23-я горная дивизия СС «Кама» / 23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Kama" (kroat. Nr. 2)

Re: Редкие фото иностранцев в СС, полиции и вермахте

По утверждению продавца, военнослужащие дивизии СС "Кама"

 

Не специалист по данному добровольческому формированию, начну тему с фото.

Bačka, summer 1944. Members of the never-fully-formed 23rd Armed Mountain Division of the SS "Kama" (2nd Croatian), during training; in a light blouse in the front row stands SS-Untersturmführer Alfred Berger, a company leader. The German plan was the formation of a sister Muslim SS division for the existing "Handschar" division (13th SS, 1st Croatian) – but the idea was given up already during the training period, because of the advancing Soviet troops. The enlisted "Kama" men were transferred to the 13th SS Mountain and the 31st SS Grenadier Division, and some of them deserted as well. Author Rudolf Pencz mentions also that the local ethnic German volunteers were quite intimidated by their colleagues Bosniaks – especially when they were parading and singing their songs, such as "Hitler's Guard Was Marching" (their variant of the popular song from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, "King Peter's Guard Was Marching").

 

хочется напомнить, что наш форум не англоязычный, вместо копирования информации можно дать ссылку

 

в немецкой вики коротко как создавалась и куда потом исчезла эта дивизия,и почему номер продолжил существование

23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Kama“ (kroatische Nr. 2)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/23._Waffen-Gebirgs-Division_der_SS_„Kama“_(kroatische_Nr._2)

 

Formation of the 23rd SS Mountain Division "Kama". This unit was intended to be the second SS division composed of Bosnian Muslims, but its formation had to be cancelled after only a few months, due to the advancing Soviets and the very poor state the first division was in (loss of manpower and morale, along with more frequent desertions). Pictured, two officers and an NCO, probably Germans (the division command personnel was German), pose dressed in tropical uniforms in a farmyard, in front of corn crib, during their training in Bačka. German officers didn't have an easy job with the Bosnians; although, on one hand, the Bosnians often appeared quite likeable, on the other hand, because of their unrestrained (wild) nature, obstinacy and customs, they often shocked the Germans and even frightened them. An anecdote from training, a memoir of a German company commander (a quote from the book "For the Homeland!" by Rudolf Pencz): "On one occasion, my Muslims entered a village and shot all the pigs! The Hungarian farmers were furious. I too was angry and raised hell with them about it. Ali, my interpreter, told me that this was normal, and that pigs were dirty animals anyway." And when the formation of the second Bosnian-Herzegovinian SS division was cancelled and it was time for its Bosnian members to return to their homeland, into the first division, because of the increasingly tense and uncertain situation, the behaviour of individuals got drastically worse – and even a mutiny occurred. A memoir of a German soldier (from the aforementioned source): "Some of the Bosnians attempted to desert. Untersturmführer Fiedler tried to stop them and stood in their way. They just shot him and threw his body in the water! Sturmbannführer Syr believed himself forced to let them go. They took a large number of weapons, including machine guns, and a considerable amount of ammunition with them."