The skull and crossbones insignia, the totenkopf, was worn by members of the SS on the front of their headgear. One SS pre-war organisation, the Totenkopfverbande ('Death's Head' units) wore the totenkopf on their right-hand collar patch, a tradition then followed by the Totenkopf division of the Waffen-SS.
The totenkopf was also the insignia of the German Army Panzer crews, who wore a different version of the totenkopf, on each collar patch of their black uniforms, or on the lapels of their tropical uniforms.
Prior to the outbreak of the war, some Nazi-sympathetic veteran organisations painted the totenkopf on the front of their helmets.
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The cast of Der Totenkopf - 1920 includes: Viktor Gehring Retti Marsani Max Nadler Harry Nestor Friedrich Ulmer Elga von Hardt
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Originally the totenkopf insignia was worn only on the right collar patch of the uniform, with (for ranks below SS-Standartenfuhrer, or colonel) the wearer's rank worn on the left collar patch. However, for a period, from about October 1939, it seems that there was an order that Waffen-SSdivisions should wear their divisional insignia on bothcollar patches, and rely on their newly-introduced Army-style shoulder straps to indicate rank. As a result, members of the Totenkopf division wore the totenkopf insignia on both their collar patches. However, around May 1940, Himmler abolished this order, and the insignia returned to the original arrangement -i.e. SS divisional insignia on the right collar patch, and rank insignia on the left collar patch. Incidentally, this ruling also applied to other SS divisions' collar-patch insignia, including the SS runes (which, in some cases, included a mirror image -i.e. the SS runes backwards!) and the odal rune worn by the Waffen-SS Prinz Eugen mountain division.
The double totenkopf insignia worn by members of the Waffen-SS Totenkopf division should not be confused with the double totenkopf insignia worn on the collar patches of the black uniforms of the Heer (German Army) panzer crews. The Heer totenkopf insignia was of a different design, and worn on different-shaped collar patches.
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The Totenkopf division was a unit of the Nazi SS which was rooted in the SS-Totenkopfverbände, which was later raised to division strength. Later, it would be amalgamated into the Waffen SS as a full military division.
These were the units which were responsible for the operation of the concentration camps.
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With the battle of Demyansk end february 42, the 3 division totenkopf, took very heavy losses. The 3 division, upheld the whole front for the time, needed for the main army, to redraw from Demyansk. The 3 division saved the day for this part of the russian front. Until the Barbarossa campain continued. The heavy losses of the 3 division, can only bee estimated, but for the period early january until spring in mid april, I will estimate the loss rate to clost to 20% of the 3. division totenkopf. The total loss for the 3 division in the Barbarossa campain, is app. 85%. This is the SS standarde.
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The totenkopf symbol, a skull and crossbones, was used by the Nazi regime as a symbol of death and terror. It was prominently displayed on the uniforms of the SS, a paramilitary organization responsible for many atrocities during World War II. The symbol represented the ruthless and brutal nature of the Nazi regime, as well as their commitment to carrying out their extreme ideology.
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No, in Germany the death's head as an officially recognized military emblem had a long history going back to 1740.
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Charles Trang has written:
'La division \\' -- subject(s): History, Regimental histories, Waffen-SS, Waffen-SS. Kavallerie-Division \Florian Geyer\, 8, World War, 1939-1945
'Totenkopf' -- subject(s): Campaigns, German occupation, 1940-1945, History, Pictorial works, Pictorial works.., Regimental histories, Waffen-SS, Waffen-SS. Panzer-Division Totenkopf, 3, World War, 1939-1945
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The symbol on the SS black cap is called a Totenkopf, German word for dead man's head or "skull". The Skull represents the willingness of a soldier to risk his life for the sake of their cause.
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Felix Kersten has written:
'Totenkopf und Treue' -- subject(s): Biography, Nazis, Physical therapists, Politics and government
'The Kersten memoirs, 1940-1945.' -- subject(s): Accessible book, Tweede Wereldoorlog
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it was the name of the batallion responsible for guarding many camps.
AnswerThe SS organisations originally responsible for guarding concentration camps was the SS Totenkopfverbande Standarten, or SS 'Death's Head' Regiments. With the outbreak of war, these regiments were absorbed into the Waffen-SS, eventually becoming the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf, and responsibility for guarding the camps was taken over by elements of the Allgemeine SS (General SS).
Junior officers and other ranks of the SS Totenkopf regiment and division can be identified by the death's head symbol worn on their right-hand collar patch.
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Sounds like he would have retrieved it from a German SS Officer, most probably of the 3rd Division SS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_SS_Division_Totenkopf
Then badge itself is called the Totenkopf
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Not on their flags, no. They wore a death's head skull as a collar insignia.
The 'skull and crossbones' is infact the insignia of the SS 'Totenkopf' or Death's Head division. This was one of the first divisions of the Waffen-SS to be established from the SS-VT. The Totenkopf division was responsible for, amongst other things, the running of the concentration camps
The Skull & Cross bones, called Totenkopf (Death Head) in German, is an old symbol dating back to the time of the German Empire under the Kaisers. The symbol was a badge of honor given to troops that particpated in the funeral ceremony of emperors. Later, during the Hitler period, the symbol was used by units considered "elite", i.e. the S.S.
There are some British tank units that had a similar collar device, but I do not know the history of how they came to be.
The armored forces (panzer units) also used the "totenkopf" collar device and were sometimes mistaken for S.S. troops when captured. SS units wore an eagle insigna on their left upper sleeve, while wehrmacht troops wore it on the breast.
The SS Divsion "Totenkopf" did have the skull & cross bones on their divisional flag.
The skull and crossbones go back to some Prussian guards cavalry units and became part of their official insignia in 1740 under Frederick the Great. One Prussian Hussar (light cavalry) regiment was dressed in black and had a tall hat with a complete skeleton insignia on it. I believe their motto was "Death before Dishonor"--same as the SS. Later in WW1, this Hussar unit wore a fur busby with a chapless skull & cross-bones.
The British 17th Lancer Regiment used the skull and cross-bones as their insignia and cap badge. This unit dates back to the "Charge of the Light Brigade" during the Crimean War. During WW2 this unit was an armored regiment. There have been many other units in other countries that adopted a skull as their insignia. During WW2, Italians had a unit called the Black Brigades or Brigate Nerre, that used an insignia of a skull with a dagger clenched in its teeth. There are many examples of skulls used in US Air Force and US Navy squadron patches during WW2 up to present day.
The German Panzer units wore a small chapless skull sitting on cross-bones mounted on a black collar tab with pink pipping. The SS Divsion "Totenkopf" wore the Skull on one collar lapel and the SS-runes on the other. But this was unique to this division as was the flag mentioned, above. The regular SS wore the skull(with a jaw) on their caps, under the eagle branch insignia.
Custermen
I'd like to point out, since nobody seems to have done this yet, that the SS flag was black with two sig runes ('lightning bolts') in white spelling SS.
You can see an image of these flags at : see related link
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The Nazi skull symbol, known as the Totenkopf, was used by the SS, a paramilitary organization under the Nazi regime. It symbolized death and terror, reflecting the brutal and ruthless nature of the SS and their role in carrying out atrocities during World War II. The symbol has since become associated with the horrors of the Holocaust and the crimes committed by the Nazis, serving as a reminder of the dark chapter in history.
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The Nazi skull and bones symbol, known as the Totenkopf, was used by the SS and other Nazi organizations to represent death and terror. It has been associated with secret societies and historical events due to its use by the Nazis in their quest for power and control during World War II. The symbol has since become a reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and serves as a cautionary symbol against the dangers of extremism and totalitarianism.
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SS-Totenkopfverbande, or 'Death's Head Units', were set up in the 1930s to guard German concentration camps, the first being established at Dachau. By the outbreak of the war, the SS-Totenkopfverbande, together with the SS-Verfugungstruppe and the SS-Leibstandarte 'Adolf Hitler', had formed the core elements of what became known as the Waffen-SS. Within the Waffen-SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbande eventually became the elite Totenkopfdivision (Death's Head Division).
After becoming part of the Waffen-SS, the Totenkopf regiments were no longer responsible for guarding concentration camps, that role being taken over by older members of the Algemeine-SS (General SS).
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The skull and crossbones (death's head), or totenkopf, insignia was not worn on the caps of any German Army Division, but it was worn by the following Army formations:--1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment.--Regimental staffs of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, and the 13th Company of the 17th Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd Squadron of the 15th Cavalry Regiment.
These death's-head badges were worn on the peak cap, below the national emblem (eagle) and above the cockade.
These were memorial badges, worn in memory of earlier regiments -(the First and Second Regiments of the Prussian Life Guards) and (the Brunswick 92nd Infantry Regiment and the 17th Regiment of Hussars) respectively.
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Absolutely not! That is a completely bogus marking for an SS Totenkopf. Known original markings are as follow: Unmarked Deschler & Sohn RZM D.&S.M. GES. GESCH. Deschler & Sohn RZM GES. GESCH. Deschler & Sohn RZM 52 Deschler & Sohn RZM M1/52 Deschler & Sohn RZM 254/42 Deschler & Sohn RZM 499/41 Fritz Zimmermannn RZM M1/24 Overhoff & Cie. S.P.40 Unknown, possibly Overhoff & Cie. Unmarked E. W. Assmann & Söhne GES. GESCH. E. W. Assmann & Söhne
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The cast of Brave New World - 2005 includes: Eric Adkins as Still photographer Jon Avnet as himself Brian Chacon as himself Kerry Conran as himself Kevin Conran as himself Omid Djalili as Kaji Rob Dressel as himself Matthew Feitshans as himself Michael Gambon as Paley Darin Hollings as himself Stephen Lawes as himself Bai Ling as Mysterious Woman Omar McClinton as Himself (associate producer) Marsha Oglesby as herself Laurence Olivier as Dr. Totenkopf Zack Petroc as himself Sabrina Plisco as herself Dan Rucinski as himself Michael Sean Foley as himself Steve Yamamoto as himself
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This is a netflix summary of the movie. (woops, for forgot to give the credit). (I'll mix this up a little). Scientists all over the world keep disappearing without a trace, a reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) and top aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law- so cute) to find out the truth. The dangerous task will involve putting their lives at risk as they travel to treacherous locales (and getting screwed over endlessly I might add), hoping to stop a sinful plan of Dr. Totenkopf's (Tote-en-cough), who aims to wipe out the planet. Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie) and Dex (Giovanni Ribisi) are the buddies of Jude and Gwyneth. Rated PG 1 hr. 46 min. 2004
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Your question is characteristically vague. Obviously SS personnel had issue Jackboots ( why they are called Jack boots I do not know) these are pull-on paramilitary footwear, and are of course traditionally black. Some Waffen-SS Panzer ( Tank) units-and there were only three Waffen-SS divisions fully up to armored division status- the Leibstandarte, Das Reich, and Totenkopf- the last named often called-up for civil unrest, say in the Warsaw Ghetto-these sometimes opted out for brown boots which were associate with the Cavalry.- there were some SS Horse troopers- also- I cannot recall the divisional number, they were used mainly for police patrol duties- The Waffen-SS was an armed- often heavily extension of the Police establishment-not the regular (Heer) Army. SS favored black helmets rather than Field Grey. There are a number of excellent books out on SS uniforms and equipment- and so on. I hope this answers your quesiton- with a click of the heels!
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Friedrich Ulmer has: Performed in "Der Totenkopf" in 1920. Performed in "Das schwarze Amulett" in 1920. Played Menelaos in "Helena" in 1924. Played Gneisenau in "Waterloo" in 1929. Performed in "Der Tunnel" in 1933. Played Generaldirektor Livius in "Der rote Reiter" in 1935. Played Conrad Kersten in "Das Schweigen im Walde" in 1937. Played Niederegger, Gemeindevorsteher in "Das Recht auf Liebe" in 1939. Played Der Kommissar in "Ein Mann auf Abwegen" in 1940. Played Bongelstedt in "Der Herr im Haus" in 1940. Played Major von Brockdorff in "Kameraden" in 1941. Played Prince Hohenlohe-Langenberg in "Carl Peters" in 1941. Performed in "Hochzeitsnacht" in 1941. Performed in "Die See ruft" in 1942. Played Dr. Hoffmann in "Geheimakte W.B.1" in 1942. Played Peter Pienzenauer in "Der Ochsenkrieg" in 1943.
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Waffen means weapons. Waffen-SS usually hyphenated was the armed militarized segment of the SS. Three of the top divisions were on a par with regular Army Armored divisions- but only Three- Liebstandarte, Das Reich, and Totenkopf. The Totenkopf- Death"s Head was a full-up Panzer division and was called in in such things as the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. It should be understood not all SS-men were of the Waffen-SS in fact there were Allgemeine ( generalized) SS personnel who were among usual police tasks as traffic control, security around sporting events such as the Olympics, photographers, cryptographers, etc. These were not strictly speaking Waffen-SS as these were unarmed jobs- as many police agencies have and need.
AnswerIn the sense that it is used in 'Waffen SS', the word 'waffen' simply means 'armed'. So, 'Waffen SS' means 'Armed SS'.
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SS stands for "Schutzstaffel," which literally means "defensive staff," an image drawn from medieval--especially Nordic--warfare. The SS was an elite paramilitary organization in Nazi Germany, separate from the armed forces and police forces although it exercised both military and police authority.
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Viktor Gehring has: Played Dorfkaplan in "Der Dorfkaplan" in 1919. Performed in "Der Totenkopf" in 1920. Performed in "Bergasyl" in 1920. Played Paolo in "Monna Vanna" in 1922. Performed in "Martin Luther" in 1923. Played Ingenieur Frank in "Ich hab mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren" in 1926. Played Landwirtschaftsrat in "Der Pflanzendoktor" in 1926. Played Privatdetektiv in "Der Bund der Drei" in 1929. Performed in "Im Banne der Berge" in 1931. Played Zellger in "Ehestreik" in 1935. Played Bootswart Beutelmoser in "Die Leute mit dem Sonnenstich" in 1936. Played Provinzler in "Spuk im Museum" in 1938. Performed in "Der Meineidbauer" in 1941. Played Berghofer in "Der laufende Berg" in 1941. Played Infanterist Schober in "Der Fall Rainer" in 1942. Played Giant Bumbo in "Der kleine Muck" in 1944. Performed in "Die Alm an der Grenze" in 1951. Performed in "Aus meiner Waldheimat" in 1963.
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No it was not. The title is confusing, but (and it was ErlKonig in German) the title refers to the spirit of Death. ( why not Totenkopf- or Dead head- skull and crossbones?) The song-story would be banned outright today- a child is either mortally wounded or terminally ill and is being conveyed by his Father and some others in a horse-drawn vehicle to one assumes, a hospital. The child dies on the way. The cause of the predicament is not made known to the listeners- it could have been an accident of some kind. How anybody could consider something like this as (Romantic) is beyond me. True, there are or were popular songs such as ( Last Kiss) which is received by a young man from his dying girlfriend - the cause being an automobile accident.-at least that has a normal romance- boy and girl- backdrop. How anybody could see anything Romantic about a song as morbid and ghoulish ( there are shadown and flash-lightining sound effects, as I recall) as entertainment I do not know. as we don"t know how the kid got in this fix it could not be considered a moral lesson on bad habits. I just don"t like the idea.
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I'm not sure that there was one specific one. there were many. One of the most common ones, was a star of david otherwise known as the Jewish star. this is the symbol of judaism. it comes from when david fought goliath and on his (davids) shield was a 6 pointed star. in the holocaust these stars of david were yellow, with the word juif or Jude, depending on whether you were a male or female Jew. these were to be sewn to all Jews clothing otherwise they would be arrested. non-Jews that felt for Jews, bore the sign upon their clothing along with them.
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The cast of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - 2004 includes: Stephen Ballantyne as German Broadcaster Trevor Baxter as Dr. Jennings Tenzin Bhagen as Kalacakra Priest Khan Bonfils as Creepy Paul Canter as Police Officer James Cash as Uniformed Officer Karl Champley as Pilot Stephane Cornicard as French Broadcaster Nancy Crane as Receptionist Julian Curry as Dr. Vargas David Decio as Pilot Omid Djalili as Kaji Matthew Feitshans as Officer Michael Gambon as Editor Paley Demetri Goritsas as Radio Operator Samta Gyatso as Scary Mido Hamada as Soldier Louis Hilyer as Executive Officer William Hope as American Broadcaster Angelina Jolie as Franky Jonathan Keeble as British Broadcaster Charlotte Kyle as Hindenberg Passenger Peter Law as Dr. Kessler Jude Law as Sky Captain Bai Ling as Mysterious Woman Stuart Milligan as Police Sergeant Gerard Monaco as Technician Laurence Olivier as Dr. Totenkopf Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins Giovanni Ribisi as Dex Jon Rumney as German Scientist Victor Sobchak as Russian Broadcaster Sky Soleil as Officer Thupten Tsondru as Dying Old Man Chuen Tsou as Buddhist Monk Merritt Yohnka as Construction Worker
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If you are referring to SS concentration-camp guards then, during the war years, they wore feldgrau (grey/green) uniforms that were more-or-less identical to those worn by the German Army, but with SS insignia.
Generally, concentration camps were guarded by SS Totenkopf ('Deaths Head') guard units, generally made up of SS men who were too old, or unfit, for combat duties. They can be identified from regular Waffen-SS (Armed-SS) troops because they wore a deaths' head insignia on their right collar patch, and their waffenfarbe (arm-of-service colour) was brown -this was the coloured underlay to their shoulder straps. In common with all other SS units, an SS-style eagle was worn midway up the left arm of the uniform, and the SS rank was shown on the left-hand collar patch as well as by the style of shoulder strap. As the war progressed, regular SS guards were supplemented with wounded Waffen-SS soldiers and, in some cases, Wehrmacht (Army or Luftwaffe) soldiers. These personnel usually wore a unusual version (double armed) of the swastika on their right collar patch, in place of the deaths' head badge.
Concentration camp guards should not be confused with members of the Waffen-SS 'Totenkopf' Division, who also wore the deaths' head badge on their right collar patch. These were fighting troops and members of what became an elite Panzer Division. However, this Waffen-SS Division was originally formed from the SS-Totenkopfverband which, in the pre-war years, was indeed raised to guard concentration camps. However, at the outbreak of the war, this organisation was expanded and became part of the Waffen-SS.
Prior to the outbreak of the war, the SS-Totenkopfverband members (when on duty) wore a brown working uniform that was identical, in cut, to the famous pre-war SS black uniform, but with the SS eagle, rather than a swastika armband, worn on the left arm.
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Following their disastrous defeat at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-43, the German armed forces launched a climactic offensive in the East known as Operation Citadel on July 4,1943. The climax of Operation Citadel, the Battle of Kursk, involved as many as 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million fighting men and is remembered as the greatest tank battle in history. The high-water mark of the battle was the massive armor engagement at Prochorovka (also spelled Prokhorovka), which began on July 12. But while historians have categorized Prochorovka as a victory of improved Soviet tactics over German firepower and heavy tanks, new evidence casts the struggle at the 'gully of death' in a very different light.
The Germans' goal during Citadel was to pinch off a large salient in the Eastern Front that extended 70 miles toward the west. Field Marshal Günther von Kluge's Army Group Center would attack from the north flank of the bulge, with Colonel General Walther Model's Ninth Army leading the effort, General Hans Zorn's XLVI Panzer Corps on the right flank and Maj. Gen. Josef Harpe's XLI Panzer Corps on the left. General Joachim Lemelsen's XLVII Panzer Corps planned to drive toward Kursk and meet up with Field Marshal Erich von Manstein's Army Group South, Col. Gen. Hermann Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army and the Kempf Army, commanded by General Werner Kempf.
Opposing the German forces were the Soviet Central Front, led by General Konstantin K. Rokossovsky, and the Voronezh Front, led by General Nikolai F. Vatutin. The Central Front, with the right wing strengthened by Lt. Gen. Nikolai P. Pukhov's Thirteenth Army and Lt. Gen. I.V. Galinin's Seventeenth Army, was to defend the northern sector. To the south, the Voronezh Front faced the German Army Group South with three armies and two in reserve. The Sixth Guards Army, led by Lt. Gen. Mikhail N. Chistyakov, and the Seventh Guards Army, led by Lt. Gen. M. S. Shumilov, held the center and left wing. East of Kursk, Col. Gen. Ivan S. Konev's Steppe Military District (renamed Steppe Front on July 10, 1943) was to hold German breakthroughs, then mount the counteroffensive.
If their plan succeeded, the Germans would encircle and destroy more than five Soviet armies. Such a victory would have forced the Soviets to delay their operations and might have allowed the Wehrmacht desperately needed breathing room on the Eastern Front. Model's Ninth Army never came close to breaking the Soviet defenses in the north, however, and soon became deadlocked in a war of attrition that it could not win. On the southern flank, Kempf's III Panzer Corps, commanded by General Hermann Breith, also encountered tough Soviet resistance.
By July 11, however, Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army was in position to capture the town of Prochorovka, secure a bridgehead over the Psel River and advance on Oboyan. The Psel was the last natural barrier between Manstein's panzers and Kursk. The Fourth Panzer Army's attack on the town was led by SS General Paul Hausser's II SS Panzer Corps, General Otto von Knobelsdorff's XLVIII Panzer Corps and General Ott's LII Army Corps. Hausser's corps was made up of three panzer divisions-the 1st Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (Adolf Hitler's bodyguard), 2nd SS Das Reich (The Empire) and 3rd SS Totenkopf (Death's Head). Although all three were technically Panzergrenadier divisions, each had more than 100 tanks when Citadel began. Knobelsdorff's corps was composed of the 167th and 332nd infantry divisions, the 3rd and 11th panzer divisions, Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland and Panther Brigade Decker, and Ott's corps contained the 25th and 57th infantry divisions.
Opposing Hausser at Prochorovka was the newly arrived and reinforced Fifth Guards Tank Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Pavel A. Rotmistrov. The Fifth Guards was the Soviet strategic armored reserve in the south, the last significant uncommitted armored formation in the sector, with more than 650 tanks. The Soviet operational armored reserve, General Mikhail E. Katukov's First Tank Army, was already in action against Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army south of the Psel. Katukov's army had been unable to prevent the Germans from reaching the river, however. His VI Tank Corps, originally equipped with more than 200 tanks, had only 50 left by July 10 and 11, and the other two corps of Katukov's army also had sustained serious losses. On July 10, the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf, commanded by SS Maj. Gen. Hermann Priess, had established a bridgehead over the Psel, west of Prochorovka.
By July 11, the division's panzer group had crossed the river on pontoon bridges and reached the bridgehead. What was left of Katukov's armor regrouped to oppose the XLVIII Panzer Corps below Oboyan or counterattack the Psel bridgehead. Reinforced with the XXXIII Rifle Corps and X Tank Corps, Katukov launched continuous attacks on the Totenkopf units on the north bank of the river.
During the evening of July 11, Hausser readied his divisions for an assault on Prochorovka. Totenkopf anchored the left flank of the corps, while Leibstandarte, commanded by SS Maj. Gen. Theodore Wisch, was in the center, assembled west of the town between a rail line and the Psel. Das Reich, commanded by SS Lt. Gen. Walter Krüger, moved into its attack zone on the corps' right flank, which was several kilometers south of Tetrevino and southwest of Prochorovka.
While Hausser's SS divisions prepared for battle, there was feverish activity in the Soviet camp as well. On July 11, the Fifth Guards Tank Army arrived in the Prochorovka area, having begun its march on July 7 from assembly areas nearly 200 miles to the east. The army consisted of the XVIII and XXIX Tank Corps and the V Guards Mechanized Corps. Rotmistrov's 650 tanks were reinforced by the II Tank Corps and II Guards Tank Corps, increasing its strength to about 850 tanks, 500 of which were T-34s. The Fifth Guards' primary mission was to lead the main post-Kursk counteroffensive, known as Operation Rumyantsev, and its secondary mission was as defensive insurance in the south. The commitment of Rotmistrov's army at such an early date is stark evidence of Soviet concern about the situation on the Psel. The Fifth Guards' arrival at the Psel set the stage for the Battle of Prochorovka.
Prochorovka is one of the best-known of the many battles on the Eastern Front during World War II. It has been covered in articles, books and televised historical documentaries, but these accounts vary in accuracy; some are merely incomplete, while others border on fiction. In the generally accepted version of the battle, the three SS divisions attacked Prochorovka shoulder to shoulder, jammed into the terrain between the Psel and the railroad. A total of 500 to 700 German tanks, including dozens of Panzerkampfwagen Mark V Panther medium tanks with 75mm guns and Panzerkampfwagen Mark VI Tiger heavy tanks with deadly 88mm cannons, lumbered forward while hundreds of nimble Soviet T-34 medium tanks raced into the midst of the SS armor and threw the Germans into confusion. The Soviets closed with the panzers, negating the Tigers' 88mm guns, outmaneuvered the German armor and knocked out hundreds of German tanks. The Soviet tank force's audacious tactics resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Germans, and the disorganized SS divisions withdrew, leaving 400 destroyed tanks behind, including between 70 and 100 Tigers and many Panthers. Those losses smashed the SS divisions' fighting power, and as a result Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army had no chance to achieve even a partial victory in the south.
While it makes a dramatic story, nearly all of this battle scenario is essentially myth. Careful study of the daily tank strength reports and combat records of II SS Panzer Corps-available on microfilm at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.-provides information that forces a historical reappraisal of the battle. These records show, first of all, that Hausser's corps began with far fewer tanks than previously believed and, more important, that they suffered only moderate losses on July 12, 1943. As those reports were intended to allow the corps commander to assess the combat strength of his divisions, they can be considered reasonably accurate. Considering that information, it seems that the Germans may have been near a limited success on the southern flank of the salient.
The number of SS tanks actually involved in the battle has been variously reported as high as 700 by some authorities, while others have estimated between 300 to 600. Even before the Battle of Kursk began, however, the II SS Panzer Corps never had 500 tanks, much less 700. On July 4, the day before Operation Citadel was launched, Hausser's three divisions possessed a total of 327 tanks between them, plus a number of command tanks. By July 11, the II SS Panzer Corps had a total of 211 operational tanks-Totenkopf had 94 tanks, Leibstandarte had only 56 and Das Reichpossessed just 61. Damaged tanks or tanks undergoing repairs are not listed. Only 15 Tiger tanks were still in action at Prochorovka, and there were no SS Panthers available. The battalions that were equipped with Panthers were still training in Germany in July 1943.
On July 13, the day after the Battle of Prochorovka, Fourth Panzer Army reports declared that the II SS Panzer Corps had 163 operational tanks, a net loss of only 48 tanks. Actual losses were somewhat heavier, the discrepancy due to the gain of repaired tanks returned to action. Closer study of the losses of each type of tank reveals that the corps lost about 70 tanks on July 12. In contrast, Soviet tank losses, long assumed to be moderate, were actually catastrophic. In 1984, a history of the Fifth Guards Tank Army written by Rotmistrov himself revealed that on July 13 the army lost 400 tanks to repairable damage. He gave no figure for tanks that were destroyed or not available for salvage. Evidence suggests that there were hundreds of additional Soviet tanks lost. Several German accounts mention that Hausser had to use chalk to mark and count the huge jumble of 93 knocked-out Soviet tanks in the Leibstandarte sector alone. Other Soviet sources say the tank strength of the army on July 13 was 150 to 200, a loss of about 650 tanks. Those losses brought a caustic rebuke from Josef Stalin. Subsequently, the depleted Fifth Guards Tank Army did not resume offensive action, and Rotmistrov ordered his remaining tanks to dig in among the infantry positions west of the town.
Another misconception about the battle is the image of all three SS divisions attacking shoulder to shoulder through the narrow lane between the Psel and the rail line west of Prochorovka. Only Leibstandarte was aligned directly west of the town, and it was the only division to attack the town itself. The II SS Panzer Corps zone of battle, contrary to the impression given in many accounts, was approximately nine miles wide, with Totenkopfon the left flank, Leibstandarte in the center and Das Reich on the right flank. Totenkopf's armor was committed primarily to the Psel bridgehead and in defensive action against Soviet attacks on the Psel bridges. In fact, only Leibstandarte actually advanced into the corridor west of Prochorovka, and then only after it had thrown back initial Soviet attacks.
Early on July 12, Leibstandarte units reported a great deal of loud motor noise, which indicated massing Soviet armor. Soon after 5 a.m., hundreds of Soviet tanks, carrying infantry, rolled out of Prochorovka and its environs in groups of 40 to 50. Waves of T-34 and T-70 tanks advanced at high speed in a charge straight at the startled Germans. When machine-gun fire, armor-piercing shells and artillery fire struck the T-34s, the Soviet infantry jumped off and sought cover. Leaving their infantry behind, the T-34s rolled on. Those Soviet tanks that survived the initial clash with SS armor continued a linear advance and were destroyed by the Germans.
When the initial Soviet attack paused, Leibstandartepushed its armor toward the town and collided with elements of Rotmistrov's reserve armor. A Soviet attack by the 181st Tank Regiment was defeated by several SS Tigers, one of which, the 13th (heavy) Company of the 1st SS Panzer Regiment, was commanded by 2nd Lt. Michael Wittmann, the most successful tank commander of the war. Wittmann's group was advancing in flank support of the German main attack when it was engaged by the Soviet tank regiment at long range. The Soviet charge, straight at the Tigers over open ground, was suicidal. The frontal armor of the Tiger was impervious to the 76mm guns of the T-34s at any great distance. The field was soon littered with burning T-34s and T-70s. None of the Tigers were lost, but the 181st Tank Regiment was annihilated. Late in the day, Rotmistrov committed his last reserves, elements of the V Mechanized Corps, which finally halted Leibstandarte.
Das Reich began its attack from several kilometers southwest of Prochorovka and was quickly engaged by aggressive battle groups of the II Tank Corps and II Guards Tank Corps. Fierce, somewhat confused fighting broke out all along the German division's axis of advance. Battle groups of 20 to 40 Soviet tanks, supported by infantry and ground-attack planes, collided with Das Reich regimental spearheads. Rotmistrov continued to throw armor against the division, and combat raged throughout the day, with heavy losses of Soviet armor. Das Reich continued to push slowly eastward, advancing into the night while suffering relatively light tank losses.
Meanwhile, on the left flank, Soviet First Tank Army elements unsuccessfully tried to crush Totenkopf's bridgehead. The SS division fought off the XXXI and X Tank Corps, supported by elements of the XXXIII Rifle Corps. In spite of the Soviet attacks, Totenkopf's panzer group drove toward a road that ran from the village of Kartaschevka, southeast across the river and into Prochorovka.
The fighting, characterized by massive losses of Soviet armor, continued throughout July 12 without a decisive success by either side-contrary to the accounts given in many well-known studies of the Eastern Front, which state that the fighting ended on July 12 with a decisive German defeat. These authors describe the battlefield as littered with hundreds of destroyed German tanks and report that the Soviets overran the SS tank repair units. In fact, the fighting continued around Prochorovka for several more days. Das Reich continued to push slowly eastward in the area south of the town until July 16. That advance enabled the III Panzer Corps to link up with the SS division on July 14 and encircle several Soviet rifle divisions south of Prochorovka. Totenkopf eventually reached the KartaschevkaÂProchorovka road, and the division took several tactically important hills on the north edge of its perimeter as well. Those successes were not exploited, however, due to decisions made by Adolf Hitler.
After receiving the news of the Allied invasion of Sicily, as well as reports of impending Soviet attacks on the Mius River and at Izyum, Hitler decided to cancel Operation Citadel. Manstein argued that he should be allowed to finish off the two Soviet tank armies. He had unused reserves, consisting of three experienced panzer divisions of XXIV Panzer Corps, in position for quick commitment. That corps could have been used to attack the Fifth Guards Tank Army in its flank, to break out from the Psel bridgehead or to cross the Psel east of Prochorovka. All of the available Soviet armor in the south was committed and could not be withdrawn without causing a collapse of the Soviet defenses. Manstein correctly realized that he had the opportunity to destroy the Soviet operational and strategic armor in the Prochorovka area.
Hitler could not be persuaded to continue the attack, however. Instead, he dispersed the divisions of the II SS Panzer Corps to deal with the anticipated Soviet diversionary attacks south of the BelgorodÂKharkov sector. On the night of July 17-18, the corps withdrew from its positions around Prochorovka. Thus, the battle for Prochorovka ended, not because of German tank losses (Hausser had over 200 operational tanks on July 17) but because Hitler lacked the will to continue the offensive. The SS panzer divisions were still full of fight; in fact, two of them continued to fight effectively in southern Russia for the rest of the summer.
Leibstandarte was ordered to Italy, but Das Reichand Totenkopf remained in the East. Those two divisions and the 3rd Panzer Division, which replaced Leibstandarte, were transferred to the Sixth Army area, where they conducted a counterattack from July 31 to August 2 that eliminated a strong Soviet bridgehead at the Mius River. Without pause, the three divisions were then transferred to the Bogodukhov sector in early August 1943. Under the command of the III Panzer Corps, they were joined by another unit, the Fifth SS PanzergrenadierDivision Wiking. During three weeks of constant combat, the four divisions played a major role in stopping the main Soviet post-Kursk counteroffensive, Operation Rumyantsev. They fought Rotmistrov's Fifth Guards Tank Army, rebuilt to 503 tanks strong, and major portions of the First Tank Army, now at 542 tanks.
By the end of the month, Rotmistrov had less than 100 tanks still running. Katukov had only 120 tanks still in action by the last week of August. While at no time did any of the German divisions have more than 55 tanks in operation, they repeatedly blunted the thrusts of the two Soviet tank armies, which were also reinforced by several rifle corps.
Totenkopf repeatedly cut off and defeated all of the First Tank Army's thrusts toward the KharkovÂPoltava rail line. Das Reich threw back two Soviet tank corps south of Bogodukhov and blunted Rotmistrov's last major attack west of Kharkov, and the III Panzer Corps halted Operation Rumyantsev.
After Kharkov itself fell, however, the German front gradually collapsed. The Soviets regrouped, committed additional strong reserves and renewed their attack toward the strategically important Dnepr River. Army Group South was subsequently forced to abandon much of southern Ukraine in a race for the safety of the Dnepr. Despite the remarkable efforts of the German army and Waffen SS panzer divisions during July and August, the Germans were too weak to hold the KharkovÂBelgorodÂPoltava sector after their summer losses.
It is apparent from their operations during the late summer that the SS panzer divisions were not destroyed at Prochorovka. This reassessment of the battle provides food for thought regarding possible German successes if Manstein's panzer reserves had been utilized as he had intended.
To what extent the course of events in Russia would have been changed is, of course, unknown, but it is interesting to speculate. If Army Group South's panzer reserve had been used to encircle and destroy the Fifth Guards Tank Army and the First Tank Army, the outcome of the war in Russia might have been significantly different. Although it was beyond the German army's capabilities to force a military end to the war by the summer of 1943, a limited victory in the south could have resulted in a delay of Soviet strategic operations for months or perhaps longer. It is doubtful, however, that this pause would have lasted long enough for the Germans to transfer enough forces to the West to defeat the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion.
But one fact is beyond any question, regardless of the number of tanks possessed by the Germans or Soviets or what might have been possible. Due to Hausser's panzer corps' failure to take Prochorovka on July 12 and the subsequent misuse of German panzer reserves, the momentum of the Fourth Panzer Army was slowed dramatically. When Hitler abandoned Operation Citadel on July 13, the Germans' last opportunity to influence events on a strategic level in the East was lost.
It is interesting that the information regarding German tank losses at Prochorovka has not been made available before now. Due to the lack of crucial primary-source information-especially the records of the II SS Panzer Corps on the Eastern Front-there had been no evidence to correct the erroneous accounts and impressions given in previous studies of the Eastern Front.
Waffen SS formations' records of their Eastern Front operations were not declassified until 1978Â1981. By that time, many of the major works about the Eastern Front had already been published. Later authors accepted the accounts of the battle as given in the earlier books and failed to conduct additional research. As a result, one of the best known of all Eastern Front battles has never been understood properly. Prochorovka was believed to have been a significant German defeat but was actually a stunning reversal for the Soviets because they suffered enormous tank losses.
As Manstein suggested, Prochorovka may truly have been a lost German victory, thanks to decisions made by Hitler. It was fortunate for the Allied cause that the German dictator, a foremost proponent of the value of will, lost his own will to fight in southern Ukraine in July 1943. Had he allowed Manstein to continue the attack on the two Soviet tank armies in the Prochorovka area, Manstein might have achieved a victory even more damaging to the Soviets than the counterattack that had recaptured Kharkov in March 1943.
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Answer 1: There isn't an SS symbol on hellsangelsjackets,Hells angels jackets otherwise known as "cut offs" are not uniforms or indeed uniform,If someone has seen an SS symbol on a HellsAngels cut off it is likely that particular Hells Angel admires the SS
Answer 2: what he says is wrong. the SS symbol that looks like lightening bolts means "dirt few". u get that patch when u had killed for the gang. the hells angels is a white power mc gang so they hav nazi symbols. if u don't believe me Google hellsangels dirty few.
Answer 3: The answer above isn't true. The old Filthy Few patches bore the SS bolts. The newer Filthy Few patches bear the number 666 in place of the SS Bolts. HAMC decided to internationally prohibit the use of Nazi symbolism among its brothers, because the German members, under German law, cannot wear any Nazi paraphernalia. According to urban myth: The Filthy Few patches mean that a member has killed for the club, but HAMC members have publicly stated that this is not true, and that the patch is given when a member does something for the club that is above and beyond the norm.
Nazi symbols and regalia were first used by HAMC for shock value. It's a reminder to the general public, and to the 99%, that the HAMC is not like them, and that the HAMC will never be like them. Believe it or not, some Mexican American gangs in San Diego and Los Angeles used to use swastikas in graffiti for a similar purpose during the 60's and 70's. In fact, Mongols MC, a predominantly Mexican American 1% club, and a rival to the HAMC, has many white members with tattoos that incorporate Nazi symbolism.
Nazi style tattoos have also been picked up by some white HAMC members that have done time. In prison, these tattoos have a whole different meaning than what they do in free society. Hence, they may not represent a member's political or social ideology. There has also been a revival of white pride that began strongly in the 80's. It is important to understand, that white pride is not equal to white power, or to white supremacy. White pride means that a person is proud of their European heritage. Many European Americans that express white pride are neither racist nor prejudiced. Some HAMC members that do not have racist ideologies have gotten swastikas, sig runes, and other indigenous northern European symbols tattooed on them, simply because they are proud of being white. Most Nazi symbols were appropriated from indigenous Germanic/Nordic ethnic groups. The swastika, runes (sig, algiz, odal, etc...), sun cross, and totenkopf were all used in non-racist contexts generations before Hitler and Nazis came about.
HAMC is not a racist or white power organization. The popular media and law enforcement have labeled them as such, because of the Nazi symbolism that was being used, and the fact that most of the charters are predominantly white. Many charters in the US, Canada, South America and Europe have always been multiethnic. In the United States, you can find Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in some of the charters. Non-white members have even served as charter presidents and vice presidents. Some members may be prejudiced or racist, but they will always put their brothers and the club first, before any other politics. A HAMC member is for HAMC first and foremost.
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Jack Nestle has: Played Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in "The Christmas Carol" in 1949. Played Herman the Hermit in "Sky King" in 1951. Played the Counterman in "I Led 3 Lives" in 1953. Played Hampshire House Desk Clerk in "Come Blow Your Horn" in 1963. Played Plumber in "Never Too Late" in 1965.
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Laurence Olivier has: Played The Man in "Too Many Crooks" in 1930. Played Peter Bille in "The Temporary Widow" in 1930. Played Julian Rolfe in "The Yellow Ticket" in 1931. Played Lieutenant Ned Nichols in "Friends and Lovers" in 1931. Played Clive Dering in "No Funny Business" in 1933. Played Nicholas Randall in "Perfect Understanding" in 1933. Played Capt. Ivan Ignatoff in "Moscow Nights" in 1935. Played Orlando in "As You Like It" in 1936. Played Vincent Lunardi in "Conquest of the Air" in 1936. Played Michael Ingolby in "Fire Over England" in 1937. Played Everard Logan in "The Divorce of Lady X" in 1938. Played Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" in 1939. Played Tony McVane in "Q Planes" in 1939. Played himself in "Cavalcade of the Academy Awards" in 1940. Played himself in "Hollywood: Style Center of the World" in 1940. Played Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" in 1940. Played Larry Durrant in "21 Days" in 1940. Played Lord Horatio Nelson in "That Hamilton Woman" in 1941. Played Johnnie - the Trapper in "49th Parallel" in 1941. Performed in "Words for Battle" in 1941. Played Narrator in "Malta G.C." in 1942. Played Ivan Kouznetsoff in "The Demi-Paradise" in 1943. Played Narrator in "This Happy Breed" in 1944. Played King Henry V of England in "The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France" in 1944. Played Himself - impersonating a fish outside restaurant window in "The Volunteer" in 1944. Played Othello in "Toast of the Town" in 1948. Played Hamlet - Prince of Denmark in "Hamlet" in 1948. Played himself in "Toast of the Town" in 1948. Played Police Constable 94-B in "The Magic Box" in 1951. Played George Hurstwood in "Carrie" in 1952. Played himself in "Today" in 1952. Played Narrator in "A Queen Is Crowned" in 1953. Played John Gabriel Borkman in "ITV Play of the Week" in 1955. Played Richard III in "Richard III" in 1955. Played Interviewee in "Korda Interviews" in 1956. Played The Regent in "The Prince and the Showgirl" in 1957. Played Himself - Presenter in "The 12th Annual Tony Awards" in 1958. Played Charles Strickland in "The Moon and Sixpence" in 1959. Played Himself - Co-Host in "The 31st Annual Academy Awards" in 1959. Played Crassus in "Spartacus" in 1960. Played Archie Rice in "The Entertainer" in 1960. Played Priest in "The Power and the Glory" in 1961. Played Graham Weir in "Term of Trial" in 1962. Played Dr. Astrov in "Uncle Vanya" in 1963. Played himself in "Farewell to the Vic" in 1963. Played Himself (pre-recorded) in "The 35th Annual Academy Awards" in 1963. Played Astrov in "NET Playhouse" in 1964. Played himself in "Cinema" in 1964. Played Othello in "Othello" in 1965. Played Superintendent Newhouse in "Bunny Lake Is Missing" in 1965. Played himself in "ABC Stage 67" in 1966. Played The Mahdi in "Khartoum" in 1966. Played Himself (interviewee) in "Great Acting: Laurence Olivier" in 1966. Played himself in "The Legend of Marilyn Monroe" in 1966. Played himself in "Omnibus" in 1967. Played Himself - Best Supporting Actor Winner in "Frost on Sunday" in 1968. Played Himself - Actor in "60 Minutes" in 1968. Played Narrator in "Romeo and Juliet" in 1968. Played Mr. Creakle in "David Copperfield" in 1969. Played Narrator in "Male of the Species" in 1969. Played Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding in "Battle of Britain" in 1969. Played James Tyrone Sr. in "ITV Saturday Night Theatre" in 1969. Played Himself - Accepting Honorary Award for National Theatre Company for Great Britain in "The 23rd Annual Tony Awards" in 1969. Played Edgar in "The Dance of Death" in 1969. Played himself in "The Battle for The Battle of Britain" in 1969. Played Himself - Honoree in "The American National Theater of Arts Academy Honors Laurence Olivier" in 1970. Played Hamlet in "Hamlet Revisited: Approaches to Hamlet" in 1970. Played Dr. Ivan Chebutikin in "Three Sisters" in 1970. Played himself in "Film Night" in 1970. Played himself in "Great Performances" in 1971. Played Narrator in "Tree of Life" in 1971. Played Count Witte in "Nicholas and Alexandra" in 1971. Played Harry in "Great Performances" in 1971. Played himself in "The Films of Robert Bolt" in 1972. Played himself in "The 26th Annual Tony Awards" in 1972. Performed in "Clapper Board" in 1972. Played Andrew Wyke in "Sleuth" in 1972. Played Himself - Narrator in "The World at War" in 1973. Played Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" in 1973. Played Duke of Wellington in "Lady Caroline Lamb" in 1973. Performed in "The Rehearsal" in 1974. Played Himself - Honoree in "The 1974 Annual Entertainment Hall of Fame Awards" in 1974. Played Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones in "Love Among the Ruins" in 1975. Played himself in "Arena" in 1975. Played Himself - Director, National Theatre, 1963-1973 in "Arena" in 1975. Played Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 1976. Played Szell in "Marathon Man" in 1976. Played Narrator in "The Gentleman Tramp" in 1976. Played himself in "The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People" in 1976. Played Professor James Moriarty in "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" in 1976. Played Doctor Spaander in "A Bridge Too Far" in 1977. Played Nicodemus in "Jesus of Nazareth" in 1977. Played Ezra Lieberman in "The Boys from Brazil" in 1978. Played Sir Joseph in "Daphne Laureola" in 1978. Played Othello in "The South Bank Show" in 1978. Played Loren Hardeman in "The Betsy" in 1978. Played Antonio in "Saturday, Sunday, Monday" in 1978. Played Prof. Abraham Van Helsing in "Dracula" in 1979. Played Cantor Rabinovitch in "The Jazz Singer" in 1980. Played Narrator in "A New Germany, 1933-1939" in 1980. Played himself in "The 37th Annual Golden Globe Awards" in 1980. Played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans" in 1981. Played Lord Marchmain in "Brideshead Revisited" in 1981. Played Gen. Douglas MacArthur in "Inchon" in 1981. Played himself in "Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage" in 1983. Played Himself - Winner: Cecil B. DeMille Award in "The 40th Annual Golden Globe Awards" in 1983. Played Pfeuffer in "Wagner" in 1983. Played himself in "The 37th Annual Tony Awards" in 1983. Played Joe Halpern in "Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson" in 1983. Played King Lear in "King Lear" in 1983. Played himself in "The Great Hamlets" in 1983. Played Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith in "The Jigsaw Man" in 1984. Played Henry Breasley in "The Ebony Tower" in 1984. Played Admiral Hood in "The Bounty" in 1984. Played Gaius in "The Last Days of Pompeii" in 1984. Played Clifford Mortimer in "A Voyage Round My Father" in 1984. Played Himself - Presenter: Best Picture in "The 57th Annual Academy Awards" in 1985. Played Rudolf Hess in "Wild Geese II" in 1985. Played himself in "Night of 100 Stars II" in 1985. Performed in "The Golden Gong" in 1985. Played himself in "American Masters" in 1985. Performed in "American Masters" in 1985. Played Harry Burrard in "Lost Empires" in 1986. Played King William III of Orange in "Peter the Great" in 1986. Played Hamlet in "Biography" in 1987. Played himself in "Biography" in 1987. Played 1957 in "Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend" in 1987. Played himself in "The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind" in 1988. Played Old Soldier in "War Requiem" in 1989. Played himself in "Darlings of the Gods" in 1989. Played himself in "Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond" in 1990. Played himself in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic" in 1990. Played himself in "The Tales of Helpmann" in 1990. Played himself in "60 Minutes: The Entertainers" in 1991. Played himself in "One on One: Classic Television Interviews" in 1993. Played himself in "Intimate Portrait" in 1993. Played himself in "The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion" in 1993. Performed in "Heroes of Comedy" in 1995. Played himself in "Classified X" in 1998. Played Shylock in "Shylock" in 1999. Performed in "Aleph, lectures contades" in 1999. Played himself in "The Filth and the Fury" in 2000. Performed in "Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love" in 2001. Played himself in "The Kid Stays in the Picture" in 2002. Played Dr. Totenkopf in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" in 2004. Performed in "The Prince, the Showgirl and Me" in 2004. Performed in "The Revamping of Dracula" in 2004. Played Dr. Totenkopf in "Brave New World" in 2005. Played Dr. Christian Szell in "Cinema mil" in 2005. Played Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice Revisited" in 2005. Played himself in "Sunday AM" in 2005. Played himself in "John Osborne and the Gift of Friendship" in 2006. Played himself in "Never Apologize" in 2007. Played himself in "Brando" in 2007. Played Lord Nelson in "Spisok korabley" in 2008. Performed in "A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers" in 2009. Played himself in "Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff" in 2010. Played Hamlet in "Shakespeare Uncovered" in 2012. Played Himself - Film Commentator in "The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II" in 2012. Played himself in "Love, Marilyn" in 2012. Played Henry V in "Shakespeare Uncovered" in 2012. Played himself in "Frost on Interviews" in 2012. Played himself in "Charmed Lives: A Family Romance" in 2014.
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This is part of an article by Waffen SS leader Leon Degrelle, who led his men to the bitter end at Stalingrad. As a statesman and a soldier he knew Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, Franco, Laval, Marshal Petain and all the European leaders well during World War Two. Leon Degrelle is one of the most famous Waffen SS soldiers. After joining as a private he earned all stripes from corporal to general for exceptional bravery in combat. He engaged in seventy-five hand-to-hand combat actions. He was wounded on numerous occasions. He was the recipient of the highest honors: The Ritterkreuz, the Oak-Leaves, the Gold German Cross and numerous other decorations for outstanding valor under enemy fire. One of the last to fight on the Eastern Front, Leon Degrelle escaped unconditional surrender by flying some 1500 miles across Europe toward Spain. He managed to survive constant fire all along the way and crash-landed on the beach of San Sebastian in Spain, critically wounded. Against all odds he survived. Slowly he managed to re-build a new life in exile for himself and his family.
Degrelle says: Hitler's Russian campaign was the "last chance" campaign. Hitler did not go into Russia with any great optimism. He told me later on: "When I entered Russia, I was like a man facing a shut door. I knew I had to crash through it, but without knowing what was behind it." Hitler was right. He knew the Soviets were strong, but above all he knew they were going to be a lot stronger. 1941 was the only time Hitler had some respite. The British had not succeeded yet in expanding the war. Hitler, who never wanted the war with Britain, still tried for peace. He invited me to spend a week at his home. He wanted to discuss the whole situation and hear what I had to say about it. He spoke very simply and clearly. The atmosphere was informal and relaxed. He made you feel at home because he really enjoyed being hospitable. He buttered pieces of toast in a leisurely fashion, and passed them around, and although he did not drink he went to get a bottle of champagne after each meal because he knew I enjoyed a glass at the end of it. All without fuss and with genuine friendliness. It was part of his genius that he was also a man of simple ways without the slightest affection and a man of great humility. We talked about England. I asked him bluntly: "Why on earth didn't you finish the British off in Dunkirk? Everyone knew you could have wiped them out." He answered: "Yes, I withheld my troops and let the British escape back to England. The humiliation of such a defeat would have made it difficult to try for peace with them afterwards."
At the same time, Hitler told me he did not want to dispel the Soviet belief that he was going to invade England. He mentioned that he even had small Anglo-German dictionaries distributed to his troops in Poland. The Soviet spies there duly reported to the Kremlin that Germany's presence in Poland was a bluff and that they were about to leave for the British Isles.
On 22 June 1941, it was Russia and not England that Germany invaded. The initial victories were swift but costly. I lived the epic struggle of the Russian Front. It was a tragic epic; it was also martyrdom. The endless thousands of miles of the Russian steppes were overwhelming. We had to reach the Caucasus by foot, always under extreme conditions. In the summer we often walked knee-deep in mud, and in winter there were below-zero freezing temperatures. But for a matter of a few days Hitler would have won the war in Russia in 1941. Before the battle of Moscow, Hitler had succeeded in defeating the Soviet Army, and taking considerable numbers of prisoners.
General Guderian's tank division, which had all by itself encircled more than a million Soviet troops near Kiev, had reached Moscow right up to the city's tramway lines. It was then that suddenly an unbelievable freeze happened: 40, 42, 50 degrees celsius below zero! This meant that not only were men freezing, but the equipment was also freezing, on the spot. No tanks could move. Yesterday's mud had frozen to a solid block of ice, half a meter high, icing up the tank treads.
In 24 hours all of our tactical options had been reversed. It was at that time that masses of Siberian troops brought back from the Russian Far East were thrown against the Germans. These few fateful days of ice that made the difference between victory and defeat, Hitler owed to the Italian campaign in Greece during the fall of 1940.
Mussolini was envious of Hitler's successes. It was a deep and silent jealousy. I was a friend of Mussolini, I knew him well. He was a remarkable man, but Europe was not of great concern to him. He did not like to be a spectator, watching Hitler winning everywhere. He felt compelled to do something himself, fast. Impulsively, he launched a senseless offensive against Greece.
His troops were immediately defeated. But it gave the British the excuse to invade Greece, which up till now had been uninvolved in the war. From Greece the British could bomb the Rumanian oil wells, which were vital to Germany's war effort. Greece could also be used to cut off the German troops on their way to Russia. Hitler was forced to quash the threat preemptively. He had to waste five weeks in the Balkans. His victories there were an incredible logistical achievement, but they delayed the start of the Russian campaign for five critical weeks.
If Hitler had been able to start the campaign in time, as it was planned, he would have entered Moscow five weeks before, in the sun of early fall, when the earth was still dry. The war would have been over, and the Soviet Union would have been a thing of the past. The combination of the sudden freeze and the arrival of fresh Siberian troops spread panic among some of the old Army generals. They wanted to retreat to 200 miles from Moscow. It is hard to imagine such inane strategy! The freeze affected Russia equally, from West to East, and to retreat 200 miles in the open steppes would only make things worse. I was commanding my troops in the Ukraine at the time and it was 42 degrees centigrade below zero.
Such a retreat meant abandoning all the heavy artillery, including assault tanks and panzers that were stuck in the ice. It also meant exposing half a million men to heavy Soviet sniping. In fact, it meant condemning them to certain death. One need only recall Napoleon's retreat in October. He reached the Berzina River in November, and by December 6th all the French troops had left Russia. It was cold enough, but it was not a winter campaign.
Can you just imagine in 1941 half a million Germans fighting howling snowstorms, cut off from supplies, attacked from all sides by tens of thousands of Cossaks? I have faced charging Cossaks, and only the utmost superior firepower will stop them. In order to counter such an insane retreat, Hitler had to fire more than 30 generals within a few days.
It was then that he called on the Waffen SS to fill in the gap and boost morale. Immediately the SS held fast on the Moscow front. Right through the war the Waffen SS never retreated. They would rather die than retreat. One cannot forget the figures. During the 1941 winter, the Waffen SS lost 43,000 men in front of Moscow. The regiment Der Führer fought almost literally to the last man. Only 35 men survived out of the entire regiment. The Der Führer men stood fast and no Soviet troops got through. They had to try to bypass the SS in the snow. This is how famous Russian General Vlasov was captured by the Totenkopf SS division. Without their heroism, Germany would have been annihilated by December 1941.
Hitler would never forget it: he gauged the willpower that the Waffen SS had displayed in front of Moscow. They had shown character and guts. And that is what Hitler admired most of all: guts. For him, it was not enough to have intelligent or clever associates. These people can often fall to pieces, as we will see during the following winter at the battle of Stalingrad with General Paulus.
Hitler knew that only sheer energy and guts, the refusal to surrender, the will to hang tough against all odds, would win the war.
The blizzards of the Russian steppes had shown how the best army in the world, the German Army, with thousands of highly trained officers and millions of highly disciplined men, was just not enough. Hitler realized they would be beaten, that something else was needed, and that only the unshakable faith in a high ideal could overcome the situation. The Waffen SS had this ideal, and Hitler used them from now on at full capacity.
From all parts of Europe volunteers rushed to help their German brothers. It was then that was born the third great Waffen SS. First there was the German, then the Germanic, and now there was the European Waffen SS. 125,000 would then volunteer to save Western Culture and Civilization. The volunteers joined with full knowledge that the SS incurred the highest death tolls. More than 250,000 out of one million would die in action. For them, the Waffen SS was, despite all the deaths, the birth of Europe. Napoleon said in St. Helena: "There will be no Europe until a leader arises."
The young European volunteers have observed two things: first, that Hitler was the only leader who was capable of building Europe and secondly that Hitler, and Hitler alone could defeat the world threat of Communism.
For the European SS the Europe of petty jealousies, jingoism, border disputes, economic rivalries was of no interest. it was too petty and demeaning; that Europe was no longer valid for them. At the same time the European SS, as much as they admired Hitler and the German people, did not want to become Germans. They were men of their own people and Europe was the gathering of the various people of Europe. European unity was to be achieved through harmony, not domination of one over the others.
I discussed these issues at length with both Hitler and Himmler. Hitler like all men of genius had outgrown the national stage. Napoleon was first a Corsican, then a Frenchman, then a European and then a singularly universal man. Likewise Hitler had been an Austrian, then a German, then a greater German, then Germanic, then he had seen and grasped the magnitude of building Europe.
After the defeat of Communism the Waffen SS had a solemn duty to gather all their efforts and strength to build a united Europe, and there was no question that non-German Europe should be dominated by Germany.
Before joining the Waffen SS we had known very difficult conflicts. We had gone to the Eastern front first as adjunct units to the German army but during the battle of Stalingrad we had seen that Europe was critically endangered. Great common effort was imperative. One night I had an 8 hour debate with Hitler and Himmler on the status of non-German Europeans within the new Europe. For the present we expected to be treated as equals fighting for a common cause. Hitler understood fully and from then on we had our own flag, our own officers, our own language, our own religion. We had total equal status.
I was the first one to have Catholic padres in the Waffen SS. Later padres of all demoninations were available to all those who wanted them. The Islamic SS division had their own mullahs and the French even had a bishop! We were satisfied that with Hitler, Europeans would be federated as equals. We felt that the best way to deserve our place as equals was in this critical hour to defend Europe equally well as our German comrades.
What mattered above all for Hitler was courage. He created a new chivalry. Those who earn the order of the Ritterkreuz, meaning the cross of the knights, were indeed the new knights. They earned this nobility of courage. Each of our units going home after the war would be the force that would protect the peoples' rights in our respective countries. All the SS understood that European unity meant the whole of Europe, even Russia.
There had been a great lack of knowledge among many Germans regarding the Russians. Many believed that the Russians were all Communists while in fact, Russian representation in the Communist hierarchy was less than insignificant. They also believed that the Russians were diametrically opposite from the Europeans. Yet they have similar familial structures, they have an old civilization, deep religious faith and traditions which are not unlike those of other European countries.
The European SS saw the new Europe in the form of three great components; central Europe as the power house of Europe, western Europe as the cultural heart of Europe and eastern Europe as the potential of Europe. Thus the Europe the SS envisioned was alive and real. Its six hundred million inhabitants would live from the North Sea to Vladivostok. It was in this span of 8,000 miles that Europe could achieve its destiny. A space for young people to start new lives. This Europe would be the beacon of the world. A remarkable racial ensemble. An ancient civilization, a spirtitual force and the most advanced technological and scientific complex. The SS prepared for the high destiny of Europe.
Compare these aims, these ideals with the "Allies." The Roosevelts, the Churchills sold Europe out in Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam. They cravenly capitulated to the Soviets. They delivered half of the European continent to Communist slavery. They let the rest of Europe disintegrate morally, without any ideal to sustain it. The SS knew what they wanted: the Europe of ideals was salvation for all.
This faith in higher ideals inspired four hundred thousand German SS, three hundred thousand Volksdeutsche or Germanic SS and three hundred thousand other European SS. Volunteers all, one million builders of Europe.
The ranks of the SS grew proportionately with the growth of the war in Russia. The nearer Germany was to defeat the more volunteers arrived at the front. This was phenomenal; eight days before the final defeat I saw hundreds of young men join the SS on the front. Right to the end they knew they had to do the impossible to stop the enemy.
So from the one hundred and eighty-men strong Leibstandarte in 1933 to the SS regiments before 1939, to the three regiments in Poland, to the three divisions in France, to the six divisions at the beginning of the Russian war, to the 38 divisions in 1944, the Waffen SS reached 50 divisions in 1945. The more SS died, the more others rushed to replace them. They had faith and stood firm to the extreme limit, The exact reverse happened in January 1943 at Stalingrad. The defeat there was decided by a man without courage. He was not capable of facing danger with determination, of saying unequivocally: I will not surrender, I will stand fast until I win. He was morally and physically gutless and he lost.
A year later the SS Viking and the SS Wallonia divisions were encircled in the same way at Cherkassy. With the disaster of Stalingrad fresh in the minds of our soldiers they could have been subject to demoralization. On top of it I was laid down with a deep sidewound and 102 degree temperature. As general in command of the SS Wallonia forces I knew that all this was not conducive to high morale. I got up and for 17 days I led charge after charge to break the blockade, engaged in numerous hand-to-hand combats, was wounded four times but never stopped fighting. All my men did just as much and more. The siege was broken by sheer SS guts and spirit.
After Stalingrad, when many thought that all was lost, when the Soviet forces poured across the Ukraine, the Waffen SS stopped the Soviets dead in their tracks. They re-took Charkov and inflicted a severe defeat on the Soviet army.
I'm not sure if any did or not I do know after the battle when the Germans were being pushed back the Russian offensive was halted by Feild Marshall Von Mainstein who had under his command 6 SS panzer Divisions that had just been upgraded from panzer Grenaider divisions in France. Von Mainstein crushed the Russians in a great battle Stalin wrote after that never had they been so close to defeat. The only thing that stopped the Germans was the rain and mud but they could have restarted the attack a few months later when the ground froze unstead Hitler waited tuntill the following summer so the new Tiger and Panther's could be used Von Mainstein called this milatary suicide. Shangster.
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