the Nazis.
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You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
As the war dragged on, Himmler opened the Waffen SS up to non-Germans of Nordic ethnicity. Norwegians, Swedes, Dutch, and Flemish volunteers made up the majority of these units. Himmler and the Nazis considered these people to be Germanic.
Larry Thorne, a Finnish soldier who served in Finnish Army, Waffen SS during WWII, and in U.S. Special Forces during Vietnam WAr. - source
Hitler spared the Vimy Ridge Monument, dedicated to Canadians WWI dead during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in which Canada defeated Germany. He called in the world's press, insisted they take his picture on the unscathed steps, then assigned special troops from the Waffen-SS to guard Vimy Ridge. - source
After being acquitted of war crimes at the Dachau trials, former Waffen-SS officer Otto Skorzeny later went on to work with the Israeli Mossad - source
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The Battle of Vianden where in 1944 30 members of the Luxembourg Resistance successfully defended a castle from 250 Waffen SS troops.
How many waffen ss survived the war?
One of the last treason convictions in the US was for an American pilot who deserted in 1944. When the Allies found him a year later, he was a propaganda officer in the Waffen-SS.
The Hanschar SS was a predominately Bosnian Muslim division of the Waffen SS.
In 1985 Ronald Reagan visited a West German cemetery where 49 Waffen-SS members were buried, in spite of protests by government officials, Army officers, and celebrities