Dirlewangers name is closely linked to some of the worst crimes of the war. Hitlers most notorious antipartisan unit 1998 from schiffer bools. The history of the black hunters and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Oskar dirlewanger was released from prison and his deranged personality came out upon his release from prison, oscar dirlewanger spun the assault charge, and subsequent prison time, as a political conspiracy, claiming innocence as he petitioned heinrich himmler to join the ss. The horrific account of nazi experiments on humans.
What the others have mentionned here, is this person. Between 1919 and 1921 he was involved in the suppression of communist risings in the ruhr and saxony, also serving in the freikorps in upper silesia. After the outbreak of world war ii, dirlewanger wrote to a senior ss officer and volunteered for service as an ss officer. The members of the brigade were released prisonersincluding men who had been convicted of burglary, assault, murder, and rapewho were believed to have the skills necessary for hunting down and capturing partisan fighters in their camps in the forests of the eastern. A veteran of wwi and an iron cross recipient, dirlewanger didnt take long in finding a new hunting ground for his violent tendencies in the aftermath of germanys defeat. Between 1919 and 1921 he was involved in the suppression of communist risings in the ruhr and saxony, also serving in the freikorps in upper silesia in 1922 he obtained a degree in political science and a year later joined the nazi party, and ran a knit. By all accounts his service was honorable, receiving the iron cross twice, and getting wounded six times. Hi everybody, can someone give me the awards of oskar dirlewanger. Oskar dirlewanger was an ardent nazi and a convicted child molester. Born in 1895 and enlisting in the german army at age 18, he fought as a. The inherent drive within humans to hunt and to be hunted appears in this most. He also fought in world war i as well as in the postworld war i conflicts, and in the spanish civil war. But i want to emphasize im not defending oskar dirlewanger or his units general conduct. The author makes clear that the brigades commander, oskar dirlewanger, was.
Oskar dirlewanger and his unit, i recommend french l. I just know he finished the 1st ww with the grade of second lieutnant of wurttemberg unit. All i know is that the dirlewanger bde recruited its members from military prisons and concentration camps it was staffed with rejects, slimeballs and other malcontents. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the ss dirlewanger brigade. For example i read of one guy who was put there because hed been drunk on guard duty. Oskar paul dirlewanger 26 september 1895 7 june 1945 certificate of. But what the other answers forget is the backstory. Oskar dirlewanger, the most notorious member of the waffenss. After serving a twoyear sentence, he was released and imprisoned soon after for. Oskar dirlewanger was one of the most depraved persons to. Oskar dirlewanger military wiki fandom military wikia. The dirlewanger brigade was an antipartisan unit of the nazi army, reporting directly to heinrich himmler.
Rolf michaelis specializes in books on the waffenss and has written over thirty to. The history of the black hunters and over 8 million other. Born 26 september 1895, oskar dirlewanger was an intelligent and brave man, but he was also severely troubled. Monkeywanger the crimes of oscar dirlewanger special. Oskar dirlewanger, is himself a marginal, volunteer of the. It is however worthy to remind key events in his life, prior to the history described in cruel hunters. He distinguished his opinions about slavs, for example he had a degree of respect for white russians whom he often compared to ukrainians that he considered animals like monkeys. Oskar dirlewanger pictured in 1944 wearing a close combat. He has also been commonly referred to as a child molester or a pedophile in many of the lay books for the general reader. The 14 most loathsome figures of the second world war.
Dirlewanger was himself a convicted criminal who enjoyed a reputation as a violent alcoholic and a sadist. The unit, named after its commander oskar dirlewanger, consisted of convicted criminals who were not expected to survive their service with the unit. The unit had been slated for expansion to a division, but entered combat near guben before this happened. Wladislaw is eventually exonerated of his crimes by general worden. Oskar dirlewangers unit is worthy of close attention because it was well known to be enormously successful in its operations on the eastern front. No matter what his historical role as a butcher on the battlefield, he was a very intelligent and apparently almost suicidal brave man. Sssonderkommando dirlewanger hitlers most notorious antipartisan unit. Who are the most cruel and depraved people in history. Dirlewanger was released and reinstated in the general reserve of the ss following personal intervention of his wartime companion and local nsdap cadre comrade gottlob berger, who was also a longtime personal friend of the ss chief heinrich himmler and had become the head of the ss head office sshauptamt, ssha. Oskar dirlewanger led the infamous ss dirlewanger brigade, a penal battalion comprised of the sickest most vicious criminals in the riech.
Oskar dirlewanger was born in wurzburg on 26 september 1895. Born in 1895 and enlisting in the german army at age 18, he fought as a machine gunner on the western front. The oskar dirlewangerled ss brigade came into being in 1940 as an antipartisan unit and saw action in poland and belarus. He was first a member of the nsdap but was evicted and imprisoned in 1934 when he raped a 14yearold girl, stole a car and crashed it while driving drunk.
During the general withdrawal movements from the central sector of the russian front ssoberfuhrer dirlewanger decided to occupy a blocking position southeast. The son of a lawyer, he attended grade school and high school, before passing the abitur, a test that allowed him to enroll in college. The nazi ss division made up of murderers and rapists daily mail. The history of the black hunters and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Oskar dirlewanger was knows as the most sadistic nazi. Oskar dirlewanger was a real monster in human form. He was so cruel and so hated that there was an unofficial reward in wehrmacht for killing him. Oskar dirlewanger served in the german army in wwi. Its probably the most extensive book written and puyblished in english on this bizarre unit and its commander. Oskar paul dirlewanger 26 september 1895 7 june 1945 certificate of death, a german military officer, was the founder and commander of the infamous nazi ss penal unit dirlewanger during world war ii. Just what particular kinds of atrocities were the members of the dirlewanger brigade later expanded to division status as 36. During world war one, he reached the rank of lieutenant and won the iron cross. Dirlewanger spent the remainder of the war leading the most loathsome unit in the german armed forces with ferocious bravery. Monkeywanger the crimes of oscar dirlewanger special edition by peeler watt ph.
The formation was primarily composed of common criminals, some of whom had been convicted of assault and rape, and its activities provoked complaints even from wehrmacht and ss commanders. The use of convicted poachers as bandit hunters also illustrates the particular twists the nazi mentality took in viewing people. Sssonderkommando dirlewanger hitlers most notorious antipartisan unit schiffer military history maclean, french l. Yes, ukrainians served in the waffen ss, but so did. The film was based on a book by the same name, written by e. Dirlewanger was born to a middle class family in the schwaban region of imperial germany. This is a brutal story but from the safety of fifty years distance in time it is an extremely compelling one. This period\ is usually given short shrift except in very general political terms, but this was a well researched book about an interesting character. I dont believe everyone who got sent to dirlewanger was a total psychopath from the start. After winning the iron cross first and second class while serving in the imperial german army during world war i, dirlewanger joined the freikorps and took part in the vicious street fighting against communist insurgents. Dirlewanger and his men won countless medals, decorations, citations, and all manner of bravery awards.
A terrifying and passionate book that is infinitely disturbing. The history of the black hunters ebook written by christian ingrao. Oskar dirlewanger pictured in 1944 wearing a close combat clasp and deutsches kreuz. Between 1925 and 1945, the german schutzstaffel ss grew from eight members to over a quarter of a million waffenss and over a million allgemeiness members. This is a brutal story but, from the safety of fifty years distance in time it is an extremely compelling one. To fully understand dirlewangers monstrous and rather unique career it is necessary to read the whole book. Oskar dirlewanger bundesarchiv oskar dirlewanger was born in wurzburg on 26 september 1895. He took german prisoners, the worst of the worst rapists, murderers and used them in his unit which then went on killing sprees against his opponents. Macleans the cruel hunters ss sonderkommando dirlewanger. Now thats bad but it doesnt make him a crazy rapist. The editor has written a couple of books about the dirlewanger brigade, but they seem to be only available in german. To understand the 36th grenadier division you have to understand its leader oskar dirlewanger. Oskar dirlewanger, the monster part of the waffen ss and responsible for many outrageous horrors during ww2. Under the leadership of oskar dirlewanger, a convicted rapist and alcoholic, they could do as they pleased.
Probably the worst human scum during the entire war. The next day, oskar dirlewanger was wounded for the 12th time, while personally leading a. He has always been made out as a misfit, thugs and a creep but i see he went to university and studied economics. The defeat of the red army of the ruhr saw regular executions and atrocities on both sides. Under the leadership of oskar dirlewanger, a convicted rapist and alcoholic, they could. Oskar dirlewanger project gutenberg selfpublishing. Oskar dirlewanger returned to germany from spain in may 1939. The dirlewanger battalion, also known as sonderkommando special commando dirlewanger was. The story of waffen ss general kurt panzer meyer stackpole military history series by kurt meyer.
In commenting on his past, dirlewanger said at this point, even though i did wrong, i never committed a crime. It is also an enduring lesson that a military unit, formed under an evil ideology, led by a social outcast and composed of vicious criminals, will sink to its lowest common denominator hate. Til the a man named oskar dirlewanger commanded the 36th waffen grenadier division of the ss. The following list of ss personnel gives the names of notable persons who are counted among the organizations most. The dirlewanger brigade, also known as the sssturmbrigade dirlewanger 1944, or the 36th waffen grenadier division of the ss german.
Oskar paul dirlewanger september 1895 7 june 1945 certificate of death,a mentally unstable, violent fanatic and alcoholic, who had the habit of erupting into violence under the influence of drugs. The vile story of the nazis dirlewanger brigade war. Dirlewanger threw down his books to join the freikorps and reichswehr forces sent to put down the uprising, as well as insurrections in saxony and upper silesia. Dirlewanger and the 36th waffen grenadiers were so brutal and sadistic that even other ss officers wanted dirlewanger courtmartialed and the unit disbanded. Dirlwanger raped two year old girls on separate occasions in the 1930s, and lost his dr. A memoir is an engaging read but didnt give me the details i was looking for and the maps werent very helpful.
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