Some Random WW2 Facts

Perhaps we might be careful in assigning value judgements such as "best" to the SS paramilitary formations used in the anti-partisan role.

They were certainly ruthlessly diligent in the application of their duties but they were dealing with lightly armed partisans. They lacked any real heavy weapons, transport or indeed training to conduct a set piece battle.

In short, they'd have been as effective as the Iraqi army in 1991 if they'd have butted heads with any line division from any of the Allied nations.
 
robmiller said:
That's because the Russians captured the ones that did work—including the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics.
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Most of the Russian early bomb work was based on stolen information by their spies from the Manhatten bomb project by the USA. They copied what the Americans did after the war was over using their own scientists who were not that far behind the Americans etc to copy the Hiroshima bomb. They did get the uranium from German stockpiles however to help them along before mining their own later.

Russian Nucelar Bomb beginnings

SCM
 
do_ron_ron said:
Some of the best Waffen SS troops were Muslims from Yugoslavia. They were so good Himmler forbade any form of descrimination against them on pain of death.
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I beg to differ. The Handschar Division was noted for barbarity and the commiting of atrocities. 1000 of them mutinied while in Villefranche-sur-Rouergue and killed a number of Officers before being disarmed. The ringleaders where executed, 250 where sent to concentration camps and a further 500 were sentenced to forced labour with the Todt Organization.

They where involved in anti-partisan duties against Tito where they commited the majority of their atrocities. In September of 1944, 2000 deserted and in October, their supposed elite Begleit kompanie deserted on masse. Himmler was so furius that he ordered all Bosnians whose loyalty was suspect to be disarmed and assigned to forced labour.

The German SS Divisions are as follows -

1. SS Panzer Division Leidstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German)
2. SS Panzer Division Das Reich (German)
3. SS Panzer Division Totenkopf (German)
4. SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division (German)
5. SS Panzer Division Wiking (Dutch, Danish, Belgian and Norwegian)
6. SS Gebirgs Division Nord (German)
7. SS Freiwilligen Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen (ethnic Germans from Yugoslavia, Romania and Hungary)
8. SS Kavallerie Division Florien Geyer (German)
9. SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen (German)
10. SS Panzer Division Frundsberg (German)
11. SS Freiwilligan Panzer Grenadier Division Nordland (Dutch)
12. SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend (German)
13. Waffen Gebirgs Division Der SS Handschar (Croatian Muslims)
14. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (Ukrainische Nr.1) (Ukranian)
15. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (Lettische Nr.1) (Latvian)
16. SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsfuhrer SS (German and Hungarian ethnic Germans)
17. SS Panzer Grenadier DivisionGotz Von Berchlingen (German and ethnic Germans fom Italy and the Balkans)
18. SS Freiwilligan Panzer Grenadier Division Horst Wessel (Hungarian ethnic Germans)
19. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (Lettische Nr.2) (Latvian)
20. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (Estnische Nr.1) (Estonian)
21. Waffen Gebirgs Division Der SS Skanderbeg (Albanische Nr.1) (Albanian)
22. SS Freiwilligan Kavallerie Division Maria Theresia (Hungarian ethnic Germans)
23. SS Freiwilligan Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland (Dutch)
24. Waffen Gebirgs Division Der SS Karstjager (German)
25. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS Hunyadi (Ungerische Nr.1) (Hungarian)
26. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS Hunyadi (Ungerische Nr.2) (Hungarian)
27. SS Freiwilligan Grenadier Division Langemark (Dutch, Belgian Swedish and Norwegian)
28. SS Freiwilligan Grenadier Division Wallonien (Belgian)
29. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (russiche Nr.1) (Russian)
30. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (Italienische Nr.1) (Italian)
31. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (russiche Nr.2) (Russian)
32. SS Friewilligen Grenadier Division (Hungarian ethnic Germans)
33. SS Friewilligen Grenadier Division 30 Januar (German)
34. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS Charlemagne (French)
35. SS Freiwilligan Division Landstorm Nederland (Dutch)
36. SS und Polizei Grenadier Division (German)
37. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (German Penal Battalian, Belorussian, Russian and Latvian volunteers)
38. SS Friewilligen Kavallerie Division Lutzow (German and Hungarian ethnic Germans)
39. SS Gr3enadier Division Nibelungen (German)

The SS was made up of volunteers from all over Europe and beyond - France,Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Britain (although they never saw combat), Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Belorussia, Turkistan, Azerbaijan, Crimea, Idel-Ural, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary and India (captured in North Africa).
 
Very interesting read, the SS storys are suprisingly interesting to myself. I might have to dig around and take a futher look into this.

Here is some information about Findlands best Sniper during WW2, he fought against the Soviets.

"Besides his sniper kills, Simo Häyhä was also credited with two hundred kills with a submachine gun, thus bringing his credited kills to at least 705. All of Häyhä's kills were accomplished within 100 days prior to injuries caused by an enemy bullet. Before his injury, the Russians tried several plans to get rid of him, including counter snipers and artillery strikes. Their best result was tearing the back of his coat away with shrapnel, but leaving Häyhä himself unscratched."

505 Kills as a sniper in a 100 day period, can't complain to be honest :p

"Häyhä was promoted straight from corporal to second lieutenant by Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. No-one else has ever gained rank in such a dramatic fashion in Finland's military history."
 
mrdbristol said:
Out of interest, how was he killed by his own side, collateral damage ?

Mark
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It was during one of the Normandy breakout battles. They were using strategic bombers in a tactical role and one group dropped short killing hundreds of US troops. That was only a few percent of the total tonnage dropped on that day, which gives you some idea of the hell being rained down in the "right" area.
 
Hamzter said:
How's that then? :confused:
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Well, before the off-loading the Germans were targetting the airfields and were seriously disrupting the RAF. One lone pilot drifted off-course and only had enough time to ditch his bombs (happened to be over London). Winston Churchill decided to drop bombs on Berlin in retaliation, and Hitler then decided to target London instead of the airfields. By targetting London, the pressure was eased from the airfields, and the RAF were able to recover and take the fight to the Luftwaffe.

That's how I understand it, no doubt someone will be along to correct me.
 
WIBSBOT said:
Well, before the off-loading the Germans were targetting the airfields and were seriously disrupting the RAF. One lone pilot drifted off-course and only had enough time to ditch his bombs (happened to be over London). Winston Churchill decided to drop bombs on Berlin in retaliation, and Hitler then decided to target London instead of the airfields. By targetting London, the pressure was eased from the airfields, and the RAF were able to recover and take the fight to the Luftwaffe.

That's how I understand it, no doubt someone will be along to correct me.
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I've come along to correct you ;)

Well not really, but the Germans did claim that they were in fact acting in retaliation for an earlier RAF bombing of Berlin.

The British denied this of course, but the truth is that the RAF were having so many problems putting a single bomb within 10 miles of the aiming point during 1940 that any number of RAF crews could have accidently bombed the outskirts of Berlin and returned to base happy in the knowledge that they had bombed 50 miles away....
 
Stolly said:
It was during one of the Normandy breakout battles. They were using strategic bombers in a tactical role and one group dropped short killing hundreds of US troops. That was only a few percent of the total tonnage dropped on that day, which gives you some idea of the hell being rained down in the "right" area.
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Thanks for the info , Stolly
 
Toxicseagull said:
indeed, there are pictures of a fez SS "hat" floating around somewhere on a history forum i used to visit. countrymen from all nations joined the SS

tbird, that could be said about most human activities. and if i was to take it literally then no it couldnt. as there was no nations so a declaration of war which would start a war as it is defined could not exist. however it is debatable that the war that was known as WW2 happened when japan attempted a imperial empire. it all depends on peoples individual views.
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I agree but it's generally accepted that WW2 'starts' in 1939 so to say the first German casualty was in 1937 is just plain wrong.
 
tbird, perhaps from our side of the world but if you were to ask the people it actually effected majority it started 1937 as the germans and japanese where allies it would be natural to help them. especially if it challenged russia.

as i said im only stating what could be argued and to explain the "fact", as im a western civ i say 1939 like ive been taught :)
 
Well some Chinese would date the start back to the Mukden Incident of Septmber 1931 and a guy I asked down the pub reckons it could date back as far as the attempted Alien Invasion of 1899, which some could argue is really the by product of the Aztecs summoning them here in the first place.

Take your pick I guess, history is bunk as the quote goes.! :)
 
The Nazis had several more rocket programmes which were well underway by the end of the war. Firstly they were developing a 2/multi-stage rocket based on the A-4 (V2) rocket which would have had the range to reach Washington DC. Secondly, another development of the A-4/V2 was the Wasserfall Surface-to-Air missile (SAM) which was radio-controlled by wires linked to the ground. Thirdly, another early SAM was the Henschel Schmetterling, again wire-guided.

Wikipedia link

As for the Nazi's Nuclear Program, as an earlier poster stated, the Nazis concluded that they'd need huge amounds of Uranium in order to produce a working bomb. What they didn't realise was that their main scientist -Werner Heisenberg - had got his sums badly wrong. Apparently there is a large amount of debate amonst historians as to whether this miscalculation was delieberate in order to sabotage the Nazis nuclear programme or not.

Wikipedia link

What's scary is that the Nazis had a working computer towards the end of the war with which they could have checked Heisenberg's sums. The thought of even low-yield nuclear tipped V2 rockets raining down on London doesn't bear thinking about...

Finally. it has been dismissed as an urban myth, but the Germans did fit an ejector seat to a helicopter!
 
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