Das Reich (39 page)
2 SS-PZ DIVISION
DAS REICH
Order of the Day | Divisional HQ, 9 June 1944 |
The Position with Regard to Guerilla Bands and Tactics for Combating Them
1. The guerillas have occupied the area Figeac–Clermont-Ferrand–Limoges–Gourdon which, until now, has only been weakly held by German troops. The
maquis
who have appeared there have exclusively communistic tendencies. The small number of
Armée Secrète
are also communists and are also to be treated as gangs [
Banden
]. All instructions, orders, etc. should aim to incite the civilian population against these guerilla bands and make our action appear protective. The threat from these gangs can have the most far-reaching consequences if we are unable to instil it into the minds of the population that these men have no national feeling, and also impress upon them that they are nothing more than highway robbers. On the other hand, it is necessary that our own troops behave in such a way that the civilian population is convinced of our good intentions and also of the character of our
Division as an elite formation. Looting will, if necessary, be prevented by force. In every case regimental or battalion commanders will decide what is to be done with captured material. Standing orders regarding dress, behaviour on vehicles, maximum speed, maintenance of vehicles, remain in force. To minimize casualties, personnel will remain seated in recce cars.
2. The following special instructions are laid down:
(a) | Curfew from 2100 to 0600 hours. Handing in of all arms under threat of death penalty. Orders concerning the provision of supplies are to be enforced in all places. |
(b) | The mayor and police are to be reinstated in all areas and will be made personally responsible for carrying out orders. |
(c) | Houses from which shots have been fired, together with the neighbouring houses, will, in every instance, be burned to the ground. |
(d) | Captured documents will not be destroyed but will be handed in to the Division. |
(e) | Persons whose participation in Resistance is undoubted will be treated as criminals. It may be a good idea to throw them in irons in the sight of civilian population. |
(f) | The inhabitants of every community will be assembled together for a count, and will be treated during this process as prisoners. |
(g) | In every instance units will hold the following as prisoners: |
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(h) | In all cases attempts at escape must be made more difficult by removing the men’s braces etc. Permanent and adequate pickets must be established. Whenever possible, rooms on the first floors of houses should be used. Windows will be nailed up. The local mayor must be made responsible for supplying food to prisoners. |
(i) | Executions are to be carried out on the order of regimental or other commanders by hanging, only in such places where guerilla units fight to hold up our troops or commit atrocities (shameful treatment of wounded or dead, use of dum-dum bullets, etc.). As a rule, the proportion to be applied is as follows: |
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(j) | Executions are in no way a public spectacle, but a punitive measure. Troops must therefore be kept at a distance until the order for the execution is carried out. Orders should be given at short notice to detail men for execution squads, and a public announcement should be made. Priests may attend executions and carry out their religious functions, provided these are not of a demonstrative character (this is very important in France). |
3. Operations:
Guerilla units are highly mobile and can withdraw quickly. The only effective tactic against this is to surround and surprise them, working round their flanks and rear while pinning them in front by fire. Their objective is invariably to pick off isolated soldiers and to seize weapons and supplies. Operations which fail because inadequate forces are employed should be avoided. It is vital to ensure that German soldiers do not fall into the hands of guerillas because of careless security measures on the march, or when men are acting as couriers or sentries.
maquis
and the 2nd SS Panzer Division
THE MAQUIS
The Bren
(Fig. 1): by general consent the finest light machine gun in the world of its period, and the most useful weapon provided to the
maquis
. A .303 gas-operated gun fed by a 30-round magazine, it was accurate up to 1,000 metres, and could withstand immense maltreatment and unskilled use.
Résistants
were constantly pleading for maximum drops of Brens.
The Sten
(Fig. 2): the standard British sub-machine gun of the war, a 9 mm blowback-operated gun fed by a 32-round magazine. The Sten was highly unreliable, prone to jamming, and inaccurate beyond 30 metres. It was unsuitable for guerilla operations in open country because it encouraged waste of ammunition, and was useless at average battle range. But it was easy and cheap to produce – a gun was said to cost fifteen shillings – and was supplied to the Resistance in huge quantities.
The Gammon grenade
(Fig. 3): an improvised hand-thrown bomb used by the Home Guard, the Special Air Service and the Resistance, especially suitable for the destruction of aircraft or vehicles. An explosive charge was wrapped in fabric and sewn to an impact fuse that detonated on sharp contact.
Resisters were also supplied with large quantities of British and captured Italian rifles of varying efficiency; revolvers and automatic pistols; the British 36 grenade – the Mills bomb – the standard anti-personnel shrapnel weapon; and modest quantities of plastic explosive. They also made extensive use of French Army rifles and light machine guns, mainly stolen or retained from Armistice Army stocks, and captured German 9 mm Schmeisser SMGs. One of the most serious problems for all Resistance groups was the disparate range of arms for which ammunition had to be found.
2ND SS PANZER DIVISION
The Panther V
(Fig. 4), of which the Das Reich had an establishment of 62 in 1944, was one of the outstanding battle tanks of the war. Weighing almost 45 tons, with a crew of 5 and a 75 mm gun, it was first introduced in 1942 as a counter to the Russian T-34. It remained at the forefront of German armoured units until the end of the war.
The
Panzer IV
(Fig. 5), of which the DR had an establishment of 64, was the most widely produced German tank of the war. It weighed 23 tons, with a maximum road speed of 25 mph against the 34 mph of the Panther. By the opening of the Normandy campaign, the
Panzer IV
was obsolescent, but from necessity the Germans continued to use it extensively. The upgunned version, with a 75 mm gun, remained a very powerful weapon.
The
Sturmgeschütz
III (Fig. 6). This self-propelled assault gun, with which one battalion of the DR was equipped, was essentially a turretless tank, constructed upon the chassis of the
Panzer
III tank. Armed with a 75 mm gun, it provided close fire support for the infantry. Although produced principally as a ‘poor man’s tank’, a cheap substitute when attrition on the Eastern Front began to destroy armour faster than Germany’s factories could make Panthers and
Panzer IV
s, the
Sturmgeschütz
, with its low silhouette that provided a difficult target for enemy tanks, and its heavy armour and hitting power, was a formidable weapon.
