Canadians being nicknamed "Red Devils" by Germans...

[Civettone]

The Green Devils was the nickname for ALL German Fallschirmjäger. Their march song was called "Wir sind die Grüne Teufel".
DAL VOLTURNO A CASSINO

Kris

 

[Njaco]

Thanks Cive, I've mostly kept up with the LW and not too familiar with groundforces.

 

[102first_hussars]

I think the PPCLI are that regiment I'm not sure about the prisoners possibly they got the reputation in Ortona. Ortona was a house to house fight that lasted 7 days over Xmas 43 against the 90th Pamzer grenadiers and the and the 1st FSJ paratroopers . They rewrote the Brit manual on house to house clearing.

I do know that the German Paratroopers had a reputation for not surrendering, so its likely that the boys of "little Stalingrad" reputation of "not taking prisoners" might be slightly tainted

 

[Lucky13]

Wasn't the German paras nicknamed The Green Devils? I remember reading it somewhere, but where??

LMFAO! Just read what you've written above......!!!

 

[Civettone]

Kris

 

[Hunt]

MY FATHER WAS STUART HUNT AN ORGINAL MEMBER OF THE 1ST SPECICAL SERVICE FORCES THERE MOTO WAS KILL THEM ALL hE'D DIED ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO BUT I WAS PRIVILEDGED TO HAVE HIM FOR 51 YEARS AND THIS WAR WAS TRULY HIS FAVORITE SUBJECT. THE TITTLE MORE CAME FROM CARDS THEY LEFT ON DEAD GERMANS BEHIND LINES SPOOKING EVERYONE

 

[michaelmaltby]

"... house to house clearing.."

Mousing - please. .

MM

 

[lancet11]

actuallly most of you are correct with the para trooper thing they were called that because they could get to where ever the germans were and its red because our flag would stand out a little.


also there was another main nick name hitler said himself in one of his speeches referring to canadian as stormtroopers because we moved so fast and the best.

so now you guys learnt some history spread it around

 

[Airframes]

I know this is an old thread, but the nickname of 'Red Devils', when associated with British Airborne Forces, originated from the Germans in North Africa (as did the Parachute Regiment battle cry of 'Whoa Mohammed'), and they were also called the 'Soldiers (or Devils) with tails). The former was due to the Red Beret of the Regiment, and the latter due to the loose, flapping, crutch 'strap' of the Dennison smock worn by Paras. (The Red Devils name has remained, as the official title of the Parachute Display Team of the Parachute Regiment.)
The nickname came about due to the tenacity of the airborne troops, for the whom the Germans had a high regard, reinforced after Arnhem.

 

[Maestro]

Thanks for the info.

 

[bobbysocks]

a lot of the nic names probably came from the media. they have to have a flair for the dramatic to make good copy. so to identify a specific aversary just makes sense to give them a name. the 357th FG was known as the Yoxford Boys. they, however, were not based at yoxford at all but in leiston. shortly after they arrived in england and set up their base the german radio personality and british traitor lord haw haw focused one of his broadcasts on them. it was he that dubbed them with this name...and it stuck. i am sure they werent the only ones to get thier monikers that way.

 

[pbfoot]

The only Regiment in canada that has a nickname even close is the Royal Winnipeg Rifles which were nicknamed the Black Devils but I found this one for the RCR (Royal Candian Regiment) Retards Carrying Rifles

 

[slebo]

Hi.

I heard a weird rumour lately. I heard that German troops were nicknaming Canadian troops the "Red Devils" during WWII because they had a reputation for not taking any prisoners.

Is that true ? Anyone can confirm that rumour ?

Hi,

Actually, i was just searching to get more information about that regiment. When i was younger my father told me about my uncle being in that regiment. Thay were actually called "Devil Red Cross Regiment". What i was told is that the Red Cross Regiment went under attack when those regiment were not supposed to be attack under some treatee that i don't know about. That same red cross regiment just lost it and became the "Devil Red Cross Regiment" taking revange and not taking any prisonners with them.

That's the story I was told by my father. My uncle, after WW2 was pretty messed up and after a while stopped talking to anyone (family, friends, just anyone). He stayed at his home and didn't do much until he died at over 90 years old.

 

[fubar57]

Old thread but hey, I didn't dig it up. As much as I hate wikipedia, this may have been who Maestro was referring to...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Brigade

Geo

 

[slebo]

Old thread but hey, I didn't dig it up. As much as I hate wikipedia, this may have been who Maestro was referring to...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Brigade

Geo

Ya i read that info earlier. Could be what he was referring to.

Those are 2 complitely different regiments. That's all the information he told me at the time about my uncle's red cross regiment. He told me a couple stories that his brother had told him before keeping to himself, but about that red cross regiment, that's all I remember him telling me. I which my father was still alive to ask him about it.

 

[stona]

And "house clearance" as someone called it is now called FISHING by the British. "Fighting In Someone's House".
Steve

 

[fastmongrel]

When I did my training House Clearance was called iirc Mouseholing.

 

[pattle]

I remember first reading (with surprise) about the Canadians killing surrendering German troops in a Sven Hassell book when I was a teenager, I'm pretty sure the book was liquidate Paris. A lot of mystery and controversy still surrounds Sven Hassell, his war record and his books which I am not interested in arguing about on here. Basically Hassell's books were a mixture of fact and fiction and it is up to the reader how much of them they believe, even though Sven Hassell was a veteran his books are after all novels and not memoirs and it is up to the individual and nobody else whether they enjoy them or not.
Having said that, these accusations interested me enough for me to remember them all this time, and I have heard since on a number of occasions that such things did take place although it is not something that I have found any solid information on.
If the killing of surrendering German troops by Canadians actually took place in Normandy then either it was deliberately forgotten about or happened on isolated occassions. I am pretty sure the dark truth is that there were times when both sides refused to take prisoners, either because they couldn't or just wouldn't.

 

[razor1uk]

The nickname 'Storm Troopers' isn't Hitlers, he reused/borrowed it; it relates to the Canadians or some of there forces who fourght hard in trenches of WW1, at Paschendael I think amongst other locations, where they excelling in trench clearences, fighting hand to hand in improvised close combat with tenacity and vigour to a man, driving off over whelming enemy attacks, and for operating in a slightly different manner to the British .

I'm sure some of the Canadian forum members will know better and correct me here

 

[stona]

If the killing of surrendering German troops by Canadians actually took place in Normandy then either it was deliberately forgotten about or happened on isolated occassions. I am pretty sure the dark truth is that there were times when both sides refused to take prisoners, either because they couldn't or just wouldn't.

It did. It's something that was done by all sides. Solid information? there are many first hand accounts. For example I have read some recently, by the perpetrators, of the killing of captured and wounded German paratroopers on Crete.
A man surrendering is giving himself up to the very people he has likely just been trying to kill. The first few minutes are critical. If the prisoner survives these his chances of longer term survival increase exponentially.
Cheers
Steve