SS
P by Chris Collingwood THE BATTLE -Battle of the Bulge (or Ardennes Offensive):
Throughout December and January of 1945 Hitler's code-named plan 'Watch on
the Rhine' took place. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt was to break through
the US line at Ardennes in order to create a German salient or 'bulge' which
would isolate Allied forces at the north end of the corridor created by the
drive. The casualties were tremendous and included Hitler's elite Panzer units.
The German counteroffensive, although pinning US troops for some weeks, eventually
failed.
Three Panzer units were used in the operation, the 5th, 6th and 7th along with
a troop of English-speaking Germans in US uniforms commanded by Otto Skorzeny.
The operation began on 16th December on a 113km section of the front line under
the watch of US 1st Army and General Bradley's 12th Army. This section of the
front had been quiet in the previous months and so the Allies were taken by
surprise, and Allied air support could not be scrambled because of poor weather
conditions. These factors allowed the German troops to advance quickly.
The Magician Balkans 11th April, 1941. by David Pentland
Hauptsturm fuhrer Fritz Klingenberg, and the men of 2nd SS Divisions
Motorcycle Reconnaissance battalion stop at the swollen banks of the
River Danube. The following day he and six men, a broken down radio, and
totally unsupported were to capture the Yugoslavian capital of Belgrade.
The Second Wave, Greece, 20th May 1941 by David
Pentland. Following the initial parachute drops at Maleme (West)
and Canea (Middle) Group East, comprising of Fallschirmjager Regiment 1
and 2nd battalion FJR2, prepared for their descent on Crete.
Charged with the capture of Heraklion and its aerodrome, their departure
was postponed until late afternoon due to the repairs and refuelling
needed for the returning Junker 52 transports.
The Battle for Norway by David Pentand.
In this, the first true parachute operation of World war two,
German paratroops of 1st battalion Fallschirmjager Regiment 1, proved
themselves an invaluable component of Blitzkrieg. First in the initial
stages of the campaign by seizing airfields and bridges in Norway and
Denmark, and subsequently by supporting army ground forces engaged at
Narvik.
Valour of the Guards by David Pentland
Soviet guards launch a Human Wave attack on
beleaguered German defenders at Stalingrad, Autumn 1942.
Cross of Iron, Russia, Summer 1942 by David
Pentland German infantry take cover in a shell hole
during the blitzkrieg through Southern Russia towards Stalingrad.
