SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION The SS Death's Head Division, 1933-1945 CHARLES W. SYDNOR, JR. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom, Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 1977 by Princeton University Press New preface and postscript © 1990 by Princeton University Press All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sydnor, Charles W. Soldiers of destruction. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. World War. 1939-1945—Division histories- Germany—Waffenschutzstaffel. 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. 2. Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei. Waffenschutzstaffel. 3. SS-Panzer- Division Totenkopf. 3. World War, 1939-1945— Campaigns—France. 4. World War, 1939-1945— Campaigns—Russia. 5. France—History—German occu- pation, 1940-1945. 6. Russia—History—German occupa- tion, 1941-1944. I. Title. D757.85.S95 940.54'13'43 77-72138 ISBN 978-0-691-00853-0 Eighth Princeton Paperback printing, with new preface and postscript, 1990 Publication of this book has been aided by a grant from the Paul Mellon Fund of Princeton University Press Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guide- lines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources Printed in the United States of America 15 14 http://pup.princeton.edu To the memory of my father, Charles Wright Sydnor (1920-1981), Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy, and Captain, USS LCT 6-1303, Princess Pat, the Marianas, the Philippines, Okinawa Like so many of his generation, a lifelong casualty of the Second World War CONTENTS List of Illustrations ix List of Abbreviations x Preface to the Second Edition xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii CHAPTER ONE. The Prewar Background: The Development of the Concentration Camp System and the SS Totenkopfverbande 3 TWO. The Polish Campaign and the Creation of the SS Totenkopfdivision 37 THREE. Growing Pains: December 1939-May 1940 64 FOUR. The SS Totenkopfdivision and the Battle of France 87 FIVE. The Long Interlude: Occupation Duty and Transfer to the East 120 SIX. The SS Totenkopfdivision and the War in Russia: June 1941-January 1942 152 SEVEN . The Soviet Counteroffensive: Encirclement in the Demyansk Pocket, January-October 1942 208 EIGHT. Perpetual Crisis: The Fuhrer's Firemen, 1943-1945 255 NINE. Some Observations: Ideology, Personality, and the Question of Totenkopf Criminality 313 Afterword 343 Postscript to the Second Edition 347 Selected Bibliography 351 Index 363 vn