Operation Barbarossa

French TextOn June 22, 1941, the Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union. The biggest offensive of all time had just been launched. Among the 3.5 million men lined up by the Wehrmacht for Operation Barbarossa, approximately one hundred thousand belonged to the Waffen-SS. While they represented a small [...]
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French TextOn June 22, 1941, the Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union. The biggest offensive of all time had just been launched. Among the 3.5 million men lined up by the Wehrmacht for Operation Barbarossa, approximately one hundred thousand belonged to the Waffen-SS. While they represented a small percentage of troops, their role was proportionally greater than their numbers foreshadowed. Indeed, because of their power, the Leibstandarte, Reich, Totenkopf and Wiking divisions were employed within Panzergruppen, spearheads of the German offensive. The Polizei-Division, although non-motorized, distinguished themselves by blowing up the Soviet lock on Louga. But alongside their solid training, the Waffen-SS units of weak value, such as the SS-Infantry-Regiment 9 (motorized) or the SS-Division Nord, whose combat performance was disappointing to say the least. Finally, one cannot ignore the actions of "cleansing" carried on the rear of the German armies by troops under the direct command of Himmler, namely SS-Brigade Kavallerie the 1.SS Infantry Brigade-(motorized) and 2.SS-Infantry Brigade (motorized). Their crimes were forever marked by the seal of infamy.