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ex SS and the Vietmhin and Vietcong

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 5:44 pm
by missyd
It may not fit into this section but I'd like to find more information about this part of history.
Many SS men served the french legion in Vietnam (and other places). Some of them went AWOL, some where POW, and joined the Viet Mhin (maybe even the Vietcong later) as instructors/officers. As they knew about the french tactics they where very 'useful' and highly regarded by the Vietmhin.

Does any of you have more informations/literature/links about this part of 'the SS-Story'?

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 5:48 pm
by jonnyb-1
Dont have a clue! :?

But i am iching to see the comments!

8)

Jonny

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:15 pm
by Willi Heydrich
I saw a film document about ex-German soldiers (including WSS) that were recruited into the Foreign Legion and sent to Vietnam. Some of them got fed up with the French and defected to the communist side. There they were highly valued as instructors. When they got tired with the commies, the soldiers got shipped to DDR where they were hailed as true working class heroes.. :D

Willi

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:55 pm
by missyd
I missed this documentary .... :cry: :evil:

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 12:03 am
by jason litt
missyd wrote:I missed this documentary .... :cry: :evil:

Try looking for a book called "Devils Guard" written by a guy called Hans Wagemuller ( probably/ deffinately a pseudonym ) which details the escape from Germany of an SS officer after the end of the war and his joining of the legion , the setting up of the mainly German unit and its subsequent involvement in the French Indochina campaign. As far as I am aware this book is this guys genuine experience of this campaign , but if not , its a bloody fine read nonetheless and certainly gives a flavour of the tactics , battles and the terrain over which this campaign was decided. I believe the book is still in print ?

Regards , Jason

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 1:20 pm
by Ted
Yes the book is still in print,
although the numbers of genuine SS members who joined the Legion has been seriously exagerated, yes it did happen but so to did normal ex-Heer men join the same goes for Lufty & kriegs guys, also the same for ex-allied forces joining the FFL as well. BUt the percentage of German recruits was deffinatly up in the late 40's. so much so that a number of the FFL marching songs are still sung in german to this day, a few have been translated into french & one is in english... the ones in german i can remember are, Erika, ich einen haten kamerade....& the tune to "Kepi Blanc" is the same as that of the Panzer Lied :? :shock: .
there was also in increase in german recruitment into the FFL during the 30's, mainly people getting out of Hitlers germany, when france fell & the new German master enquired about german nationals in the Legion, most of the paperwork was mysteriously lost 8) or the individuals where serving out in the most remote of saharen or far estern bases.

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 5:26 pm
by missyd
Thanks a lot! I'll go and buy the book! :wink:

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 6:37 pm
by Kolya
"kepi blanc"+mp3 chucked into Google provides it somewhere down the page... with the FFL marching pace, it becomes a rather haunting melody.

Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 10:30 am
by missyd
The Devil's guard book is very expensive .... offers start around 40 euros and go up to 300 Euros for used examples .... :? :evil: :cry:

Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:28 pm
by Cookie
Check out Robert Forbes' "French volunteers of the waffen ss". Amazon sell it. mostly about the Charlemagne in WW2 but the last couple of chapters are dedicated to the frenchmen who served in the french armed forces in Vietnam in the 40's and 50's. They did not join the foreign legion but were released from jail in france on the condition that they would serve their country to redeem themselves. Many did and recieved numerous awards for valour (which they were initially denied). They did not wear their german medals. They were among the mentalist paratroopers who parachuted into dien bein phu when it all went tits up.

An large but unknown number of German, Dutch and Belgian SS/wehrmacht veterans served in the Foreign legion but there are no figures for the exact numbers as their identities were falsified upon joining.

regards.

Re: ex SS and the Vietmhin and Vietcong

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:40 am
by keserling
there is a very interesting book that covers this topic called the devils guard which covers ss soldiers being recruited into the french foreign legion to fight in vietnam they quickly gained a reputation for their ruthlessness against the vietcong after france was kicked out of vietnam many of the ss were to face war crimes trials in europe if they returned so many dissapeared into indo china.

Re: ex SS and the Vietmhin and Vietcong

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:13 am
by John Wilson
ffl=elite french troops?, :lol: made up of foreigners since its inception.
The Devils Guard book can be viewed along the same lines as the Sven Hassel ones, were they written by someone who was in the thick of it, or were they written by an author who heard it all from a veteran?

Re:

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:13 am
by Ted
Cookie wrote: They were among the mentalist paratroopers who parachuted into dien bein phu when it all went tits up.

half of this force was made up of the 1st BEP FFL & the fledgling 2Rep, also a large number of Viet para's & the rest French army para's

An large but unknown number of German, Dutch and Belgian SS/wehrmacht veterans served in the Foreign legion but there are no figures for the exact numbers as their identities were falsified upon joining.

this practise is quite normal for the FFL, it is called Nom de Guerre & allows the legionaire to start a fresh new life without his past haunting him, at the end of his first contract (5 Years) he can if he so wishes return to his natural name & nationality

regards.

Re: ex SS and the Vietmhin and Vietcong

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:17 am
by Ted
keserling wrote:after france was kicked out of vietnam many of the ss were to face war crimes trials in europe if they returned so many dissapeared into indo china.
The truth in the case of the para's in Dien Bien Phu, FFL, French & South Vietnamese was that most of the captured para's died on the death marches to the prison of war camps after the battle. Most are still to this day listed as missing by the French Govt.

Re:

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:23 am
by West-Front
I saw a film document about ex-German soldiers (including WSS) that were recruited into the Foreign Legion and sent to Vietnam. Some of them got fed up with the French and defected to the communist side. There they were highly valued as instructors. When they got tired with the commies, the soldiers got shipped to DDR where they were hailed as true working class heroes.. Willi
Might be this one here Video in french

Part 1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b5kp ... nd1_family

Part 2
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b5x4 ... nd2_family

Part 3
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b66w ... nd3_family

Part 4
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b6hp ... nd4_family

Part 5
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b6t9 ... nd5_family

Part 6
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1b73i ... and_family

Unrelated to W-SS but interesting none the less:
Lauri Allan Törni (May 28, 1919 – October 18, 1965) was a Finnish Army captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation War and moved to the United States after the war. He is known as the soldier who fought under three flags: Finnish and German (when he fought the Russians in World War II) and American (where he was known as Larry Thorne) when he fought in the U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_T%C3%B6rni