Perry Biddiscombe - THE LAST DITCH: AN ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY OF THE NAZI WERWOLF MOVEMENT, 1944-45

543 Pages·13.017 MB·English

by  Perry Biddiscombe

THE LAST DITCH: AN ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
OF THE NAZI WERWOLF MOVEMENT, 1944-45
by
Perry Biddiscombe,B.A., M.A. (New Brunswick)
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
at
THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
UMI Number: U615731
All rights reserved
INFORMATION TO ALL USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,
a note will indicate the deletion.
Dissertation Publishing
UMI U615731
Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author.
Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC.
All rights reserved. This work is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
ProQuest LLC
789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346
1hes£S-
r.
3733
.
lOg&et+a
.
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOREIGN TERMS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS
TABLE OF OFFICER RANKS
CHAPTER
I INTRODUCTION: THE WERWOLF MOVEMENT AS A
RESEARCH TOPIC
II THE PREHISTORY OF THE WERWOLF: A BRIEF REVIEW
OF GUERRILLA WARFARE AND TERRORISM IN GERMANY
III UNTERNEHMEN WERWOLF: THE SS/HJ DIVERSIONARY
ORGANIZATION
IV THE RSHA AND THE WERWOLF
V THE "PEOPLE'S WAR": THE PARTY AND THE WERWOLF
VI CONCLUSION: CONSEQUENCES AND SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE WERWOLF
CHART
I UNTERNEHMEN ZEPPELIN, EARLY 1944
II DIENSTELLE PRUTZMANN
III HSSPFs IN THE GREATER REICH, AUTUMN 1944
IV THE SS-POLICE COMMAND STRUCTURE
V AN EXAMPLE OF REGIONAL WERWOLF ORGANIZATION —
THE WERWOLF STAFF OF HSSPF GUTENBERGER
(WEHRKREIS VI)
VI THE SS-JAGDVERBANDE
3
CHART
VII KAMPFGESCHWADER 200
VIII AN EXAMPLE OF REGIONAL JAGDVERBAND
ORGANIZATION — JAGDVERBAND SUDWEST
IX AN EXAMPLE OF A GERMAN-ORGANIZED RESISTANCE
MOVEMENT — THE "CENTRAL OFFICE FOR THE AKTION
IN RUMANIA"
X THE VOLKSSTURM
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abstract
Near the end of World War Two, a National Socialist
resistance movement briefly flickered to life in Germany
and its borderlands. Dedicated to delaying the advance
of the victorious Allies and Soviets, this guerrilla
movement, the Werwolf, succeeded in scattered acts of
sabotage and violence, and also began to assume the
character of a vengeful Nazi reaction against the German
populace itself; collaborators and "defeatists" were
assassinated, and crude posters warned the population
that certain death was the penalty for failure to resist
the enemy. Participation in "scorched earth" measures
gave the movement an almost Luddite character.
In the final analysis, however, the Werwolf failed
because of two basic weaknesses which undercut the
movement. First, it lacked popular appeal, which doomed
guerrillas and fanatic resisters to a difficult life on
the margins of their own society? such an existence was
simply not feasible in a country heavily occupied by
enemy military forces. Second, the Werwolf was poorly
organized, and showed all the signs of internal confusion
that have been identified by the so-called
"functionalist" school of German historiography. In fact,
confusion and barbarism became worse as the bonds of
military success which had united the Reich began to
loosen and unravel? the Werwolf can perhaps serve as the
ultimate construct in the "functionalist" model of the
Third Reich.
Although it failed, the Werwolf did have some
permanent significance. While it is a classic example of
guerrilla warfare gone wrong, the mere fact that it was
active also caused a reaction among Germany*s enemies.
The Western Allies altered their own military and
political policies to allow for extermination of the
Werwolf threat, and it is likely that immediate security
considerations also influenced the direction of Soviet
policies in Germany.
6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I want to express my deepest
appreciation to my supervisor, Prof. D.C. Watt. On many
occasions, when the path seemed lost, Prof. Watt kept me
on course and provided a sense of direction for my work.
I also found inspiration in his excellent scholarship,
and I hope that this work fully meets the high standards
that he has always set for himself and his students.
I would also like to thank the many librarians and
archivists who helped me, particularly Dr. Wolfe, Mr.
Taylor, Mr. Reese, and Mrs. Marks, all at the National
Archives, M. Hepp at the French Military Archives, Dr.
Warner at the Bundesarchiv. and Dr. Ringsdorf at the
Bundesmilitararchiv. Prof. Nish, of the London School of
Economics, kindly pointed me toward the Bramstedt
Collection in the Robbins Library, while Prof. Erickson,
of the University of Edinburgh, helped me with sources on
the Eastern Front. Lord Noel Annan, Sir Robbin Brook,
Sir Edgar Williams, Mr. Yevhen Shtendura, and Mr. Lev
Kopelev, all provided me with their reminiscences, either
in interviews or by letter, for which I am also grateful.
My thanks are due also to the German Historical
Institute, London, and to the Central Research Fund of
the University of London, who provided the generous
funding for my research trips to Germany and France.
I am grateful as well for the work done by Mrs.
Margaret Pirie, of Fredericton, N.B., who diligently
typed her way through reams of material and word-
processed the final draft.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude and love to
my family, particularly my mother, my grandmother, and my
son Sandy. Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Sharon,
who has helped in the preparation of my bibliography and
has patiently supported me through a long and sometimes
trying exercise.
Foreign Terms, Acronyms, and Abbreviations
Abschnitt — Section
Abschnittsleiter Section Leader
Abwehr G e r m a n M i l i t a r y
Intelligence
Aktion Bundschuh — a Secret Police
resistance group
Alpenvorland Alpine foothills
"alte Kampfer" — "Old Fighters," veterans
of the Nazi struggle for
power
Amt — Department
Amtschef — Department Head
Amt III Internal Sicherdienst.
third Department of the
RSHA.
Amt VI External Sicherdienst.
sixth Department of the
RSHA
Amt IV the Gestapo. fourth
Department of the RSHA
Anlaufstelle secret contact points
antifa Anti-Fascist Committee
Armiia Kraiowa (AK) Polish Home Army
Ausmus t i erunas cia Military demobilization
papers
Bataillon Battalion
Baurnkriea Peasant's War
Beauftraater fur den Westwallbau — Representative for
Westwall Construction
Befehlshaber des Sicherheitspolizei (BdS) — Commander of
the Sicherheitspolizei
Brieftaube "Carrier Pigion," the
communications center of
Schutzkorps Alpenland
Bund Wehrwolf Interwar German political
a n d t e r r o r i s t
organization
Buraerkrieastruppe "Civil War Troop"
Biiraermeister mayor
Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) German Labour Front
Deutsche Freiheits und Friedensbeweaunq (DFFB) — "German
Freedom and Peace
Movement," a postwar
resistance group
Deutsche Revolution "German Revolution," a
loose-knit postwar
resistance movement
Deutsche Widerstandsbeweauna SS — "German Resistance
Movement - SS," a postwar
resistance group
Deutschlandsender — German Radio
Dienstelle Priitzmann Headquarters Staff of the
Werwolf
Dienstelle 2000 Sicherdienst Office for
sabotage and espionage in
the Balkans
Deuxieme Bureau French Intelligence
Edelweiss Piraten dissident youth gangs