Chapter Two
By the spring of 1940 the stage was set for war against the West. Distributed among the huge army poised to attack France and the Low Countries were two SS formations comprising the Leibstandarte and the SS-VT divisions. The Totenkopf (‘Death’s Head’) and SS Polizei divisions were left in reserve. Among all the SS formations, the Leibstandarte and the SS-VT would play the most prominent part in the campaign.
The Der Führer Regiment of the SS-VT Division was organized into three regimental units, each of them consisting of three battalions with three infantry companies and one heavy company. The infantry companies were all motorized and armed with three light 5cm mortars, two heavy and nine light machine guns. The heavy weapons company consisted of six 8cm mortars and eight machine guns. Additionally in each of the regiments there were integrated five companies and platoons, which included a platoon of armoured cars, an anti-tank company with twelve 3.7cm PaK 36/35 guns and a motorcycle company. There was also a unit’s band in each of the regiments. Incorporated into the division there were four combat units of battalion size comprising an anti-tank battalion with three companies of twelve 3.7cm PaK 35/36 guns in each of them, a reconnaissance battalion with two motorcycle companies that were armed with twenty-two machine guns and three light 5cm mortars, and a platoon of armoured cars used as the main fighting component. Pioneer and FlaK battalions were organized into three companies. The FlaK unit was armed with thirty-six heavy machine guns. The division was supported by standard supply troops with an artillery regiment consisting of three battalions, each of them comprising three batteries of twelve 10.5cm howitzers, all of which were motorized.
When Germany finally unleashed its military might on the West in May 1940, the SS-VT Division and the Leibstandarte crossed the Dutch border to join in the invasion of Holland. During the initial stages of the campaign the SS performed well and penetrated deep into enemy lines. Constantly and with great enthusiasm SS troops were seen leading furious attacks upon the bewildered Dutch troops, soon occupying the eastern end of Fortress Holland and pushing through the enemy lines, enabling 10th Corps to sweep past Utrecht and into the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. Although the Der Führer Regiment achieved noticeable success in Holland, the rest of the SS-Verfügungs Division did not see as much extensive action in the country.
During the early phase of the attack the main body of the division had been advancing in two motorized columns to Hilvarenbeek, a town north of Antwerp. Yet despite this slow start to the invasion the SS-Verfügungs Division soon secured German control over the western end of Holland. Meanwhile, Heer troops of Army Group B moved across into Belgium, captured Brussels, swept through Belgium and into northern France, and then began spearheading its powerful forces towards the English Channel.
As victory beckoned in Holland and Belgium, the SS Totenkopf Division was pulled out of reserve and ordered to exploit the enemy’s deteriorating situation. Days later the SS Polizei Division, which was predominantly horse-drawn, was released from reserve and saw limited operations as it crossed the Aisne River and the Ardennes Canal. It was here that the latter became embroiled in heavy fighting against some stiff French opposition.
Elsewhere, while pockets of resistance fought to the bitter end, the Germans continued driving westward with all their might. On the evening of 22 May the SS-Verfügungs Division proceeded with the 6th and 8th Panzer divisions towards the port of Calais in order to help strengthen German positions west and south of the Dunkirk perimeter. It seemed that Dunkirk would soon be captured because on the night of 26 May Hitler rescinded his famous ‘halt order’ and Germania and Der Führer of the SS-Verfügungs Division surged back into action and fought a bloody battle in the Nieppe Forest. The remaining infantry regiment, Deutschland, which was temporarily attached to the 3rd Panzer Division, took part in the attack against British units on the Lys Canal near Merville where the SS troops met spirited resistance.
With the first phase of the war in the West completed, the Battle of France began. On 5 June 1940 German Panzergruppen attacked along the whole line. As elements of Panzergruppe Kleist steamrolled towards Paris, the Leibstandarte and the SS-Verfügungs Division joined the main drive. By the time the SS formations arrived on the outskirts of Paris, the French capital had been abandoned by its government. Panzergruppe Kleist, including the Totenkopf, Leibstandarte and the SS-Verfügungs Division, struck through Champagne towards Dijon in Burgundy to prevent the remnants of the French army retreating to the south-west of France.
By the end of June the campaign in the West was finally over and the SS troops returned to their home stations. However, late in 1940 the SS-Verfügungs Division returned to southern France and stationed in the town of Vesoul, being renamed the SS-Deutschland Division in December. A month later in January 1941 the name of the division was changed yet again and it became known as Das Reich (The Empire) Division (Motorized).
In March 1941 Das Reich Division, fully rearmed with more troops and equipment, was transported from southern France to south-west Romania. Within a month an order was received to attack Yugoslavia with the main objective of capturing the capital, Belgrade. It was left to Das Reich Division to take Belgrade, with hardly any resistance.
Following operations in Yugoslavia Das Reich Division returned to Romania and later moved to an area near Salzburg, Austria, for recuperation and a refit. During this period the division was reorganized. It consisted of the two SS regiments Der Führer and Deutschland but both were given three very strong battalions of motorized infantry regiments, comprising a motorized battery of artillery and platoons of motorcycle rifles, as well as armoured cars. The division had a very strong artillery regiment composed of four battalions with three companies in each. Additionally there were reconnaissance and anti-tank battalions armed with 3.7cm and 5cm anti-tank guns. To provide infantry support and increase anti-tank capability the division received a StuG.III battery (organized in February) and a heavier armament for its anti-aircraft battalions. After 1 June the battalion was supported by twelve 8.8cm FlaK guns, which would become useful not only against air but also ground targets.
While Das Reich Division was reaping success in Yugoslavia, the Leibstandarte attacked from Bulgaria through Yugoslavia and then on to Greece. In the days that followed, the Leibstandarte outmanoeuvred and outfought their opponents until they captured the stronghold of Manastir near the Yugoslav-Greek border. At the Klidi Pass the SS were met by very firm resistance comprising British and Australian troops who were determined to hold the mountain crests that dominated the pass at all costs. However, the SS again demonstrated their skill and tenacity and fought a number of fierce unrelenting battles until they drove their brave enemy from their bombed and blasted defences.
Within days the SS drove forward against further resistance and cut off the remnants of the British forces. They went on and continued to drive retreating columns of confused enemy troops off the Metzovon Pass, thus sealing the fate of sixteen divisions of the Greek army. The ensuing days saw the SS in hot pursuit of retreating British forces, fleeing against fierce and determined attacks.
By 27 April German forces finally entered Athens, and before the end of the month the Germans were in full control of the country. The Balkan campaign for the SS was now at an end. Just before its victorious troops returned to barracks in Czechoslovakia to refit and prepare for their next campaign, units of the Leibstandarte were ordered to take part in another victory parade, this time in Athens.
The campaign in the Balkans had been a great triumph for the SS. Its great skill, élan and daring had brought about invincibility in the eyes of Hitler. As a consequence of its success and need for more troops, between 1941 and 1943 the Waffen-SS grew considerably. It also began conscripting ethnic Germans as well as suitably ‘Nordic’ volunteers (in keeping with the Aryan ideal). By 1943 many of the new divisions were predominantly manned by foreign soldiers with only about twelve of the divisions being regarded as true elite. However, this did not deter Hitler or Himmler from its expansion. They were confident that the SS, of whatever creed, would be led with the right leadership to ultimate victory.
While the expansion of the SS continued, in August 1943 Hitler ordered the transfer of his elite SS Panzer Corps from the Eastern Front to Italy following the Italian capitulation in July. This type of sudden shift became characteristic of the deployment of the elite SS divisions during the second half of the war, as Hitler used them as a ‘fire brigade’ to reinforce trouble spots. To help contain the advancing Anglo-American forces that had made an amphibious landing south of Rome at Anzio, the Waffen-SS were employed to stem the drive at all costs and fight to the death. As a result of the Italian campaign a number of Italian Waffen-SS formations were formed. Across Italy’s endless mountain spine the Waffen-SS had many opportunities for a good defence. All through the Italian campaign the Germans enhanced this natural advantage by incorporating massive concrete emplacements and Panther tank turrets into their defensive lines which stretched across the vast hinterland of the Italian landscape.
As a result of the German defensive strategy, fighting in Italy proved very costly for both sides. While the Waffen-SS played little part in the conventional war in Italy, they were involved in the guerrilla campaign. Their actions, however, left an indelible mark on the Italian population. The SS were very brutal and mass killings were quite common. Throughout the Italian campaign these forces proved as barbaric as they had been on the Eastern Front.
SS troops continued to fight alongside their Heer counterparts and continued to stand and fight for every river line as they slowly retreated towards the Austrian border. While the SS fought and murdered their way through Italy, in northern France Waffen-SS divisions were preparing themselves for an invasion of mainland Europe.
A medium Auto-Union/Horch (probably a Kfz.11) belonging to a Das Reich reconnaissance battalion with a full complement of crew. Note the national flag draped over the vehicle’s engine cover for aerial recognition purposes. Of interest are the two French bayonets attached to the front of the vehicle’s radiator.
A heavy MG34 machine-gun section belonging to Das Reich have set up their MG on a tripod mount. The MG34 was an excellent general purpose weapon and along the front lines enemy soldiers had great respect for the German machine guns and their highly-trained crews.
A PaK 35/36 team of the 2nd SS Regiment Germania preparing their anti-tank gun for action. The weapon’s splinter shield is well-camouflaged with foliage. Note the ammunition carrier and the ammunition box with an inscription painted in white which reads: ‘Pat. 3.7cm PaK’ – Rounds [Patronen] 3.7cm anti-tank gun. Two of the soldiers are standing on the gun’s trail spades in order to prevent the gun from recoiling backwards too far as it fires on a cobbled road on which the trail spades cannot fullly embed themselves into the ground.
A motorcycle pioneer platoon from an unidentified regiment belonging to Das Reich removing mines from a road. The soldier in the background watching the work being carried out is equipped with a knapsack mine-detector which was still a very rare piece of equipment at the time. Note the NCO in the foreground armed with a 9mm Bergmann MP28 machine pistol which was mainly issued to troop commanders in the field.
A Das Reich PaK 35/36 crew guards the approaches of a road in a town in northern France. The PaK 35/36 became the standard anti-tank weapon in both the Heer and Waffen-SS during the early part of the war. It weighed only 432kg and had a sloping splinter shield that afforded minimal protection to the crew.
A heavy weapons section from a Das Reich regiment is preparing to cross a river on a 6-metre medium pneumatic boat. The first soldier to step on board is carrying a variety of equipment including an 8cm mortar ammunition box and rangefinder. The other two troops are bringing on board the mortar base-plate and a folded mortar mount.
A motorcyclist poses for the camera with his motorcycle on the side of a road in May 1940. This soldier belongs to an unidentified Totenkopf unit while in reserve during the Western campaign. The soldier holds the rank of an SS-Rottenführer or section leader. Note the death’s head insignia painted either in white or yellow on the 15cm siG33 artillery gun shield.
SS troops on the march through a French town in June 1940. These men more than likely belong to the SS Polizei Division, which was predominantly horse drawn. While it was recognized even at this early stage of the war that horses were slow and it took time to move artillery pieces around the battlefield and considerable time to achieve fire-readiness, in France much of the work had already been accomplished by tracked vehicles. The inadequacy of horse drawn vehicles would be grimly demonstrated in the Russian campaign.
A column of horse-drawn transport belonging to the SS Polizei Division. The horses are towing the 10.5cm field howitzer. It was primarily these artillery regiments that were given the task of destroying enemy positions and conducting counter-battery fire prior to an armoured assault. Throughout the war this weapon provided both the Heer and SS divisions with a versatile, relatively mobile base of fire.
SS artillery crew pause at the side of the road with their halted column somewhere in France in June 1940.
The following eight photographs showing the same SS battery in France. Combat experience showed that artillery support was of decisive importance in both defensive and offensive roles. In total the 10.5cm howitzer had a nine-man crew. Usually fewer are seen serving this piece because often some of the crew were to the rear with the horses, limber and caisson. The 10.5cm light field howitzer was used extensively during the first half of the war. Although these howitzers provided armour-piercing and shaped-charged anti-tank rounds, the guns were far from being effective anti-tank weapons. In one of the photographs a number of propellant charges and 10.5cm ammunition charges can be seen laid out, showing the gun being readied and fired against an enemy target. The rate of fire was four to six rounds per minute.
During the Western campaign and an SS mortar group can be seen with their 8cm sGrW 34 mortar in action against an enemy target. Each battalion fielded six of these excellent mortars, which could fire fifteen bombs per minute to a range of 2,625 yards.
Four SS soldiers, two holding the rank of SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer (senior storm leader), one SS-Truppführer (troop leader), and an SS-Mann (trooper) survey the battlefield with the aid of notes. They are all wearing their summer camouflage uniforms.
SS troops advancing along a forest track during the campaign in the West. By the end of the first day of the attack against the West, Belgian resistance had been overwhelmed and the cavalry of the French 9th Army brushed aside. Although the French 7th Army had reached Breda on 11 May, by the next day it was in retreat under strong pressure from Guderian’s Panzers. By the evening of that same day the Panzer units reached the Meuse along a 100-mile front, from Sedan to Dinant.
Troops of the SS Polizei Division in a French town waiting to be called into action. The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei or Orpo (paramilitary police). The formation during this early period of its transformation from police unit to a fighting force was basically an infantry division. It was primarily horse-drawn and initially held in reserve with Army Group C in the Rhineland during the Battle of France until 9 June when it first saw combat during the crossing of the Aisne river and the Ardennes Canal.
Two photographs showing Totenkopf troops on the march westwards to the Belgian border on 12 May 1940. The division waited another four days before being committed to battle. They were assigned to Army Group A and were given plans to strike across southern Holland, through Belgium and into France to link up with General Hoth’s 15th Panzer-Korps.
Troops of the Polizei Division during a lull in the fighting can be seen resting inside a bombed French town in June 1940. Although officially formed under the arm of the SS, the Polizei was not technically an SS division at this time as it was mainly comprised of older national police personnel. Unlike the other divisions such as the Leibstandarte, Das Reich and Totenkopf, the Polizei was regarded as a second-rate SS unit and was not fully motorized. Instead of standard SS equipment, the division was mainly supplied with antiquated and captured hardware.
Soldiers of the Polizei Division resting in the ruins of a destroyed French town, which by the appearance of the buildings has received both heavy ground and aerial shelling. When this division was finally released for action in France it was untried in battle. Its members were considerably older than other SS men and their lack of training and poor equipment hardly helped to inspire the confidence of their Heer counterparts either.
A group of SS troops pose for the camera during a pause in their advance. Note the requisitioned bus that has been utilized to carry troops to the front. Foliage has been draped over the roof of the vehicle due to the threat of an aerial attack. Behind the bus is a very long column of trucks carrying men and matériel to the front. The German spearhead through Belgium and Holland was swift and within days the British were facing the prospect of losing their only army and entire parts of their air force if they continued to stand by their allies on a collapsing battle line. The French too were under incredible pressure from the German onslaught and foresaw their army breaking in two, with the stronger part falling victim to the encirclement in Belgium and areas in the north. It was now decided that in order to save their forces from complete destruction, the BEF would have to make a fighting withdrawal into northern France and hopefully stave off a catastrophe there.
Two SS troops have their photograph taken among the carnage that was wrought in one of the many towns and villages that lay under the German spearheads. By 18 May 1940 Panzers were reportedly sweeping on into France. By 20 May, after racing north along the Somme against fierce resistance from the British 12th and 23rd (Territorial) divisions, the first Panzers came in sight of the Channel coast. In no more than eleven days Guderian and his force had advanced 400 miles and done what the German army failed to accomplish in four years during the First World War. It seemed nothing on earth could stop this stampede of military might from crushing the Anglo-French troops that were being driven along the Channel coast.
Three photographs taken in sequence showing troops of the 1st Totenkopf Infantry Regiment with a handful of captured Moroccan soldiers in the Cambrai region of France. It was in this area that the Totenkopf managed to capture 16,000 prisoners and a large amount of battlefield booty. During this battle the SS saw its first casualties of combat when French and Moroccan forces fought a fierce defensive action. Only 100 Moroccan troops were captured. Most of the surrendering Africans were simply shot out of hand, being regarded by the Germans as ‘subhuman’. While one of the SS officers can be seen laughing with the Moroccans, it is highly likely that these captured men would have been murdered sometime after this photograph was taken. The Totenkopf were the worst offenders but all the front-line SS divisions committed similar atrocities.
An SS heavy MG34 machine-gun position. This machine gun could inflict terrible losses on an advancing enemy. Throughout the Western campaign and indeed for the rest of the war the MG34 had tremendous stopping power against enemy infantry, and troops continuously deployed their machine guns in the most advantageous defensive and offensive positions.
A column of vehicles belonging to the Totenkopf Division has halted in a French town. The German drive through France was undertaken effectively and efficiently. In a number of areas German tank commanders reported that the enemy was simply brushed aside, thrown into complete confusion. In most cases the defenders lacked any force capable of mounting a strong coordinated counter-attack. British artillery, struggling with very limited ammunition supplies to stem the German onslaught, soon found that the enemy was too strong to be halted for any appreciable length of time.
Posing for the camera these Totenkopf troops are seen relaxing in front of a First World War monument. By 14 June 1940 the Totenkopf had joined Das Reich, Leibstandarte and the Polizei Division in the pursuit of what was left of the French army and their allies. The French and British forces tried in vain to regain the initiative, and a catastrophe now threatened the Allied armies.
Luftwaffe, Heer and SS troops together during a lull in the fighting. The quality of the German weapons was of immense importance to the success in France. German tactics were the best and its troops’ stubborn defence, concentrated local firepower from machine guns and mortars, and rapid counter-attacks to recover lost ground were significant. German units often fought on even when cut off, which was not a mark of fanaticism but great tactical discipline. The invasion of the Low Countries and France was a product of great organization and staff work, and marvellous technical ingenuity. Note the Opel Blitz lorries.
Totenkopf on the move along a French road. SS infantry can be seen in the field next to an abandoned French Renault R-35 light tank. By the second week of June 1940 militarily the French were doomed. Demoralized by increasing losses, troops and commanders in the field became infected with defeatism. Their armies were in pitiful shape. They had been broken up, their armour expended and little was left of the weak air force. Nevertheless, some French units continued to fight with great bravery and tenacity, temporarily stopping even German armour and standing up resolutely to the incessant bombing of the Luftwaffe. But it was an unequal struggle. Note the white visibility markings painted on the rear of the lorry for safer night time driving.
Three photographs taken showing the graves of fallen SS soldiers. Much was made of the SS killed in action and funerals were tailored to suit Nazi ideology, particularly SS Heinrich Himmler’s notions about the fallen warrior of the Aryan-Nordic race. To him, the SS soldier was an example of the new Aryan man, and if the ‘warrior’ was to be sacrificed on the battlefield, he was to be honoured as a hero of the ‘Black Order’.
More than likely a posed shot showing an old Maschinengewehr 08 or MG08 being used in an anti-aircraft role. This was the German army’s standard machine gun during the First World War. The MG08 remained in service until the outbreak of the Second World War due to shortages of its successors, the MG 13 Dreyse and the MG34. It was retired from front-line service by 1942.
An SS Opel Blitz supply truck passes across a typical pontoon bridge erected across one of the many rivers that stretched through the Low Countries and north-eastern France. First engineers would position the pontoon boats (either inflatable or 50-ft pontoon boats) in place and then the bridging equipment would be erected across it in a surprisingly short time. Some of the pontoon boats were fitted with large outboard motors to hold the bridge sections in place against the often strong currents. However, because there were so many waterways that needed to be crossed by so many different divisions, the Germans found that they were running out of bridging equipment.
In a large field spread out as far as the eye can see is a troop encampment erected by the Polizei Division during its employment in the West in 1940. Note the number of horses and horse-drawn transports. Because the division was not motorized it had to rely heavily on draught animals. Often the troops found forested areas such as the Ardennes quite challenging. A year later the division would be issued with a number of tracked vehicles in order to overcome the problem of moving men, equipment and horses over difficult terrain.
An Opel Blitz lorry has halted on a French road. This truck is carrying Totenkopf troops. Foliage has been applied to the vehicle in order to minimize the threat of an aerial attack. Rolled netting can also be seen, which was used when the vehicle was stationary for any length of time.
SS troops on the march along a road littered with the carnage of a fleeing enemy. Bloated dead horses caught in the fighting are a grim reminder of war. By mid-June 1940 the French were unable to cope with the rapid speed at which events were constantly unfolding. There was nothing cowardly about the performance of the French army: it was simply overcome by the German tactics of Blitzkrieg. Faced with the total collapse of their army, the French continued to display sacrificial courage, despite high casualties.
Four photographs showing tanks and other vehicles of an unidentified French armoured unit abandoned in a town. Refugees can be seen fleeing from the front as German troops examine the Renault R-35 tanks (on the right) and a Hotchkiss H-35 tank (on the left). The R-35 was used extensively during the battle for France. It was armed with a 37mm short gun and crewed by two men. All along the German front a succession of large and small-scale actions took place, driving vital wedges into the French defences. French strongpoints were being knocked out, either by vigorous gunfire from Panzers or by determined action from Heer and SS infantry. The French army was now being swamped by scores of German units who succeeded almost everywhere.
German troops belonging to Das Reich move through a badly damaged French town during the last days of the war in the West in June 1940. Note the column of Opel Blitz light trucks. These vehicles were specially designed to carry at least a squad of twelve men including their personal equipment and infantry weapons to the front lines.
A Das Reich staff vehicle and motorcycle can be seen pulled up in a destroyed French town during operations in northern France in June 1940. The staff car registration number plate is SS-10251. Note the vehicle number 14 painted on the mudguard, just under the registration plate.
Schwerer Panzerspahwagen (Funk) or heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle (radio) Sd.Kfz.232. This was the command link version of the standard heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle, designed to radio back information rather than to fight, in keeping with standard German doctrine. It was fitted with the Fu. Ger.11 SE 100 medium-range radio and a Fu. Spr. Ger. short-range radio. For local defence it was armed with a 2cm KwK 30 L/55 cannon.
Totenkopf troops pose for the camera next to a motorcycle combination. Note the motorcyclist wearing the motorcycle waterproof coat, which was issued to members of both the Heer and SS motorcycle units and individual motorcyclists. This coat was a double-breasted rubberized item of clothing. It was made of cotton twill coated rubber with watertight seams and was worn over the service uniform. The coat was loose-fitting and the ends of the garment could be easily gathered in around the wearer’s legs and buttoned into position, which allowed easier and safer movement while riding the motorcycle. The motorcycle coat was grey-green in colour and had a woollen field-grey material collar and large pockets. When in use the wearer normally wore the army canvas and leather issue gloves or mittens. Normal leather army boots were often worn. Insignia was not officially worn with the coat but NCOs and officers were sometimes seen attaching their uniform straps. However, without shoulder straps, which was normally the case, the wearer’s rank could seldom be identified. When required, the wearer generally wore his personal equipment over his rubberized coat including the gas mask canister and gas cape. The motorcycle coat was a popular, practical and very durable piece of protective clothing and was worn throughout the war. It was so popular that even infantrymen were sometimes seen wearing the coats and would adapt the garment by cutting it short to the knee and removing the wrist straps. Although this allowed for ease of movement, it reduced durability and the garment quickly became shabby and torn.
Totenkopf troops watch the endless columns of French refugees moving along a congested road. They pass a column of stationary Opel Blitz supply trucks which are destined for the front lines.
An SS soldier can just be seen among thick vegetation. A light Horch cross-country vehicle can also be made out, hidden in the foliage in order to avoid enemy aerial detection. The vehicle’s SS licence plate can just be recognized.
Totenkopf MG troops are seen cleaning the 7.9mm barrel of a MG34 machine gun. To ensure the effective fire of the weapon it was imperative that the barrel and the rest of the gun were free from any grime or dirt. One soldier can be seen standing next to the sustained fire mount for the machine gun. Note the special pads on the front of the tripod. These were specifically used when the weapon was being borne on the carrier’s back, allowing him some reasonable comfort.
A Totenkopf commanding officer is handing something out to his troops from the rear of an infantry supply truck.
A battery of 10.5cm Ie.FH18 howitzers in their firing position in a field being readied for action. Normally there were four guns in a battery but sometimes, depending on losses or the strength of the enemy, the units were consolidated into slightly larger batteries. In total the 10.5cm howitzer had either an eight- or nine-man crew. Note the special wicker cases for the projectiles, a number of which have already been primed by the crew for firing. The 10.5cm howitzer had a good reputation on the battlefield. It was a reliable and stable weapon and crews found it easy to manoeuvre from one part of the front to another. On the Western Front the German infantry artillery formed the main organic support of the division and supported the combat troops prior to and during action. It was of paramount importance that these infantry field guns used on the battlefield were light and manoeuvrable. The 10.5cm light infantry gun was the ideal weapon for action on the front lines and undertook sterling service against the BEF.
Two photographs taken by Das Reich showing a long column of French PoWs being escorted along a road to the rear, passing the division’s motirized infantry and supporting vehicles. The lorries are Opel Blitz type. In the final days just before the French army capitulated, the Germans continued their advance. By 20 June it was estimated that some 500,000 French soldiers had been captured. Large amounts of battlefield booty also fell into German hands. By the end of the campaign some 94,000 French soldiers had been killed in the battle for France and about a quarter of million injured. Almost 2 million French soldiers were taken prisoner by the Germans. By contrast, the German losses were much smaller, with 27,000 dead and 111,000 wounded.
By 14 June the first German troops from the 9th Infantry Division reported that they had arrived on the outskirts of Paris. Later that evening the division entered the French capital. Upon their arrival the Germans found to their surprise that much of the city had been evacuated, with only some 700,000 of the 5 million of the city’s inhabitants remaining. The rest had taken to the roads south of the city, trying frantically in vain to escape the German drive. The French government, however, had earlier moved from Paris to the city of Tours. It then moved again to Bordeaux. In this photograph German troops march triumphantly along the Avenue Foch in Paris following the French capital’s capture. In the background is the Arch of Triumph (the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile).
SS troops in the Avenue Foch as a military band can just be seen passing round next to the Arc de Triomphe. A motorcycle combination can be seen moving along the side of the road. Note the soldier nearest to the camera: he is more than likely attached to the SS Polizei Division.
Following the capture of Paris, troops often went on sightseeing trips prior to their redeployment back to their home stations. In this photograph soldiers from Das Reich regiment Germania can be seen staring at the camera with the Eiffel Tower looming skyward behind them.
Leibstandarte troops prepare to cross a stretch of water during operations in Greece. The division attacked from Bulgaria through Yugoslavia and then on to Greece. It was in Greece against determined British and Commonwealth forces that the SS demonstrated their skill and tenacity and fought a number of fierce unrelenting but ultimately successful battles.
An SS 15cm field howitzer crew crosses over a bridge in their 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 halftrack bound for the front line towing their ordnance. This particular gun was primarily designed to attack targets deeper in the enemy’s rear. This included command posts, reserve units, assembly areas and logistics facilities. The 15cm gun was used as the standard German infantry heavy cannon and supported the German army into battle.
A 2cm FlaK 30 gun mounted on a halftrack during operations in the Balkans. This weapon could engage not only air targets but ground ones as well. With the vehicle’s folding sides down the gun was very adaptable and could traverse 360 degrees, making it a very effective weapon of war.
SS troops more than likely part of the Totenkopf Division marching on a road in Germany prior to its deployment to the East in the early summer of 1941. The troops wear the standard infantryman’s equipment and are armed with the 98k bolt-action rifle. Note the machine-gunner with his MG34 resting on his shoulder for ease of carriage.