This was not the front cover of the book I've read, the book I've read were far older, either way the content is the important...
Well... now this is a book about war...This is a rare book, which is not edited anymore... my friend bought it for 60£ and as I've seen in some places, like amazon or ebay it was a commom price for this book... There are two more which I saw they were even rarer...
This book reminded me of the books written by Sven HaSSel, the swedish soldier who fought for the germans in WWII. Vivid images and you feel like you are right there fighting and suffering along side them.As well as Sven Hassel books this book has disputed autentic... Nobody knows for certain if they existed but I say you this.. I read a lot about wars, fantasy, real and history and I must say that this two books have some particular not found in the others ones... The reality is so brutal that for me both are true. Sven Hassel books is another story.. He was in war but I think he used not only his stories but others soldiers stories.
First of all...I do not hide that I am fascinated by the german machine of war. They were the true aryan in the art of war. Nobody could defeated them. Nazism is other story... I do not defend nazism but I have some similaries beliefs which I could be accounted with them.. I believe in my people and in my fatherland. I don't like foreigners nor do I like mixture between races. But, I wouldn't kill a person because he is different. I don't think me of a superior being but I believe that there are differences between all races....they have different creeds and religions, diferent states of goverment, different history.. and others things... for all this I am against mixture of races and the "global community". Again I must say I don't believe myself superior to other human. If this feelings are what you call them nazis, then I am one of them. But I ask you this... didn't you ever have a thought or act of racism? No? I doubt it...Another question... would you die for your country? would you kill for it? No? That I can believe... but I ask you something else, would you die for your family and love ones? Don't even start the answer with an N...
There were several things that went wrong with the second world war... First - I don't agree with the persecution of the jews, but I don't believe the numbers the allies and the communist gave us of the killing of them.. first in 1946/47 they said that were around 7 milions, now in the worst scenario, you can read on any website (history website, not pro-nazi nor against-nazi) and in our history books that they were around 3 milions... what happened with the 4 milions?
Don't forget, who build the armament of the war machine? It was the prisioners and the jews.. they wouldn't kill them all.. but okay, I am not defending the nazis, I am just saying that the victor write history, even propaganda history...Second - I didn't like Hitler, but one thing you(well any person who is not stupid and closed minded) that he when came to power, he arose the country to a top country of the world.. He built the country from the ashes of the WWI and built a war machine more powerful than any country of the world. German was bankrupted never forget that... ahh, and in those times, in the earlies 30's there weren't prisioned jews, so don't blame with them.. they evolved so rapidly that the world became scared again... who were the first one to have highways? who were the first one to have a event broadcast all over the world and even beyond (olympics)? who were the first to have jet planes (Even if they were stupidly not to used them) .. they were undoubtly the most technological advanced country of the world... for that I must take my hat for hitler... and then I would smite him with my hat and anything else.. He was Stupid beyond belief.. He picked the jews, the world powerful jews.. Enfin... What I am nazi for saying this? Well do you like what the isrealits are doing? so shut up please and continue reading...
Now, why I hate Hitler and NSDAP... they were fanatical beyond belief... first off, hitler tried to grabed the land which was stolen since the first world war... that i don't condemn, it was their land, poland had capture some parts who belong to germany (or prussia).. then they went west to france for revenge and puff... 3 months... if only they had stop there.. Now it enters the part were I hate the nazis... until the invasion of france, holand and belgium the generals were in command... afterwards Hitler wanted to be in command.. I don't know if he became maniac, or if it was influentia of other party menbers like himmler or goring... but afterwards the undeafeated war machine became crumbling..first the stupid invasion of england and then the worst thing of all.. the alliance with Japan.. If they had not allied nor tried to invade england, and concentrated the war efforts against russia they probably would succeced.. but alas it didn't.
So they fell... Well, history over... now back to the book...
George Elford (the writer) meets the ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Wagemueller (the mian character) when both are having a friendly conversation about hunting rifles at a range. Wagemueller says he was a kopfjaeger and he agrees to give a series of interviews to George Elford. The total time of these tapes covers nearly 18 days. Indeed, there is so much information that this information is covered in the books of Devils Guard II and III. (which I haven't read it)
This fantastic story of conflict was written by George Robert Elford and was based on the first-hand interviews with "Hans Josef Wagemueller", a former Waffen SS "kopfjaeger" (head hunter) who miraculously survived the horrors of the Eastern front in World War II.
Hans led a large group of German Waffen SS troops through Russian lines trying to reach Western Europe after he learned of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The march through Russian lines to Germany started with over one battalion of soldiers. Most didn't make it, only about one out of six, and those that did escape from the Soviets joined the French Foreign Legion along with Hans.
The Germans were helped in a small "Odessa" like organization, an underground German organization that did try to help German War Veterans. However, this organization was quickly crushed by the Allies by 1947 at the latest. Most of the Waffen SS who joined the French Foreign Legion were a step ahead of the Allied hangman.
Note: Wagemueller's journey through Russia to Germany is the stuff of legends. A prequel novel of this adventure should have been written. Hans treats the journey as not much more than an arduous side note to the greater tale of Vietnam. Hans is brutally honest in his opinions about the Allies in WWII.
He thought the Soviets were sub-human, Communism was a blot on humanity, and the Americans were nearly as bad as the Soviets in the debasement of Germany and its citizens.
These facts are not found in your typical Russian, American, or German history books. The plain truth in Germany after WWII was it was the first war in which the common soldier was held responsible for collective crimes as individuals. So, the American Army held the whole Waffen SS as guilty of war crimes in the prisoner massacrers during the Battle of the Bulge. The French Foreign Legion was fighting a bloody war in Indochina. The Foreign Legion has a policy of ignoring the past of any enlistee (it's done to this day). So, Hans joined the Foreign Legion and spent the next five years fighting against the fiercely determined Viet Min guerrillas. At first the French have old war hatred against the ex-German solders (soldats). However, after a French Foreign Legion battalion is destroyed to the last man by the Communists the commanding officer of the German Legionnaires, Colonel Hassong, gives the German Waffen SS a free hand in offensive operations. The Germans, when out of the French Garrison fort, actually adopt their old rank structure again and address each other in German. The French Waffen SS adopt their old anti-terrorist Soviet tactics against the Viet Min. Colonel Hassong drily comments that the reason why the German Waffen SS were so hated by the Allies was not because of war crimes but because they are so darn good at their jobs. When the French would put the Waffen SS into a sector the insurgent activities would quickly die off, either the Communists would flee or be killed. Indeed, the French Waffen SS does some amazingly good attacks on very little effort.
Hans led a large group of German Waffen SS troops through Russian lines trying to reach Western Europe after he learned of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The march through Russian lines to Germany started with over one battalion of soldiers. Most didn't make it, only about one out of six, and those that did escape from the Soviets joined the French Foreign Legion along with Hans.
The Germans were helped in a small "Odessa" like organization, an underground German organization that did try to help German War Veterans. However, this organization was quickly crushed by the Allies by 1947 at the latest. Most of the Waffen SS who joined the French Foreign Legion were a step ahead of the Allied hangman.
Note: Wagemueller's journey through Russia to Germany is the stuff of legends. A prequel novel of this adventure should have been written. Hans treats the journey as not much more than an arduous side note to the greater tale of Vietnam. Hans is brutally honest in his opinions about the Allies in WWII.
He thought the Soviets were sub-human, Communism was a blot on humanity, and the Americans were nearly as bad as the Soviets in the debasement of Germany and its citizens.
These facts are not found in your typical Russian, American, or German history books. The plain truth in Germany after WWII was it was the first war in which the common soldier was held responsible for collective crimes as individuals. So, the American Army held the whole Waffen SS as guilty of war crimes in the prisoner massacrers during the Battle of the Bulge. The French Foreign Legion was fighting a bloody war in Indochina. The Foreign Legion has a policy of ignoring the past of any enlistee (it's done to this day). So, Hans joined the Foreign Legion and spent the next five years fighting against the fiercely determined Viet Min guerrillas. At first the French have old war hatred against the ex-German solders (soldats). However, after a French Foreign Legion battalion is destroyed to the last man by the Communists the commanding officer of the German Legionnaires, Colonel Hassong, gives the German Waffen SS a free hand in offensive operations. The Germans, when out of the French Garrison fort, actually adopt their old rank structure again and address each other in German. The French Waffen SS adopt their old anti-terrorist Soviet tactics against the Viet Min. Colonel Hassong drily comments that the reason why the German Waffen SS were so hated by the Allies was not because of war crimes but because they are so darn good at their jobs. When the French would put the Waffen SS into a sector the insurgent activities would quickly die off, either the Communists would flee or be killed. Indeed, the French Waffen SS does some amazingly good attacks on very little effort.
The Germans "think outside of the box" when fighting the Communists. Few other units would be their equal. This book will quickly explain why the USA lost the war in Vietnam and could lose the war on Islamic Terrorists. Bluntly, war is war and there are few real innocents in any area. Strumfuerher Wagemueller and his Waffen SS soldats knew the score; terrorists must be hunted down and exterminated. Presently, Western Civilization, with its many P.C. encumbrances, may not be up to the task of eliminating the true threat that all of terrorism is making toward civilization. Conversely, Wagemuller tolerated no rape nor individual war crimes in his command. (which was a pratice in the German War Machine... Rommel was one of the old general breed which didn't tolerate raping or other crimes. It is docuument as several german soldiers die after raping or so...)Several soldiers who admitted to a rape and were nearly summarily executed.
Wagemueller's ways of waging war are hinted at in the director's cut version of the movie "Apocalypse Now". Marlon Brando's character, playing the mad Colonel Kurtz, says that he could win the war in Vietnam if he had "250,000 of the right kind of soldiers". Kurt's character was actually referring to the dedicated, tough, and determined Germans who crushed the Communists in the early 1950s. Wagemueller had mostly contempt for America's way of waging war. The American soldiers were ill trained. The officers were poor leaders who often were just "ninety-day-wonders" with little more training than the common troops. I consider this book a clear introduction to the mental psychology needed to wage an anti-terrorist war.
First, you must have well trained soldiers to wage a successful anti-terrorist war. Activated Guard units with a limited tour of duty soldiers are not the equal of well trained and well led anti-terrorist fighters like Wagemueller's Waffen SS Legion. Second, you must have a "hearts and mind" program. Wagemueller and his people actually debated a Communist Commissar.
The people of the villages will listen to a reasoned debate. Third, the sources of terrorist activity must be destroyed. Hans and his Waffen SS battalion were fantastic at finding terrorist bases, destroying them and exterminating the terrorists. More than one raid was made into Communist China and destroyed millions of dollars worth of supplies. Last, the anti-terrorist military army must be backed up by a willing government and press. Unfortunately, the French government and French press both undermined the Waffen SS war on the French war on terror.
In less than five weeks in 1953 the press cut off support for the successful anti-terror operations. In less than three years the French lost Indo-China. Wagemueller and his Waffen SS soldiers all resigned from the French Foreign Legion. Most returned back to Germany. Many, like Wagemueller, took Asian wives and lived in their new adopted homeland. The Fatherland was destroyed in 1945 and they had no wish to return to something wrecked and violated.
This is a book about warriors.
First, you must have well trained soldiers to wage a successful anti-terrorist war. Activated Guard units with a limited tour of duty soldiers are not the equal of well trained and well led anti-terrorist fighters like Wagemueller's Waffen SS Legion. Second, you must have a "hearts and mind" program. Wagemueller and his people actually debated a Communist Commissar.
The people of the villages will listen to a reasoned debate. Third, the sources of terrorist activity must be destroyed. Hans and his Waffen SS battalion were fantastic at finding terrorist bases, destroying them and exterminating the terrorists. More than one raid was made into Communist China and destroyed millions of dollars worth of supplies. Last, the anti-terrorist military army must be backed up by a willing government and press. Unfortunately, the French government and French press both undermined the Waffen SS war on the French war on terror.
In less than five weeks in 1953 the press cut off support for the successful anti-terror operations. In less than three years the French lost Indo-China. Wagemueller and his Waffen SS soldiers all resigned from the French Foreign Legion. Most returned back to Germany. Many, like Wagemueller, took Asian wives and lived in their new adopted homeland. The Fatherland was destroyed in 1945 and they had no wish to return to something wrecked and violated.
This is a book about warriors.
Now I will put some references at how to fight terrorism...
The unawareness of existence of communism, but patriotic fighting, the white man bring misery, rape and diseases. (this was how many commissars told the backwards people of vietnam who were the white people... this reminds me of how the native american saw the europeans..)
They did a contest between a commissar (chinese) and a german. The war of mind...
The interview of the german to newspappers. The pressure of information.. sometimes it's not good to have so much information... We see it each day... (in a couple of weeks ago, the pope was debating something in a university and quote some medieval literature, the media to sell newspapers and audiance, told and show only that part.. that provoked some stupid resistance from the arabs and even kill some people on the progress, who were the evil doers? the arabs or the journalists?)
The interview of the german to newspappers. The pressure of information.. sometimes it's not good to have so much information... We see it each day... (in a couple of weeks ago, the pope was debating something in a university and quote some medieval literature, the media to sell newspapers and audiance, told and show only that part.. that provoked some stupid resistance from the arabs and even kill some people on the progress, who were the evil doers? the arabs or the journalists?)
Some tactics of the German to Viet Min -
- Arsenic in water and rat poison
- They put women and children from a village which they knew they were colaborators for the terrorists in their trunks and start yelling the name of their husbands and sons, telling them their sons and womens were in the cars.. so they would kill them also.
- When leaving a place like headquarters or a garrison to strike the terrorists, they left in the wrong direction and then went into the jungle and move into the right direction.
- Other was to make a fake camp in a place then sleep around the it.
- The communist song to elude the viet mi and catch them anaware...
- The constant regards against the french generals, which don't win a war since napoleon-
- Leaving behind some snipers when the main army passed a field or a town... if the peasents try to contact the guerrila they would be shot
Viet Min to French
-They cut their right and then their left arms, then broke their legs, and then shot them in the head.
- They went into a garrison, and kill them all, and strip them off. Afterwards they would put bombs in everything, in the corps, and things laying around. One effective was to put excrements in a well to poison them.
- The old people fighting and the use of childs to catch anaware the french soldiers
- The kill of innocent, even people with a red cross in plain view.
- And the worst of all, the use of propaganda... When a village was killed by a plague or if the communist kill it, they would put them in some horrific way, then take shots with a camera and blame the germans nazis.. the publish in all newspappers and sent to the "free World"
- Arsenic in water and rat poison
- They put women and children from a village which they knew they were colaborators for the terrorists in their trunks and start yelling the name of their husbands and sons, telling them their sons and womens were in the cars.. so they would kill them also.
- When leaving a place like headquarters or a garrison to strike the terrorists, they left in the wrong direction and then went into the jungle and move into the right direction.
- Other was to make a fake camp in a place then sleep around the it.
- The communist song to elude the viet mi and catch them anaware...
- The constant regards against the french generals, which don't win a war since napoleon-
- Leaving behind some snipers when the main army passed a field or a town... if the peasents try to contact the guerrila they would be shot
Viet Min to French
-They cut their right and then their left arms, then broke their legs, and then shot them in the head.
- They went into a garrison, and kill them all, and strip them off. Afterwards they would put bombs in everything, in the corps, and things laying around. One effective was to put excrements in a well to poison them.
- The old people fighting and the use of childs to catch anaware the french soldiers
- The kill of innocent, even people with a red cross in plain view.
- And the worst of all, the use of propaganda... When a village was killed by a plague or if the communist kill it, they would put them in some horrific way, then take shots with a camera and blame the germans nazis.. the publish in all newspappers and sent to the "free World"
One thing he said that I enjoyed a lot..... Hans had a theory... if they wanted to fight communists the free world would have to build Iron Walls around all the countries of communist and then stop broadcasting, signalling, and talking with them.. they should block everything. When the journlist asked what about the french and everywhere communists? Well if they liked it so much they should be sent to communists countries... they in their countries had everything, a job, free speech and everything all, (everything the communists don't go well with)... the communists in the free world are stupid, because they didn't live in a communist world, so they are living a illusion..
Well.... this was a great book, everything was great, I would give it 100%.
I suggest this book to everyone, special the united states generals and military.
This book must be put in practise if the world want to fight terrorists... (as the american should have done in the vietnam war and in the afegnistan and Iraq... oh well...
I suggest this book to everyone, special the united states generals and military.
This book must be put in practise if the world want to fight terrorists... (as the american should have done in the vietnam war and in the afegnistan and Iraq... oh well...
Comments
Likewise any reader actually familiar with military technology of the 1960's could easily tell the books weren't true; they are littered with inaccurcies and anachronisms.
I started reading that book that night, and kept reading till late into the night. I could not put that book down, but forced myself into doing so--so I would not read it in one sitting. After that--I allowed myself to read one chapter a day.
Now on the personal side to this:::
Hans Josef Wagemuller is really Hans J. S.(last name not posted as per his wish before passing away)--a man whom I had a brief time to become friends with before he passed away.(He was in his 90's) This man was also best friends with a very wellknown man who served on U 505--whom I was also friends with untill his death in February 1999 -- a few short months before he himself passed away in Florida.
Mr. Schwartz and I were going to meet later in the year and he was going to allow me to tape an interview with him but--he had passed away before anything could happen.
This man was an SS Paratrooper, who was involved in operations which included hunting for partisans--hence--he was with a unit called: Partisanjagers ~~ Kopfjagers (Partisan hunters ~~ Headhunters)
In 1999, this man made me an honorary lifetime member of the French Forign Legions all German Battalion. My first such honorary membership. This also now includes honorary memberships as a member of U 181s crew, one of the two last members of the Kriegsmarine, honorary member of the 101st Airborne Division (Operation Ripcord) and lastly, an honorary member of the Luftwaffe Flak Artillerie.
my research has taken many years.
I knew a merc called Jimmy Duggan, and met many mercs as well as the OAS guys. Jimmy was small, muscular and blond-haired, usually operated under false identies, usually real people, mercs, who had died etc, so he's a very hard person to trace. He has 12 passports when I knew him! Last saw him in '62. He would be about 72 today and was probably living in SA, near Durban/J'burg.
There are a lot of false stories out there, that I admit, mercs tend to brag, but not all is false. There were 'hidden' units in the FFL. The officers were using these units to build up a pension fund. Arms sales were rife too, and they hired out assassins. My mate Jimmy was one, called 'Sam'. He was the top man in the world, only top jobs. There was a SAS type unit and a German unit in the FFL. The French probably don't like this to be known. How many Germans I can't recall, but a lot, all ex-SS. One of the men I met sounds like this Wagemueller. I recall a para who spearheaded all major invasions/pushes by the Germans. He was a Regimental Sergeant Major in the Death's Head SS. Very tough man, spoke several languages, English, but not fluent. Via me he met King Olav of Norway and they spent hours discussing the Norwegian invasion over maps, drawings, many a bottle of whisky!
Olav said he and his father were thinking of pronouncing martial law in Norway, arousing all the army reserves to quell the Black Shirts, and shooting Quisling. "I'd have put a bullet through that bastard's brain with abject pleasure!" roared Olav. They had talked to people in GB to send British troops and navy 'to train in Norway'. "But we were too slow - well, who likes to do something like that. We should have just done it. The war would have taken on a new face completely if Norway had remained free."
I learned from that. Don't hesitate. Balls-out all the way is the only way. Jack Schramme was of the same view about war. "Innocent people are always the victims of war, so finish the job as quickly as you can - using whatever it takes and sod what the world thinks - to limit those casualties."
I note Rolf Steiner took a lot of flak in the methods he used in Biafra, severed heads on poles etc., but nobody mentions he used the time he gained to get 3,000 kids out of the war zone to SA.
I liked Rolf too. Heart in the right place. "I'm in Africa to earn quick money, yes, but not at any cost." He was planning on buying a bookshop.
I've been trying to trace the guys I met, but forgetting names doesn't help. I was best mates with Big Marc Goosens. I loved him like a brother, lovely man. Dyslectic, y'know. Good cook, good singer, into Brel. Once stood onstage at the Garrick Theatre in London and sang for the cream of Britain (and the USA, Sinatra, Dean, Sammy and Perry Como were there) and all were stunned at Marc's talent. A born entertainer. He drove racecars fast too, testing a car with David Piper at Brands Hatch raceway, and would have driven Jimmy Clark's Lotus but he was too fat to fit in! Knew Giorgio Norbiato, Armand 'le Brave' Iaranelli (seemingly a false name, he was actually called Jean Baptist, not Armand) 'Schlee' from Paarl in SA, Rolf Steiner (an avid collector of cowboy books) Schramme, well, the lot. The Katanga lads. There was a Belgian lad who looked like Jimmy, we called him Rennie, but it was Rene. Forget the rest. He was a medic, good friend of Black Johnny Erasmus. He was from Brussels. Maurice Lucien-Brun, nice guy "but I AM mad!" showing me a certificate proving that! I recall the Germans loved watching war films. And spoke French when in England. All had false identities when working as mercs as well as French names from the Legion. Confusing. Are any of these guys still alive? Probably not.
I think Jimmy is the mysterious Alexander Gay, and a few more names to boot. Frederick Forsyth knew all these guys but is refusing to speak to me. He knows who I am, y'see.
They were fab days....
Regards,
'Jimmy Duggan's friend' aka 'Sparra'.
sverre_helgesen@hotmail.com
I had the pleasure of meeting some of the veterans of this none unit of the FFL at the camerone day celerbrations and i must say it was an honor to meet them
I have always had a great respect for the members of the waffen ss who fought the enemy but not the SS who did the concentration camps , it's only a shame that the world can not accept the waffen ss as true soldiers, A certain member of the unit who's son is a captain in the fernsper germanys special forces once said to me that when the German Army recreates it chief's of staff you will no that in time the german arm will march to the stepps which are in the ukeraine.
Learned tale of ex-SS within IndoChine.
One survived. Post-Nam, '75. Civvie. Spoke with west-based writer. Non-affiliated. Notes from then compared to DG substantiate much of what Elford wrote.
Take it for what it's worth.
Obviously not provable.