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By spring 1942, Hitler’s forces on the Eastern Front were suffering heavy losses. To replace these casualties, the Army requested the transfer of 20,000 men from the Kriegsmarine and 200,000 airmen from the Luftwaffe to be retrained as infantry. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, head of the Luftwaffe, vehemently opposed the plan, fearing it would diminish his political power after several Luftwaffe failures. He proposed instead that the Luftwaffe raise and equip these 200,000 men, arguing their Nazi spirit would benefit the war effort. Hitler, prioritizing political loyalty over military logic, approved the creation of Luftwaffen Felddivisionen (Luftwaffe Field Divisions). Despite being ill...
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"Doug Nash addresses a crucial period of December 1944... This latest of his works, which all stand on their own merits, is the best read to date." — Marine Corps Gazette One of the most notorious yet least understood body of troops that fought for the Third Reich during World War II was the infamous Sondereinheit Dirlewanger, or the "Dirlewanger Special Unit." Formed initially as a company-sized formation in June 1940 from convicted poachers, it served under the command of SS-Obersturmführer Oskar Dirlewanger, one of the most infamous criminals in military history. First used to guard the Jewish ghetto in Lublin and support security operations carried out in occupied Poland by SS and Pol...
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The Estonian SS-Frewilligen-Panzergrenadier-Bataillon Narwa was the first and best fighting unit fielded by this small Baltic nation as part of the German-led crusade against Communism. Fully motorized and equipped with heavy support weapons, it was able to take its place in the ranks of the multinational SS Wiking Division. Because of cultural persecution, the Estonians had good reason to take up arms against Stalin and the unit contained both professional soldiers and those who had education above High School. The Estonians proved to be worthy successors to the Finns, who they replaced at the front, showing both tenacity and fortitude in the face of an ancestral foe. In one battle alone they inflicted 7,000 casualties on the Red army and destroyed nearly 100 tanks.