Elite Units

[Alexanderofmacedon]

In WWII, what were some of the elite units for the different countries involved in the war? I know of the Shutzstaffel (SS) of Germany, but anyone know of any others from other countries?

[Kralizec]

SAS and SBS for the Brittish.

Russian marines were tough nails, especially compared to the rest of their armed forces.

My knowledge of WW2 is sadly lacking...

[Duke Malcolm]

The Chindits!

[Dutch_guy]

My knowledge of WW2 is sadly lacking...

You mean the Spetznaz (sp?) right, as you were refering to Russian Commando's ?

As for my own country....I don't know of any. Do we even have one ?

:balloon2:

[Alexanderofmacedon]

You mean the Spetznaz (sp?) right, as you were refering to Russian Commando's ?

As for my own country....I don't know of any. Do we even have one ?

:balloon2:

When the allies took over Holland didn't you shave the heads of the women sleeping with the Nazi's?

[ShadesPanther]

There was SOE as well by the Allies

[lars573]

In WWII, what were some of the elite units for the different countries involved in the war? I know of the Shutzstaffel (SS) of Germany, but anyone know of any others from other countries?
The SS had 2 overal branches you know. The Agelemgne (political I think I know it's not spelled right) and Waffen (armed) SS. And were intended as a kind of police force. But the Waffen SS had some of the better Nazi fighting units. Also the German paratrooper divisions (Herman Goering and Adolf Hitler) were some of the best infantry units around. The Whrmarcht also had elite crack units too.



SAS and SBS for the Brittish.
I'd add the Long range desert group to that too. They took the SAS to their missions in North Africa. Also the 4th Indian division was considered elite at the time.

For the US
101st and 82nd airbourne divisions
US army ranger batallion
Merricks raiders

That's all I remember now.

[Duke Malcolm]

I'd add the Long range desert group to that too. They took the SAS to their missions in North Africa. Also the 4th Indian division was considered elite at the time.

Are you sure you don't mean the 3rd Indian Division? The Chindits? I was of the impression the 4th Indian Division was just a regular Infantry Division in Africa.

[lars573]

I was reading some big blog/essay/website (my memory is dodgey on where's and when's) on the desert campagin and it said that some British division and 4th Indian wre moved to the southern Sudan to stop Italian incursions from Abyssinia, and that 4th Indian was "regarded as an elite unit".

[Duke Malcolm]

Ah, I did not know that.

[Keba]

The Soviets had units of NKVD troops in several campaigns. While the NKVD was the secret police they did a lot of work and fightning (and a lot of war crimes, but that is a different subject entirely).

Right now, off the top of my head, during the Axis advance on Stalingrad, while the vast majority of Soviet troops broke, NKVD divisions stayed behind and held of the German advance quite efficently, they were swept away, but the thing is they stayed against some pretty impressive odds.

[KrooK]

I don't think Spetznaz has been established during ww2, rather later.
There were some Polish elite units - actually most of polish units could be called elite comparing with other allies.

303 fighter squad - over 200 Germans planes destroyed during battle of Britain - and more later.
ORP Dzik and ORP Sokół - submarines called "terrible twins", about 40 ships sunk on Mediterran Sea
ORP Garland - destroyer - heroes from north conwoys
Strzelcow Karpackich infantry brigade - defenders of Tobruk
Independent Parachute Brigade - only one unit which helped British Division at Arnhem, without them Brits would loose all unit.

[AggonyDuck]

In WWII, what were some of the elite units for the different countries involved in the war? I know of the Shutzstaffel (SS) of Germany, but anyone know of any others from other countries?

Well only a handful of the SS-divisions were actually considered elite. A good portion of the SS-divisions were actually mostly used in anti-partisan duty and could hardly be considered elite.

Also the Heer had the Panzer Lehr and Grossdeutschland divisions which were definately elite.

[lars573]

I don't think Spetznaz has been established during ww2, rather later.
There were some Polish elite units - actually most of polish units could be called elite comparing with other allies.

303 fighter squad - over 200 Germans planes destroyed during battle of Britain - and more later.
ORP Dzik and ORP Sokół - submarines called "terrible twins", about 40 ships sunk on Mediterran Sea
ORP Garland - destroyer - heroes from north conwoys
Strzelcow Karpackich infantry brigade - defenders of Tobruk
Independent Parachute Brigade - only one unit which helped British Division at Arnhem, without them Brits would loose all unit.
Actually a little googling indicates that the spetsnaz came into being in 1930 along side Soviet airbourne troops.

[Pannonian]

I was reading some big blog/essay/website (my memory is dodgey on where's and when's) on the desert campagin and it said that some British division and 4th Indian wre moved to the southern Sudan to stop Italian incursions from Abyssinia, and that 4th Indian was "regarded as an elite unit".
In 1940, British and Empire troops moved against the Italian colony of Abyssinia and the Italian expeditionary force that had invaded Egypt. The Abyssinian force under Alan Cunningham (brother of Andrew of Taranto fame) consisted of 3rd and 4th Indian divisions, regarded as suitable for mountain warfare in the Abyssinian interior. The Egyptian force under Richard O'Connor consisted of 6th Australian division and 7th armoured division (the Desert Rats).

Both operations were wildly successful, the Indians reducing Abyssinia within a few weeks before the 4th joined O'Connor in pushing the huge Italian force out of Egypt and Cyrenaica (150,000 prisoners captured by a British force of around 30-40,000). The spectacular success of the British prompted Hitler to send an expeditionary force of his own under Erwin Rommel.

A notable Commonwealth conventional division was the 9th Australian. They made their name defending Tobruk in combination with the 4th Indian, weren't present during the yo-yo campaigns of the next 12 months and were involved in the heaviest fighting during Alamein. Montgomery's favourite division, it is said that during the preparations for Overlord he would forever look out of the window and wish that the 9th Australians were available.

British elites
Commandos: Used in amphibious raids, they irritated Hitler so much that he ordered any such captured to be shot on the spot (the Commando order).
617 (bomber) squadron: Formed to attack the Ruhr dams, they were later used in other specialised missions, including dropping yet more Barnes Wallis creations on the Tirpitz among other targets.

US elites
99th (fighter) squadron, later expanded to 332nd fighter group: The Tuskegee airmen consisted entirely of blacks, notching up an astonishing record with not a single bomber lost that was escorted by the Tuskegees. US bombers would ask for the "Redtails" to protect them while the Germans feared the "Black Birdmen".
761st tank battalion: The "Black Panthers" were the support of choice for US infantry despite their black crews since they stayed when most tankmen would usualy retreat. Often used in holding roles while white units delivered the killing blow, they frequently exceeded expectations by attacking and prevailing against superior German forces they were expected to buckle against.
100th battalion, 442nd infantry: Formed from 2nd generation Japanese-Americans, it became the most heavily decorated unit of its size despite prejudice denying them many well-earned decorations.

Note: their valour during WW2 prompted Truman to end segregation in the armed forces.

[Lord Winter]

Also the 101st U.S. airborne division. The flying tigers fighter squad(?) in the pacific theatre.

[Avicenna]

Not sure about the names, but did the Soviets have some kind of elites in the East waiting for a Japanese invasion? When they realised that the Japanese wouldn't invade, they moved them over to fight Germany in the West.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Also the 101st U.S. airborne division. The flying tigers fighter squad(?) in the pacific theatre.

IIRC the 101st airborne was deployed on D-day and Market Garden in Europe not the pacific theatre. I could be wrong.

[cegorach]

Elite - so units with special training and/or very long tradition of fighting.

For Poland it would be:

303 Fighter Squadron - scored more victories than any allied squadron in the Battle of Britain - its tradition begins wth American volunteer Kosciusko fighter squadron from 1920 war and one of the squadrons from the Pursuit Brigade from 1939. It indeed included most of the most experienced Polish pilots later sent to other Polish and Allied units.

Commando units in 2nd Polish Corps - fought as elite assault infantry for example at Monte Cassino.

SBS - Paratroppers Brigade trained for the support of uprising in Poland, but wasted at Arnhem at the time of the Warsaw Uprising.

'Parasol' ( Umbrella) and 'Baszta' ( Tower) -and other - Home Army elite units, uderground had their own elites as well.

1st Armoured Division - the one which fought at Falaise, in Holland and Germany in 1944-45.
It has much older tradition behind - it was elite 'Black Brigade' ( 10th motorised Cavalry Brigade) in 1939 the unit stopped 1 Panzer and 1 Light divisions for a long time and in the end was the only whole big Polish unit to retreat to Hungary/Romania. In 1940 it fought as 10th (tank) Cavalry Brigade in France and was praised by its resistence by French HQ.

In 1939 - most of Cavalry Brigades ( including 2 mechanised and 11 normal) the cavalry was elite mounted infantry thanks to their equipment ( anti-tank weaponry for example) and training, Highland 21st Division, finally 1st and 3rd Legionary Infantry Divisions.
Cavalry was especially respected by Germans - no because of some non-existent, propaganda rubbish about charging tanks which never happened - but thanks to the discipline and morale of these soldiers.
Special award in 1939 would go to the Wolynska ( Volhynian) Brigade which stopped XVIth Panzer Corps for two days skillfully using their weaponry and this way destroying numerous armoured vehicles. It retreated according to the plan and orders.

Regards Cegorach :2thumbsup:

[Papewaio]

I thought the definition of an elite unit would be one that has a selection criteria from other units. It would not be one that you can (normally) join directly as a civilian, it would have to one that you can only join by 'having the right stuff.'

So it would be the recon, commando and other specialised units. Not an entire Paratrooper Division (but maybe a specialised elite group with them).

Or am I being too stringent in automatcially making it only special forces that are elite?

====

So in WWII I would say for elite speical forces:
Z Force, SAS/SBS commando squadrons.

For elite regular forces: ANZACs in particular the Maori Battalion, and as mentioned the defenders at Tobruk.

[Rosacrux redux]

I think that's too restrictive a definition. Somebody mentioned the soviet units stationed in Siberia as "elites"... well, that's the "elite unit" definition as far as modern armies go: a unit that stands above the others in terms of efficiency, maybe experience, standing, weaponry etc. In our example, the Siberian divisions practically turned the tide in the eastern front, and they were used as the spearhead in every serious engagement ...at least until they started to be severely depleted (the soviet tactics were rather costly in terms of their own men lives...).

That would be the definition of an "elite unit". Other soviet elite units were the Guard divisions (most of them got the best equipment, machinery and weaponry and were used in a fitting role) and in the German side, the SS divisions should be regarded elite as well.

I wouldn't confuse elites with spec-ops. The latter are in a league of their own, they are not practically part of the "real" army, they are not used like the rest of the units.

[Kagemusha]

Finnish elite units would be 1st,2nd and 3rd Jäeger Battalion,1st(and only) Panzer Brigade and Also the long range recon Sissi battalions.And if you look at the casulties ratio you could put the whole Finnish airforce as Elite units.~;)

[Rodion Romanovich]

The LRDG weren't officially an elite unit, but a special forces unit that were quite effective. They did mostly recon but also with SAS I think made raids against axis airfields in North Africa shortly before second El Alamein.

Edit: yes, here's from wikipedia: "Stirling still managed to organise another assault against the German airfields at Aqedabia, Sirte and Agheila, this time [the SAS troops were] transported by the LRDG. They destroyed 61 enemy aircraft without a single casualty."

[English assassin]

IIRC all soviet guards units (and there were a lot) were elite in a sense, even if only meant better equipment or a fuller unit roster.

I'm not sure the British forces really did elite as such. Given that the challenge for both the British and the Americans was to create a large army out of people who a few months before were shopkeepers, it would have been rather counter-productive to have allowed what would presumably have been mostly peace time professional soldiers to swan about lording it over everyone else.

I gather the Germans regarded the various UK Guards regiments as elite but whether they really stood out from their less socially desirable peers in combat effectiveness I doubt. 7th armoured was the first fully mechanised division in the army, and after the North Africa campaign had a reputation. Probably only the paras qualify as a truly elite infantry unit.

Oh and there's the Royal Marines of course, but that's more special forces really.

[Dutch_guy]

When the allies took over Holland didn't you shave the heads of the women sleeping with the Nazi's?

Yes, when we were liberated female collaborators had their hair on their head shaved off, don't know any reason behind that other than identification. But indeed it did happen.

:balloon2:

[Ludens]

As for my own country....I don't know of any. Do we even have one ?
The Netherlands' main force was and always has been her navy, not her army, but in 1940 most of the naval forces would probably have been stationed in Dutch India. The Dutch army and airforce had been neglected during the interbellum and had to work with outdated or sometimes even antiquidated equipment. I therefor really doubt there were any elite units in these forces. The current Dutch non-naval elites, the commandos and the paratroopers, had yet to be established.

[Red Peasant]

I gather the Germans regarded the various UK Guards regiments as elite but whether they really stood out from their less socially desirable peers in combat effectiveness I doubt. 7th armoured was the first fully mechanised division in the army, and after the North Africa campaign had a reputation. Probably only the paras qualify as a truly elite infantry unit.



Depends what you mean by elite. My grandfather, from the backstreets of Liverpool (so, less socially desirable to you ~;) ), was in the 17/21 Lancers of Light Brigade fame, and they certainly considered themselves as elite ... cavalry. Then, the govt (a Tory govt it should be noted, the so-called guardians of our armed-forces) took their horses off them in the mid 30s and didn't mechanize the regiment for about two years!

[Red Peasant]

Oh, and they were rather annoyed that they were not allowed to wear their Death's Head regimental badges in case they scared the natives over in Europe. An early case of PC thinking.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

German Elite:

Großdeutschland Divisions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fdeutschland_Division


Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallschirm-Panzer_Division_1_Hermann_G%C3%B6ring

Those are some that I can recall now.

[hoom]

28th NZ (maori) battalion (http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Maor.html).
Not officially an elite that I'm aware of but:

Lieutenant-General Lord Freyberg,
VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO

I am proud to be asked by the Maoris to write a foreword to the history of their Battalion, partly because they had such a distinguished fighting record, but also because they were such excellent wartime comrades. Speaking of their military record overseas—I believe that when this history is published, it will be recognised more widely that no infantry battalion had a more distinguished record, or saw more fighting, or, alas, had such heavy casualties as the Maori Battalion.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

German Elite:

Großdeutschland Divisions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fdeutschland_Division


Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallschirm-Panzer_Division_1_Hermann_G%C3%B6ring

Those are some that I can recall now.

1st Shutzstaffel (SS) Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler

3rd Shutzstaffel (SS) Division Totenkopf

12th Shutzstaffel (SS) Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

[Samurai Waki]

EZ Company 101st Airborne...

1st Infantry Division: Big Red One

3rd Airborne: Pegasus Brigade (UK)

...and etc.

[The Stranger]

America
the 101st paratroopers specially easy company
the 82nd paratroopers
the rangers
the marines (in the pacific theatre
The big red one (most decorated unit in the usa)

English
SAS and the unit they were formed from (forgot their name)
7th armoured
3rd airborne

Japanese
Their zero's were definitly elite in the start of the war.

Russians
Their commando's forgot their name

[cegorach]

[QUOTE=The Stranger]
Japanese
Their zero's were definitly elite in the start of the war.


Mitsubishi A6M2 Raisen ( Zero) were not elite it is a plane not a unit.

But true... I forgot about them, damn...

So for them.

Japanese Navy Airforce was entirely elite formation with carrier pilots reaching the peak.

Ground forces would have

Parachute units - very successfull,

Guard Divisions,

Naval assault units,

Certainly some other army units were elite as well, but experience was often making the difference rather than special training.:book:

[rotorgun]

Has anyone mentioned the famed 10th Mountain Division? The Italian campaign would not have been the same without them. In addition, although not specifically trained as "elite", a unit could attain such a reputation by experience. Take the 30th Infantry Division for instance. By the time of the Ardennes campaign in 1944, this tough group of fighters had earned the apellation of "Roosevelt's Sturmtruppen" from their German enemies. Witness the hard fought battles against Pieper's 1st SS Panzer task force at Stoumont. They certainly fought with the same determination as their foe.

:viking:

[The Stranger]

the highlander regiment was elite i thought. and yeah the zero is a plain :P

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

1st Shutzstaffel (SS) Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler

3rd Shutzstaffel (SS) Division Totenkopf

12th Shutzstaffel (SS) Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

And there's more then that...I only named a few. ~;)

[rotorgun]

General Patton,s favorite outfit was the 4th Armored Division, and the best Battallion of the 4th was the 37th, led by non other than one Major (later General) Creighton Abrams. He's the one that the M-1 was named after. By the time of the Lorraine campaign, the 37th was arguably the most experienced armored Battallion in the ETO. I read an account of their capture of the village of Singling, France which is an outstanding example of the close teamwork which develops in an elite unit.

Everything was coordinated well; the artillery, which laid down a smoke screen prior to the assault and then shifted fires later to the German units outside the town; the infantry of the 51st Bn, which rode into town on the tanks, quickly cleared the buildings; and lastly the tank Company of the 37th, which utilized platoon overwatch to reach the center of the village, worked as a team with the infantry to help them. Even though they were held up for a time by several Panther tanks and a few 75 mm anti tank guns, the issue was decided quickly and professionally. The Americans were also able to round up about 100 prisoners. The Germans were quite impressed by the attack as well, and the German General watching from a nearby hill commented that it was a perfect use of combined arms and wished he had such troops under his command.

[Duke Malcolm]

the highlander regiment was elite i thought.

The Highland Regiments were/are not elite, but the soldiers in them were/are just very very good.

[edyzmedieval]

The Spetsnaz were formed after WWII, and they were Russian Commandos, and they were really tough guys. Also, they teamed with the NKVD to instate terror. :balloon2:

I'll dig up about the Romanian elite units, we got some tough guys like the Carpathic Eagles and other units.

[KrooK]

I think SS divisions shoudln't be count as elite.
They were winning on Eastern Front when their opponents were unprepared and nontrained Russians. But on equal terms they were often loosing.
Looks at falaise battle.
1st polish tank division held SS attacks from all sides, and don't let germans run. They have taken over 5000 prisoners and killed or destroyed 70% of SS Lehr tank division.
Poles lost 325 pps - most of them killed by..... "allies" - stupid anglo/american bombers attacked Poles twice. Similar problems got Canadians - anglo/american air force some times even helped german tanks with killing canadians during that battle.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I would not consider most SS divisions elite, but some most definately were.

[AwesomeArcher]

Are we talking about units like batalions and companies or whole groups like the SS or the Marines. I know for the U.S. the marines were pretty darn tough and the army rangers were BA. Also the famous paratroopers 81st and 101, but those two are pretty common mostly because of all the films and band of brothers.


When the allies took over Holland didn't you shave the heads of the women sleeping with the Nazi's?

Did you happen to get that idea from Band of Brothers? I don't know if it is true or not but i just remember it from the series.

[The Stranger]

it is showed in multiple movies and i think it happened. but we were not the only country that executed nazi collaberators after the war was over

[Pannonian]

The Highland Regiments were/are not elite, but the soldiers in them were/are just very very good.
The 51st Highland division was reconstituted in time for Alamein after the bulk was captured in France in 1940. In North Africa and Sicily, Monty's preferred spearhead was his personal fave the 9th Australians (at Alamein), or the 2nd New Zealanders elsewhere. Their performance in France in 1944 was disappointing. Overall, they were probably no worse than other allied formations, but they didn't merit the tag "elite".

[Dutch_guy]

Did you happen to get that idea from Band of Brothers? I don't know if it is true or not but i just remember it from the series.

Incidentally I just saw that episode again, and yes they do feature that scene. Too bad they aren't showing the series again ( well at least not over here ), they were very good in my opinion. Realistic and at times gripping, especially episode 9, where they liberate a concentration camp...

:balloon2:

[DukeofSerbia]

Flying tigers in Republic of China?!

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Are we talking about units like batalions and companies or whole groups like the SS or the Marines. I know for the U.S. the marines were pretty darn tough and the army rangers were BA. Also the famous paratroopers 81st and 101, but those two are pretty common mostly because of all the films and band of brothers.



Did you happen to get that idea from Band of Brothers? I don't know if it is true or not but i just remember it from the series.

Yes, as well as other books I've read that make mention of it.

[The Stranger]

did the italians have a elite :P...

[AggonyDuck]

Well one of the elite Italian units was the 10th Light Flotilla (Decima Flottiglia MAS), which was a commando diver unit, who were responsible of sinking HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth in the harbour of Alexandria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decima_Flottiglia_MAS

http://www.comandosupremo.com/Decima.html

[The Stranger]

thanx ducky, nice seeing you again :D

[rotorgun]

The Italian Ariete Armored Division could be considered as an "elite" unit of sorts. They were a particularly brave group of tankers that fought along side the famed Afrika Korps on many occasions. They gave a good account of themselves during the Crusader and Gazala campaigns, despite their abysmal equipment. I read an account of a charge they made on the flank of the 21st Panzer Division on the southern flank of the British Gazala positions that made me weep to consider the bravery of these men. It reminded me of The Charge of the Light Brigade because they took such horrendous losses. The fact that they were still in the fight even at El Alemein speaks volumes for their reputation and resilience.

[The Stranger]

well, and a FRENCH elite unit?

[rotorgun]

French elite of WWII? Hmm...interesting. Of course one could always say the French Foreign Legion, but that is obvious. There was a colonial infantry unit that fought magnificantly during the 1940 campaign, held up the Germans for several days at some village. I believe that they were Senegalese :senegal: or some such. There is also the Free French Commando unit that stormed the casino at Ouistrame (spelling?) as depicted in The Longest Day. I can't recall their unit designation. Maybe someone could help. If my ASL scenario cards were close by I could probably find these scenarios among them.
Vive La France! :france:

[Alexanderofmacedon]

French elite of WWII? Hmm...interesting. Of course one could always say the French Foreign Legion, but that is obvious. There was a colonial infantry unit that fought magnificantly during the 1940 campaign, held up the Germans for several days at some village. I believe that they were Senegalese :senegal: or some such. There is also the Free French Commando unit that stormed the casino at Ouistrame (spelling?) as depicted in The Longest Day. I can't recall their unit designation. Maybe someone could help. If my ASL scenario cards were close by I could probably find these scenarios among them.
Vive La France! :france:

Oui, Vive La France!

[The Stranger]

how about ww1 elites

[rotorgun]

how about ww1 elites
Sacre Blu, Mon Deiu! How about the Lafayette Escadrille or, of course, Richtofen's Flying Circus for starters?

[The Stranger]

not just french but from all countries.

i know many elites from the archaic times till the 19th century and i know many ww2 elites. the rest is quite lacking

[AggonyDuck]

Well the six original divisions of the BEF were definately elite. Well trained and motivated professionals. :2thumbsup:

[rotorgun]

Well the six original divisions of the BEF were definately elite. Well trained and motivated professionals. :2thumbsup:
Indeed, they were perhaps the finest force ever fielded by any of the nations during the entire war. Their heroic stemming of the German tide sweeping through belgium was instrumental in helping to save Paris.

@ The Stranger

not just french but from all countries.
i know many elites from the archaic times till the 19th century and i know many ww2 elites. the rest is quite lacking
The Lafayette Escadrille was actually made up of American Pilots under the command of a French officer, all flying French aircraft.
Richtofen's Flying Circus was a German unit made up of pilots who were hand-picked, first by Oswald Bolke, then by Baron Manfred Von Richtofen after Bolke's death in an air to air collision caused by Richtofen. One of its members was none other than Hermann Goering, of later infamy.

[IrishArmenian]

I would call the French Maqui one of the great elite units. They were like a ghost, and when the Nazis thought they were safe, the Maqui were tinkering with their planes/tanks/transports if not assassinating leaders. I think the British (I think mostly Scottish) SAS was a great elite unit. You Americans had something, I forgot what it was, where William Colby accomplished many missions. And yes, many Russian Units were excellent (more of my biases). But I would have to say, THE MOST ELITE UNIT in WWII was Pavlov's platoon. Sgt. Pavlov, along with I think 12 people held a house, and a large on at that, I think 4/5 stories for 59 days against German attacks. They held the house, later nicknamed "Pavlov's house" until Russian reinforcments arrived.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen ~;)

[Mount Suribachi]

did the italians have a elite :P...

As AgonyDuck said, definately the Italian Frogmen, they caused tremendous disruption to the Royal Navy in the mediterranean and were highly respected (and feared).

I'm going to throw one into the mix that hasn't been mentioned. 92 (East India) squadron, RAF. The top scoring RAF fighter unit of WW2. A list of their pilots during the BoB is like a who's-who of RAF aces.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well the Elite British Infantry in WWII were:

Royal Army Commandos

Royal Marine Commandos

Parachute Regiments

The Guards were also elite at the time, but in a slightly more mundane way, they fought as normal infantry/mech infantry.

Today the Guards are mainly kept home so that they don't spoil their uniforms, thats a modern failing though.

The SAS, the SBS was originally part of the SAS Brigade, were special forces which is above elite. Elite forces are really just the best of your regular troops.

[The Stranger]

yeah i know richthofen. THE RED BARON, i saw a docu on discovery about how he was shot down :P

[rotorgun]

Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen ~;)
Danke! Shuligan Zie bitte.

[The Stranger]

that pavlov defending house thing, wasnt it implemented in Call of Duty

[IrishArmenian]

that pavlov defending house thing, wasnt it implemented in Call of Duty
I wouldn't know. I have seen Call of Duty being played once or twice, but only on American missions. I would really like to see this mission if it is included in a game. That would be really fun.

[rotorgun]

that pavlov defending house thing, wasnt it implemented in Call of Duty
In actuality the Pavlov's House incident took place at the battle for Stalingrad. It was one of the most heroic stands by a squad/platoon sized unit in all of the history of the Army of the Soviets during WWII. They held up against numerous attacks from the Germans that included Pzkw III tanks and Sdfz 250 halftracks supporting the infantry on several occasions. At some points in the battle the Russians and Germans were literally within feet of each other or seperated by a floor. They could hear each other singing during lulls in the battle.

[ChewieTobbacca]

Little known fact:

China had 8 German-trained and equipped (complete w/ uniforms and what not) divisions though they lost about 1/3 of their men fighting in the Battle of Shanghai.

[rotorgun]

Little known fact:

China had 8 German-trained and equipped (complete w/ uniforms and what not) divisions though they lost about 1/3 of their men fighting in the Battle of Shanghai.
While I was aware that the Chinese obtained equipment from wherever they could during WWII, and this included Germany, I had no idea that they had equipped this many divisions. I have played some pretty fun scenarios in Advanced Squad Leader set in the Chinese theater incorporating the famous 88mm dual purpose gun, German MG 34s, and other types of equipment. Do you have a list of the units so equipped?