Minutemen of the Third Reich.(history of the Nazi Werewolf guerilla movement)

from: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1373/1...1/article.jhtml

AS WORRIES INCREASE about neo-Nazi and skinhead violence in Germany, it is worth remembering that this type of terrorism is a nasty constant in the history of the German radical-right. A case in point is the Nazi Werewolf guerrilla movement founded by Heinrich Himmler in 1944, which fought the occupying forces of Britain, America and Russia until at least 1947.

The Werewolves were originally organised by the SS and the Hitler Youth as a diversionary operation on the fringes of the Third Reich, which were occupied by the Western Allies and the Soviets in the autumn of 1944. Some 5,000 -- 6,000 recruits were raised by the winter of 1944-45, but numbers rose considerably in the following spring when the Nazi Party and the Propaganda Ministry launched a popular call to arms, beseeching everybody in the occupied areas -- even women and children -- to launch themselves upon the enemy. In typical Nazi fashion, this expansion was not co-ordinated by the relevant bodies, which were instead involved in a bureaucratic war among themselves over control of the project. The result was that the movement functioned on two largely unrelated levels: the first as a real force of specially trained SS, Hitler Youth and Nazi Party guerrillas; the second as an outlet for casual violence by fanatics.

The Werewolves specialised in ambushes and sniping, and took the lives of many Allied and Soviet soldiers and officers -- perhaps even that of the first Soviet commandant of Berlin, General N.E. Berzarin, who was rumoured to have been waylaid in Charlottenburg during an incident in June 1945. Buildings housing Allied and Soviet staffs were favourite targets for Werewolf bombings; an explosion in the Bremen police headquarters, also in June 1945, killed five Americans and thirty-nine Germans. Techniques for harassing the occupiers were given widespread publicity through Werewolf leaflets and radio propaganda, and long after May 1945 the sabotage methods promoted by the Werewolves were still being used against the occupying powers.

Although the Werewolves originally limited themselves to guerrilla warfare with the invading armies, they soon began to undertake scorched-earth measures and vigilante actions against German `collaborators' or `defeatists'. They damaged Germany's economic infrastructure, already battered by Allied bombing and ground fighting, and tried to prevent anything of value from falling into enemy hands. Attempts to blow up factories, power plants or waterworks occasionally provoked melees between Werewolves and desperate German workers trying to save the physical basis of their employment, particularly in the Ruhr and Upper Silesia.

Several sprees of vandalism through stocks of art and antiques, stored by the Berlin Museum in a flak tower at Friedrichshain, caused millions of dollars worth of damage and cultural losses of inestimable value. In addition, vigilante attacks caused the deaths of a number of small-town mayors and, in late March 1945, a Werewolf paratroop squad assassinated the Lord Mayor of Aachen, Dr Franz Oppenhoff, probably the most prominent German statesman to have emerged in the occupied fringes over the winter of 1944-45. This spate of killings, part of a larger Nazi terror campaign that consumed the Third Reich after the failed anti-Hitler putsch of July 20th, 1944, can be interpreted as a psychological retreat back into opposition, even while Nazi leaders were still clinging to their last few months of power.

Although the Werewolves managed to make themselves a nuisance to small Allied and Soviet units, they failed to stop or delay the invasion and occupation of Germany, and did not succeed in rousing the population into widespread opposition to the new order. The SS and Hitler Youth organisations at the core of the Werewolf movement were poorly led, short of supplies and weapons, and crippled by infighting. Their mandate was a conservative one of tactical harassment, at least until the final days of the war, and even when they did begin to envision the possibility of an underground resistance that could survive the Third Reich's collapse, they had to contend with widespread civilian war-weariness and fear of enemy reprisals. In Western Germany, no one wanted to do anything that would diminish the pace of Anglo-American advance and possibly thereby allow the Red Army to push further westward.

Despite its failure, however, the Werewolf project had a huge impact, widening the psychological and spiritual gap between Germans and their occupiers. Werewolf killings and intimidation of `collaborators' scared almost everybody, giving German civilians a clear glimpse into the nihilistic heart of Nazism. It was difficult for people working under threat of such violence to devote themselves unreservedly to the initial tasks of reconstruction. Worse still, the Allies and Soviets reacted to the movement with extremely tough controls, curtailing the right of assembly of German civilians. Challenges of any sort were met by collective reprisals -- especially on the part of the Soviets and the French. In a few cases the occupiers even shot hostages and cleared out towns where instances of sabotage occurred. It was standard practice for the Soviets to destroy whole communities if they faced a single act of resistance. In the eastern fringes of the `Greater Reich', now annexed by the Poles and the Czechoslovaks, Werewolf harassment handed the new authorities an excuse to rush the deportations of millions of ethnic Germans to occupied Germany.

Such policies were understandable, but they created an unbridgeable gulf between the German people and the occupation forces who had pledged to impose essential reforms. It was hard, in such conditions, for the occupiers to encourage reform, and even harder to persuade the Germans that it was necessary.

By the time that this rough opposition to the occupation had started to soften, the Cold War was under way and reform became equally difficult to implement. As a result, both German states created in 1949 were not so dissimilar to their predecessor as might have been hoped, and changes in attitudes and institutions developed only slowly. Thanks partly to the Werewolves there was no German revolution in 1945, either imposed from above or generated from below.

you said that nazi movements prosper in germany.....i wonder if these movements can attract the interest of a population twice destroyed by violence...... i see the dalton boys strategy here.....i believe you are aware of that

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you said that nazi movements prosper in germany.....i wonder if these movements can attract the interest of a population twice destroyed by violence...... i see the dalton boys strategy here.....i believe you are aware of that

Nationalists movemets in Germany and everywhere else in Europe are on the rise and will continue to do so, as peoples become dissilusioned with the current system, and are increasingly loosing faith in "democracy" :shock: -
Peoples are realizing that they are lead like sheep and that the decisions are not made by them, but by the big Plutocrats. What is more, there seems to be a big campaign - to keep peoples as dumb as possible, being Stupid and Ignorant is actually encouraged in the system we now live in! Democracy cannot and will not work under these conditions.

Yes, the war was terrible and beyound belief, but looking at the world now, I can't be very optimistic about the future.
For the germans there will be no more war, at least that is good, but other things evil will occur.
Some peoples talk of a big economic crash, - one that will make the one of 1929 look like a mouse. Imagine if the whole world economy collapses, and money becomes worthless toillet paper - what will you do then?
What will you do? :shock:
I think Iran's Ayatollah said that
"War is horrible, but to be dominated it is more horrible"
Terrorism runs rampant, and the world economy is in chaos, the threat of new diseases, biological war, greedy corporations, inflation, civil war, perhaps another World War involving the US ~ and someone else China, North Korea ..India and Pakistan, Israel and the Arab countries, civil war in Africa, civil war in Haiti, civil war in Irak, total chaos everywhere... :zzz:
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~And I can't help think that somebody is responsible for all of this - someone very bright, very smart who is Pulling the Strings, and who is using 'our own Stupidity' to his advantage!

-Profiting from wars is not something new, but to insigate a war, to finance it by giving money to both sides in a conflict, and then creating hate and mistrust between the two sides - this.. only the devil himslef can do, unless he has some "Earthly Servants"... :?
In the End both sides would loose, they would have killed eachother and in the end would be weak ~ and you the Devil and mastermind of all of this would have won and conquered both of them~
-Did this not happen in World War 1???
-Did this not happen in World War 2????
Millions died and nothing was accomplished, except maybe nuclear bombs for the next war... arghhhh :zzz: i'm tired of being alive...
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On a final tought it's better not to know what is really going on. Orwell couln't have said it better - ignorance is bliss.

well that was a long post. but before you start paniking, let me assure you that no Nazi - like movement has ever succeeded without popular support. and that was exactly what i said. the german population are against war. as a matter of fact, the European population is against war.

africa is another matter. there you cannot say it is war. war happens between civilized societies. what happens there is massacre. and it only threatens stability according to the human rights declaration, and that is it.

north coreea is full of starving men, so what they got the nuke, they will never use it. it was only built to make the US cough up more money. the same with india and pakistan, none would use it because the consequences would be irreparable for both.

i do not believe in democracy. just like communism, the theoretical form is impossible to enact due to human nature. democracy is a lousy way to lead anyway.

about the terrorism running rampart, i do not know. IRAK and israel and that is about it. oh, and the chechens in russia...and please dont give me examples of every dude that smashes a window somewhere. that is not terrorism.

and finalyy, about neonazi movement, i think they are a binch of morons who would not recognize organized political movement if it hit them on their swastika-tatooed small foreheads....

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Nationalists movemets in Germany and everywhere else in Europe are on the rise and will continue to do so, as peoples become dissilusioned with the current system, and are increasingly loosing faith in \"democracy\"  -   Peoples are realizing that they are lead like sheep and that the decisions are not made by them, but by the big Plutocrats. What is more, there seems to be a big campaign - to keep peoples as dumb as possible, being Stupid and Ignorant is actually encouraged in the system we now live in ! Democracy cannot and will not work under these conditions.   Yes, the war was terrible and beyound belief, but looking at the world now, I can't be very optimistic about the future.   For the germans there will be no more war, at least that is good, but other things evil will occur.   Some peoples talk of a big economic crash, - one that will make the one of 1929 look like a mouse. Imagine if the whole world economy collapses, and money becomes worthless toillet paper - what will you do then?   What will you do?   I think Iran's Ayatollah said that   \"War is horrible, but to be dominated it is more horrible\"   Terrorism runs rampant, and the world economy is in chaos, the threat of new diseases, biological war, greedy corporations, inflation, civil war, perhaps another World War involving the US ~ and someone else China, North Korea ..India and Pakistan, Israel and the Arab countries, civil war in Africa, civil war in Haiti, civil war in Irak, total chaos everywhere...   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ~And I can't help think that somebody is responsible for all of this - someone very bright, very smart who is Pulling the Strings, and who is using ' our own Stupidity ' to his advantage !   -Profiting from wars is not something new, but to insigate a war, to finance it by giving money to both sides in a conflict, and then creating hate and mistrust between the two sides - this.. only the devil himslef can do, unless he has some \"Earthly Servants\" ...   In the End both sides would loose, they would have killed eachother and in the end would be weak ~ and you the Devil and mastermind of all of this would have won and conquered both of them~   -Did this not happen in World War 1???   -Did this not happen in World War 2????   Millions died and nothing was accomplished, except maybe nuclear bombs for the next war... arghhhh  i'm tired of being alive...   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   On a final tought it's better not to know what is really going on. Orwell couln't have said it better - ignorance is bliss.

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That was not only funny and paranoid, but it was also paranoid and funny. You have achieved greatness, Der Maresal... I wouldn't want to be your official biographer....

Incidently, is that a bomb in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? :drunk:

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Incidently, is that a bomb in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?  :drunk:

No, It's a cross and a Stake for killing Vampires, and also a ticket for you to go see "The Passion of the Christ" starring Mel Gibson. -
You would't be insulted to see that movie, wouldn't you mister "H."
There is some 'religious intolerance' within this movie - you might feel insulted.
:wink:

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No, It's a cross and a Stake for killing Vampires, and also a ticket for you to go see \"The Passion of the Christ\" starring Mel Gibson. -

Mel Gibson directed and produced the movie. He did not play in it. Incidently, the Vrigin Mary was played by Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern. As Jewish, she did not find the movie anti-Semitic if she played in it, so why would Alexandru do?

She might be an exception, but the press here here went hysterical about this movie. It just came in theaters yesterday. They had to cut a scene which said something like "my blood will be one you and your descendents for all eternity"..
Anyways- Mel Gibson already has been "labeled" and will suffer the same fate as Marlon Brando - if you remember what Brando said.. after which he simply ceased to exist.. ... :roll:
Because Gibson is a devoted catholic, and because his father had his own beliefs on conspiracies and "certain historical issues" and so on, and also because of this movie - Mel Gibson will now be ... "terminated".

This thing has attracted even more controversy then Jannet Jackson's nipple. hmmm.. :roll:

If I tell you that I believe in God, had an epiphany and I cannot wait to see that movie, what would you say then?

I think that the movie will be great... Mel Gibson just wanted to have a controversy, and it worked. Nowadays, it's better to have a reputation than being plain "nice". I think he will be part of movie history from now on.

The only intolerance I saw lately was that my religious transformation (after a long period of atheism and agnosticism) was misunderstood by my friends and collegues, and I became a sort of paria.

My dear Maresal, the fact that you have your own world set in a a predetermined pattern doesn't mean that I fit perfectly in it. You should however check my AAR in the General Discussions sub-forum - I play with Germany in a IIWorld War Game and I plan to conquer the world! .. how is that for a Jew, playing with Germany?

i cant wait to see the movie. and the jews need to get over themselves, they are becoming pathetic.

The street fights in Berlin continued more than one month, after 9th of May. They were carried out mostly by children and teenagers from Hitlerjugend.
Some bridges were blown up in Germany in May, June and July 1945.
In the mountains some SS units continued to fight for few months.
But overall, the German people were tired of war and willing for peace.

As a resistance organization the werewolf were simply pityfull and ineffective. They had no spirit, no means, no heart & minds support, nothing. So they just crumbled and history barely remember it's existence.

The movie in this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlwNsW5T3I

"Post WW2 Nazi Guerillas" worth the 45 minutes you spend for it.
You'll see how after May 1945 in the occupied Germany the Russians executed 200 young German men as response for the shooting of one Soviet soldier, how the French bombarded German cities with artillery when the locals did not like them etc. etc. etc.

This post has been edited by Florin on November 03, 2012 08:15 pm

The Soviet atrocities are nothing to surprise, but he French episode worths remembering.