5th SS Div. Wiking and 11th SS Div. Nordland?

[Lucky13]

Why is there so little to find about them in English? As they had plenty of Scandinavians in their ranks, I thought that I'd read up abou them, so far I've only found French and German books. Could the reason behind this be, that they only fought on the eastern front?

SS-PANZER-DIVISION "WIKING" by Jean Mabire
La Division Wiking dans lenfer blanc 1941-1943 by Jean Mabire
La Panzerdivision Wiking: La lutte finale, 1943-1945 by Jean Mabire
La division Nordland: Les volontaires scandinaves sur le front de lEst 1941-1945 by Jean Mabire

What's the Peter Strassner book about Wiking like, European Volunteers: 5 SS Panzer Division Wiking, any good?

 

[tango35]

A second of searching on Avaxhome.ws :

History of the Fifth SS Division1941-1945 by Rupert Butler

Publisher: Spellmount Publishers Ltd 2002 | 192 Pages | ISBN: 1932033041 | PDF | 35 MB

SO , wait a bit and after i have downloaded it i can tell you more.

Thomas

 

[michaelmaltby]

Yes Lucky 13 - that is a principal reason so little is recorded.

But please review the following link:

20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chairs,

MM

 

[Lucky13]

Thank you very much gentlemen!

 

[Erich]

Jan the thing is that Munin Verlag owned the rights to publication of the originals even after the firm collapsed. the Canadian firm JJF publications is where you want to go. there is a book on the 11th Nordland if you look produced by JJF. Panzer Korps Steiner is another small book but it is in German along with the original III Germanisch Pz Korps.

I was "into" the W-SS for about 10 years then lost almost all interest really then focusing in the LW and the KM.

Strassners book which I also own is brief description of the battles and personalities a book you may want to look into is the Bildband Verweht sind die Spuren which covers the Panther Abteilung and very little if at all on the Pz IV. Abteilung, again all in German little text of interest but nice b/w photos.

the big bildband European Volunteers is another to check up on, also in German. there is 1-2 firms that have done some translating of the MUnin Verlag titles into English but you will have to do a very thorough search

 

[Lucky13]

Thanks Erich, appreciated! The one by Peter Strassner, European Volunteers, is one that I looking to buy at the moment. I have one Wiking book from J.J.F stored in Sweden, a good one, can't remember the author as I got 15 years ago or so, don't think that it's Strassner though.

Also found two in Italian by Alfero Massimiliano, and it seems to be one coming out in November too, Hitler's Vikings: Scandinavians in the Waffen-SS by Jonathan Trigg....

 

[Erich]

I also believe that there are at least 2 different Swedish accounts-books covering the 11th Recon Abteilung in some form so yes there really quite a few book on the 11th Nordland "Tragodie um Treue" was translated into English by JJF and they also added a bit on the Stug unit for the Scandanavian volunteers in Nederland

 

[Lucky13]

I have the one written by a Swede in Nordland, Schwedenzug....Wallin I think and in Swedish, softbound. I might also have the one by Strassner from JJF, was that printed before with grey covers? I recognoze the pics, the pic layout and the maps, have seen a few pics of it, from the inside...

"Tragodie um Treue"? Any idea what the title would be in English?

Thanks again Erich!

 

[Erich]

the only Strassner title I have is the original M-Verlag hard back

Wihelm Tieke's : this is the English translation : " Tragedy of the Faithful ", this is what you are looking for.

 

[Lucky13]

Found the 'Tragedy of the Faithful', thanks Erich! The more I see of the Strassner book, the more convinced I get, that it's that one I have back in Sweden, stored away, from an earlier edition that is, when it was grey...
Wonder what the two Mabire books are like on Wiking and his book about Nordland, shame that one doesn't read or speak French or German sometimes.....

Thanks again!

 

[Erich]

I have Mabire's work on Berlin most of what he details or really knows about is the French contingent Charlemagne or what there was of the unit fighting in Berlin the bulk was outside of Berlin in the east fighting for their existence until wiped out, just like in Berlin few escaping

 

[Lucky13]

Cheers Erich!

Tragedy of the Faithful seems to be an excellent book I must say. How much does it cover on the fighting along Tannenberg Line - Courland pocket and three hills, Tower Hill, Grenadier Hill and Orphanage Hill?

 

[Erich]

Jan

buy the book if you are that interested in the 2 W-SS divisions with similarities which they do. I would have to sit and re-read quite a bit to tell you what is included. Overall Tieke does a good job, he has on his other W-SS titles.

 

[Lucky13]

Just ordered the book Erich.... Here's a couple more that I'm looking to get in the future, to get more knowledge about this.....

Svenskar i krig 1914-1945 by Lars Gyllenhaal , Lennart Westberg. About the 23.000+ Swedes fighting on both sides during both world wars and in Spain, 397 pages. In Swedish.

Pansarspaning på östfronten med Waffen-SS: SS-Panzer-Aufklarungs-Abteilung 11 Nordland Och Svenska SS-Plutonen I Baltikum, Pommern Och Berlin 1943-45 by Herbert Poller , Martin Månsson , Lennart Westberg. About the Swedes in SS-Panzer-Aufklarungs-Abteilung 11 Nordland, 400 pages. Also in Swedish.

Hitler's Vikings: Scandinavians in the Waffen-SS (Hitlers Legions) by Jonathan Trigg. 256 pages and in English.

 

[Lucky13]

Got this today Erich. Thanks for the tip!

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very nice!

 

[Lucky13]

Seen tank 'hunter/killer' team mentioned in Tragedy Of The Faithful, how big were they and how were they armed, besides the panzerfaust and/or panzershreck did they magnetic explosives?

 

[Lars Gyllenhaal]

Dear all,

Thanks for the interest in our book but there is now a better version of it, with more on Swedish American air aces AND Waffen-SS, the latest version, which is in English:

Cheers from Arctic Sweden,

Lars

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very cool, thanks Lars and welcome aboard.

 

[Lucky13]

True! Welcome to the family Lars, make yourself at home. Hope to see some posting from you...