True effectiveness of SS units?

[ssparatrooper]

gvb with the stugs at carentan?

in the last 10 years loads of groups have maybe got bigger.

[Chorlitz|12.SS|]

The huge SS reenactment group used in SVP, existed long before that movie.
If you were right, all the current ss units have been formed post '98.
besides, I don't recall more than a few ss soldiers in BoB (apart from the polish "volunteers" they gun down in one episode)?

In Part 5 'Crossroads' Captin Winters and easy company come across a few hundred SS mean close to a river crossing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUS_Khee ... re=related

[Mikkel]

Those are the polish "volunteers" i mentioned.

[Casbah Rock]

Just watched the clip and bloody Yanks not taking their hits whilst all the Germans take their shots - somethings never change !

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

Ermm thread is not about Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan gents keep it on track please.

[ssparatrooper]

no you are are right, please feel free to bum me again oooohhhh.

sailor.

[ssparatrooper]

read "Hot motors-cold feet" by Helmut Gunter, its a personal account of a kradmelder from "reich" in russia, he was with Klingenberg a small "crow" that done a little bit.

Units from history must be judged on results and what objectives they won, i would say that the waffen ss were "elite" and held their own on all fronts, yes there were lesser formations and some less than honorable units that come under the "ss" unberella, but charkov for instance has won the waffen ss undying fame as an elite formation, the fighting in normandy also-we have a british ww2 veteran in our group and he fought the waffen ss in normandy and he wears their uniform at events, he is 85 and he thinks their elite!

judge the units on what they achieved and the waffen ss achieved a lot!

"elite" is a word used far to much by reenactors, as pretending to be in an elite unit is one thing but fighting in or against one is something completely different.

[Ernst]

I think to simply say that the SS were “elite” is nothing more than a mere generalisation a sweeping statement. The SS did achieved many victories true, but did others not?

Ernst

[ssparatrooper]

You are all correct they was actually rubbish, achieved nothing and its all propaganda

all those books about hill 112 are all made up, that bridge at rostov was a swing bridge and no could find the key, charkov was actually a "butlins holiday camp" for red army reenactors and the real reason it took about 8 weeks to take caen was the Hj division would not let the canadians past until they explained why they lived next door to the americans surrounded by the french?

elite is not a magazine collected in binders in the nineteen eighties you know.

yawn.

[Ernst]

Most SS divisions were extremely capable fighting units and many were elite that is not in dispute. However the thing that gets me is the constant over representation of the SS. That’s all. From were I am sitting every man and his dog is in the LSSAH. Well I guess the same goes for Heer and all the units doing GD or all the FJ’s I guess people are just attached to these "elite" formations. Ignore me I am going back to my corner.

Ernst

[ssparatrooper]

In reenacting you can be whatever you want, i want to be (as i have allready stated) Smurfett!

Brigadefuehrer your first ooooooooohhhhhhh.

Seriously history shows the waffen ss premier divisions as elite, there is nothing we can do to change history, dont confuse reenactment groups with the real units (god help us all)

[Ernst]

In reenacting you can be whatever you want, i want to be (as i have allready stated) Smurfett!

The worrying thing is that out there somewhere there is probably somebody who does have a little smurf getup.

Ernst

[Peiper]

the thing that gets me is the constant over representation of the SS. That’s all. From were I am sitting every man and his dog is in the LSSAH.
Ernst

That's why we do the TK portrayment!

As for an "elite" group, if there is such a thing,
the Totenkopf are listed as having the third most
awarded "R-K's" in the German Military of WW2.

Also nobody else as far as i know portray this Unit
in the UK

Peiper.

[RudyWerner]

the thing that gets me is the constant over representation of the SS. That’s all. From were I am sitting every man and his dog is in the LSSAH.
Ernst

That's why we do the TK portrayment!

As for an "elite" group, if there is such a thing,
the Totenkopf are listed as having the third most
awarded "R-K's" in the German Military of WW2.

Also nobody else as far as i know portray this Unit
in the UK

Peiper.

But part of the point of TK is that they were NOT an elite unit until later in the war. TK suffered heavily at the hands of the British in France 1940, and didn't really pick up any kind of elite status until the Demjansk battle.

[Peiper]

But part of the point of TK is that they were NOT an elite unit until later in the war. TK suffered heavily at the hands of the British in France 1940, and didn't really pick up any kind of elite status until the Demjansk battle.

Thanks for clarifying that Werner
I was referring to the TK's status at the end of the War,
and what as an SS Division they were regarded as.

Cheers Peiper