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Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 9:37 pm
by Hoffman Grink
Some more searching HAS turned up a Front Aufklaerungs unit - Front Aufklaerung III based in Russia. Also (Lietstelle fur) Nachrichtenaufklaerung Ost -Wehrmacht Signals Intelligence Unit, also Russia. Sadly nothing in France yet. And they seem to be simply monitoring units as opposed to on the ground combat troops.

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 3:54 am
by SpainshSS
I can't find any reference to an SD Aufklaerungstruppe or indeed and Aufklaerungsgruppe........ I tend to think this is some embroidery of fact - He is recorded as serving with the SD in Paris - there wouldn't be much call for reconnaissance there.. I'll keep looking however.
I am a little upset about this, if this person did monkey with the facts. I am now starting to feel like a fool for posting this! I am new to ww2 reenacting and want to get it right I am trying to learn as much as I can. So I get this book to help me. However I now have to question everying in this book. I am glad I did ask and you all have been very kind in your help. But I still feel like a fool. But thanks again for yout help.
Adam

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:46 am
by Stigroadie
SpainshSS wrote:However I now have to question everying in this book.
I would, any book that cant distinguish between 'Maquis' the French resistance and 'Marquis' a nobleman, needs a skeptical eye.

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 12:38 pm
by Peiper
SpainshSS wrote:
I can't find any reference to an SD Aufklaerungstruppe or indeed and Aufklaerungsgruppe........ I tend to think this is some embroidery of fact - He is recorded as serving with the SD in Paris - there wouldn't be much call for reconnaissance there.. I'll keep looking however.
I am a little upset about this, if this person did monkey with the facts. I am now starting to feel like a fool for posting this! I am new to ww2 reenacting and want to get it right I am trying to learn as much as I can. So I get this book to help me. However I now have to question everying in this book. I am glad I did ask and you all have been very kind in your help. But I still feel like a fool. But thanks again for yout help.
Adam
In the "Totenkopf" book by Chris Mann there is some reference to the SD being attatched to
the TK Div in France 1940 and being involved with "Liquidation/Anti Partisan actions" in the
aftermath the of the main fighting, not having the book to hand i can't specify details but
both Units were classed as Sonderkommando/Sonderabteilungs (special groups)

Good hunting, Pipes :wink:

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:20 pm
by Christian_Jaeger
Peiper wrote:
SpainshSS wrote:
I can't find any reference to an SD Aufklaerungstruppe or indeed and Aufklaerungsgruppe........ I tend to think this is some embroidery of fact - He is recorded as serving with the SD in Paris - there wouldn't be much call for reconnaissance there.. I'll keep looking however.
I am a little upset about this, if this person did monkey with the facts. I am now starting to feel like a fool for posting this! I am new thttp://www.panzergrenadier.net/forum/posting.p ... &p=146211o ww2 reenacting and want to get it right I am trying to learn as much as I can. So I get this book to help me. However I now have to question everying in this book. I am glad I did ask and you all have been very kind in your help. But I still feel like a fool. But thanks again for yout help.
Adam
In the "Totenkopf" book by Chris Mann there is some reference to the SD being attatched to
the TK Div in France 1940 and being involved with "Liquidation/Anti Partisan actions" in the
aftermath the of the main fighting, not having the book to hand i can't specify details but
both Units were classed as Sonderkommando/Sonderabteilungs (special groups)

Good hunting, Pipes :wink:

These Sonderkommando was called Einsatzgruppe. The SD, SiPO(Sicherheitspolizei= Security Police), Waffen-SS, Ordnungspolizei(Order Police), KriPo(Kriminalpolizei), Gestapo, Auxiliary Police(Ukrainian,etc.) were part of it.
It had no military purpose. It was decarled that these groups fighting against partisans, but in effect the mass killing, make partisans. These "death squads" are responsible for the killing of more than 1 million people, they killed Jews, Russian, Civilians, Soldiers. These groups were hunting innocent men, women and children behind the front.
The Einsatzgruppen were not only at the eastern front, in every country under Nazi regime, had its own Einsatzkommando.

These groups are not a part of the Wehrmacht, but for the Einsatzgruppen operations the Wehrmacht had to send personal for the actions behind the front.

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:51 am
by Max
Hello:

My grandfather was Born in Barcelona, Spain. He was from a German family living here and retained his German citizenship.

He was recruited in Spain along with his brother through the Wehrbezirkskommando Ausland Berlin. On 15.07.1943 he was sent to an artillery training unit. My grandfather mastered five different languages and as soon his superiors were aware of that fact, was transferred on 19.11.43 to the Lehrregiment Kurfürst in Brandenburg an der Have,l where he meet again with his brother. He was assigned to the 3. V-Kompanie Lehrregiment Kürfurst for (eingesetzt für spezielle Abwehr-Aufgaben). All the people there were Germans born in Spain and with knowledge at least of the Spanish, Catalan and French languages. They were trained with Allied weapons and Plastic explosives and were trained in commando stile actions. After that training, on 25.06.44 he and his brother were sent to the Abwehr Trupp 263. With the notation (Unterstellung und Einsatzraum nicht zu ermitteln).

His unit was sent to France, and they participated in Anti partisan operations. They usually operated alone as a Gruppe, making sweeps dressed as partisans and armed with captured allied weapons, they also gathered information and passed it to the “regular” troops. If they were captured they were told to say his unit was the Front Aufkarüngstruppe 210.

I suppose that it is plausible that the non German Spanish volunteers were used by the SD for the same kind of operations in France, taking advantage of the vast numbers of ex Republican Spanish people who were in the Maquis units.


I hope this can be of some help. :)

Re: what was the SD?

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:48 pm
by rednas
Very interesting story Max, thanks!