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What does- Totenkopf-mean?

Deaths Head

Identifiable by their wearing the deaths head on their lapels rather than SS runes.

The unit also provided the guard manpower for the Concentration Camps.

Thanks guys.[:)]

ORIGINAL: Adam Parker

Identifiable by their wearing the deaths head on their lapels rather than SS runes.

The unit also provided the guard manpower for the Concentration Camps.

I think it was so that Totenkopf division was formed from SS-Totenkopfverbände wich provided manpower to concentration camps. Also wounded men from the division were used as a camp guards for lighter duty until recovered for front line duty.

Now there is a light duty assignment you don't see every day[:-]

Does anyone have a picture of one of them in their uniform?  Would like to see how it looked.

Nothing different about their uniforms from other Waffen SS units, aside from the death's head replacing the SS runes:

What is the breast plate on the soldier to the top left?

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Nothing different about their uniforms from other Waffen SS units, aside from the death's head replacing the SS runes:

Feldgendarmerie - Military Police - also known as "Chained Dogs" because of the gorget that they wear.

Is from the Feldgendarmerie (Military Police).

Ive spent most of my gaming time over the years with the Pacific-Civilwar-Scifi. I am going to have to get on line and study the german military rank structure.

This is a great informative thread. Thanks.

Well totenkoph was formed from men that worked the camps.  Its first commander, pappa Eicke (the guy who put a bullet in Ersnts Rohms head) was the original commander at Dachau and later  became the inspector of the entire camp system....so other big wigs in the SS were forming waffen units-Das Riech and LAH were formed up prior to Totenkoph and Toten's noobness showed in France.  They were average at best...in fact there are numerous reports of them refusing to fight, cowering to french/brit fire.  In any case they were terribly ill trained at first,  below average troops who were an undisciplined lot.  Totenkoph was responsible for 2 massacres of british soldiers who surrendered after running out of ammo.  The brits inflicted heavy causalities and after they gave up, Totenkoph lined them up against the farm walls and Mg'd 200 of them.  After the war the regimental commander was hung by the brits.  So dont let anyone try to tell you that the Eastern front was responsible for hardening the Waffen SS...they were committing atrocities in France '40.

Now Eicke realized he was embarrassing the SS and had to get his troops some real combat leaders- so by the time the Russian War rolled around, Totenkoph was well trained, well equipped and very well led-made all the difference because it became a true fire brigade-brutal, tireless and a real force multiplier...

Soldiers of Destruction: The SS Death's Head Division, 1933-1945 by Charles W. Sydnor

Title is a bit misleading as it is nowhere near as detailed after Eicke's death in 43 as before but still a good read.

All that reminds me of this Mitchell & Webb sketch. They are SS soldiers wondering "why skulls???"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEle_DLDg9Y

"Are we the baddies?"[:D][:D][:D]

The only atrocity I know of Das Reich comiting in France is in 44, the destruction of the village during a partisan hunting operation. As far as I know, the only Waffen-SS unit to commit atrocities in 40 was Totenkopf. As for Tontenkopf's performance, they suposedly fought fanatically, suffered incredibly heavy losses, but that is in great part due to them running headlong into Allied tanks that were impervious to their AT weapons (they improvised and used artillery in a direct fire role, foreshadowing what was to come on the eastern front). They did take 16k prisoners at Cambrai, and by the time of the French surrender they had reached the Spanish border, which is fairly impressive. As for panicking, I don't know of a single combat formation that doesn't have reports of soldiers and officers panicking, especially when the division is green. Just part of the deal.

Just for infomations sake the skulls thing isnt some thing that was "invented" by the SS.

It has been used since Frederick the Great in the prussian military. Most famously by the "deathhead hussars". Also other nations has used it among poles in 1920s and baltic states.

More info on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totenkopf

Kind regards,

Rasmus

Well, duh.