Questions on WWII Germany

[Sigurd]

I just read a book that I picked up from my personal library and that I haven't read in almost 20 years. The book is called "The legion of the damned"(I think that would be the English transl.) and is written by the Danish and much debated author Sven Hazel.
Now I know there are patrons here that know heaps more about the Second World War than I do, so my question is:

Did Germany during WWII have a resistance organisation? (A claim by the author).

Another claim of the author was that the SS was greatly despised by the rest of the Wehrmacht, so greatly despised that they didn't dear to move in front of regular Wehrmacht companies during frontline battles as they would be shot at by their own as well as by the opposing forces. One claim he made was that battle between regular Wehrmacht soldiers and Russian soldiers would make a halt if a SS company made an appearance. The Russians and the Wehrmacht soldiers would suddenly be on the same side and both battle the SS. when the SS was destroyed the battle continued between the Wehrmarcht and the Russian soldiers as if nothing had happened.

Was this so or is this just some claim from one who wants to redeem himself from fighting on the wrong side?

[Franconicus]

Did Germany during WWII have a resistance organisation? (A claim by the author).
There were several resistance organisation, communist, military, church, conservatives, students. In total they were not very strong and had no contact between them.

Another claim of the author was that the SS was greatly despised by the rest of the Wehrmacht, so greatly despised that they didn't dear to move in front of regular Wehrmacht companies during frontline battles as they would be shot at by their own as well as by the opposing forces. One claim he made was that battle between regular Wehrmacht soldiers and Russian soldiers would make a halt if a SS company made an appearance. The Russians and the Wehrmacht soldiers would suddenly be on the same side and both battle the SS. when the SS was destroyed the battle continued between the Wehrmarcht and the Russian soldiers as if nothing had happened.

Was this so or is this just some claim from one who wants to redeem himself from fighting on the wrong side?

Complete nonsense. I guess many of the soldiers did not like the SS men because of their extra status and the crimes they did. But the SS was usually used were the fighting was toughest and I guess many soldiers were glad when they came and rescued them.

[R'as al Ghul]

[QUOTE=Sigurd FafnesbaneDid Germany during WWII have a resistance organisation? (A claim by the author).

Yes and no. Remember Stauffenberg? The guy who tried to assassinate
Hitler with a bomb. He had helpers and they were organised to an extent.
It cannot be compared to open resistance as in France or other countries.

The military arm of the SS was indeed founded to counter the Wehrmacht.
Heydrich and Himmler were rivals afaik. Being the most powerful organisation
beside the Gestapo they surely weren't liked. But I doubt the tale about
them being shot at by the Wehrmacht.

However, I'm no expert, just a German. ~;)

[Franconicus]

If memory serves the Gestapo and the SD were part of the SS.
The Waffen-SS we are talking about was a different part.

[Watchman]

The Reich *did* have a domestic resistance movement of sorts which had some effect, although it was rather different from the grassroots guerilla kind that plagued the Germans in occupied ares - being mostly made up of high-ranking officers. I understand one of their more common motives for plotting against Adolf was flat out concern for the Fatherland, as quite a few of them found him to be a serious moron and likely to lead the nation into utter ruin.

I understand there were at least three plots by assorted top military brass to assasinate him - the first around -37...

Aside from that I've read a few senior officers, while not willing or capable of trying something as drastic as an assasination or a coup, gleefully sabotaged the German military effort when they could get away with it; apparently one of the guys charged with area defense in Normandy was one, if one is to judge by the curious way critical information tended to take remarkably long to pass onwards through his staff... One also suspects some of the more amazing feats of intelligence-gathering pulled by the Allied spooks and their resistance helpers received discreet flank support from disillusioned officers who just happened to leave things lying around unattented.

Mainly, though, the attempts at Hitler's life proved quite beneficial to the Allies in that they made him even more distrustful of his senior officers, which did not exactly help the badly overstretched German war machine one bit.

[Kagemusha]

I have read almost every book from Sven Hassel.And i believe he is writing fiction.I dont remeber the first name of the author called Konsalik,but i have found very similar texts from Sven Hassels novels,what he claims as his personal experiences.Also he was supposed to be an member of an Tank crew and he claims of using panthers on the attack phase of the Operation Barbarossa.I would be very carefull to take his texts very seriously.:bow:

[Watchman]

My brother's read most of the Hassel books during his army tenure (he's been sitting behind a desk in the base hospital for the past few moths...), and observes them to be pretty good on the atmosphere and not half bad on the storytelling, but *definitely* dubious as far as details and credibility go. For one he finds it mildly difficult to believe the about one and same bunch of vets could not only have been present on most of the famous occasions and really nasty spots, but also survived relatively intact in the process while (according to the books at least) entire companies around them are reduced to bleeding wrecks in a matter of minutes...

Not exactly documentaries then, but apparently good if rather (indeed excessively) grim and gritty reading.

Ole Sven aside, one presumes the Wehrmacht and the SS field troops had their share of tensions as both no doubt considered the other to be horning in on their territory and took the age-old shortcut to improving the espirit de corps through despising the nearest rival available. Plus I understand the SS tended to get priority in gear and supplies, which no doubt annoyed the regular troops to no end - conversely the political and (at least theoretical) élite status of the SS no doubt meant no small amounts of scorn towards the "mere" regular troops ...

[Kagemusha]

I think Watchman is right,btw it makes very intresting comparison if you compare the relationship of SS and Wermacht and Soviet guards units and normal soviet army.I think in both cases the ideologigal fighters like SS and the Guards were same time feared, loathed and also admired by the regular army becouse of their fanaticism,bravery and the equipment they possessed.Both were elite in their armies afterall.:bow:

[Watchman]

Are you sure you're not confusing the Soviet "Guard" formations (a relatively late addition of around -43, AFAIK) with the NKVD, the armed forces of their interior ministry ? *Those* were the real political hardcases, tended to be the ones acting as "plug units" behind the regular troops and general MP duties, and apparently tended to be really tenacious fighters when it came down to it. Apparently they were even more prone to fighting to the last man (or woman, as the case might be; they apparently had all-female formations too) than the average Soviet grunt, which isn't actually that surprising given that AFAIK they were on the Germans' "shoot on sight" list along with the political officers of the regular troops...

[Kagemusha]

Are you sure you're not confusing the Soviet "Guard" formations (a relatively late addition of around -43, AFAIK) with the NKVD, the armed forces of their interior ministry ? *Those* were the real political hardcases, tended to be the ones acting as "plug units" behind the regular troops and general MP duties, and apparently tended to be really tenacious fighters when it came down to it. Apparently they were even more prone to fighting to the last man (or woman, as the case might be; they apparently had all-female formations too) than the average Soviet grunt, which isn't actually that surprising given that AFAIK they were on the Germans' "shoot on sight" list along with the political officers of the regular troops...

Im talking about the mostly Siberian and Caucasian Soviet guards divisions.They never have had the admiration,what they deserve,It was Guards who were the core of attack at Stalingrad and Also the Russian Army reserve "Steppe",that turned the tide in Battle of Kursk.Maybe not very well educated people,but seemingly better material then Russian troops.I believe firsts of those formations appeared already in 1942.I would more likely compare NKVD to gestapo then SS.:bow:

[Watchman]

I'd say the NKVD was about the equivalent of the SS, although they weren't meant to act as shock troops. The Gestapo was the secret police; I don't know what name their Soviet equivalent went by at the time, but in any case AFAIK they were a different buch from the NKVD (who presumably often acted as the "sharp end" when necessary, mind you).

[Kraxis]

The Guards were 'promoted' regular formations initially, and later others were created from scratch with better equipment and training. So you can say it is the opposite of the German Wolksgrenadier system. Iinitially it was a promotion for good infantry regulars, then became a weakely trained and armed regular formation, though the first ones retaine their superior status. All in all a very confusing situation, as one Wolkgrenadier could bea very capable soldier but the guy from the neighbouring division could be a 50 yearold 2-week trained recruit with 5 rounds for his rifle.

The NKVD divisions (there were a few) would at best be considered 'last formation' troops. Not because they were bad, but because they were the ones that were slated with holding Moscow and similar instances. Seldomly were they used for offensive operations, and I haven't heard of any after 42.