Elite Units

[Alexanderofmacedon]

German Elite:

Großdeutschland Divisions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%...hland_Division


Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallsch...nn_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.

[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.

[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.

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...

[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 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!

[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 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!

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.

[rotorgun]

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

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.