The story of SS Rottenführer Günter Prange

[dramos]

What a great thread! It is great to be able to read letters from a member of the SS. What I find the most fascinating about the letters is that it gives you an idea of who he was. They put him in a light that makes him like a normal soldier wanting to get home to his family, versus the idea that German soldiers were simply "heartless murderers". Growing up in the US history is taught from a specific point of view and one simply does not get the German view! Anyways, great thread and I look forward to reading more!

[Totenhead]

What a great thread! It is great to be able to read letters from a member of the SS. What I find the most fascinating about the letters is that it gives you an idea of who he was. They put him in a light that makes him like a normal soldier wanting to get home to his family, versus the idea that German soldiers were simply "heartless murderers". Growing up in the US history is taught from a specific point of view and one simply does not get the German view! Anyways, great thread and I look forward to reading more!

Waffen-SS Soldiers were fundamentally different from Wehrmacht soldiers. 99.9% were devout Nazi’s and indoctrinated as such. The remaining percentage may not have been. A colleague of mine, his father was a Ukrainian SS soldier, Galicia most likely, but not by choice, he was forced into it.

[dramos]

I didn't realize they forced certain people into the SS. I imagined that they would have wanted people devoted to it by choice. I read a book by Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, and it talks about a police battalion made up of men who were found unfit for military service but were used to both round up and kill the Jewish population across Poland.

[Totenhead]

My colleagues father was Ukrainian, his father is in his 90’s now and never talks about the war, he settled here after, from what he has said, the SS entered his village, they were told, you join the SS or we kill your family and burn your village, simple as that

Perhaps thats the story he gave his son, perhaps not.....

Do not let romanticism cloud your judgement on certain aspect of the Second World War

[dramos]

Totenhead,

Very true, one must always look at something from multiple angles, no matter how unpleasant. Thank you for that bit of insight.

[StefanM]

Waffen-SS Soldiers were fundamentally different from Wehrmacht soldiers.

Not to wanting to stir up controversy on this very informative thread but some contemporary historians suggest the difference may not be fundamental, if at all.

War crimes of the Wehrmacht

"Israeli historian Omer Bartov, a leading expert on the Wehrmacht wrote in 2003 that the Wehrmacht was a willing instrument of genocide, and that it is simply untrue that the Wehrmacht was an apolitical, professional fighting force that had only a few "bad apples".

Bartov argues that far from being the "untarnished shield", as successive German apologists stated after the war, the Wehrmacht was a criminal organization. From the start of the war in Poland and culminating with Barbarossa and the Holocaust, the Wehrmacht led an informal "race war" and underwent a gradual process of barbarization and nazification....."

[Paul D]

Waffen-SS Soldiers were fundamentally different from Wehrmacht soldiers. 99.9% were devout Nazi’s and indoctrinated as such. The remaining percentage may not have been. A colleague of mine, his father was a Ukrainian SS soldier, Galicia most likely, but not by choice, he was forced into it.

That's a wild statement , it isnt correct and is in fact very inaccurate to say that 99.99 % of Waffen SS men were devout Nazis and indoctrinated , as you then rightly point out many were actually conscripted into the Waffen SS . Certainly many although nowhere near that percentage in the early years were politically motivated by the rise of the Nazi Party and it's idealogy but there were a myriad of reasons as to why men became soldiers of the Waffen SS !!

I might add that you have taken Daniels very interesting thread off on a completley different direction , if you both would like to continue with this discusion take it to the discussions section or pm please.

[Totenhead]

Sorry Paul, I did not intend that my comment begin a Highjacking of this informative thread, please delete the posts, I am sure no other members will mind

[Monuir]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay on Günters last letters... I have moved to another country and had a hard time to find time (and good internet) to be able to continue thos project. I am happy to be able to tell you that all of the letters are now translated and the 10 last letters are going to be published in this thread starting tommorow, 1 letter every day.

Thanks for the good ratings of this thread!

Best regards from the republic of Moldova,
Danny

[Monuir]

Feldpost 20 - East, 12.12.43

Dear Parents!

A few days ago I received your letters of the 2.11 and 28.11. I was very pleased. Unfortunately it has not been possible for me to reply straight away. I am now with the maintenance *Instandsetzungsstaffel for the duration of the deployment, and I have parked my car here, too. Many a night is being worked through here, so that one is just happy when one can sleep. Now about the letters. I was very pleased to hear that the parcel has arrived safely. Please do not concern yourselves about how I got hold of the things. The whole stuff did not cost me a penny, apart from the 25 to 30RM postage. So hardly worth mentioning. Money is irrelevant here. –

Now about the films. You will probably have been puzzled about the sender. Do not worry. I have not exchanged a single word with that Eva, neither in writing nor verbally. She is a comrade’s sister. I gave him a lift to the station one night, and gave him my letters to take with him.

I want to close now. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.


*Squadron

Attachment 527815

Attachment 527813

Attachment 527814



© Copyright D. Linoubli "Monuir" @ WR 2012 - Do not copy or republish pictures or text without permission