Dirlewanger Brigade and the Battle of Ipolysag

Dirlewanger Brigade and the Battle of Ipolysag
With Douglas Nash
More Third Reich content on WW2TV
• Third Reich and German...
One of the most notorious yet least understood body of troops that fought for the Third Reich was the infamous Sondereinheit Dirlewanger, or the "Dirlewanger Special Unit." Formed initially as a company-sized formation in June 1940 from convicted poachers, it served under the command of SS-Obersturmführer Oskar Dirlewanger, one of the most infamous criminals in military history. First used to guard the Jewish ghetto in Lublin and support security operations carried out in occupied Poland by SS and Police forces, the unit was soon transferred to Belarus to combat the increasingly active Soviet partisan movement. After assisting in putting down the Warsaw Uprising during August-September 1944, by November of that year it had been enlarged and retitled as the 2. SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger. One month later, it fought one of its most controversial actions near the town of Ipolysag, Hungary, now known by its Slovak name of Sahy, between 13 and 18 December 1944. As a result of its overly hasty and haphazard deployment, lack of heavy armament, and a confusing chain of command, it was virtually destroyed by two Soviet mechanized corps.
Douglas Nash is a West Point Class graduate and retired U.S. Army Colonel with 32 years of active duty service in places like Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Cuba, and Uzbekistan. We are delighted that he is joining us on WW2TV. Douglas is the author of several books focussing on German units in the later part of the war.
Douglas' previous WW2TV shows:
Operation Konrad: The Three Relief Attempts of Budapest by the IV SS Panzer Corps
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The Other Battle of Warsaw - August 1944 and the IV SS-Panzerkorps
• The Other Battle of Wa...
The Defeat of the Damned: The Destruction of the Dirlewanger Brigade at the Battle of Ipolysag, December 1944 by Douglas E. Nash
USA bookshop.org/a...
UK blackwells.co....
Other Panzer Shows you may enjoy:
Panzers - German Armoured Units in Normandy on D-Day • Panzers - German Armou...
Smashing Hitler's Panzers - The Battle of the Bulge • Smashing Hitler's Panz...
Battling the German Panzers - The Canadian 7th Brigade • Battling the German Pa...
The Other Battle of Warsaw - August 1944 and the IV SS-Panzerkorps • The Other Battle of Wa...
Panzer Counter-attack at Son Bridge • Panzer Counter-attack ...
Panzer Killers - 3rd Armor in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) • Battling the German Pa...
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[@marks_sparks1]

Col Douglas Nash knocks it out of the park again. Simply a masterclass in establishing the characters (rogues in this case), back story, orbat, and the battle in detail aided by superb maps. Enthralling from start to finish.

[@christiangajhede7595]

Simply awesome!

[@jbuckley2546]

Rogues?

[@damonmelendez856]

40:38 the guy in the middle looks kinda like Homer Simpson

[@Kernmayr]

In all the hubbub, I forgot to mention my new book, "The Defeat of the Damned: The Destruction of the Dirlewanger Brigade at the Battle of Ipolysag, December 1944." It covers the battle in much greater detail than I was able to portray here and is published by Casemate Publishing, but can be found at most online bookstores.

[@redskyatnight123]

Will be purchasing your book. I'm sure it's excellent, going of your treble of from the realm of a dying sun . Awsume read thank you

[@mudkoerfgen9843]

Yep i will invest in your book too ... 👍 yep its good to be able enjoy a whiskey shot here & there tryin to wrap our head round humanity's extreme reality's thru out (His)tory & WW2 had some Brutal Killers partaking in Hellish Extremes of 'Kill ... or be Killed & there would have been way too many more than i would want to count Vengeful Victims of D' waiting for His Human Spirit to Finally Enter Deaths Realm to give account for Blood on his hands & evil done when ex Polish prisoners of SS reconized him & allowed to brutally beat Life from him in the end ... live by the Sword ... Die by the Sword 👍 Glad i never crossed paths with 1 of WW2's Coldest Ethical Administors of life or death manifesting ... Cheers for work compiling such important recalling pasts History

[@Kernmayr]

Thanks!@@redskyatnight123

[@gartik2367]

Regards to you Colonel Nash, if i may ask what do you think of Serbia?

[@Kernmayr]

At what point in its history? Serbia now or 800 years ago?@@gartik2367

[@alistairclarke6726]

Outstanding presentation of a difficult subject. It is a good thing that your channel does not shy away from unsavoury history.

[@WW2TV]

Thank you very much!

[@redskyatnight123]

This was absalute quality tonight, i couldn't put my phone down, usually i like to do something whilst listening to stuff. I had to sit down and pumy full concentration on this .loved it thanx paul thanx dougles! 👍👍👍

[@billenright2788]

this cat's level of detail is off-the-charts. unreal knowledge of all down-n-dirty stuff.

[@kiowhatta1]

Doug Nash is an exceptional narrator-for two hours plus I was hooked. Raconteur par excellence

[@lequelle2580]

Thank you for a first class presentation conveying the most nuanced picture of this infamous Brigade. that I ever have had the pleasure of listening to.

[@mammuchan8923]

Well Doug goes to the top of my list of people I would be prepared to sit and talk to on a long haul flight. Thank you Paul and Doug for an epic show tonight. Take care

[@WW2TV]

Very welcome

[@philbosworth3789]

An absolute must watch episode from Doug. Great maps from Ivo. 5*.

[@Ghost_wheel]

Agreed Comrade Phil. This is one that I am almost glad I missed live. As much as I love the sidebar and the highly educated warriors, sometimes it is just good to put it on fullscreen and enjoy. My Sidebar comment would have been-"Very dapper dude". I'm not smart like the rest of you guys.

[@Light-Machine-Gun]

Fantastic and comprehensive indeed! Just one thing to say about Italian Carcano rifles used by the Brigade: the Germans confiscated tons of Italian equipment from the Italian Army in 1943, Beretta Mab and Carcano rifles were issued to many police anti-partisans units around Europe, and the ammunition was plenty, easy to obtain especially from the huge reserves from Odilo Globocknick's OZAK.

[@Kernmayr]

In the particular case of the company that was issued Carcanos, they defected to the Red Army as soon as it was safe to do so, so it really didn't matter how much ammunition they had. They deployed to the mountains with what they carried in their ammunition pouches, with the rest of the basic load being left behind on their horse-drawn wagons that did not arrive until several days later.

[@Light-Machine-Gun]

@@Kernmayr The ammunition were to shot the red army, so you must consider the moment these were issued before surrender, no rifle will save you from the defeat the Gruppe suffered, but there is no connection with the different calibre, because, as I said, there was plenty. Carcano was normally issued to Polizeidivisionen after 1943 (especially the new ones).

[@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq]

@@Light-Machine-Gun One of those Carcano rifles was part of a confiscated lot that was bought by an arms dealer who sold them off in the USA very cheaply, the rifle was used to shoot John F Kennedy.

[@lequelle2580]

@@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jqAllegedly…

[@dansweeney4530]

@@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq According to the Warren Commission, it was the most accurate rapid firing bolt action rifle ever! It was also described as the only military rifle that never killed anyone on purpose 🙂

[@konst80hum]

And thank you for bringing mr Nash to speak so well about this deplorable group. One shouldn't sugarcoat history and you are doing great work in educating people.

[@signorpafnuzio]

Indeed, a very good and useful lecture, thanks. Two (minor) points, though: 1. the Romanian Royal army was almost never supplied by the russians with russian weaponry, much less tanks or TD's. On the contrary, it was forbidden to use its own armored equipment in early September 44 and it had t o return most of its captured russian armor and cannon stocks. The picture does show Romanian soldiers on a Russian SU76 (the Romanians are easily recognizable for their "Dutch" helmets), acting as ad-hoc "Desantniki". This moments of cooperation were quite frequent in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, since the only Romanian armored division (which was allowed to reform and use its mostly German supplied equipment, PZ IVs and STUGs III, with some more or less obsolete Romanian and Czech stuff) was gradually depleted through heavy fightings under Russian control (it ended the war with only a couple of working tanks A couple - as in 1 or 2). 2. Hungary was just as an "independent" state under German rule as it was under Soviet rule. The Honved might have imagined that they were fighting for "an independent Hungary" - but everyone knew then what every historian knows now: Hungary (just as Romania) was not an independent state during WW2, as it never was afterwards. It kept some appearances and facade of independence under Horthy - and it lost it all with Szalazsi. Truth be told, Horthy's regime was just as independent in the late 30s and the early 40s t as Janos Kadar's Hungary was in the late 80's. What the Honved stood up for was not Hungary's independence - but to stop the Russians to take Hungarian lands from the Germans. All in all, the Honved fought a superb and tragic battle for its own destruction, a battle which should have been avoidable, but it became inevitable since the 30's. It was the well deserved product of having an quasi-fascist autocrat ruling a kingdom without a king whilst comanding a Navyu without ships. A tragic end - but predictable and avoidable.

[@zamiadams4343]

Great presentation by Douglas, cheers!

[@Maxwellgracehaven]

Woody is right that film is awfully upsetting. It does teach you the true horror of that war.

[@redskyatnight123]

But definitely an important picture in a certain time of history that needs to be remembered

[@kenon6968]

it's hard imagining them making a similar movie today when you look at the state of Russian historical cinema, propaganda of the thinnest variety slapped together with production values on par with a moderately large KZbin channel...

[@davidlavigne207]

Thanks for having such a well informed guest on talking about a little known battle and in such detail. I must order his books as they will be informative.

[@WW2TV]

Our pleasure!

[@MrFluidwill]

Brilliant, thank you Doug

[@ernstwiltmann6]

A good follow up to supplement this Documentary would be a story on General Reinhard Gehlen, who was in Chage of German Military Intelligence on the Eastern Front, called Fremde Heere Ost, and the implications that still haunt us today. Mike Felton did a very good Segment on it, and the implicationns it had for Canada: The Story of the 14th SS Division Galicia, and the survivors journey to Canada, that lead to the Nazigate in the Ottawa Parliament , a few month ago.

[@bayknight20]

Good idea, but I think it is hard to get good info.

[@ernstwiltmann6]

@@bayknight20 For me it was not so hard to find good information, since I found out about my Grandfathers role in WW2, for about 40 years after his passing. Not that I did not try to pump info out of him when he was still around, since he was the nicest and kindest Opa you can imagine. I got a few funny anecdotes out of him, but nothing that I could fill my puzzle with.It was my Mother on her deathbed that provided me with the info i was seeking for. Every time since, I managed to gather info relating to my Mom's und my own hunches info, did I found some of it. Because I knew where to look for . Elem Klimov's movie "Idi I smotry" (come and see) was the trigger for me to look harder. This movie is available on KZbin, with English Subtitles. My Grandfather was a Fremde Heere Ost Officer with the front description os a Translator. But like I said, just a front for the unassuming. I believe the Canadian People need to know this part of the war, because it is not taught in as much detail in Canada as it deserves. I know this is a huge order, but my hunch tells me, that you might be the right person to dig into it. I also sense that you are an expert on all the western theaters of war, and you want to get into the eastern one. Perhaps you know TIK who is researching the Stalingrad Battle in the greatest details ever, I guess you know his Battle storm series ?, has not touched this subject yet. Besides Mark Felton, you might be one of the First.

[@dleechristy]

@@bayknight20 Ask Krystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, since she has the family connections. Maybe she can find a vet that some NATO Parliament will now give a standing ovation to!!! She's not dumb or unaware, Harvard Grad, involved in such vet celebrations her entire life and grandpa was an infamous propagandist for the SS Units doing the dirtiest of dirty work that even German SS didn't always want to do. NATO/current Ukrainian regime "Heroes" now!!! (but always heroes for Krystia)

[@nickhaynie5980]

Top notch research and intel paired with the way a soldiers insight makes great historical storytelling

[@whitby910]

Excellent and very well presented. Thanks

[@Chief-Solarize]

I was looking forward to this one. Thank you guys. I've never heard alot of this.

[@WW2TV]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@terryemery7839]

Two and a half hours, head was swimming after this one. Think Douglas had a few energy drinks for this one!

[@ManWithNoName1980]

An absolute pleasure. Cold Nash is an ultimate lecturer. Thank you for this opportunity especially as a Pole "operations" made heavy impact on my local history. Similar unit operated in that area which if I am not mistaken was 1st Motorised Gendarmerie Battalion. Equally cruel and never brought to justice.

[@Dirleberger]

Man muss diese Partisanen in Russland und Polen einfach als Verbrecher sehen! Was die an Grausamkeiten verbreitet haben ist einzigartig und verdiente entsprechend bekämpft zu werden! Ihr Tommys habt mit euren Bombern nur unschuldige Frauen und Kinder bombardiert! Feige Bande diese Air Force!

[@diannemarlenehargitai4309]

Really good stuff about this special renegade battalion and their über-unique soldiering. Insightful intelligent narrative. Kudos to Dr. Nash!

[@YuriBeckers9thID]

Another wonderful and interesting presentation by Doug! So many details, thank you both.

[@paulsaunders6536]

Epic. I’m about 2/3 of the way through Doug’s book, this presentation helped enormously. First rate, his grasp of the detail is impressive, to say the least.

[@jimwatts914]

Howdy there folks! Impressive presentation of a complex situation from an expert who never forgot or stumbled. Nash’s knowledge of the subject is deep and the story is fantastic. This is the show to compare other shows against and a high bar for every presenter.

[@adamwarne8289]

Among the very worst of the worst... The Dirlewanger Brigade revealed their true nature in Warsaw and displayed their fighting ability at Ipolysag. Superb presentation as we've come to from @WW2TV on a tough subject. Douglas Nash Sr on top form as ever.

[@grin1972]

Woody, great episode. I am especially grateful, because as Poles, the crimes committed by this disgusting, thug and criminal Dirlewanger and others in Poland are especially important to me. Many of these criminals were never held accountable for their heinous actions. After the war, they performed many honorable functions in Western Germany, which fills me with great disgust. Once again, many thanks for this episode. Great presentation and so comprehensive and full of valuable information.

[@fernandor8186]

Appareantly West Germany has never undergone a proper denazification.... who knows, history likes to repeat.. 😏😏😏

[@ScottishIndyNow]

Compelling and informative piece. Always good to listen to someone who clearly knows their stuff. Thank you!

[@hollowmstr]

What a great video! I did not know about the poaching incidents that led to the formation of the Dirlewanger brigade, that was very informative. Oskar Dirlewanger's end at the hands of the Polish Guards in the Allied POW camp is a fitting end to such an infamous war criminal.

[@CharlesStevenage]

Anyone researched flat earth?

[@georgehetty7857]

⁠@@CharlesStevenageAre you convinced following your own research?

[@Dirleberger]

Der war im Partisanenkampf und da darf kein Pardon gegeben werden, oder?

[@hollowmstr]

@@Dirleberger I agree, no one was expecting any mercy.

[@Dirleberger]

@@hollowmstrPartisanen sind nur hinterhältige Kriminelle! Da ist doch wohl jedes Mittel recht, oder?

[@anthonykelly1368]

Regarding why they likely didn’t wear helmets. You can’t hear wearing a helmet very well. When I was light infantry and we actually still trained in fieldcraft, a lot of our patrolling was done in soft patrol caps and not helmets. Our “ SLL” pauses: stop, look, listen required you to be able to hear Not a surprise a unit of hunters/poachers would want to hear in wooded areas while “hunting” partisans

[@Key-v6l]

Another fantastic piece of work by Doug Nash, thanks for the presentation , never game across very much info on this notorious unit. Aside from the basics

[@clivewalton7337]

Splendid show with Doug - one of the best on the channel so far, Paul. I am perhaps a little biased, having worked with Doug as his copy-editor for Casemate on his Dirlewanger book, as well as his previous three-volume epic, From the Realm of a Dying Sun. He truly is a master of his craft, and a joy to work with! Keep up the good work Paul and Doug; it's so important that people are able to delve into the darkest corners of the detestable Third Reich so that we can come to understand how such evil was able to be created.

[@WW2TV]

Thanks Clive

[@clivewalton7337]

Any time Paul. Good to see Doug was feeling well again - two-and-a-half hours... Wow!!@@WW2TV

[@Dirleberger]

Clive walton, was ist an unserem Volk schlimm? Wir hatten die tapfersten Soldaten! Hier die Dreckeimer über unsere Soldaten auszuschütten ist billigste Siegerpropaganda! Die Alliierten sind die größten Verbrecher!

[@alerossi8564]

Best video of dirlewanger unit

[@zsolttalloczy5222]

Wow!!! Very thorough! 👍

[@jasonkeating9958]

That was seriously great stuff, Totally excellent 10/10

[@scooter66133]

Congratulations.....so much details...I've made today a search at the German federal archives an found some documents that they even transferred members of the civil postal service to dirlewanger brigade . They used them as radio operators. And they transferred a doctor from the air force medical service too .

[@BinkyTheElf1]

Dirlewanger was far worse than so many other more notorious totalitarians of the 20th century, yet lesser known. A total monster, surrounded by criminals and sadists, and yet he was repeatedly rehabilitated despite all his crimes. The role of this SS group in the Warsaw Uprising was utterly inhuman.

[@Kernmayr]

As bad as he was, he was not a monster, but a human being. Monsters exist in mythology and are outside of the human condition; Dirlewanger was a drunk, a sadist, a murderer and a pedophile, but thoroughly human in the way he chose to embrace evil.

[@squidgypoppet]

Great lecture by Nash, hopfully we see more of him 🍻

[@mudkoerfgen9843]

Outstanding Effort 👏 - that picture of surviving vetaran p.o.w looking resigned to fact finally his war had ended - 😳 like they say ... every picture is Worth a 1K Words ... in his case ... many many more ... he had survived a Nightmare (at times) of a Life within Brutal Combat ... i Thank God my Life's Recall at 56yo Australian of things i have done & said with the 'cards of reality + situational placements - i obviously glad to have no blood on my hands to be able to roll over & fall asleep faster but 'Wow ... Tough Warriors esp the Survivour in thqt picture ... Cheers 🍺🦘 Look Forward to this Channels Next 👍🙃

[@SuperMarkbrewer]

Excellent many thanks indeed

[@Ryanboy2020]

Wow! I learned so much with this presentation. Very very comprehensive. Well done. 👍

[@JFB-Haninge]

This starts very good.. Can't wait to hear more.. Long episod too.. 😊😊😊😊😊👍👍👍👍👍

[@thcdreams654]

Fantastic content. A great aspect of this channel is the passion and enthusiasm you all have for your work. Thank you.

[@WW2TV]

Our pleasure!

[@ccmaxWW2]

You are doing an amazing job.

[@KevinJones-yh2jb]

Just watching on a rerun, gosh some vile individuals in this show. However great to learn about this group, Doug put together a very in depth presentation. I found it very moving, my heart goes out to the people they inflected such crimes on. Many thanks Doug and Woody

[@Toby_Flenderson]

Fantastic video, subscribed. This video is detailed and opposite to Mark felton claims of Dirlewanger brigade being highly incompetent,low morale.

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for the sub! I would like to think we do better here than Mr Felton

[@Toby_Flenderson]

After watching this video I am convinced too.

[@WW2TV]

The trick is using the best historians for each subject

[@icecoffee1361]

Don’t get on your livestream anymore unfortunately but I love listening when I’m driving 👍🏻

[@chadgun4135]

Just discovered this channel Great content so I obviously subbed

[@WW2TV]

Welcome aboard Chad

[@chrislondo2683]

I saw Come and See back in the summer of 2021. It was brutal. Also Dirlewanger looks a hellish version of John Waters.

[@Cicero....]

Damned, what a great presentation! Great work on this subject.

[@hugod2000]

Excellent narration.

[@philipcowles]

Excellent as per...

[@Maxwellgracehaven]

A really excellent show.

[@dummre83]

Love the content keep it up.

[@alexs8526]

Once again, a great show, outstanding, cheers :)

[@SuperGrimupnorth]

Excellent 👌 liked, commented & subscribed ✅

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for the sub!

[@danielgreen3715]

An Interesting and Informative discussion about the infamous Dirlewanger Bgde ..The Fact that they were shoved into a Critical Defensive Bottleneck position with the equipment and training they had just shows how the German Army was on it Knees by this point of the war Thank you for the Video

[@George_MC]

Outstanding!

[@nickjohnson710]

Great show, guys, with tons of information ......sorry for jumping the gun when I mentioned come and see...

[@patrickmckenna2024]

I've read about Dirlewanger previously, and I'm stunned there aren't more documentaries etc about him. His brigade caused literal hell wherever they went, and even by SS standards were the worst that humanity had to offer.

[@malcolmbliss777]

If they made a film about the man, most wouldn’t believe it. And you couldn’t begin to tell his story without earning an X rating.

[@henrikschultze1668]

maybe it was because all the hell he caused , that there isn't so much book's about him and the dirlewanger brigade !!!?

[@Dirleberger]

Vieles ist auch Siegerpropaganda! Im Partisanenkrieg hat man gegen hinterhältige Banditen kämpfen müssen!

[@jairoantonioribeiro8755]

TENHO 76 ANOS, SOU UM LEITOR ASSÍDUO DE TODA MATÉRIA QIE RETRATA ESSE PERÍODO SOMBRIO DE 39 A 45. ESSE VÍDEO LONGO, BEM FEITO, BEM NARRADO FOI DE UM VALOR INESTIMÁVEL MEUS PARABÉNS.

[@redr1150r]

Some old veterans of this unit were found alive in Germany a few years back.

[@Occident.]

So what?

[@redr1150r]

They were supposedly all killed in the battle of Berlin. They were all wanted for very heinous war crimes. They got blown away when they stood up to real soldiers.@@Occident.

[@fernandor8186]

​@@Occident. Go back to sleep you hitlerite!

[@gordy3714]

Woody Have you ever thought of doing a full series on The Einsatzgruppen, from it's formation to commanders etc from the 4 main groups A-D.

[@WW2TV]

It would be a seriously grim show, but good idea

[@gordy3714]

@@WW2TV It certainly would Woody but these things need to be told. There is not much actually out there The BBC touched on it in Nazis The final solution and a little bit in War of the Century, and there is a great 4 part documentary out there. But the engagement in Bila Tserkva is one of the most horrific things I have ever heard of.

[@Overwatch9]

Dirlewanger was an awful human being, but a great soldier. Fearless, inspiring, ambitious and doing what needed to be done, no matter how bad the orders were. A man designed for the worst conflict in history, where death is present on every corner. If he was fighting for the victorious side, a movie would portray him as a troubled anti-hero, suffering from PTSD, following orders and binge drinking to null the pain.

[@Kernmayr]

However as a brigade commander, he was out of his depth. His ability peaked as a regimental commander. Sometimes awful human beings make great soldiers, but that in no way absolves him for the terrible crimes that he and his men committed.

[@georgehetty7857]

His portrayal would be definitely played by a white actor👍

[@chrismario6371]

​@@georgehetty7857I thought denzel washington would be good..

[@albertarthurparsnips5141]

What was it that he did that ‘needed to be done’ ? Would you mind explaining, giving some examples of this ?…

[@korsun5090]

What a compelling narrative. Great presentation. Phil Blood has mentioned a couple of those SS officers like Bach-Zelewski already. Super interesting and still unbelievable how brutal and inhumane these units were waging 'their war'. Thank you, Paul and guests for keeping the memory alive, for deconstructing myths, for covering some of the more obscure topics and providing all of this on a daily basis. All the best for 2024.

[@FlytheW11216]

What a great presentation! Took me a couple days to watch the entire thing, but it was well worth my time. Learned a ton! I wonder if they had any run ins with the Beilski partisans? Looks like the map that shows the retreat from Minsk to Warsaw led them through or close to Lida, Belarus.

[@kjm1141]

lol

[@thehardwoodflooringshopltd9771]

Fantastic really enjoyed the video

[@WW2TV]

Thank you very much!

[@PaulHenning84]

I own most of the books on this unit, and this one marathon of a presentation probably expanded my knowledge by 400 percent. I thought their unit diary was burned. I didn't think much of the information he talked of existed anymore. I wonder what his thoughts were on Schenks testimony (the Beligian sapper).

[@Kernmayr]

Schenk was being truthful; what he witnessed in Warsaw was terrible, but that was only one eyewitness account of the slaughter that took place in Wola between 5 and 8 August 1944. There were crimes even more immense that he didn't see. But thanks to his testimony, other crimes committed by Dirlewanger's troops and other German troops (Police, SD, Gestapo, cossacks, Kaminski troops etc.) have come to light.

[@PaulHenning84]

@@Kernmayr I know he was truthful. Just wondering what the author thought of the testimony.

[@Kernmayr]

I thought he was being truthful too.@@PaulHenning84

[@redskyatnight123]

​@@Kernmayrhi Douglas do you have any other sources to look into bar schenk ?

[@PaulHenning84]

@@redskyatnight123 the original article is down, bu if you find the link it's on the Wayback Machine

[@joeyj6808]

I sure wouldn't want to game that battle with such an uneven OOB balance.

[@JoshPerry-c2b]

It would be good if you could find someone to talk about the ustache, and what they did in yugoslavia.

[@fernandor8186]

and about banderites from ukrainian OUN-B and UPA, they murdered half million of Polish civilians from 1943 until 1947 in Wolhynia and Eastern Lesser Poland regions.

[@Daneelro]

It's only now that I had time to watch this. I'm still only at 1:44 (starting of 15 Dec 1944), but I have to start commenting. This is very interesting to me because part of my family descends from Ipolyság and some very detailed accounts survive of their experiences - now Douglas Nash is giving me the operational-level big picture which I was mostly ignorant of. My first comment is some small additions to the events of 14 December, when the Red Army took Ipolyság proper, but with a long intro. 20 years ago, at the funeral service of a great-uncle in Ipolyság, I met my great-uncle's childhood best friend. The man was over 80 and very senile, the kind of senile who forgets what happened a minute ago, but still had vivid memories from his youth. He began to tell stories from his life, but almost all of them were his WWII experiences. He would start at some random event, talk for five minutes, then lose track, and a minute later, he would pick up at another random point in time. However, I listened for almost two hours, and by that time, I could piece together a continuous story from the 5-minute segments (with many overlaps - when he got to a part he already told but forgot he did, he repeated the story almost word for word). I'll focus on the small Battle of Ipolyság part of it. The man was a radio officer in the Hungarian 2nd Army (which invaded Ukraine & Southern Russia alongside the Nazis) by the time the Red Army started to beat back the invaders. He was lucky to get out just before the collapse at the Don River in early 1943 with an injury. After recuperating, he was put on reserve. When the front approached Ipolyság, this man was put into a unit made up of older local men who were cobbled together as a home defence unit at the last minute. They must have been under than Dirlewanger engineering unit you mention, and they didn't have any better weapons. When the Soviets did that clockwise circling of Ipolyság, after they took the hill to the north, they pulled up an artillery piece of their own, pointing at the town below. Since my acquaintance was the only one in the group with experience, the leader asked what they can do. The man surmised that they can fire off a salvo or two from a machine gun, but then the artillerymen on the hill will spot them and take the machine gun out. The unit leader then told: "Alright men, this is a lost cause, lose your uniforms and go home!" Which they did. Some addendum follows in a second comment.

[@Daneelro]

What followed had some comedic elements. Surprised at taking the town almost without resistance, the Soviets went around town to pick up any able-bodied men, on suspicion of them being soldiers in hiding who'd do armed resistance. My great-uncle's childhood friend learnt a stereotype that Russians respect mothers a lot, and also thought Russians will see Slovaks as allies, so he went to his nanny who was Slovakian, and she agreed to pretend to be his mother. Three times that night, a Soviet soldier knocked on the door, three times the nanny vailed in Slovakian (which Russians can understand) that they should not take away her son, and it worked three times. (Not very heroic, is it?) The man also told me how my great-uncle got through the passing of the front. He was younger, was put into a youth organisation that trained young men before being drafted, but when the front approached, instead of being drafted, the Germans took the unit West to work in some weapons factory. However, my great-uncle deserted and walked home on foot. He reached the next village just when the Red Army attacked, so he sought refuge with a Slovakian family whose head was friends with his father, and they hid him. He would later marry the daughter. We never knew how my own grandfather got through the passing of the front, he never talked about it with his children, but just a few weeks ago, my father found a typewritten account from 1979 describing it with scant details. The part we already knew was that he was a reservist (also because of a medical condition) getting through his year of service being bombed in various barracks, and that he deserted after seeing how the Red Army scattered his unit at Vác (you mention that push, too). He, too, walked home, and got there a couple of days before the Red Army. He sent all the female and child members of the extended family to a forestry house in the Börzsöny mountains (much more on this when I finished watching the video) and then hid out "in a basement". This couldn't be home because he found out only later that it was completely looted of furniture. He would not have a chance to meet his family for two weeks, but didn't write how he himself survived during that time. My grandfather had a second, even younger brother, who wasn't drafted. His story was re-told many times in the family. In spite of his young age, he _was_ rounded up by the Red Army, and put on a train to be taken with thousands of others for forced labour in the Soviet Union. However, he, too, could escape, running from the first intermediate internment camp. He wanted to travel home by train but feared the Soviets will wait for him. He could phone the middle brother who agreed to wait at the station, and signal to the escapee that there is a trap waiting for him by lighting a cigarette (the middle brother didn't smoke).

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for sharing this history with us

[@Daneelro]

Okay, after I watched the rest of the video, here is my final story. It's events on the sidelines of the fighting between 22 and 26 December 1944, which you show on the map from 2:10:15. This is abridged from a very detailed and extremely graphic account written by my grandmother a few days after the events (intended for two children orphaned in the events when they grow up, but they only received it after her death decades later). So the female and child members of my grandfather's family went to hide out in the Börzsöny forest, at a forestry house south of Kemence, just before Ipolyság fell on the 14th. For a week, they only heard the guns from the distance. Then on the 22th, the front moved in, and things happened in quick succession. First they saw withdrawing German units on a ridge. Second, a five-man Red Army recon unit turned up, begged for food, then left. Shortly after, a single German turned up, who also begged for food as his unit had no food for three days. He was a good-looking educated man and quickly made a connection with my grandmother (who was also educated & a kindergarten teacher), and revealed that he spent ten years in Kufstein Castle (Austria) as political prisoner [so imprisoned before the _Anschluss_ but kept there by the Nazis] and was sent to the front two weeks ago - so he must have been a Dirlewanger member. Shortly after he left, a seven-man Red Army unit led by a captain came by and registered everyone. After they left, they sent back the original five-man unit to fetch one of the women who spoke Slovakian, to serve as a guide. But they didn't get far because the Germans began to shell the forestry house. Hiding out with the Red Army squad was uneasy because the squad leader was drunk and began to shoot from his pistol in the kitchen, until his interpreter, a Polish Jew, tore it from his hands. On the 24th, things got worse because a lot more Soviets came and set up camp around the forestry house, and the Germans began mortar shelling in earnest across the next ridge, so everyone went hiding in the basement (the forestry house had thick rocky walls). The next morning the shelling stopped, and all day was quiet. My religious and civilian relatives naively thought that this signifies respect for Christmas, and got out of the basement for an evening meal. Just then the mortar shelling started again, with the very first shell being the only one to go through a window, instantly killing two of the women, one of them the mother of two young children. My grandmother had to take charge, she took all the children & older women down into the basement after counting the time interval between shells landing, then took a Russian with him to help collect what they can and cover the dead.

[@WW2TV]

Thank you

[@Kernmayr]

Very interesting eyewitness account! I wish I had been in contact with you beforehand. In my book, I go into much greater detail about the battle - I think you would learn some additional details that have hitherto been overlooked.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Excellent show. Lots of detail and excellent pictures. Years ago I got a vet bringback VZ24 rifle. Was informed had German modifications....and one shows up on the lower picture at 40 mins. Not mine, but still got my attention.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

The inspiring story of a convicted sex offender who rebuilds his life and goes on to command a heroic SS unit operating above and beyond the already cruel law of Nazi occupied Poland to enrich themselves at the expense of an expendable populace. Please note, the preceding was sarcasm. In all seriousness, calling this unit scum is an insult to scum. Just hearing this story makes me want a stiff drink. I no longer drink, so I'll have to settle for a hot shower.

[@KartarNighthawk]

The Holocaust was a criminal enterprise and in Dirlewanger et al, Himmler found the criminals he needed to make it work. Poachers, bandits, sex offenders, the criminally insane...I don't think there's a form of lowlife they missed recruiting into the Dirlewanger outfit. We talk a lot about how regimes like the Nazis turn "ordinary" men into monsters, but I think it's sometimes forgotten that they also promote and empower the kind of people who in a functioning society would be in prison or under a psych hold.

[@fernandor8186]

Imagine that the equivalents of SS Dirlewanger in Ukraine, i.e. SS Galizien, OUN-B, UPA, have their monuments built nowadays all over Ukraine.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

@@fernandor8186 Imagine being under occupation by one evil regime (the Soviets under Stalin) and then invaded by another evil regime (the Nazis under Hitler). When the Germans first invade, your people see them as liberators, because they can't be as bad as the Soviets, right? But then they start killing everybody and most realize that the Nazis are just as bad as the Soviets. But the Soviets occupy your nation from 1919ish until 1989 and in all that time, the only time you got to fight back against them was when the Germans were there from 1941-1945. Therefore, some Ukrainian people still think, at least the Nazi supplied Ukrainian soldiers could resist the Soviets for a season. Now we're resisting the Russian bastards once again, like our ancestors did during WW2. The focus isn't on persecuting Jews, it is on resisting Russians. That is how bad Ukraine's situation was for 70 years and how bad it is again today. Then who the hell are you to question why Ukraine doesn't want to be ruled by the Russians yet again?

[@KartarNighthawk]

One of the key things that's often overlooked about Dirlewanger and company is how their existence gives the lie to the notion that the Nazis were obsessed with law and order. Himmler justified setting up the Poachers' Brigade on the premise that the men within it--criminals, mental patients, etc--were perfect he-man Aryans, who were too ruggedly individualistic to obey petty manmade laws. That the unit then went onto be a pack of uncontrollable thugs who violated orders and operated an array of criminal enterprises was a feature, not a bug; Tim Snyder dubbed the Nazi regime warmongering zoological anarchists, and no one expressed that anarchism (in D&D terms, unrestrained Chaotic Evil) like Dirlewanger.

[@WW2TV]

Good point

[@nikitaananjevas1614]

Excellent video, thanks

[@martinbanfalvi5414]

wooou, very nice video from my area, I would definitely accept some more or even a book

[@professorkatze1123]

Dirli really needs his own Marvel movie

[@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq]

What is seldom mentioned is the SS Florian Geyer cavalry division was also decimated in the Hungarian fighting, an interesting fact is the Grandfather of the current Dutch King served in the newly formed SS Cavalry division.

[@Kernmayr]

It was completely wiped out (not decimated) in Budapest in February 1945 along with its sister division, the Maria Theresa SS Volunteer Cavalry Division after a two-month siege.

[@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq]

@@Kernmayr Decimated is 10% losses, were they all killed ? no survivors ? I know that in German circles there was much anger at Cavalry being sent to fight in Budapest.

[@Kernmayr]

Most of the men of the division, with the exception of a few hundred wounded who were flown out before the fall and about 100 who survived the breakout after the city capitulated, were either KIA or captured. On 16 December 1944, the division reported having a combat strength (Kampfstaerke) of 2,689 men, not counting soldiers in direct support roles (such as artillery and antitank troops) as well as logistics & administrative troops, which would have brought the total number of men to approximately 8,000 - 10,000 men on that date. So it is safe to say that no more than 1,000 men (less than 10%) survived outside the city and about half of those were wounded. The destruction of the division was so complete, that Himmler decided not to reconstitute it. Some of the POWs survived Soviet captivity and returned home by 1956.@@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq

[@Elfunko99x]

Great storytelling, sounds very much like Norm Macdonald, i half expected a lot of bad jokes mixed into each of the mini-stories 😂

[@scottgrimwood8868]

What an incredibly indepth presentation! Unfortunately, the people being talked about are real bastards. As awful as these people are, their story needs to be told so we understand what they did.

[@stevej8005]

Really do appreciate you tackling such unpleasant, distressing subjects as this. I knew little about Dirlewanger and found the rhetoric of the Wehraboos and deniers somewhat bizarre from the little I had read. Douglas ' presentation dispels any myths of a 'clean' war from my perspective. Great work Woody!!

[@parrot849]

Absolutely outstanding presentation of the history of this criminal SS officer and his notorious Nazi brigade, and especially the superb description of the detailed tactical picture of this days-long Hungarian battle. Once again, great episode Paul, thank you. (P.S.) Does anyone have any knowledge of where or when Ms. Kuklinska’s English translation of “SS Sonderkommado Dirlewanger” book will be available for purchase?

[@patwalsh2739]

Brilliant

[@Philip271828]

I've only heard of these guys from Simon Whistler, who's entering but not reliable. This should be good (and accurate), but not nice.

[@henrikschultze1668]

waouv , what a winter ! , what happen in the summertime ???

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

With 12 wounds, Dirlewanger is a candidate for the Holy Grail Black Knight Badge. They were, in fact "Only flesh wounds!"

[@phunkeehone]

'Tis but a scratch. Come on, you p@ñ$ý!'

[@marks_sparks1]

Adrian Carton de Wiart VC has entered the chat.

[@ConradAinger]

The Colonel's pronunciation of German names and words is generally good. But one small point: in German the letter 'w' is pronounced as the English 'v'. Therefore 'Vaffen SS'.

[@Kernmayr]

Guilty as charged; my college German language instructor, Oberstleutnant Kurt Leiberich, would have been appalled because I opted for the English pronunciation of the "w" in a few cases. 😉

[@ConradAinger]

@@Kernmayr We Germans are notoriously pedantic.😐😑

[@Elrond_Hubbard1]

The fact that you have to make those announcements at the beginning of the video is ridiculous. But I know you have to.

[@Lance2023]

score one for criminals not being good front line soldiers but maybe behind the lines type stuff?

[@andywells397]

In battles their casualty rate was around 300 pc as fresh troops replaced the dead.

[@CamoCombi]

Great video! At 40:46 I have long wondered about the ncos uniform, specifically the cuff rings. Would they be worn on both sleeves? Is it always 2 or is there a certain penal rank system which coordinates to a certain amount of rings on the sleeve? And finally how come he is permitted to wear shoulder boards (and sleeve eagle) when the collar tabs are omitted?

[@WW2TV]

I hope someone knows the answers yo these questions

[@deanrobinson4129]

How effective were the Hungarian units at this stage I know they were defending their homeland but must have known the game was up

[@enverrizvo9238]

Any info about the cover photo of this video?

[@Kernmayr]

It's from the cover of my latest book, "Defeat of the Damned"

[@eno.5796]

As you said,I to have "come and see"seared into my Mind,As is the Book Bloodlands by Timothy synder which is available on YT as a audiobook,He.ped me understand the context of this Area and time in History.

[@avrohomz4582]

This was a fascinating episode, if a bit heavy. I had questions about 2 things: 1. At about 28:08 there's a picture titled "executing prisoners, 1942", along with an explanation of the murder of innocent civilians who were not useful for labor camps. Is that photo from the brigade? Besides for the helmets the murderers are wearing, I believe I recognize this from a series of photos that I've seen published as a group of Jews rounded up in the area of Bochnia (Poland) and taken out to be forest to be murdered. 2. Regarding the discussion of Dirlewanger having his award presented by Frank, why would we think that the leadership there felt at all uncomfortable with his crimes, considering the many crimes-including mass murders-they'd already been commiting? And more generally was having an award presented by Frank that unusual?

[@Kernmayr]

No, the Dirlewanger Unit was not portrayed in the photo, I inserted it for illustrative purposes, although his men did take part in numerous executions, usually when these anti-partisan operations were wrapping up and after the prisoners had been interrogated. As to why Dirlewanger asked Frank to give him the award, I was not able to find any documentation to explain the "why" - perhaps because Dirlewanger had been in Cracow at the time? (That's where his replacement battalion was located). Dirlewanger had already begun to acquire an unsavory reputation, especially after the excesses of his men in Warsaw. Perhaps no self-respecting higher-ranking officer (even in the SS) wanted to be the one to bestow the award? I hope that some day some documentation will be uncovered that provides more background as to why Frank did it and not someone else.

[@avrohomz4582]

@@Kernmayr Thanks for the response. What I'm trying to understand is why it's even something to discuss as to why Frank presented the award? And why dislike of Dirlewanger's brutalities would seem to be the most plausible explanation? Many of them had been quite involved in mass reprisals, as well as murders of Polish civilians. It also occurs to me that if they all really disliked him, receiving the award from the Governor General, who had a long personal relationship with Hitler, isn't exactly a punishment (although perhaps I don't have a good understanding of the hierarchy at the time).

[@Kernmayr]

I can't say anything beyond what I've already posited. I just don't know the actual reason why. Hitler usually bestowed the award of the Knight's Cross in person, but occasionally delegated this task. To have someone other than a higher SS officer or Wehrmacht officer bestow the Third Reich's highest military award on another soldier was highly unusual. The two SS officers who should have given Dirlewanger the award (von dem Bach or Reinefarth) either did not want to be associated with Dirlewanger (von dem Bach) or hated him intensely (Reinefarth). Frank was in the Nazi Party's political chain of command, not military and was not directly involved in suppressing the Warsaw Uprising, although he was implicated in numerous other war crimes and crimes against humanity.@@avrohomz4582

[@avrohomz4582]

@@Kernmayr Thanks for that background.

[@jasonmussett2129]

The most despicable SS unit ever created.

[@WW2TV]

Yep

[@Ninkyo893]

Are there any accounts or documents from surviving members of the brigade? While the history of its notorious commanders is always fascinating, I've always been interested in hearing about the individuals who lived and fought on the front lines, even though these men were the worst of the worst.

[@WW2TV]

Not much no

[@firstnamelastname1760]

There are some accounts in the book written by the same author, even some from the original Poachers that formed the initial 1940 unit.

[@firstnamelastname1760]

Correction, its more like quotes from the members of the unit relating to a specific action or commander relating to the unit, but still invaluable for understanding.

[@tedbyron1499]

It's great that they've mentioned the movie "Come And See" (probably the best WW2 movie) portays a "Dirlewanger/Komisky Brigade" composite and it's anti-partisian operations in Belarus. It's stunning, in it's desire to portray the hedonistic violence committed by units like these. I'm disappointed to see the movie characterized as a "horror movie"- there's no gore for gore's sake here. It's a very non-sentimental view of both sides in this this theater, in WW2. To me the brutality is offset by some moments of real beauty. There's some very natural humor in the movie as well.

[@malcolmbliss777]

In the end, it IS just a movie. Want to see the real deal? Watch any MAGA rally, or listen to any Trump pronouncement. Trump & Putin both borrow heavily from the “Nazi Playbook” of political violence and “death for death’s sake” mindless cult behavior. They make no attempt to hide it.

[@marcboblee1863]

The discussion of history shouldn't be at all controversial...every cultural group has practiced murdering other groups...history...