Germany’s Most Fierce Combat Division: SS Das Reich | World War II
Step into the intense and gripping world of World War II with our latest video, exploring the formidable combat division of the Waffen SS: Das Reich. Uncover the untold stories and remarkable feats of bravery displayed by this notorious division as it navigated through the tumultuous battlefields of the war. From the Eastern Front to the Western Front, witness the determination and fierce combat employed by Das Reich, making them one of the most formidable forces in the history of World War II.
So Join us on a historical journey as we delve deep into the events that shaped this renowned division and left an indelible mark on the annals of military history.
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They remained an elite unit after attrition until the bitter end. Thank you for the great historical content.❤
These bastards were just mass murderers killing mainly unarmed POWs & women & children!
I'm a simple man. I see WWII content, I happy, I click subscribe.
My life
THIS !!! Makes you HAPPY!!!??? Makes Me..SAD! The SS was #EVIL to the CORE!!! Your a SIMPLE man I agree with THAT!
Bot
Same lol
It’s about time we had a channel that does detailed German battles and Division videos like this, it’s so interesting. I love the allied stuff but it’s all been done and has been rinsed over and over, thanks for the all the work bro
There's other channels that do this too
That would be worthwhile done accurately. I saw one I thought might be it. But the narrator came to the conclusion that the Ancsluss was Austria's fault, The Sudeten crisis was the Czechs fault, Poland started the war.....just a pattern
If he doesn't start peppering his content with the typical requisite "war crimes" BS while making the pro-communists look like saints, his channel won't last long.
@@mattosullivan9687People cannot resist pushing the pendulum in the opposite direction. Just because it was impossible for decades to produce any material on the SS that wasn't an endless litany of condemnation, it does not follow that the truth is the diametric opposite. Das Reich was a highly capable unit, but then so it should have been. The German "Schwerpunkt" doctrine led to favoured units being comparatively lavishly equipped as shock formations. This was true of Wehrmacht units such as Gross-Deutschland and Panzer Lehr as it was Waffen-SS formations such as LSSAH and Das Reich. All these formations performed in accordance with the power they were graced with in high profile engagements, SS or otherwise. Many other units pulled off similarly impressive military feats, under-strengthed, under-supported, under-supplied, armed with a handful of Stugs and inadeqaute AT guns, in long forgotten engagements in long forgotten backwaters of the Eastern front.. There are also a long and inglorious list of Waffen-SS divisions that were a shameful embarrassment who displayed little propensity for anything beyond murderous drunken rampages, larceny, sexual depravity and genocidal sectarian opportunism. The fact is that by and large even the best formations of the Waffen-SS don't really deserve their legendary status. They are arguably on a par with some of the best formations with any of the major players of WW2 but not outstanding. Indeed the State within a State nature of the SS had a habit of undermining their effectiveness as part of the German war machine and their reputation for barbarism strengthened the resolve of those they fought. By the time they gained their armored divisional status heavy casualty rates often arising out of recklessness had already eaten into the ranks of dedicated, physically impressive, highly motivated recruits of 1940. The truth is that the reason why they stand out is because of the undeserved mystique that characterises Nazi Germany and the SS in particular, their badass status and Hugo Boss's design work. That and the fact that the utterly vile and often incompetent nature of the regime is fading into the mists to be replaced with legend. People should watch the Nuremberg footage of the regime's leading players to see the depressingly pedestrian and unimpressive nature of the individuals that made it all happen. That someone like Herman Goering stood out as the only one of them that you would be surprised to meet punching your ticket at a railway station says it all. Scratch the surface of Nazi Germany and its shockingly unimpressive. The fact the SS was led by a former chicken farmer and the regime itself was led by an Austrian corporal whose surname was a typo when altered from Schicklgruber, was a failed artist and impressively tedious company is beyond fitting.
@@mattosullivan9687what was the channel called?
One of the best Division Documentaries I have watched! Really well done
Awesome, thanks!
When i was 19 i bought a 98k for $100. It had an actual, no shit, issued Das Reich badge set into its stock. It was a WW2 capture, and the badge was clearly set in the field. My 25 year old dumbass traded it, AND a presentation grade Enfield M1-MK3 for a Yugo M-70AB2 underfolder. I still hate myself for that one. Edit: i genuinely mean PRESENTATION grade Enfield. Unfired. And it was a Fazakerly Enfield. It was PERFECT.
Naming Mark Felton in the same sentence feels like a discredit for this channel, wich is, obviously, far superior.
The SS, they were constantly sent in to save cut off groups. That was their primary job. Saving trapped units. It’s why their casualties were always through the roof, and they received the most time in combat. They got the best gear to do it, but the best gear only goes so far when you’re constantly thrown at the impossible.
Einstazgruppen in Russia.
@@skyh counter insurgency, that’s pretty well known. As guerrillas regularly operated behind the lines on the Eastern Front.
They didn't mention it at all.
@skyh They were a completely different units. Waffen ss was a front line divisions and had nothing to do with the Einsatzgruppen.
I didn't hear too much about the SS in Stalingrad, I don't believe they were even mentioned in the breakout rescue mission.
This was an excellent history of the SS: Das Reich Div. Would you consider the history of the Waffen SS Wiking Division ?
"We fought the wrong enemy"- george s patton
A insight which unfortunately came far too late
Just look at what Europe has become. Aterrorist breeding ground.
Look at theses nazis say shit that they think is smart.
Oh they knew alright. This was by design ! ...and here we are
@@adambane1719yep here we are. Our future is not looking bright. Maybe God will intervene.
May we never fight these people again. An old friend tells of encountering the SS in France and was told to fix bayonets ! The reaction was pure terror !!
How you put this together is amazing. That alone deserves its own documentary. Thank You.
this channel has the best videos about the reich
Thanks! I do try, beyond fascinating🤝
Would be better if they knew what some of these units were actually called instead of just botching it.
The SS and Wehrmacht were two separate, different entities. The SS was the Nazi Party’s armed forces. And the Wehrmacht was the whole armed forces of Germany. The SS and Wehrmacht had many differences, with the Wehrmacht consisting of the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force), whereas the Waffen-SS only fielded land divisions but no marine or aviation forces. Their ranks, doctrine, training, uniforms, and chain of command were all different. However Wehrmacht are fighting alongside the Waffen‐SS on the real battlefield, they felt confident and secure in Waffen‐SS combat skills. By the way I'm Japanese and my English is not good. Sorry💧
Your English is great, and yes you are correct🤝
😅@@historyatwar
Yeah I’ve read a few accounts of heer veterans saying they felt more comfortable when ss unit was covering their flank.
Why do you feel the need to state it, though? Common sense?
@@jimtom4878😩😀
Thank you for everything you do, these videos must take ridiculous amounts of hours
💙
One of the best channels right up there with Mark Felton.
Thank you :)
@@historyatwar No, thank you 🫡
Mark Felton is an Allied apologist just spouting the "victor narrative"@@mrenzyme9715
Mark Felton just spouts the "victor narrative"@@mrenzyme9715
@@mrenzyme9715 Mark Felton just spouts the usual false "victor narrative".
Outstanding documenrary. Historical study of IMO the equivalence of modern day Roman Legions. Das Riech,Toton Koff, wicking were a rare breed of highly disciplined motivated trained tactical badasses on the planet at the time.🗝️💀⚔️⚰️
No they weren't. LSSAH, Das Reich, Totenkopf and Wiking were top tier divisions - just like their Allied counterparts, and just like Wehramcht divisions such as Panzer Lehr and Gross Deutschland. There is nothing particularly outstanding about the famous Waffen-SS divisions, they were just solid divisions.
Strongly agree to disagree. They were dedicated on a greater mental emotional almost fanatical level because of belief in what they were fighting especially in the early years.
@@jonathans9537 In the early years the Waffen SS were often worse than Wehrmacht units because their fanaticism caused them to be reckless in substituting bravery for operational competence. By the time Waffen SS were taking part in the engagements that created their current mythical status, as armored divisions, most of the fanatics were long dead. What was left, in terms of the better SS divisions, was solid, dependable, experienced, well equipped formations with an esprit de corps not much different from the sorts of formations you'd find in any serious military power. There is no qualitative difference between Panzer Lehr and Das Reich. The exception being perhaps 12th SS Division Hitlerjugend which made up to an extent for its lack of experience with fanaticism but that was very much noted by the Allies in Normandy, because it stood out. This tells you all you need to know about the difference between them and the numerous other SS divisions in theater, which included most of the decent SS divisions that existed, including Das Reich and Leibstandarte who were unaruably the units with the strongest political pedigree.
I find it pathetic and rather sad people are calling you a Nazi and stuff for this video or even channel… History is such a taboo thing sometimes, you do great work and these videos are extremely insightful and aren’t pro anything, it’s great that we get the a third person view of such insane battles of this side, ignore the sensitive haters. LOVE HISTORY😅😊😢👍🏼
I saw someone say that it’s a N*zi video so stupid, bro is just giving us a look into these divisions
Thank you! Absolutely, and it’s ridiculous people say things like that. Doesn’t make sense either.
@@historyatwar hehe, sorry. It´s just hard to grasp why but there´s just a reason to hate and i´m quiet used to it. I try to deal with it myself but there we go, it´s well made history coverage. Did they call you a racist as well? Usually nobody calls me that, i think people are actually afraid at a distance sometimes.
Security is mortals chiefest enemy, a lax attitude can be deadly
Agreed. It shouldn't be treated as taboo but increasingly it is. Or outright being white washed. Like when ypu see pictures of battleship Bismark, more often than not the swastikas on her stern and bow are obscured. It's utterly ridiculous.
Thanks for posting making such long, detailed videos really takes a lot , I appreciate your dedication and hard work, thanks for posting❤
Thank you so much Sergio🤝
Love the narration and video, awesome
Brilliant and realistic. No matter how many trying to throw mud over those waffen SS, they WERE UNDISPUTED E L I T E of all army forces involved in WW2.
True!
Elite? They lost
Panzer Lehr Division says hi
@@skyhappy🤡
You try taking on the ENTIRE world..... and very nearly pulling out a win !!!@@skyhappy
Man, I love your videos! You do such a great job at pitching what these soldiers did! Keep it up please these are fantastic! I learned a lot about the Das Reich, and I do reenactments as a Das Reich soldier!!
Thank man! Astonishing research and history, again content at the Highest order ❤
You and Z00mer are taking over the history scene, fair play lads
Fr
Unbelievable!!! Thank you so much for your dedication!!!
Very well presented, thank you for showing the bravery of these men, the vast majority were soldiers doing their duty. I am glad that through out this documentary that you did not label Das Reich as Nazi's (NSDAP), people tend to forget that the Nazi party (NSDAP) was a political party, the armed forces were but that, armed forces! It seems for the last 80 years it has just been easier the label all Germans as Nazi's which is unfair and history needs to re write it's self.
If 11 people are sitting around a table with a Nazi, there's 12 Nazis sitting at that table. What you forget is that most of them knew what's going on. If they didn't know the exact method and place, they knew people are disappearing from their homes, they could see trains with cattle wagons transporting those people to their death. I can understand those that were mobilized, but SS were volunteers, that makes them guilty as fuck in my book. Nuremberg trials agree.
Das Reich was a Nazi formation. It was part of the SS which is an integral part of the Nazi party and not the state like the Wehrmacht. Nobody signed up for the Waffen-SS unless they were at the very least comfortable with being strongly associated with the Nazi Party. Das Reich was formed out of Hitler's bodyguard, its just about as unwaveringly Nazi a unit as it was possible to find. What planet are you living on?
@FidelisRaven couldn't agree more. People forget that the Wehrmacht participated in the war crimes. Funny to see all these apologists in the comment section gloss over that fact.
Love this channel
My grandpa commanded a Panzer III platoon in 2.SS
Achtung Achtung
Saying cheers before i watch, in case i forget
I have heard that SS Totenkoph, was even more fearsome, and crazy
How were they Crazy? Ever been in combat?
Totenkoph are build different. They make Zhukov so mad that he sent 1 million extra man just to support an offensive operation in totenkoph frontline
@@JuergenGDBMarshall Zhukov sent 1 army group just to hold totenkoph advance in the frontline
@@akmalvargas3402 Right I was being facetious. They were not crazy, just fighting for each other like any other soldier, although proficient until mid 1944. Men of Destruction and Like a Cliff in the Ocean are great books.
These Divisions fought primarily on the Russian Front where there was no quarter given by either side. There was also a large Partasain Soviet element hiding in the woods to contend with behind their lines reeking havoc.
These bastards were just mass murderers killing mainly unarmed POWs & women & children!
Brilliantly compiled thanks for your efforts much appreciated 😊
Outstanding video. Thank You!
I am a newbie but holy smokes this is a wonderful channel. The videos are so detailed. I finally found my favorite channel.
Most dangerous SS- unit in late 1940’s to mid 1950’s Yes French Foreign Legion in Vietnam❤ Algeria , etc too ss- Charlemagne 2.0
Thanks for this💙
I am a waffen ss militaria collector since 90. I am admiring this channel a lot. A strong narrative and historical accuarate. This is my favourite channel about this topic, 👏👏👏
Kolekcionar Pogledaj koji dok Film o Logorima Smrti !!
Fantastic documentary! Appreciate the effort.
Thank you for all the hard work and research you put into these! I’ve studied these men a ton and these are some of the best videos
Thanks!!
Really enjoy these documentaries. Was is a brutal thing and both sides were guilty of bad things but, this video brings to light how effective and highly disciplined, strategic and determined these elite troops were. Thank you. keep up this fantastic work.
The SS was AH's personal guard, with tens of thousands. Churchill's bodyguard was a couple of SAS soldiers on leave while recuperating from injuries in battle.
Fascinating!
Another Decent documentary This is starting to become my go to channel
🤝
Amazing work !!!! Enjoy this channel while you still can..... !!!!
Glad you enjoyed mate, but what do you mean? “While you still can?”
Before they come after your channel bro ! They don't like it when actual truth is shared here on YT , especially when it disrupts their little WWII cash cow narrative@@historyatwar
@@historyatwar YT don't exactly deal in truth, if you know what I mean !
@@historyatwar ...and the WWII victor narrative is "their" 80 year old little Cash Cow.... ....which needs to be protected.... at all costs !!
Thank you, amazing
I had to give a like on this video. Great work brother, it is refreshing to hear a real voice reading off of a well studied and researched script, instead of all the AI script and voice trash that they continue promoting on history KZhead. Auf wiedersehen, habedere
Thank you! Glad to have you here 🤝
Excellent documentary
Cool content thank you!
Hi, I really appreciate all content that you make, your videos got me into interest into WW2. Thanks to it I even became a reenactor😅. And I also enjoyed watching this video about a division I reenact👍
Thank you lad!
Thanks all important information ℹ️ shared others
Love this freakin channel!
When this video came up in my stream, I thought, ahh another Waffen-SS video of hodge bodged footage of various SS and Army units with a similar generic commentary. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when instead it actually seems to be the real deal. The early training footage is incredible, and I appreciated the Paul Hauser bio, as he is often ignored in other less researched and sensationalized Waffen-SS documentaries. Only a few minutes in and thoroughly enjoying the video.
Garand Thumb mentioned the tunnels
I absolutely love how you always go into the fighting, channels don’t do it like this without getting so political. A* work here
Amazing film footage of the Das Reich SS division in action. An elite unit, no question. Their brutality in action is undoubted.
Operation yellowpress
Excellent content and detail. Really really appreciate the important stating that these men were dealing many times with Communist partisans. Also how the brutal experiences on the east front translated to harsh retribution in French towns with Partisans and civilians. It’s never one sided. Fallen but not forgotten…
Great documentary
EXCELLENT DOCO MATE
Look at Europe now...
Thats because they lost !!
Marxist write and control history!
D day at Caen the Brits and Canadians were fighting most of the elite heavy SS Panzer divisions.. The 12th, 21st and LEHR Divisions. 11 Panzer and 7 Infantry Divisions. The USA were fighting mostly infantry.
Appreciate your channel, your hard work and dedication!
Thank you 😊
@ 44:00: The narrator actually gets to pause in his rapid, continuous text.
Admirable leadership & fighting. Sadly, side.
Sehr Gut... Prosit !!
22 Km was the closest to Red Square that Germany got.
Thanks!
Thank you :)
Blitzkrieg , Pervitin und die Valkyrie !! Der Beste !! Jawohl !!
So what are you doing for Passover?
The Germans trained like nothing ive ever known. I don't think even the pathfinders trained as hard. They used to train for 36 hours non-stoo, with only a 30 minute break every 12 hours. They were given 8 to sleep and then it was rinse and repeat. If it weren't for the russians, we might have lost.
+@Old299dfk It was the other way around: Without you the sovjets would have lost obviously. Did you ever heard of the "lend lease" programm by the US government?
@@bjornhartmann6839 Lend lease went to Britain, not Russia.
These SS units were generally poor in the early stages of the war. Army commanders criticised their often gung ho and amateurish attack plans, wasting too many casualties. It was really in the 2nd half of the war that they were at their most effective. But what a despicable regime they served.
At last, an accurate, intelligent comment.
When the video started, I thought the game "Project Astra Dominium" was still somehow running in the background, as it uses the same music. It took me some time while I was trying to somehow stop the game, before I realized it's from the video 😂 But besides that, great video thank you for this!
Operation Barbarossa was Adolfs pinnacle move that cost him the war imo
My great-grandfather actually commanded this division during the 3rd battle of Kharkov
Where do you find these videos if you don’t mind?
On an episode of combat dealers a French farmer had a rusting hulk of one their vehichles, it was just a shell really but still had the 'das reich' symbol painted on it, Bruce offered the guy up to £800,000 for it if i remember rightly but he still wouldn't sell it!😮
wow
Now called The IDF
lol .. USA is more so, thou
@@vordag I reckon.
The most hated branch of the Germany's army had no mercy showed them by all allied forces. Ss on your tattoed on your arm was a death sentence in the East.
Just a comment to keep the algorithm going. 👍🏻
As a historical documentation the video is very good and well done. Drugs were heavily used among the troops, especially during the blitz krieg. The individual soldier was highly political motivated but round 1943 the original core of SS was gone due to extreme high causality. So the quality was considerably dropped. Perhaps the most important aspect is that SS was classified as a criminal organization and they were guilty to horribles war crimes.
Started to watch, Papa Hausser is hopefully mentioned.
A great doc but way too many and frequent commercials spoil the presentation. (Admittedly this is beyond the channel's control.)
❤❤❤
@HistoryAtWar where can i find the source of the map of the invasion of the Netherlands? i want to get it printed out and hang on my wall :) thank you in advance
I made it myself haha
@@historyatwar a private content then :p, thx for the reply sir o7
🔥🤝
I collect ww2.I have a few artifacts from the ssvt( cap button) and a recruitment book for the waffen ss.
82k subscribers, almost a war crime.
😂😂
Criminally underrated
😂😂😂
The term war crime is and can be applied to all and any who engage in war.
My father was forward or chillery commander.He said the regular german army was no problem but the vermark would make you run.
this is my 3rd time watching to learn adapt and seeing the situation but still i look back to these day and cant digest it possibly how mighty the war situation ever . if looking at ukrain war also it would never doesnt look like this mightily .
Das rite
@27:19 What's that he's holding?
Looks like a Russian sub machine gun.
Can you do one on Bolsheviks it would of work if it wasn't for the cold war
🎉🎉🎉
perhaps
Some say an interest into WW2 is morally wrong but i don’t see how. People judge really fast online, where do you get your footage from? Good clips.
Germans and other Central Europeans don't pronounce "W" like in English. It's pronounced like an English "V". SS "Wiking" sounds like "Viking" not like a candle. Once again I'm stuck being the American who has to make the obvious known. 🙄
Great content however your audio needs attention. Best luck
My maternal grandfather was Prinz Eugen .
😮
At 0:47 is that dude firing a Thompson?
Leibstandardt, Totenkopf, and Wiking were just as fierce as Das Reich!
os imaginais si no llega a ver el invierno hasta dos meses despues
there is something strange about the story of oberscharfurher Keplinger. The village of Westervoort is located on the east side of the Ijssel river, so on the German side, but the Fort near the Ijssel Bridge is called Fort Westervoort, and it is located on the west side. perhaps this is where the mistake lies. Keplinger does not have to cross the Ijsel to attack the village of Westervoort
'Domed shaped roofs of the Kremlin'. Of course, he means St. Basil's Cathedral