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SeriesNo.1 TheBowmenofEngland DonaldFeatherstone

2 TheLife&DeathoftheAfrikaKorps RonaldLewin

3 TheOldFrontLine JohnMasefield4 Wellington&Napoleon RobinNeillands5 BeggarsinRed JohnStrawson6 TheLuftwaffe:AHistory JohnKillen7 Siege:Malta19401943 ErnieBradford8 HitlerasMilitaryCommander JohnStrawson9 NelsonsBattles OliverWarner10 TheWesternFront19141918 JohnTerraine11 TheKillingGround TimTrailers12 Vimy PierreBerton

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25DictionaryoftheSecondWorldWar

StephenPope&Elizabeth-AnneWheal

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28 RommelasMilitaryCommander RonaldLewin29 LegionsofDeath RupertButler30 TheSwordandtheScimitar ErnieBradford31 BySeaandByLand RobinNeillands

32 Cavalry:TheHistoryofMountedWarfare JohnEllis

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34 TheFloatingRepublic G.E.Manwaring&BonamyDobree

35 TugofWar:TheBattleforItaly194345DominickGraham&ShelfordBidwell

36 Churchill&TheGenerals BarriePitt37 TheSecretWar BrianJohnson38 CommandontheWesternFront RobinPrior&TrevorWilson39 TheOperators JamesRennie40 ChurchillandTheAdmirals StephenRoskill41 TheBattleforNorthAfrica JohnStrawson42 OneofOurSubmarines EdwardYoung43 TheBattleofTrafalgar GeoffreyBennett

44 Fire-Power ShelfordBidwell&DominickGraham45 SiegesoftheMiddleAges PhilipWarner46 HaigsCommand DenisWinter47 HitlersDeathsHeadDivision RupertButler

ForthcomingTitles

48 TheLastAssault CharlesWhiting49 TheBattlefieldsofEngland A.H.Burne50 HowtheWarWasWon TimTravers51 TheRedBaron ManfredvonRichthofen52 CommandoMen BryanSamain53 BomberOffensive ArthurHarris54 RememberNelson TomPocock

HITLERSDEATHSHEADDIVISIONSS-TotenkopfDivision

RupertButler

FirstpublishedinGreatBritainin1985bybyArrowBooksLimitedPublishedin2004,inthisformat,by

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TOJOEANDREGINAROSEThesurvivors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In the preparation of this book I have, as always, been assisted most ably by variousmembersofthestaffof theImperialWarMuseum,London,notablyTerryCharmanandGeorgeClout,whoweretirelessinansweringquestionsandsearchingoutrelevantbooksand documents. I am also grateful for background on Josef (Sepp)Dietrich andMaxSimonsuppliedbyJamesLucas,coauthorofHitlersElite:Leibstandarte-SS(Macdonald& Janes).Many other invaluable detailswere providedwith unlimited patience by theInstituteofContemporaryHistoryandWienerLibrary,London.ThestaffsoftheLondonLibrary andWandsworth Library also supplied much material. No one writing on SS-PanzerDivisionTotenkopfcanfailtobeindebtedtoSoldiersofDestruction:TheDeathsHeadDivision19331945byCharlesW.Sydnor,Jr(PrincetonUniversityPress).Isalutethe cheerful courage of my good friend Joe Rose who, with complete absence ofbitterness, talked of his appalling sufferings in Buchenwald at the hands of theTotenkopfverbaende, and also supplied many details about the camp. I also wish toacknowledgesuggestions,informationandeditorialassistancefromAndrewMollo,PaulWatkins,JoyceRackhamandVickyClayton.

SELECTEDBIBLIOGRAPHYBarker,A.J.,WaffenSSatWar,(IanAllan,1982)

Berben,Paul,Dachau193345:TheOfficialHistory.(PrivatelypublishedinLondonfortheComitInternationaldeDachau,1975)

BrownBook of theHitler Terror: Prepared for theWorldCommittee for the Victims ofGermanFascism.(Gollancz,1933)

Carrell, Paul, Hitlers War on Russia: The Story of the German Defeat in the East.(Harrap,1964)

Carrell,Paul,ScorchedEarth:HitlersWaronRussia,Volume2.(Harrap,1970)

Clark,Alan,Barbarossa:TheRussian-GermanConflict194145.(Hutchinson,1965)

Deschner,Gunther,ReinhardHeydrich: Statthalter der TotalenMacht. (BechtleVerlag,1977)

Erickson,John,TheRoadtoBerlin.(Weidenfeld&Nicolson,1983)

Foley,Charles,CommandoExtraordinary.(Longman,1954)

Gallo,Max,TheNightoftheLongKnives.(SouvenirPress,1972)

Graber,G.S.,HistoryoftheSS.(RobertHale,1978)

Guderian,Heinz,PanzerLeader.(MichaelJoseph,1952)

Hoess,Rudolf,KommandantinAuschwitz.(DeutscheYerlags-Anstalt,1958)

Horne,Alistair,ToLoseaBattle:France,1940.(Macmillan,1969)

Infield,Glenn,SkorzenyHitlersCommando.(StMartinsPress,1981)

Jolly,Cyril,TheVengeanceofPrivatePooley.(Heinemann,1956)

Kogon,Eugen,DerSSStaat.(Farrar,StraussandCudahy,1950)

Krausnick,Helmut&MartinBroszat,AnatomiedesSS-Staates.(Walter-VerlagAG,1965)

LeChene,Evelyn,Mauthausen:theHistoryofaDeathCamp.(Methuen,1971)

Lucas, James and Matthew Cooper, Hitlers Elite: Leibstandarte-SS. (Macdonald &Janes,1975)

Manstein,Erichvon,LostVictories.(ArmsandArmour,1982)

Manvell,Roger&Fraenkel,Heinrich,TheJulyPlot.(BodleyHead,1964)

Mollo,Andrew,TotheDeathsHeadTrue:TheStoryoftheSS.(Thames-Methuen,1982)

Mollo,Andrew,UniformsoftheSS:Volumes4&7.(HistoricalResearchUnit,1976)

Musmanno,MichaelA.,TheEichmannCommandos.(PeterDavies,1961)

Quarrie,Bruce,HitlersSamurai:TheWaffen-SSinAction.(PatrickStephens,1983)

Reitlinger,Gerald,SS:TheAlibiofaNation192245.(Arms&Armour,1981)

Schneider,JostW.,VerleihungGenehmigt:AnillustratedanddocumentaryhistoryoftheKnightsCrossholdersof theWaffen-SSandpolice, 19401945. (BenderPublishingCo.,1977)

Shirer,William,TheRiseandFalloftheThirdReich.(Secker&Warburg,1960)

Stein,GeorgeH.,TheWaffenSS,19391945.(CornellUniversityPress,1966)

Sydnor, CharlesW., Jr, Soldiers of Destruction, The SS Deaths Head Division, 19331945.(PrincetonUniversityPress,1977)

Vincent,Adrian,TheLongRoadHome.(Allen&Unwin,1956)

Ziemke,EarlF.,StalingradtoBerlin:TheGermanDefeatintheEast.(OfficeoftheChiefofMilitaryHistory,UnitedStatesArmy,1968)

The sight of a large number ofmen, bothmentally and physically disciplined and co-ordinated,withanobviousor latentwill to fight,makesanenormous impressiononallGermans

PfeffervonSalomon,headoftheSAinthe1920s.

1Opochka,northernRussia,1941.ItwasJuly,butnotsummerastheGermansunderstoodit. At onemoment, the sun would smile, then themoodwould switch and the Stormscome.

Thewavesoftwogiganticarmieschurnedupthecloying,suffocatingdust;thesoldiersflame-throwers intensified the already appalling heat. Out of the sulphurous darknessbayonetswerethrustdeepintoGermanandRussianbellies.

TheprizethattheGermansweretosnatchwasthetownofOpochkaonthevitalStalinLine,andtheRussianshadflunginalltheyhad.

RightinthethickofitwereveryspecialmenoftheWaffen-SS,fighterswhosedivisioncouldbeidentifiedbecausetheyworeontheircollarpatchesthedistinctiveDeathsHeadinsigniawhichwasalso their titleSS-Totenkopf,mostbrutal andmost fearedof thebalefulblacklegionsofHeinrichHimmlerssinisterSchutzstaffel.

The Russians, in the seventy-two hours of fighting before Opochka was wrenchedaway,learntgraphicallywhatsortoffightingmentheywere.

Atonepoint,aTotenkopfradiotruck,detachedfromthegeneralmle,rumbledtotheedgeofaforest.Tothedriver,thesceneintheclearingaheadrecalledoneofthosestarkmuseumdioramasofbattle.

TherewerefourRussians in theclearingand theywere indisputablydead.But itwasnotthiswhichheldthedriversattention,northefactthattheRussianshadobviouslybeenshotatcloserangebecauseofthewidepowderburnsontheirfieldjackets.

Attention was rooted because they lay in a semi-circle in the middle of which wasanother corpse. Thisman had been an SS-Obersturmfuehrer of TotenkopfDivision.Hehadstoodhisgroundandshotthemall.

Afterthathehadsuspectedthattheremuststillbestragglersagainstwhomhewouldbepowerless.Evenafterhesurrendered,theywouldmakehimintoahumantorchandhackhis body to pieces. So the young Obersturmfuehrer had turned his machine-pistol onhimself.Therewastobenoneofthedishonourofsurrender.

Here, to the radio truck crew, was displayed the stark reality of waging war in thedreadfulnightmareofStalinsRussia.TheSSmansfateandthatofthousandsofothersflungintothisvortexofslaughterhadbeensealedsixyearsbeforeinanothercountry.

Nuremberg, southern Germany, 1935. An atmosphere of feverish tension gripped theancientcity.Throughoutthenight,crowdsnumberedintensofthousandslinedthestreetsandjostledthepavementstowitnessthehighspotoftheNazipartysannualrally.

At just after 4 p.m.AdolfHitler, Fuehrer and saviour of a rebornGermany, flew toNuremberg and began his swastika-bedecked procession to the elaborate openingceremonyatthecitystownhall.

There was a distinctly operatic air about these occasions; particularly in September

1935,whentherallywasgracedbytheproudnewsymphonyorchestraprovidingajauntymusicalbackgroundtotheseeminglyendlesssuccessionofspeechesandparades.

The event was merely a series of magnificently staged set pieces above all thecandlelit scene in the chamber of the town hall where Hitler received a replica of theImperialSword,theoriginalofwhichhadforcenturiesbeentheprideofNuremberg.

Theeyesof theworldwere focussedon thestill infantNazistateandnoopportunitywaswastedinextollingthevirtuesoftheHitlermiracle.

Long before the rally began, foreign visitors were accosted by swarms of hawkersselling postcardswith portraits of Frederick theGreat,Bismarck, PresidentHindenburgandHitlerwiththeembracingcaption:WhattheKingconquered,thePrinceformed,theFieldMarshaldefended,theSoldiersavedandunified.

This, however,was primitive stuff; education designed to impress the visitor becamemoreprofoundwhenhewaswhiskedofftoathree-dayintensiveseminartobeacquaintedwiththerecentpoliticalchangesofthenewGermany.

The superficial observer saw only a distinctly carnival occasion. After all, Nazipropagandistsmademuchof the fact that ten thousandworkers fromall overGermanyhadbeeninvitedtoattendtherallyastheguestsoftheparty.Alltheirexpenses,includingtransport,hadbeenpaidbythegovernment.Atspecialcampssitedinfieldsnearthecity,guestswere treated toelaborate fireworkdisplays,which thisyearhad the themeof thefour seasons.Representations of blossoming bushes and flowers symbolised the spring,large fruits the summer, sheaves of grain the autumn and, inevitably, therewas a fieryswastikawhichrecalledtheancientGermanheliotropefestivalsofwinter.

Yet other visitors, perhaps more discerning, saw the 1935 party rally as somethingdecidedlymoresignificantthanapieceofconsummatelystagedtheatre.

ThecluesweretheretobeseenfromthemomentHitlersaircrafttoucheddownandhewasgreetedby thepartyfaithful:devotedacolytes includingdeputyparty leaderRudolfHessandhissubordinateMartinBormann,FranconianpartyGauleiterJuliusStreicherandHeinrichHimmler.

Aboveall,HeinrichHimmler.Of the leadingNazisother thanHitler, thepresenceofHimmlerthatdayprovedthemostsignificant.Theprudish,studioussonofaformertutorto the royal Bavarian household had but two years before held the minor office ofBavarianpresidentofpolice.Since then,Himmlerhadmovedswiftly toconsolidatehispower.ByApril1934,theformerairaceandnationalheroHermannGoering,creatorofthe Gestapo, had relinquished control of that organisation to Himmler, along withresponsibilityfortheconcentrationcamps.

In the late 1920s,Himmler, the bespectacled,weedy bureaucratwho firmly believedthatthefuturelaywithblondNordicpeoplerearedinpagansimplicity,hadassumedthepompoustitleofReichsfuehrer-SS.TheSSweretheblack-uniformedlite,theknightsofNazism.About twenty thousandof themwereonduty inNuremberg thatday.Thirteenthousandwere detailed as honour guards along the route that Hitler followed and theyformedaringofsteelaroundhishotel.

Aside from the parades, the beery bonhomie, the boy-scout camaraderie and the

fireworks,thepresenceoftheSSrepresentedthetruefaceofNazism.HeinrichHimmlerliterallycontrolledNurembergthatday.

TheSundayoftherallybelongedtotheSSanditsrivalorganisationinterror,thebrown-shirted street thugs of the Sturmabteilung (SA).A year beforeHitler had organised theslaughterofmore thanone thousandmembersof theSAandof its leader, thescarfacedhomosexualErnstRoehm,allofwhomhadbeenaccusedofabidtooverthrowthenewgovernment. But rivalries were laid aside for the moment in favour of an elaborateprocessionatNurembergculminating in a ceremonyhonourin thosewhohad fallen inthecause.

Hitleraddressedtherepresentativesofbothorganisations.HeinrichHimmler,theracialcrankandformerchicken-breederwhohadproudlycalledhisSSasworncommunityofsuperiormen,wasinseventhheaven:

AnotherofHimmlers followers thatdaywas, ifpossible, evenhappier.ForTheodorEicke, one-time sub-postmaster and deranged patient of the psychiatric clinic atWuerzburg,thisrallywastobeofconsiderableimportance.

For Eicke had the job of administering the SS-Totenkopfverbaendeadministering theSS-Totenkopfverbaende,theSSDeathsHeadunitswhosedelicatetaskwastoadministerthegrowingnumberofconcentrationcampsthroughouttheReich.

AtReichPartyDayinNurembergthatSeptember,EickeheardhisFuehrerAdolfHitlerproclaimpubliclyforthefirsttime:TheTotenkopfverbaendeconsistsofpartyformationsintheserviceoftheThirdReich.

Itwasasignificantmove;previously,eachregionofGermanyhadbeenresponsiblefortheguards.Nowtheycameunderthefullembraceandapprovaloftheparty.

The hitherto shadowy arm of Nazi terror which, via many metamorphoses, was tobecomeamilitarydivisionsportingtheDeathsHeadinsigniaonitscollarpatchesandoneofthemostnotoriousoftheWaffen-SS(armedSS)divisionshadalreadyenjoyedabriefbutbloodyhistory.

Now itwas getting amost agreeable seal of public approval as a party organisation.Further confirmation from Himmler came the following March when theTotenkopfverbaendewasallowedtoincreaseitssizefrom1,800to3,500menandbecameindisputablytheconcentrationcampguardorganisationoftheThirdReich.

EickethemanhismorefanaticalfollowerscalledPapaEickescentedrealpowerthatdayinNuremberg.

However,hehadseizedhisfirstbigchanceafullyearearlier.

2DerFuehrerwilles!HeilHitler!Feuer.(ItisthewilloftheLeader.HeilHitler!Fire.)

In barrack squares in Munich and Berlin and other towns throughout Germany, thewordsechoedwithdreadmonotonousregularity.Theslaughterbeganintheearlyhoursofthatterrible30June1934andwentonfortwoblood-soakeddays.Bulletsfromtheriflesof the SS firing-squad crashed into the bodies of allegedly traitorous members of theSturmabteilung.Hitlerdeclaredofhisstormtroopers:TheyareplanningtooverthrowtheNationalSocialiststate.

In Munich, firing-squads were drawn up in the courtyard of Stadelheim prison.GruppenfuehrerSeppDietrichstroderapidlydowntheprisoncorridors,pausingonlyateach cell to shout at its occupants: The Fuehrer has condemned you to death for hightreason.HeilHitler!

The salvos of death followed one another throughout the afternoon, punctuated byshoutsandcries,evenaHeilHitler!fromacondemnedmanwhohadbeengivennotimeto discover why he was dying and remained steadfastly loyal to the leader who hadspurnedhim.

What had happened in Hitlers new Germany?Why had the triumphant and unitedparty of January 1933 turned upon itself? Why were the jackals of repressive terrorseeminglydeterminedtotearthemselvesapart?

Awayfromrantingplatformrhetoricandtheelaboratestage-managedtrappingsoftheparty rallies, the Nazis newly in power now faced the unglamorous responsibilities ofgovernment. Themovement had to show at least a superficially respectable face to theworld;thetruthwasthat,beneaththesurface,NaziGermanyseethedwithdiscontent.

There were militants of the left the men who believed that National Socialismactuallyhadsomethingtodowithsocialismandtheconservativeright,whichregardedtheNazisasmerecaretakersandtheirleadersascut-throatbandits.Therewere,ofcourse,thebulletandtheaxeandtheconcentrationcampforsuchnuisances.

Thestorm-troopers,however,wereanothermatter.

The arrogance of Ernst Roehm had spread throughout the cohorts of the SA. Theydrank, swaggered andbullied in every townofGermany.Theywrecked thebeerhouseswhentheyencounteredrealorimaginedlackofrespect.EmployerswerebeatenupiftheydidnotgivejobstoSA-approvedcandidates.

None of this brutality worried Hitler particularly, but Roehms talk of a secondrevolutionwas something else entirely. Itwas decided to dealwith theSA.Hitlerwaslater toclaim: Roehmwasgettingambitious.Hewasplotting tooverthrow thepresentregime,makehimselfheadofallmilitaryandallnavalservices.SeditionwasspreadingthroughouttheSAandawidespreadrevolthadbeenplanned.Iwastobearrestedandkeptunderguardwhiletherebelstookcharge.

The rivalSS saw its chance.Hitler andHimmler planned a terrible swift revengeon

ErnstRoehmandhisSA.TherewastobeakeyroleforTheodorEickeintheschemesofFuehrerandReichsfuehrer.

Likemostofhisgeneration,Alsace-bornTheodorEickehadbeen thrustdemoralisedintothemaelstromofpost-WorldWarIGermany.Asayouthofseventeenin1909,hehadenlistedinthe23rdRegimentatLandauintheRhinelandPalatinate,enduredasingularlyunimpressivecareerasaclerkandapaymaster,andearnedintheprocesstheIronCrossSecondClass.Itwasashabbydistinction,cuttingnoicewhateverinthebankruptWeimarRepublic, where discontented veterans of the Kaisers Germany seethed with hatredagainstthegovernment.

EickeandhiswifeBerthasettledinIlmenauinThuringiatobenearherfamily.Berthas father resolutely refused to support his indigent son-in-law. In desperation, Eickegrabbed thankfully at the chance of becoming a paid police informer spying onmembersofnationalgroupsthoughttothreatenthesecurityofthenewrepublic.

ThetroublewasthatEickehimselfwassteepedinanti-governmentintrigueandfounditimpossibletoconcealhisowndeep-seatedloathingofhisrulers.HewasdismissedfromasuccessionofshadowyjobswithpoliceforcesinCottbus,WeimarandLudwigshafen.Thealmost obsessive ambition to become a professional policeman had to be laid aside infavour of second best a job in the I.G. Farben plant in Ludwigshafen as a securityofficer.

By 1928, the Nazi party with its paramilitary flavour had become a raucous andaggressive influence in the Rhineland Palatinate. Its blatant nationalism, its scream ofhatredagainsttherulingtraitorswerepotentappeals.

On 1 December 1920, Theodor Eicke joined the Nationalsozialistische DeutscheArbeiterpartei(Nazi)withPartyCardNo.114901,atthesametimeenteringtheranksoftheSA.

EickewastoremainintheSAforthenexttwoyearsandthen,wiselyasitturnedout,transfertothebetterdisciplinedSS.ItwasplainenoughthattheSAconsistedofpervertsand rowdies who would eventually overreach themselves, but there was another morepractical reason forEickeschangeoforganisation.TheSSwas smaller andpromotionquicker.

Anditwastoprovespeedyindeed.On27November1930,Reichsfuehrer-SSHeinrichHimmlerappointedEicketotherankofSS-Sturmfuehrer,givinghimcommandofSturm(platoon)No.148atLudwigshafenamRhein.

ItwasatthatpointthatEickeexhibitedhisveryconsiderabletalentfororganisation.Sohighly did Himmler regard him that within three months Eicke was promoted toSturmbannfuehrer with orders to create a second SS-Sturmbann (battalion) for theprojected10thSSStandarte(Regiment)of theSS-Palatinate.Bytheendof1931,EickewasaStandartenfuehrerandcommanderofthe10thSS-Standartenotabadrecordfortheassistantpaymasterofadecadeearlier.

ButthedepressioninGermanyhardened.EickebecameavictimwiththelossofhisjobatI.G.Farben.Afewyearsbefore,hewouldhaveviewedtheprospectofunemploymentwith dismay. Now things were different full time could now be allotted to the SS.

TheodorEickewasontheedgeofanewcareer.

Itwasinevitablethathiscancerousambitionandtotalruthlessnessshouldbringhimafair crop of enemies. Easily matching him in brutality was Josef Buerckel, Gauleiter(DistrictLeader)ofthePalatinate,whosedreamhadbeentounitealltheSAandSSunitsunderhispersonalcommand.

Understandably,suchaschemefoundnofavourwhateverwithEicke,whosecareerhadbeenprogressingmostagreeablyintheSSandwhonowluxuriatedintheexaltedrankofSS-Oberfuehrer.HehadnointentionofallowingthetediousBuerckeltointerferewithhisplans.Suchanincubusmustberemoved.

EickegatheredasuitablededicatedbunchofhisSScronies.TogetherthepartystormedtheheadquartersoftheLudwigshafenGau.Buerckelwasseizedandpromptlylockedinacaretakers cupboard. But Eicke had not been quick enough. The local Schutzpolizei(security police) had been alerted.Eicke and his fellowSSwere arrested andGauleiterBuerckel,seethingwithindignationandinjuredpride,wasreleased.

Inatumultousfury,theGauleiterextractedagrotesquerevenge.Hestormed:Eventocontemplatesuchathing,theOberfuehrermustbementallyill.Heiscertainlyadangertothe community. Thus it was that Eicke found himself an unwilling patient of theNervenklinikinWuerzburgdetainedinastrait-jacketforpsychiatricobservation.

He was shrewd enough to realise that his best chance of release was to become aparagon of sweet reasonableness.Hewas courteous and accommodating to the puzzledstaff, who eventually wondered what he was doing there. Eventually, his personalpsychiatrist was able to write Himmler that his patient seemed neither disturbed nor achronictroublemaker.

On26June1933,acompletelyrehabilitatedEickelefttheWuerzburgclinicarmedwithorders,signedbyHimmleraschiefoftheBavarianpolice,totakeupanewpost.HewastobecomecommandantofoneofthefirstNaziconcentrationcamps,atDachau.

NaturehadalwaysbeenunkindtothatpartofBavarialyingtothenorth-westofMunichwherethetownofDachaulayatthemercyoflongbitterwintersandthethicksnowhadawayofpersistingwellintoApril.

Before theadventofNationalSocialism, the regionwith itspeatbogsandgrasslandshadamelancholybeauty,whichgave rise to the so-called DachauSchoolofpainting.Thesmalltownhadhithertobeenknownonlythroughtheactivitiesofmendevotedtoart,but all that changed on 21March 1933when the newspapers published a communiqufromHeinrichHimmler,KommissarischerPolizeipraesidentderStadtMuenchen.

It stated thatDachauconcentrationcampwouldbeopened, that five thousandpeoplecould be accommodated there. On 24 March, a local newspaper, Der Amperboteannounced that the Freiwillige Arbeitsdienst (Voluntary Labour Service) had, in threedays,madehastypreparationforthereceptionofthefirstprisoners,aroundsixty.

Thecampsiteconsistedoriginallyofaderelictexplosives factory,builtduringWorldWar1andabandonedin1919toconformwiththerequirementsof theVersaillesTreatywhichhadvirtuallydisarmedGermany.Asthebuildingscrumbled,thelocaltownspeopleoptimisticallyappropriatedsomeofthematerialtobuildhouses.ButtheNazishadother

ideasfortheplaceand,assoonasHitlercametopower,HimmlersSSpressedtheareainto service with plans which included a vast complex of barracks, dwellings andindustrialbuildings.

At first the camp was intended as a handy pool for free labour. Private land wascompulsorilyseizedby theSS; thereasonsgivenwerecloakedunder thevague termofnational security. No one was unwise enough to enquire any further. At first, theprisoners housed there were all opponents of the regime, politische Haeftlinge(politicals), but before long other categories, anti-socials and emigrs swelled thenumbers.

ItwasearlydaysinNaziGermanyanditwasstillnecessarytopresentsomethingofarespectablefrontevenincampslikeDachau.Blatantill-treatmentofprisonersthatmightleadtodistressingpublicitywasthereforefrownedupon.

Dachaus first commandant, SS-Oberfuehrer Hilmar Waeckerle suffered from fewinhibitions.Hisprescriptionfordealingwithrecalcitrantprisonerswassimplytomurderthemwithtotallackofdiscrimination.WaeckerlewasdismissedandreplacedbyTheodorEicke.

Eickewasawarethathiscareer,evenbyNazistandards,wassomewhatchequered.Ifhe did not succeed in Dachau, Himmler was perfectly capable of dispensing with hisservices and hewas under no illusions that the SSwould not be particularly expert indealingwithoneof theirownwhohad fallen fromgrace. Itwasvital thathemakehismarkatDachau.Hewas,duringhisbrieftenureinthejob,quicktodoso.

HesoondiscoveredthatDachauhadbeenusedbyWaeckerleasadumpforalltheSSsunwantedmen. The guard unit was drawn largely from the ranks of the 56th SS FootRegiment,whichenjoyedanunsavouryreputation,evenbySSstandards.Themenwereregarded,quiteliterally;asthescumoftheearth.

EickewassoonshootingadisgruntledvolleyofmemostoHimmler.Whenhehadtakenoverhehadfoundacorruptguarddetachmentofbarely120men.Eickewenton:Weweregenerallyregardedasanecessaryevilwhichmerelycostmoney;insignificantguardsbehindbarbedwire.At times Iwas forced literally tobeg the treasuries for themeagrewagesofmyofficersandmen.

Things changed rapidly. Eicke, with his consummate ruthlessness and gift fororganisation, was to create a model for all future SS concentration camps. A newdisciplinary codewas drawn up for inmates. Concentration camp staff and guard unitswereseparated.Arbitrarymistreatmentbyguardswasforbiddennotoutofhumanity,butsimplybecausesuchactionwaslikelytoleadtoaseriesofregrettablescandalssuchas those which had engulfed the unspeakable Waeckerle. Discipline became steadilyharsher;hangingreplacedindiscriminatebeatingstodeath.

Eickewasnotattractedbythecalibreofcampstaff,either.ThesadistsandbulliesleftoverfromtheearlydaysoftheFuehrersstruggleswereedgedout.Eickethensetaboutimproving the discipline andmorale of those who remained. Between 1934 and 1935,togetherwithnewly recruitedpersonnel, they formedSS-Wachsturmbann IOberbayern.By 1937, the battalion had become a Toten-kopf regiment SS-TotenkopfstandarteOberbayern.

It was but the first stage of Eickes sinister empire. SS-Totenkopfstandarte IIBrandenburgsprangintoexistencetotakeovertheSachsenhausencampatOranienburg.By December 1937, SS-Totenkopfstandarte III Thuringen received responsibility forguarding and running the big camp at Weimar; this was Buchenwald. The Anschluss(unionwithAustriain1938)gaveEickethechancetoaddyetanotherregimenttotheSS-TotenkopfverbaendeSS-TotenkopfstandarteIVOstmark.FromSeptember1938itwastocontrolthecampofMauthausennearLinz.

Dachauwastoserveasamodelcampwhoseexampleotherswereexpectedtofollow.Justwhatacampguardwasexpectedtodowasembodiedinregulations.

Eickesawtoitthattherewereregulationsforeverything.Amemberoftheguardstaffcouldbarelycarryoutthesimplestactionwithoutreferencetotherulebook.Andthatrulebook was very comprehensive indeed. Disciplinary procedures issued in October 1933laiddowntotheverylastdetailhowtheroll-callofprisonerswastobecarriedout,howtheyweretomarchofftoworkinmilitarystyle,thedutiesofsentriesandescorts,eventhewordingofindividualcommands.

Inaddition toanaturalbrutality,Eickesotheroutstandingqualitywas thoroughness.Whatdistanceshouldguardskeepfromprisoners?Therewasaruleaboutthat.Whatwastheformofsaluteprisonersshouldthrowtotheguards?Consulttherulebook!

Theregulationsspecified:

Theonlydutyoftheescortistoguardtheprisoners.Theywillwatchtheprisonersbehaviour at work. Lazy prisoners will be urged to work. But any form ofmaltreatmentorchicaneryisstrictlyprohibited.

If a prisoner is openly careless and lazy atwork or gives impudent answers theguardwill takehisname.Afterworkhewillmakea reportIf theprisoners are torespecttheSSguards,theSSmanonguarddutycannotbepermittedtoloungeabout,toleanagainstsomething,topushhisrifleontohisbackortoplacehishandoverthemuzzle.

Aguardwhosheltersfromtherainbecomesafigureof funanddoesnotbehavelikeasoldierTheSSmanmustshowprideanddignityTheuseofthefamiliarDu[thou] amounts to fraternisation. It is humiliating for amanwhowears theDeathsHeadtoallowhimself tobecomeanerrandboyforBolsheviksandbossesTheSSescortwillnotengageinprivateconversationwiththeprisoners

As for theDeathsHead insignia,Eickehimselfhad the ideaofusing iton the rightcollar-tabas thedistinctiveinsigniafor theSSguardunits;all insigniawornbythepre-warSSwerehand-madebycraftsmeninthecamptailorsshops.

ThemenwhoworetheDeathsHeadwereofcoursetobecomefiguresofpowerandterror far beyond the watch-towers and barbed wire. But even in their days asconcentrationcampguards,thesebalefulbranchesofthefamilyoftheblackknightswerefearedfiguresindeed.

Theyweresoonclashingopenlywiththecivillaw.Inthespringof1935,whenEickehad left Dachau as concentration camp supremo, two prisoners were shot in Berlins

Columbia-Hauscamp.

The investigating public prosecutor took an interest; his inquisitiveness was notencouraged.Thosewhohadtakenpart intheexecutionsadoptedanairofinjuredpride;theyreferredtheprosecutortoEickesregulations.

Suchregulationswerenotmerelyfor themaintenanceofdiscipline.Eickeshardnesswas temperedwith sadism thatwent beyond introducing solitary confinement on breadandwater,whichcoulddriveaprisonerinsane.

Asmighthavebeenexpected,crueltywasfuelledtowhite-heatthroughEickeshatredof the Jews. For them, he invented a special sort of collective punishment. Every timestoriesofatrocitiesinthecampsappearedintheforeignpress,theJewswereforcedtolieinbedforanythingfromonetothreemonths.Theywereallowedtogetuponlyformealsandroll-call.

Theirquarterswerenotallowedtobeventilated,thewindowswerekeptscreweddown.ThenotoriousRudolfHoess, laterCommandant ofAuschwitz,whohadbeenposted toDachauin1934,reportedinhismemoirs:

Thiswasacruelpunishment,withparticularlyseverepsychologicaleffects.Asaresultofthiscompulsorystayinginbedforlongperiods,theybecamesonervousandoverwroughtthattheycouldnolongerbearthesightofeachother,andcouldnotstandoneanotherscompany.Manyviolentbrawlsbrokeout

Corporal punishment was introduced with enthusiasm. Regulations provided fortwenty-fivestrokesofthecanewhichcouldbeorderedinadditiontoarrest.Evenmoresinisterweredisciplinaryregulationsstipulatingthedeathpenaltyincertaincases.

Paragraphs11and12laiddownthataprisonercaughttalkingpoliticsforthepurposeofincitement,orwhogatheredwithothers,passedatrocitypropagandaandothersimilarcalumniesshallbehangedasanagitatoraccordingtorevolutionarylaw.Aprisonerwhoassaultedaguard,refusedtoobeyorindulgedinanyformofmutinywillbeshotonthespotorsubsequentlyhanged.

EickewasalsofondoflecturinghisDeathsHeadlieutenantsatlength.

RudolfHoesshasleftadistillationofEickessermonising:

Any trace of pity revealed to the enemies of theState,was aweaknesswhichtheywouldimmediatelyexploit.AnypitywhatsoeverforenemiesoftheStatewasunworthyofanSSman.TherewasnoplaceintheranksoftheSSformenwithsoftheartsandanysuchwoulddowelltoretirequicklytoamonastery.

He [Eicke] could only use hard, determined men who ruthlessly obeyed everyorder. Itwasnot fornothing that their emblemwas theDeathsHeadand that theycarrieda loadedgun.Theywere theonlysoldierswhoeven inpeace timefaced theenemydayandnight,theenemybehindthewire

EickehaddrummedtheconceptofdangerousenemiesoftheStatesoforcefullyand convincingly into his SS men that anyone who knew no better was firmlyconvincedbyit

ThepurposeofEickeseverlastinglecturesandorderstothesameeffectwastoturnhisSSmencompletelyagainsttheprisoners, tostiruptheirfeelingsagainsttheprisoners

Itwasrecorded,however, thatEickecouldbeequallymercilessagainst ill-disciplinedordishonestmembersofhisownstaff.Hoessrelated:

Itwasdiscoveredthatanimmenserackethadbeenorganisedinthebutchersshopbytheprisonersandbynon-commissionedofficersof theSS.Fourmembersof theSSweresentencedbyaMunichcourtSScourtswerenottheninexistencetolongtermsofimprisonment.

These four men were then paraded in front of the entire guard unit, personallydegradedbyEicke,andthendischargedwithignominyfromtheranksoftheSS.Eickehimselftoreofftheirnationalemblems,theirbadgesofrankandSSinsignia,hadthemmarched past each company in turn, and then handed them over to the prisonauthorities to serve their sentences. Afterward he took this opportunity to deliver along,admonitoryspeech.Hesaidthathewoulddearlyhavelikedtohaveseenthesefourmendressedinconcentrationcampclothes,floggedandputbehindthewirewiththeirassociates.TheReichsfuehreroftheSS,however,hadnotallowedhimtodoso.

EickeevolvedwhathewaspleasedtocalltheDachauspirit.Totrainhisguardstaffintheold-fashioned,traditionalcomradelytypeofmilitaryinstructionsentimentalsongsandBavarianbeerwasquiteinadequateforthespecialdutiesofDachau.

Theinjunctionwas:Everyorderistobecarriedout,howeverharshitmaybe.

Therewere timeswhen theharshnessbecame toomuch for some individualSSmen.Hoesscited thecaseof agroupof seniorGeneral-SS (Allgemeine-SS)overheard in themessexpressingtheviewthathangmansworksoiledtheirblackuniforms.Eickeactedswiftly; the men were rounded up, lectured and promptly demoted to the level ofObersturmfuehrer orHauptsturmfuehrer, ranks theyhelduntil the endof thewar.Fromthenon,therewasthethreatoftotalexpulsion,whichwouldhavereducedthemforthwithtothestatusofunemployable.

YetithastobesaidthatthefearedandrespectedTheodorEickewasalsoPapaEickewhocould,forallhistoughness,exhibitaroughaffectionforhismen.Itwasreciprocated.Theapproachofthesoldierssoldierwastostandhimingoodsteadwhenhecametocommandadivisioninwar.AsInspectorofConcentrationCamps,justascommanderofSS-Totenkopf Division, he insisted on talking directly to the guards and lower rankswithouttheinhibitingshadowoftheirsuperiorofficers.

Hisultimateobject thoughwas theaccumulationofstillmorepower.Hismethodsofgainingtheconfidenceofhismenwerecunningsuccessfulexercisesinpublicrelations.Ineverycamphehadletter-boxesputupwhichcouldonlybeopenedbyhim,givingeverySSmanthechancetocommunicatereportsandcomplaintsdirectly.

Eickehadbeenmerely InspektorderKonzentrationslager in1934.By1938, such alack-lustre title had given place to Fuehrer der SS-Totenkopfverbaende undKonzentrationslager.YetatleastonpaperEickewassubjecttocertainconstraints.

HisoverallgoverningauthoritywastheSS-Verfuegungstruppe(forerunneroftheWaffen-SS)andtheAllgemeine-SS.ThebureaucracyforthetwoorganisationswasinthehandsofacertainSS-GruppenfuehrerAugustHeissmeyer.

Eicke sensed thatHeissmeyer had a nose for power and possibly the ruthlessness toachieveit.EickeletitbeknowninnouncertaintermsthattheonlysuperiorherecognisedwasHimmler.

NomatterthatthefinancesoftheSSDeathsHeadformationscameundertheReichMinisteroftheInterior;nomatterthatHeissmeyerhadtheauthoritytoissueguidelinesfororganisation and even the style of uniform. Eicke contemptuously ignored all this,announcingblithely:Theconcentrationcampsareundermypersonalcontrol.Whenhewrote to Himmler, Eicke contented himself by forwarding a copy of the letter to thefumingGruppenfuehrerHeissmeyer.

Such arrogant assertion of independence invariably brought him enemies. Even hecouldnotremainimmunefromtheByzantineintriguesoftheSS,thejockeyingforpower,thealmostunslakeablethirstamongitsseniorofficialsforstillmoreoffices.

The greatest menace to Eicke was, predictably, the Gestapo under its serpentineintriguer, Reinhard Heydrich. The Gestapo could issue protective-custody orders orauthorise the release of a prisoner into its care. Political sectionswithin the campslegalisedinformerspeddledbackrequiredinformation.

Suchaclashofinterestswasboundtoleadtocrisis;inAugust1936Eickewasbattlingtoholdontoapowerwhichhadsuddenlystartedtolookprecarious.

ThechallengecamefromSS-StandartenfuehrerKarlWernerBest,theGestaposChiefofBureau at theMinistry of the Interior and (potentially evenmore serious) deputy toReinhardHeydrich.

BesthadbeendeclaringtoinfluentialGestapocircles:Disgustingthingsaregoingonintheconcentrationcamps.ItshightimetheywereunderGestapocontrol.

Thiswas followedbyattempts towithdraw theDeathsHead formations fromEickealtogetherandhandthemovertotheAllgemeine-SS.

The Gestapo went even further. It ceased to matter whether the civil courts hadabandonedprosecutionsforpoliticaloffencesorwhetheranaccusedhadbeenacquitted.The Gestapo was still able to step in under the powers of protective custody. Theimplicationwas obvious; theGestapo regarded the civil authority and its verdictswithcontempt.

Equally, Eicke, for all his titles, had little say in the prisoners he was likely to beresponsiblefor.Hitlerseveraltimespersonallyorderedprisonersinthechargeofjudicialauthorities tobetransferredto theGestapo,whoin turndumpedtheunfortunatevictimsonEicke.Predictably,theFuehrerfoundanenthusiasticdiscipleinHeinrichHimmler.

On23February1937,theReichsfuehrerorderedthatabouttwothousandprofessionalandhabitualcriminalsorcriminalswhoarea threat topublicmorality shouldbe takenintoprotectivepolicecustodyandarrestedwithlightningspeedeverywhereintheReichandtransferredtotheconcentrationcampsofSachsenhausen,Sachsenburg,Lichtenburg

andDachau.

TheshadowoftheGestapogreweverlonger;itssayinjustwhoshouldbesenttothecampswasinterpretedbyEickeasanimpliedthreattohisauthority.

Itwasnomereneuroticobsession,notsimplytouchinessthathispowerwasseeminglybeingundermined.TheGestapohaditsknivesoutandwasintriguingwithHimmler.On26 January 1938, Himmler, prompted by Heydrich and Best, announced a singlecomprehensiveswooponso-calledwork-shyelements.Theyweretobetheresponsibilityof the Gestapo which is alone responsible in every case for a decision regardingprotectivecustodyandtransfertoaconcentrationcamp

Himmlerslieutenants,amongthemWernerBest,wereobviouslyworkingtodiscreditEicke and possibly remove him. The architect of theDeathsHead formations did hisutmost to remain on the right side of the Reichsfuehrer-SS and roll with the punchesdeliveredbytheGestapolieutenants.

It worked; Eicke survived the storms. Up to the start ofWorldWar II he remainedInspectoroftheConcentrationCampsandleaderoftheDeathsHeadformations.

Oneman at least was conscious of a long-standing debt to Eicke. Adolf Hitler wasnotoriously loyal toold friends, themoredisreputable thebetter.TheFuehrerhadgoodreasontobeparticularlygratefultotheformermentalhomeinmate.

Just why can be seen by recalling the muggy June days of 1934. For that was thesummerwhenthesmoulderingdisputebetweenHitlerandtheSAofErnstRoehmfinallyignited.

And, incidentally, it paved the way for the further flowering of the SS-Totenkopfverbaende.

3FoetidcloyingheathadwrappeditselfaroundmostofthecitiesofGermanythateventfulJuneandJulyof1934.

But there was another smell abroadwhich had nothingwhatever to do with soaringtemperaturesandstinkingpavements.

Itwasthesmelloffear.

IneverytownoftheThirdReichthereweremendesperatelyafraid.InthecellsoftheStadelheimprison,attheLichterfeldeBarracksandattheColumbia-HausoftheGestapo,bewildered members of the SA, many of them of senior rank and of unimpeachableloyaltytotheirFuehrer,waitedinterror.

Ernst Roehm, their leader, had stormed publicly about the need for a secondrevolution.This, according toHitler, andhis strident, club-footedpropaganda chiefDrJoseph Goebbels the so-called poison dwarf of Nazism had amounted to hightreason.Ithadmeantacallforarmedinsurrectionagainstthegovernment.

ThatwaswhymensuchasSA-GruppenfuehrerKarlSchreyerhadbeenrousedfromacellinColumbia-HausbyagrinningSSmanandtold:Youwillbetakenoutandshot.Putyour head under the tap like the others, so that you look fresh and make a goodimpression.

That was why a loyal brownshirt, who until his arrest might well have been aBrigadefuehrer in charge of fifty thousand SA, was apt to find himself beingmarchedacrossthehotpavementstonesofthecourtyardofthegrimLichterfeldeBarracks,whereaplatoonoftwelvemenintworowsofsixwerelinedup,shoulderingtheirweapons.

TheBrigadefuehrerwouldjusthavehadtimetotakeinamacabretouch:alargeKrupptruck,runondiesel,drawnupnearbywiththeSSdriverdeliberatelyrevvingtheenginetodrownthesoundofwhatwastocome.

Then the condemned man would have been thrust unceremoniously against a wallbeneathwhichfreshsandhadbeenspreadthatmorningsandwithacrimsonstain thathadbeenspreadingsincetheexecutionsbeganthepreviousday.

Thenoiseofthetruckallbutdrowninghiswords,anSS-Untersturmfuehrerwouldreadout thesentence.The lastprotestationsof loyalty fromtheBrigadefuehrerwouldnotbeheard.

Thencamethevolley;thebodyslumpedintothewarm,welcomingsand.

TheodorEickesroleintheRoehmpurgetheso-calledNightoftheLongKnivesbeganontheearlyswelteringafternoonof1July.

NewsthattheSSwaspreparingtomoveinonErnstRoehmhadfiltereddowntoEickefrom the Gestapo, the secret state police over which Himmler had gained control thepreviousApril.

The plot to eliminate Roehm went by the codename Colibri, (humming bird).

Himmler,however,sawnoreasonforwrappingthingsup.

The Reichsfuehrers voice came over the line at the Munich offices of SouthernRegionalAdministrativeDistrict: The Fuehrers decision is that ErnstRoehm is to beshot.Theonequalificationand theFuehrer insistson this is thathe is tobe firstgiventhechancetocommitsuicide.

EickesroleinthevariousexecutionshadbeentomustermembersoftheDachauguarddetailToten-kopfmen,soontobepubliclyacknowledgedassuchbyHitlerandtoassistthedistrictcommander,SeppDietrich,andtwocompaniesofDietrichscrackSS-Liebstandarte.

But the killing of Roehm was a delicate business to which only a couple of reallytrustedsubordinatescouldpossiblybeprivy.

Eicke summoned his adjutant, SS-SturmbannfuehrerMichaelLippert, and the liaisonofficer for the SS and army during the purge, SS-Gruppenfuehrer Ernst HeinrichSchmauser.

Onarrival,thetriofoundthefatiguedandfearfulprisondoctor,RobertKoch,whohadamerited reputation as a rigid bureaucrat.He stoodhis ground, tellingEicke firmly: IcantdeliverErnstRoehmoranyoneelsewithoutthenecessarysignedauthorisationfromtheMinisterofJustice.

Eickesnapped:Thengetit.

KochliftedthetelephoneandaskedtobeputthroughtoBavarianMinisterHansFrank,anddiffidentlyaskedforinstructions.

It was too much for Eicke, who, with mounting fury, snatched the instrument andscreamedatFrank: Youvenobusiness interfering in thismatter. Imactingunder thedirectordersoftheFuehrer.

Kochwiselyagreedtokeepoutoftheaffair;Eicke,LippertandSchmausermadetheirwaytoRoehmscellNo.474.

Roehm,whohadbeenhustledtotheprisonstrippedtothewaist,watchedalmostinadreamasEickeputacopyofthepartynewspaper,VoelkischerBeobachter,onthetable.ItreportedthedismissalofRoehmandlistedthenamesoftheexecutedSA.

Eickealsoplacedarevolveronthetable,loadedwithasinglebullet.Thenhewithdrew.Notasinglewordwasspoken.

Tenminutes passed and there had only been silence from cell No. 474. Lippert andEickethrewopenthedoor.

Eickeshouted:Makeyourselfready.

In spite of himself, Lippert could not stop shaking. It took three bullets to kill ErnstRoehm,whodied,likesomanyofhisfollowers,regrettingthepartingfromHitler,anoldpartycomrade,andavisionofwhatmighthavebeen.

MeinFuehrer,MeinFuehrer,hehadseemedtomurmur.

Eicke,theperpetualcynic,wasimmunetosentiment.Heriposted:Yououghttohave

thoughtofthatbefore!

WithRoehmsdeath,Eickehadproved toHimmler and, equally important, toHitlerthathewascapableofcarryingoutadelicatemissiontoprovehisunquestionedloyalty.Itwouldsurelyaugurwellforthefuture.

The blood-bespattered, corpse-ridden saga of the Roehm purge undoubtedly had itsadvantagesforthecareerofTheodorEicke,butitwasneverthelessadiversionfromthefarmore serious business ofmaintaining disciplinewithin the concentration camps andseeingtherewereenoughguardstoenforceit.

Theout-and-outthugwithatasteforbloodandforinflictingpainstillhadhisplace,nodoubt,butnow,withtheTotenkopfverbaendeturnedrespectable,therecouldbenomorescandalssuchasthosewhichhadprecededEickesarrivalatDachau.

InducementstojointheTotenkopfweremadeespeciallyattractive.Eickelostnotimeinremindingrecruitsthattheywerepartofanlite.

He proclaimed: Since the camps are the main repositories for the most dangerouspoliticalenemiesofthestate,andsincetheFuehrerhasgiventheTotenkopfverbaendearaciallyselectgroupofmensoleresponsibilityforguardingandrunningthecamps,thentheTotenkopfverbaendeisanlitestructurewithintheSS.

ItwasnolongerenoughtotakeacountryboywhohadjoinedtheSSthroughatasteforadventureand then toproceed to turnhim intoanautomaton fuelledbyhatred.Hewasexpectedtobecomeanall-rounderforhisFuehrer;certainlytherecouldbenoquestionofconcentration camp guard duties being, for instance, a handy way of dodging militaryservice.Thathadtobedone,eitherintheSS-VerfuegungstruppeorintheWehrmacht.

SuchpliableyoungtalentwasseentobeofimmensevaluetoNationalSocialism;thebusinessofideologicalindoctrinationwasturnedovertotheRasse-undSiedlungs-Amt,theRaceandSettlementsOfficeoftheThirdReich,underRichardWalterDarre,authorofsuchweightytreatisesasFarmingastheLifeSourceoftheNordicRace.

EickesopinionofDarreandhisschemeformusteringeventuallytwohundredmillionNordicfarmersaroundGermanyasabulwarkagainstBolshevismisnotknown,butwhenit came to racial indoctrination few were more energetic than the concentration campsupremo.

His racialism was of the crudest kind; it meant convincing the men of theTotenkopfverbaendethathischargeswereverminous,sub-humananddangerous.Thenewrecruittoacampswiftlyreceivedanobject-lessoninjusthowverminousinferiorsweretobetreated.Hewasmarchedintotheprotective-custodycompoundtowitnessaflogging.

And there were plenty of those. One survivor of Buchenwald, the German-JewishpainterJoeRose,nowlivingandworkinginLondon,stillhasgoodreasontoremembertheconcentrationcampguards.

Originallyamemberofasemi-militaryrepublicanorganisation,ReichsbannerSchwarz-Rot-Geld, Rose was arrested on his honeymoon in 1938 and sent to Buchenwald. Herecalled:

The guards interpreted discipline asmaking you stand rigidly to attentionwhileattendingapublichanging.Milderpenaltiesincludedbeingforcedtodopress-upsforhoursonend.

Onmarches,eachprisonerwouldbegivenastone.Linesweredrawnontheroads.If anyone, weighed down by the stone, staggered across the lines, they were shotimmediatelybytheguards.

In1933,Rosehadspentninemonthsinanothercamp,along-termpenalestablishmentatSonnenburgnearBerlinwheremostoftheguardswerepuresadists.

ThiswasborneoutbyTheBrownBookoftheHitlerTerror,publishedinthesameyearbytheWorldCommitteefortheVictimsofGermanFascism.Itstated:

LettersandreportsfromprisonersandevenofficialStatements,showbeyonddoubtthatSonnenburgisarealtorturechamber.Workingclassleadersandintellectualsaresubjected to the most disgraceful maltreatment. Throughout Germany the camp isknownastheSonnenburghell.

AletterfromaworkerwhoescapedfromSonnenburggaveagraphicdescriptionoftheconditions:

The first batches of prisoners were met at Sonnenburg station by storm troopdetachmentsandpolice.Theywerecompelledtosingandwereliterallybeatentothecamp. The inhabitants at Sonnenburg can testify to this. When they arrived at thecamp,theprisonerswerecompelledtostandinthecourtyardinstreamingrain.Thenthe first ones were taken to the rooms. Each had to fetch straw for himself fromanotherfloor.Stormtrooperswerestandingonthestairs,andtheybeattheprisonersmercilesslywiththeirrubbertruncheons.Someweremadetoemptytheclosetpailsofthe Nazis, in the course of which they were again brutally mishandled. One stormtrooperheldaprisonersheadbetweenhislegs,whileanotherstormtrooperbeathim.The comrades were compelled to count the blows in a loud voice. Some of theprisonersreceivedasmanyas185blows.Inadditiontheywerekickedandotherwisemishandled

The first threeweekswere theworst. In the single cellswewere attacked in thenightandterriblybeaten.Thebacksofmanycomradeswerequiteblack.IdontknowwhetherLittenafellowprisonerwillgetthroughwithhislife.Thewivesofseveralofthe Sonnenburg prisoners raised such sharp protests that Mittelbach, of the publicprosecutorsdepartment,wassenttoSonnenburgtoinvestigate;Littenbeggedhimtohave him shot, as he could no longer bear the brutal mishandling that was beinginflictedonhim.

EventuallyreleasedfromSonnenburgbutre-arrestedfiveyearslater,JoeRosewassenttoBuchenwald,wherealthoughtherewasbrutalityenough,disciplinecurbedsomeofthesadism.

For the inhabitants of Buchenwald the events of 29November 1938were to have adreadfulsignificance.

Theappallingblood-lettingsagabeganthreeweeksearlierwhenHerschelGrynszpan,aseventeen-year-old Polish-Jewish refugee, shot andmortally wounded Ernst vom Rath,thirdsecretaryoftheGermanyEmbassyinParis.

GrynszpansfatherhadbeenjustoneoftenthousandJewswhohadbeenherdedintoaboxcaranddeportedtoPoland.

The teenagerburnedwith revenge;hisquarry at the embassyhadoriginallybeen theambassadorhimself,CountJohannesvonWelczeck.

The young third secretary was detailed to deal with the overwrought Herschel: hereceived five bullets in the stomach. Itwas the supreme irony, for Rath, already underGestaposurveillance,couldscarcelybedescribedasadedicatedNaziandanti-Semite.

Next day, the Nazi official newspaper the Voelkischer Beobachter thundered: TheGermanpeoplewilldrawtheirownconclusionsfromthedeed.NaziPropagandaMinisterJosephGoebbelsactedasifhehadonlybeenwaitingfortheshotsfromParisashiscue.ThedayfollowingHerschelscrime,GoebbelstravelledtoMunichalongwithotherpartyveterans to hear Hitler speak. That evening, the Fuehrer was handed a telegramannouncing that embassy secretary vom Rath had died of his wounds that afternoon.Hitler,accordingtoeyewitnesses,wastoostunnedtospeak.

The ever-ambitiousGoebbels took swift advantage.He leapt to his feet, delivering aspeech suffused with hatred of the Jews. His message was clear, shot through withcynicismthoughitwas.

Goebbelsproclaimed:IhavereportedtotheFuehrerthat,inmanyplaces,spontaneousactionhadbeentakenagainsttheJews.TheFuehrerhasdecidedthatsuchdemonstrationswereneithertobepreparednororganisedbytheparty.Sofarastheyrosespontaneously,however,stepswerenottobetakentopreventthem.

ThiswasabroadenoughhinttotheorganisersofterrorintheThirdReich.

ThatnighthasgonedowninhistoryasKristallnacht(TheNightoftheBrokenGlass).Itwas to take theThirdReichdownadark and savage roadof no return.Synagogues,Jewishhomesandshopswentupinflames.Jews,menandwomenandchildren,wereshotorotherwisemurderedtryingtoescapebeingburnttodeath.

A preliminary confidential report was made by Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich toHermannGoeringonthefollowingday,11November:

The extent of the destruction of Jewish shops and houses cannot be verified byfigures815 shops destroyed, 171 dwelling-houses set on fire or destroyed onlyindicateafractionoftheactualdamagesofarasarsonisconcerned119synagogueswere set on fire, and another 76 completely destroyed20,000 Jewswere arrested.Thirty-sixdeathswerereportedandthoseseriouslyinjuredwerealsonumberedat36.ThosekilledandinjuredareJews.

Asfortheconcentrationcamps,EickereceivedinstructionsfromHimmlerwhichwereto be passed on to the Deaths Head guards. Eicke made provisions for ten thousandprisonerstobeadmittedtoBuchenwaldalone.

Noaccountwastakenofage.Ten-year-oldboyswereseizedalongwithoctogenarians.On theway fromWeimar railway station, stragglersweremown down; survivorswereforcedtodragthebloodybodiesintothecamp.Themainentrancewasslammedshutandthe prisoners were forced to squeeze their way through a narrow gap in maximumdiscomfort.Insidestoodtheblockleaders,wieldingtheirironrods,whipsandtruncheons.

Ontheveryfirstnight,sixty-eightJewslost theirreason.Theywereclubbedtodeathsystematically,fouratatimeatspeciallyarrangedpublicexecutions.

AmoodofhystericalrevengeseemedtogripEickesmenwithinBuchenwald.Therewereatleasttwoincidentsofslaughter.

ABreslauJewnamedSilbermannwasforcedtostandbyasoneoftheguardsbeathisbrother todeath.The sightdroveSilbermannmad; later thatnighthe screamed that thebarrackswereonfire.Hundredsthrewthemselvesoutofupperwindowsandentiretiersofbunkscollapsed.Panicking,theguardsshotintothecrowd.

Thesecurityofthecampwasplainlythreatened.TheincidenthadtobeinterpretedasaJewishmutiny.Examplesmustbemade.Theofficerincharge,Rosl,hadsevenhostagestakenfromthebuildingandhandcuffedtogether.Threeblockleadersthenletloosetraineddogs;thehostagesweretorntopieces.

JoeRoserecallstheotherreprisal:ThereweretenthousandJewsinthecamponfivetiersofbunks,twothousandtoahut.Onethousandatleastweremachine-gunnedbytheguardsonasinglenight.

Consciousof the appalling reputationof theTotenkopfverbaende,post-war apologistsfortheorganisationthateventuallybecametheWaffen-SSweretoarguethattherewasagreatdealofdifferencebetweenitandinevitablymentionedwithapiousshudderthemenforwhomEickewasresponsible.

Pre-waritwascertainlytrue.Foronething,TotenkopfpersonnelworebrownuniformsandnottheblackoftheAllgemeine-SSandthegreyoftheVerfuegungstruppe.

TheLeibstandarte,whichregardeditselfasanliteandalawuntoitself,demandedthatarecruitbeatleast5feet11inchestall(later6feet0.5inches)andbebetweentheagesof17 and 22. But 5 feet 7.5 inches (later reduced to 5 feet 6.7 inches) was reckonedacceptablefortheTotenkopfverbaendewithitsupperagelimitof26.

StillmindfulofthethreatposedbypoachersfromtheGestapo,Eickebegantolookforways to extend his power still further. His main complaint to Hitler now was theubiquitous Sepp Dietrich, who persisted in dumping on the camps a lions share ofundesirables,muchaddictedtosadismbuttotallyunacquaintedwithdiscipline.

In a barrage of complaining correspondence toHimmler,Eicke pleaded thatDietrichwasanobstructivemenace.Would itnotbebetter toseverall relationsandputDachaudirectlyunderthecontroloftheReichsfuehrer?Eickewascunningenoughnottopresshissuittoohard.IfthematterwasraisedatdiscreetintervalsHimmlermightactuallyendupbybelievingthattheideaforaswitchincommandhadoriginatedfromhim.

Himmler proved sympathetic, but the idea of Eicke having a private army did notappealtothenotoriouslytouchyReichsfuehrer-SS.Thechanceofamajormovecamein

the summer of 1938 with Hitlers impending destruction of Czechoslovakia. Himmlerargued to his Fuehrer that,with the increasingly belligerent foreign policy of theThirdReich,itwasvitaltohaveanenlargedarmedSSgivinganadditionalmeasureofinternalsecuritytothestate.

Hitler,contemplatingtheseeminglymesmerisedimpotenceofthedemocracies,agreed.Himmlerundertookresponsibility forboostingadherents to theTotenkopfverbaendeandturnedoverthejobtotheSSschiefrecruiter,theSwabianGottlobBerger.

It proved a wise choice. With consummate ruthlessness, Berger circumvented armyrecruitment channels and began laying his hands on all the recruits he could. In a top-secretFuehrerdecreeof17August1938itwasstipulatedthatforspecialdomestictasksofapoliticalnature,orforusebytheGermanarmyintheeventofmobilisation,theSS-Verfuegungstruppe, the SS-Junkerschulen (officer cadet school), the SS-Totenkopfverbaende and its reserve units are to be armed, trained and organised asmilitaryunits.

TheTotenkopfverbaendewas to be relieved from the duty of guarding concentrationcampsandtransferredasaskeletoncorpstotheSS-Verfuegungstruppe.

Section5,headedRegulationsincaseofMobilisation,read:

TheSS-Totenkopfverbaende form the skeletoncorps for the reinforcementof theSS-Verfuegungstruppe(policereinforcement)andwillbereplacedintheguardingoftheconcentrationcampsbymembersoftheAllgemeine-SSwhoareover45yearsofageandhavehadmilitarytraining.

Eickeworked feverishly to train, equip and organise the new recruits into additionalTotenkopfregiments.TheexpansionoftheSS-TotenkopfverbaendewhichhadbeenmadeduringtheCzechcrisiswastobeofficiallyrecognisedandmadepermanent.

Inyetanotherdecree,dealingwiththearmedSSanddated18May1939,thepermanentminimum size of Eickes Totenkopfverbaende was fixed at fourteen thousand men.Himmlerwasauthorisedtoincreaseittoastrengthoftwenty-fivethousandshouldtherebeafurthermobilisation.

Thedemandsofthearmyforadditionalmanpowerwereshrill.Tosatisfythem,HitlerfinallydecreedthatserviceintheSS-TotenkopfverbaendewouldcountasarmyserviceforallSSofficersandmenwhohadjoinedtheDeathsHeadunitsonorbefore20September1938.Inaddition,theTotenkopfverbaendesroleintheeventofwarwasclearlyspeltout.ItwastoserveascombatreplacementsfortheunitsofSS-Verfuegungstruppe.

Thenewdecreecamenotamomenttoosoon;Hitlerwaspushingaheadwithhisgranddesign for the immolation of Europe. By the end of August, all Totenkopf reservistsreceivedtheiremergencycall-up.

Now the concentration camps had a new role launching-pads at Buchenwald,Sachsenhausen andMauthausen for fully armedDeathsHead unitswith a strength oftwenty-fourthousand.

Hitler had previously made clear that as party formations the Totenkopfverbaende

belongedneithertotheWehrmachtnortothepolice.ItwasastandingforceoftheSSanever-readyforceforjustaboutanyactivitytheFuehrerrequired.

OnthebrinkofinvadingPoland,HitlerannouncedthatTotenkopfverbaendewouldbegivenasecretassignmentinthenewwarzone.Thatassignment,asitturnedout,wastobetotheparticulartastesofTheodorEicke.

4The entire mechanised juggernaut of Blitzkrieg (lightning war) was unleashed on 1September1939withcruelruthlessnessonundefendedPoland.

Four days later, the battle for thePolishCorridor endedwith themeetingofGeneralHans Gunther von Kluges Fourth Army, knifing eastward from Pomerania, with theThird Army of General Georg von Kuechler, which had pressed westward from EastPrussia. The decisive battle involved the tanks of General Heinz Guderian and they,perhapsmorethananythingelse,explainedthesadanddreadfuldestructionoftheproudPolishArmy.Atonepoint,thetankswereattackedbythePomorskabrigadeofcavalrythelonglanceofthehorseagainstthelongcannonofthetank.

AndthentherewasthePolishAirForce,mostofitsaircraftbombedbeforetheycouldevenleavetheground.On6September,Cracow,Polandssecondcity,fellandthatsamenightthegovernmentfledfromWarsawtoLublin.

WhatofAdolfHilter?ThemanwhohadvowedtodestroyPolandand,inaspeechtogenerals on 22 August, had declared he would use his Deaths Head formation toannihilatemen,womenandchildrenbeforepressingontotheSovietUnion,leftBerlinforthebattlefrontinasteelcocoonofsafety.HewasaboardFuehrersonderzugAmerika,hisarmoured special train (later renamedBrandenburg)which arrived inBadPolzin, someonehundredkilometreseastofStettin,atdawnon4September.Ithadbeenwatchedoverthroughoutbyasquadofaircraft,underthecommandofSS-GruppenfuehrerHansBauer.

Such protectionwas doubtlesslywelcomed by the Fuehrers adjutants and aides, thephysiciansandsecretaries,andSSandForeignOfficeliaisonofficialsand,aboveall,byTheodorEicke.

TobeaffordedtheprotectionoftheFuehrersspecialtrainwasflatteringenough,butnow Eicke, the concentration camp supremo and former psychiatric clinic inmate, wasdressedwithadditionalauthority.Hecarried theofficial titleofHoehere-SSundPolizeiFuehrer (higher SS and police leader), a distinction afforded him by the all-powerfuldecreeofHeinrichHimmler.

ItmeantthatEickewasthedirectrepresentativeoftheReichsfuehrer-SS.HepossessedsweepingauthoritytodealwiththePolishpopulation.Noonecouldgainsayhisdecisionswhen it came tomeasures for pacifying theconqueredareasofPoland.Fromnowon,until theywerewithdrawn tobe reformed into theTotenkopfDivision inOctober1939,threeTotenkopf regimentsOberbayern,BrandenburgandThuringenand theunitsand security police of theSD (Sicherheitsdienst, secret service),were, underEicke, thesupremepoliceauthorityoftheReich.TheirfiefwastheprovincesofPoznan,LodzandWarsaw.Furthermore,partofEickessinisterremitwasthattheregimentsweretooperateindependentlyofthecontrolofthearmy,whichcertainlymutteredaboutSSexcessesbutinrealitycoulddopreciouslittleaboutthem.

In all, some eighteen thousand from the Leibstandarte, Verfuegungstruppe andTotenkopf units took part in the campaign. Their fighting potential, given the

comparativelyeasyodds,couldnotbejudgedfairly.Indeed,manymembersofwhatwasto become theWaffen-SShadnot realised that theywere going towar at all, believingtheywereinvolvedinjustanotheroftheSSofficer-trainingschoolsendlessmanoeuvres.

Largely withWehrmacht support, the young volunteer SS groups had fought with afanaticalfuryeverybitasgreatasthatofthePoles.Withthefluencyofintensivetraining,the majority of the SS moved steadily forward in section and platoon formations,sweepingthePolesfromtheirpositions.

Armoured cars sporting the SS runes and the Deaths Head symbol so beloved ofTheodor Eicke had stormed through the fighting at Danzig, but Totenkopf had anotherinfinitelylessgloriousrole.Itwastoact,inessence,asamurderband.

InthewakeoftheGermanarmouredcolumnsknifingintoPolandcamethelorriesandmotor cycles of the Einsatzgruppen, the action groups of the security police and SD.Thesewere under the control of SD chiefRein-hardHeydrichwho,with characteristiccynicism,immediatelyembarkedonwhathecalledacampaignoflittleterror.Itwasadescription which had a certain awful truth about it. For the activities of theEinsatzgruppenbetweenSeptemberandNovember1939weremildcomparedwithwhatwastocome.

OneparticularEinsatzgruppewastogainthedevotedattentionofTheodorEicke.

A high-level meeting of Chefs der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD was held on 12SeptemberconcerningthedeploymentofSSunitsinPoland.Hereordersweregivenforunits to be organised into five separate Einsatzgruppen to operate in conjunction withEickesmanpower.SD-Einsatzgruppe2,operatingbehindtheGermanEighthArmy,wasplaceddirectlyunderthecommandofEicke.

TheTotenkopfRegimentBrandenburg,whichmovedintoPolandon13September,wastomakeaparticularlygruesomenameforitself.

Originally formed in April 1935 as SS-Wachtruppe Brandenburg, it had been put toworkasaguardunitfor theconcentrationcampatSachsenhausen.Itachievedregimentstatusthefollowingyearandbythespringof1939couldboastfourbattalions.

StandartenfuehrerPaulNostitzhadbeenoneofEickesearliestprotgsandwaseagertobuildonthegoodwillofhischief.Therewereplentyofopportunities.

With patent pride, Nostitz was soon submitting a report outlining with clinicalexactitudehowhisTotenkopfmenhadconductedacampaignofhousesearches,securingvillages from insurgents, and had arrested and shot large numbers of suspiciouselements,plunderers,insurgents,JewsandPoles.

Thereweresectionsof theWehrmachtwhichattemptedvainly to isolate thedutiesofBrandenburgtoroutinesecurityassignments,inparticularcombingtheforestwhichlaytothesouthofthecityofWloclawek.However,theSSconsideredthecityitselfofferedafarmorefruitfulfieldofactivitytormentingthelocalcitizenry,abovealltheJews.

To make sure that his trusted subordinate did not rest on his laurels after that, SS-GruppenfuehrerGuntherPanckewasdespatchedbyEicketoNostitzsheadquarterswithfurther instructions.Thesewere tosendbattalionsofSS-Brandenburg toBydgoszczand

conductanintelligentsiaactionthere.

Itwasastrangephrasetodescribeablueprintformurder,butthatispreciselywhatitamountedto.

Within twodays,eighthundredPolishcivilianswerehunteddown,arrestedandshot.Kostitzdidnotattend theintelligentsiaaction inperson.Hewas toobusymoppinguphisotheradventureinWloclawek.

Synagoguesweresetonfire;prominentJewishcitizenswerearrestedandtorturedintoconfessingthattheyhadpersonallystartedtheblazes.Nostitzthushadagoodexcuseforfininghisprisoners for starting the firesanda further twohundred thousandzlotyswasleviedagainstthemforbreakingtherulewhichforbadeusebyJewsofthepavements.

GeneralAlfredBoehm-Tettelbachof theGermanEighthArmywassodisgustedwithSS excesses that he submitted an indignant report to Eighth Army CommanderGeneraloberstJohannesBlaskowitz,who in turnprotested toGeneraloberstWalthervonBrauchitsch,theGermanArmyCommander-in-Chief.

Thereportwasignored.Boehm-Tettelbachhadtocontainhisanger,scarcelyhelpedbya remarkmade in his presence by the unrepentant Gruppenfuehrer Pancke: Totenkopfdoesnotobeyarmyorders.Ithasspecialtaskstoperformthatlieoutsidethecompetenceof the army. If news of the protests reached Eicke, it is doubtful that he did anythingaboutthem.

SomeimportantfreshnewsfromHimmlermadefarmoreagreeablelistening.

TheReichsfuehrer-SS,theferventadmireroftheJesuitLoyola(MyIgnatius,HitlerhadfondlydubbedhisdevotedHeini)hadcreatedinhisSSanorganisationwhich,liketheorderofJesuits,wasacompletelawuntoitself,answerableonlytoitsPope,inthiscasethe Fuehrer. Himmler, of course, had gone further than creatingmerely a cadre whichwoulddoHitlerswill.Romanticismofa twistedsort inhabited thesparse frameof theReichsfuehrer.HimmlerhadreaddeeplytheancientlegendsofTeutonicknightswieldingholywarsagainstthesub-humanSlavs.Hewentevenfurther.Washenot,heconvincedhimself,theactualreincarnationoftheSaxondukecalledHenrytheFowler,whobecameHeinrichI,founderoftheGermanstate?

In pursuit of this extraordinary conceit, he founded the new Teutonic castle ofWewelsburg in the forests near Paderborn, an ancient town inWestphaliawith historicassociationsgoingback toCharlemagne.Hereat thecostofsomeelevenmillionmarkswas built amonastic-like establishmentwhere privilegedmembers of the SSmet for aritual of spiritual exercises. The design and association of the roomswere supposed toconjureupthespiritofGermanysgreatness;eachwasnamedafterahistoricfiguresuchasFredericktheGreat.Needlesstosay,HimmlersownroomwascalledHeinrichI.

Hitler, when told of these activities and Himmlers insistence on SS spiritualexercises, is reported to have burst into contemptuous laughter atwhat he regarded asarrant nonsense. Indeed, if Himmler had stuck to his researches into the origins ofGermany and the efficacy of garden herbs, he might have been less dangerous. ButHimmlerwasseizedwithanotherobsessionhisruthless,drivingambitionthatbodeillforanyonewhogotintheway.

And,followingthemilitarysuccessoftheGermancampaigninPoland,HimmlerwasveryambitiousforhisSSindeed.

Hewas fortunate, during the firstweek ofOctober 1939, to find the Fuehrer highlysympathetic to his suggestion that new SS field divisions should be created for theforthcomingcampaigninthewest.

SuchacquiescenceonthepartoftheFuehrercouldbynomeansbetakenforgranted.HitlerreasonedthatanarmedSSwasallverywell,butitessentiallyhadapolicingroleanditwasdesirablethatitshouldreturntothisfunctiononcethebriefwarinthewestwasoverandwon.Besides,itwasnecessarytotreadcarefully.ThedeeplyconservativearmyhadnoloveforanygroupsofNazisanxioustoplayatsoldiers;theverysuggestionofanexpansionofSSactivitieswasregardedwithashudder.

Hitler confessed to Himmler: I dont want to upset the generals by raising up thespectreofapartyarmy.

Himmlerpossessedthesortofserpentineingenuitytosupplyananswer.InhiscapacityofReichsfuehrerandChiefoftheGermanPolice,hetransferredsufficientmenfromtheSS-Totenkopf regiments, with their concentration camp guard duties, and the Germanpolice to form two new divisions. These men were then replaced by a new intake ofvolunteersnotsubjecttomilitaryconscription.HimmlerwasthusabletoenlargeHitlersPraetorianguard, theLeibstandarte-SSAdolfHitler, intoareinforcedmotorised infantryregimentandformthethreepre-warTotenkopfregimentsintoyetanotherdivision.ThiswasatfirstcalledtheSS-VerfuegungsDivisionandlaterDasReich.

Such methods of cunning and stealth in expanding the Waffen-SS (its future title)scarcely concerned Theodor Eicke. The fact remained that, no matter how it wasconstituted, he had been placed by Himmler to assume command of the brand-newTotenkopfDivision.

AsforPoland,onebyonethecentresofresistancecrumbled.ThethreeoriginalDeaths Head regiments which had gone to Poland were pulled out to be replaced by newTotenkopf people,many from the12thSS-TotenkopfRegiment.Theywere enthusiasticrecruits to terror, moving into Poznan province hot on the heels of the departing SS-Brandenburg.

ButnowPolandwasshruggedasideimpatientlyaspasthistory,amerebriefinterludeinthefarmoreseriousbusinessofpreparingforwarinthewest.

AsforTheodorEicke,hehadmoreimmediateproblems.Where,forexample,washetotrain his new division consisting of 6,500 members of the Totenkopfverbaende, someVerfuegungstruppemembersandafewAllgemeine-SS?

TheobviousanswerwasDachau.Theunfortunateinmates,whowereundertheillusionthat theywouldbe released tomakewayfor thenewdivision, speedilyhad theirhopesdashed.PrisonersweretransferredtocampsatFlossenburgandMauthausen.

NotevenHimmlersguileinjugglingwithpersonnelandstatisticscouldovercometheobviousdistasteofthearmyforthenewdivision.

Himmler was not above rubbing in his triumph with a certain grim satisfaction.

Whereasmembers of theTotenkopfDivisionwho had served in the pre-warTotenkopfregiments were allowed to retain their old insignia Deaths Head on the right andbadges of rank on the left collar patch, together with regimental cuff-band newlyrecruitedpersonnelwereissuedwitharmyuniforms.Thefield-blousehadcollarpatcheswiththeDeathsHeadonbothsides.

AsmallpatinaofmilitaryrespectabilityforhisDeathsHeadunitswasgreatlyvaluedbyEicke,whoresentedwidelyexpressedopinionsthathismenwereessentiallynothingbutabunchofconcentrationcampsadists,andkillersandlootersofdefencelesscivilians.Thefactremained,though,thathowevermuchEickemayhavecravedamorerespectableimage,hismethodsofforginghisnewdivisionintoaweaponofwarremainedeverybitasunsubtleasmightbeexpectedfromthisessentiallycrudeone-timepolicenark.

The commander of theSS-TotenkopfDivision knew little or nothing about tactics orstrategy or the history of warfare. It all seemed childishly simple to him.War simplymeantconcentratingasmanytroopsaspossibleontheobjective.Eachmanwasgivenaweapon;itwashisdutytohurlhimselfattheenemyuntiltherewastotalannihilationofhimselforhisobjective,orboth.

Sufficientofa realist toknowhisown limitations,Eickedidnothesitate todelegate.HischoiceofshadowfellonSS-StandartenfuehrerCassiusFreiherrvonMontigny.

Anyone seeking amodel for the classic Prussianmilitarist, arrogant, humourless andtotallywithoutpity,couldscarcelyhavemadeabetterchoicethanthisicyaristocratwhohadservedintheU-boatarmoftheImperialNavyinWorldWarI.

ItwaseasytoseewhathadattractedEicketotheFreiherr.Thelatterhadbeensteepedinpolitical intriguesince1918.Hehadserved in the right-wing,pre-Nazimovementofthe Freikorps, switched rapidly to the police and then found his niche in HitlersWehrmacht.

Montigny soon was shooting off a strongly phrased letter to Himmler in which heaccusedarmyleadersofbeinganti-Nazi,torpidandbureaucratic.Whenitisrememberedthat the army loathed and detested Himmlers very name, it has to be granted thatMontignywasamasteropportunist.

Himmler read: What theofficercorpsneeds isa thoroughlypoliticisedcadreofnewmentoinfusethearmywiththeproperNationalSocialistspirit.

It was indeed the sort of language that Himmler liked to hear. He scribbled somecomplimentaryremarksonthememoandforwardedittoHitler.

Reactionwasnotlongincoming.On1April1938,attherequestofHeinrichHimmler,MontignyjoinedtheSSwiththerankofObersturmbannfuehrerandwasassignedtotheSS-Junkerschule at Bad Tolz as instructor in military tactics. Just over a year later hefoundhimselfworkingasoperationsofficerforTheodorEicke.

Meanwhile,therewereotherpressingproblemsfacingthenewdivision.ItwasallverywellforHimmlertobenaggingawayat theFuehrer, insistingthatthenewSSdivisionsshouldbeoutthereinthefrontofthefirstattackwavesofthewesternfront.Whatwouldbethegoodofthatwithoutadecentsupplyofweapons?

Himmler had issued orders that the Totenkopf regiments should be equipped in thesame way as the regular infantry regiments. It was very easy for the Reichsfuehrer tomakehisairypronouncements;gettingthematerialwassomethingelseentirely.

AgrumblingOberfuehrerHeinrichGaertner,ChiefoftheSS-ProcurementOffice,whohad the job of getting the necessary equipment, told Himmler that a request to OKH(Oberkommando des Heeres, the Army High Command) under the authority of theDecreeoftheFuehrerandReichChancellorof18May1939foreighty-fourlightpiecesand 126 anti-tank guns for the Totenkopf regiments had not been answered. SS fieldformationsweredrasticallyshortofartillery,particularlygunsoflargecalibre.

GaertnerputtoHimmlerthattheSSshouldbypasstheWehrmachtandsecureforitselftheplentiful stock at theSkodaworks in occupiedCzechoslovakia.But theWehrmachtwasnotgoingtobecaughtbythatone;ithadalreadytakentheequipmentunderitsownprotectionandhadnointentionofsurrenderingit.

Eickeboiledatwhatheregardedasparticularlychildishdomesticsquabbling.Tohim,thereappearednoproblem.Theonlywaytogetweaponswasplainlytohijackthem.Inasingle operation, he mustered a team to swoop down on the motor pool of theconcentrationcampinspectorateatOranienburg.Thehaulwasmodestbutacceptabletwenty-twoOpel-Blitztrucksandnineteenmotorcycleswereseized.

Itwasalldoneunderthepolitetermrequisitioning;thetruthwasthatEickebecameanexpertatbegging,borrowingand,ifnecessary,filchingthesuppliesheneeded.

Endlessly throughout the days and nights, convoys belonging to the new divisionshuttled in and out ofDachau. They penetrated into every corner of theReich, seizingwhateveritemswereneeded.

ComplaintsaboutEickeshigh-handedmethodswere inevitable.OberfuehrerRichardGluecks,nowtheHeadofConcentrationCampInspectorate,rebelledwhenEickeinlateDecember despatched a convoy of thirty drivers toOranienburg to seize any additionaltrucksandvehiclesnoturgentlyneededfortheinspectorate.Suchhigh-handedbehaviour,hestormed,wasnottobetolerated.

Himmler,forallhisruthlessness,hadahorrorofrowsamonghisexecutives.HereadilyagreedtocensureEickeforthesakeofsmoothrelations.ThecommanderoftheTotenkopfdivision,hedeclared in a letter,was tobe forbiddenanymorevehicles from themotorpoolsoftheSS.HewouldjusthavetomakedowithexistingsuppliesuntilthearmywaspreparedtoreleasemorevehiclestotheWaffen-SS.

Insensitive thoughhewas,Eickesmartedunder the indignityofhisposition.Herehewas, as commander of a division, having to adopt ludicrously underhand methods tosecure the supplies he desperately needed. True, he was flooded with armoured cars,motor-cycle side-cars, Czech-made trucks and a clutch of field howitzers, but of moreessentialironmongerysuchas150mmartillerypieces,letalonethemediumhalf-trackstotransport them, therewasnosign. Itwasnecessary tomotorise three infantry regimentsandthereconnaissancebattalion.

Thereappearedtobevirtuallynoprospectofgettingessentialarmaments.

However,inonesensefortunesmiledonTheodorEicke.Theendof1939gavehimthe

valuable breathing-space he so badly needed. There was a deceptive calm. On 12December,theFuehrerhadissuedatopsecretdirectivewhichpostponedtheattackinthewest.ItwasstipulatedthatafreshdecisionwouldbemadeimmediatelyafterChristmas;now the earliest possible date for ADaywas 1 January 1940. Then on 27Decembercameyet anotherpostponement byat least a fortnight.On13 January therewasyet afurtherdelay,duetothemeteorologicalsituation.

Itwas frustrating for thoseGermansspoiling fora fight,nodoubt,but for theunder-equipped,under-trainedTotenkopfDivisionitwasablessing.

The internalaffairsofTotenkopfwere far fromwell.Disciplinewithin thedivisionwasnothinglessthanappalling.CertainlytherewasonhandalotofbelligerenttalentcapableofgettingdrunkintheMunichbarsandgenerallymakinganuisanceofitself,butEickecouldscarcelymustertroopscapableoftakingtothebattlefield.Furthermore,herealisedthat, however unpalatable it might be, he had to produce manpower which would besubservienttoWehrmachtdiscipline.

For themostparthehadonhishandsabunchof thugs,andhehadonlyamatterofmonths,possiblyweeks,tolickthemintoshape;membersoftheOrdnungspolizeiandtheAllgemeine-SSwereofadifferentcalibrefromthosewhohadservedinSS-Oberbayern,SS-Branden-burgandSS-Thuringen.

Oneof the troubleswaspeculiar to troops theworldoverandnot just to theSS.Thebarracks were near Munich, where the temptations of bars and brothels provedoverwhelming.Cases of syphiliswere somethingTotenkopf officers preferrednot to befacedwithontheeveofwar.

On13November,Eickeacted.Violationsofthecriminalcodewouldbedealtwithbyaspecies of internal discipline that was nothing less than Draconian. Courts martial,instituted solely by the SS, would deal with all offenders against discipline and Eickehimselfwouldbethesolearbiterofsentences.

He had acted just in time. On the night of 20-21 November, men of the TotenkopfDivision distinguished themselves in one scandalous act ofmisconduct that could havecausedEickehisjoborworse.

It was the 14th Company of 2nd Infantry Regiment of the division which let itscommanderdown.SixenlistedmeninastolenOpel-BlitztruckpaidseveralvisitstobarsinMunich.Theoutcomewasinevitable.Thetruck,makingforhome,weavedoutofthecityandsmashedhead-onwithastreetcar.Damagetobothvehicleswasserious.NotthattheoffendingTotenkopfmenwereworriedor,indeed,wereawareofwhathadhappened.The police, surrounded by an inquisitive crowd, found themen totally comatose in thebackofthestolenvehicle.

Withamixtureofcajoleryandthreats,Eickemanagedtoavoidanypublicity.Oncethatwas achieved, he turned the full force of his rage on the offenders.They lost rank andwere expelled from the SS. For Eicke it was not enough. He despatched them toBuchenwald.

Thiswastrickyterritory;Eickehadnopowertothrowintoconcentrationcampsthosewho had offended against the military code. But the commander of Totenkopf was

determinedtogivehisowninterpretationofthelaw.Thesentenceagainstthemalcontentswenteitherunnoticedorunchallenged.

Eickegrewinconfidenceothertroublemakerswhodaredtodisobeyhimalsowentthesameway.

Punishments such as these were accompanied by maximum humiliation. OffendersfromTotenkopfwereparadedinconvictgarb.Theincarcerationperiodwasindefinite,butevenwhenhe cameout of jail a disgracedTotenkopfman soon found that his troubleswerefarfromover.TobeexpelledfromtheSSmeantvirtualostracismfromtheGermancommunity.Suchapariahwouldonlyhavethemostmenialofjobsopentohim.

Aside from discipline, the nagging problem of equipping the new SS-TotenkopfDivisionpersisted.

Himmlersoondiscoveredthatitwasnotmerelyaquestionofissuinginstructionstothearmaments factories. There was the entire army establishment with which to contend;predictably,ithadnolovewhatsoeverforTotenkopfwithdivisionstatusornot.

The Reichsfuehrer made fresh approaches to Armaments Minister Fritz Todt.Immediatelythearmysmeltarat.

To the fury of the owlish Himmler, who nursed an almost pathological sense ofinferiority, military chiefs ignored him altogether and protested volubly to Hitler. TheprotestwasnotsimplybecauseofdetestationoftheSS;theWehrmacht,itagainargued,hadextremedifficultyinsecuringenoughsuppliesforitself.

Why,fumedEicke,shouldTotenkopfbetreatedinthisscurvyfashion?Itwascommonknowledge that theVerfuegungsDivisionwas equipped andmotorisedwith the best ofGermanweapons, and theLeibstandartewas if anything over-supplied.AlthoughEickewasanxioustolivedowntheearlydaysoftheTotenkopfverbaende,arguingthathisnewdivision was of totally different calibre, the association with concentration campsremained obstinately in theminds of theWehrmacht officer corps. Eicke and his bandwereregardedasbeyondthepale.

TheonlywayinwhichtheWehrmachtwaspreparedtounbendwasto throwEickeafewCzechweaponstokeephimquiet.Thearmy,asitturnedout,wasinforasurprise.

On2April1940,justoveramonthbeforetheassaultonthewest,TotenkopfreceivedavisitfromGeneraloberstMaximilianvonWeichsoftheSecondArmy,towhichTotenkopfDivisionhadbeenassigned.

InpreliminarytalkswithWeichsandhisstaff,EickehadtoswallowhisprideandlistentopatronisingremarksaboutthisoutfitthathasbeenorganisedandequippedlikeaCzechdivision.ItwasplaintoEickethatthesnobsintheWehrmachtknewnothingofhowhehadsecuredtheironmongeryheneeded.Well,theywereabouttofindout.

The inspection leftWeichsastonished.Herebeyonddisputewasamodern,motorisedinfantrydivision.Furthermore, thiswasa timewhenonly sevenof theGermanArmys139infantrydivisionsweremotorised.Eickewasalsoabletoaddtheinformationthataheavy-artillerysectionwasalsobeingorganised.

WeichswasjerkedoutofhiscontemptuouslassitudeasheparadedpasttheranksofSS

whowere togo intobattlewith theDeathsHead insigniaon therightcollarpatchesoftheiruniforms.Hisinspectionofthetroopslefthimnoticeablyimpressed.Hefinishedhisvisitinaframeofmindsomewhatdifferentfromwhenhearrived.

Others were not so sure. Generaloberst Franz Haider, Chief of the German ArmyGeneralStaff,commentedthat theTotenkopfDivisionpresentedaniceappearancebutwasnotreallytobetrustedwithfront-lineduty.TheodorEickewasnodoubtallverywellinhisway,buthewasafterallonlyapolicegeneral.

Humiliationcouldsurelygonofurther.Infactitcouldanditdid.ThedispositionoftheSSdivisions assembled for the invasionofFrance really rubbedEickesnose in it.TheLeibstandarteandDerFuehrerregimentweretobepoisedontheDutchbordertolinkupwithtroopsassignedtosnatchkeyfortifications,whiletheremainderofSS-VerfuegungsDivisionremainedalongside9thPanzerDivision.TotenkopfwastobekeptinreserveontheRhine.

TheSSDivisionPolizeifaredevenworse.ItwasonstaticdutytoArmyGroupCunderGeneralWilhelmvonLeeb.Indeed,itwastospendmostofthecampaignglaringbalefullyattheMaginotLine.

Totallyagainsthisnature,Eickehadtocomposehissoul inpatience.TheastonishingspeedandsuccessofHitlers1940advanceinthewestwastoensurethedelaywouldbebrief.

5The massive throaty roar of heavy German bombers, orchestrated by the high-pitchedscreechofGermanStukas,shatteredthecalmoftheMaydawn.

Soon a great Anglo-French army was hurtling northwest from the Franco-Belgianborder toman themain Belgian defence line along the Dyle andMeuse rivers east ofBrussels.ThesuccessandspeedoftheGermanadvance,entailingthedespatchofpanzersthroughthehilly,woodedcountryoftheArdennes,stunnedtheAllies.

TheassaultonthewesthadbeenenvisagedbyHitlerandtheGermanHighCommandon a scale hitherto unknown in the history of warfare. Here were the finest armouredmotorised divisions in the world; ninety-three divisions arrayed in three army groupsstretchingtheentirelengthofGermanysRhineboundaryfromHollandtoSwitzerland.

Seldomcouldawould-beconquerorhavefacedsocomplacentanenemy.Afterall,wastherenottheimpenetrableMaginotLine?Germantanks?Certainlythesewereknowntobeformidable,but,afterall,theAlliescouldmoreorlessmatchtheGermansastheydidin the number of divisions 136Germans against 135 French andBritish (only ninedivisions).

ButtheAlliesdidnothaveGeneralErichvonManstein,chiefofstaffofGeneralGerdvonRundstedtsArmyGroupAonthewesternfront.Manstein,withwhomtheTotenkopfwastobecomemuchinvolvedduringthewarwithRussia,wasabeaky-nosed, icy-eyeddisciplinarian;thearmywasquiteliterallythedominatingpassionofhislife.

ItwasMansteinwhoproposedthatthetanksshouldbelaunchedthroughtheArdenneswith a massive armoured force, which would then cross the Meuse north of Sedan,breakingoutintotheopencountryforahelter-skelterdashtothechannelports.Mansteinfurther proposed that a feint by the right wing of the German forces would bring theBritishandFrencharmiesspeedingtoBelgium.ThenbycrackingthroughtheFrenchatSedan and heading west along the Sommes north bank for the Channel, the GermanswouldentrapthemajorAnglo-FrenchforcesalongwiththeBelgianArmy.

MansteinhadsoldtheideatoHitleranddoneitsoskilfullythattheFuehrerendedbybelievingthathehadproposeditinthefirstplace.

Aboveall,itwasgoingtowork.

Andwhatof theroleof theTotenkopfDivision?At the timeof the invasionTheodorEickereckonedhimself tobethemosthard-done-byfightingsoldier intheentireReich.WhatwasitHaiderhadsneeringlycalledhim?Apolicegeneral.Theinsulthadsmartedandplainlyithadbeenthearmysintentionthatitshould.Foron10May,thedateoftheinvasionofwesternEurope,TheodorEickehadbeenfirmlyputinhisplace.

On the previous evening, Second Army had signalled him to have the TotenkopfDivision on full alert by dawn the followingmorning.Movement, hewas further told,wouldbeatshortnotice.Thatsoundedlikebusiness.EickewasevenmoredelightedwhenhereceivedinstructionstodespatchatruckcolumntoKasseltopickupsixtytonsoffield

rations which the division would need. Enough for a ten-day march were issued.Commandersreceivedtheirorderstobeatthereadywithintwelvehours.

Eickewaitedforthesummonsthatmustsurelycome.Itdidnot.Or,rather,suchordersthatwereissuedmerelytoldhimtobepreparedformarchinstructionsfromtherelevantarmygroup.Marchinstructions!Already,Eickereflectedbitterly,theinvasionhadbegun.TheSSwasrepresentedbySS-LeibstandarteandSS-VerfuegungsDivision.HisTotenkopfwas no less combat-ready than the other two. Haider had continued sarcastic anddistrustful.Clearly, theimpressionableWeichshadcountedfornothing.Thehoursspentin begging, borrowing, filching and stockpiling guns, ammunition, vehicles and othermaterialshadbeennothinglessthanawasteoftime.

Eickesawhistreatmentasacalculatedinsultbythesnobsinthearmy.Tojudgebylaterexperiences,whentheWehrmachtwouldattempttoslaphimdowntimeandagain,hewasprobablyright.

Monthsofschemingandchicaneryhadenabledthedivisiontobebuiltuptoitspresentstrength.Andforwhat?AlltheTotenkopfcoulddowaslistentothealmostmonotonouscatalogueofGermantriumphs.

Butasitturnedout,bitternesscouldnotbenursedforverylong.Successinwar,asineverythingelse,carried itspenalties.Theadvanceof7thPanzerDivisionunderGeneralRommel, for example, had been at terrific speed. But, while it kept going, it urgentlyneededtheservicesofinfantrytoclearpointsofresistanceandoccupyground.

Bythelateafternoonof12May,GuderianstankcolumnswereinpossessionofSedanandthenorthbankoftheMeuse;theprogressofRundstedtsadvanceforcedthearmytomakethefirstchangeinthestatusoftheTotenkopfDivision.

Orderscametomovewestwardforthwithtoanewreservestaging-areaonthefrontierofBelgium.By8p.m.,TotenkopfDivisionwasonthemove,drivingthroughthenightintwenty-mile-longcolumns,passingthroughCologneintheearly-morningdarkness.

Thenhadcomefourdaysoffurtherfrustration;fourdaysbeforefinalmarching-orderswere forthcoming. Eicke passed the time in characteristic style: the men of Totenkopfweremadetoexerciseanddrill.TherewereideologicalharanguesonNationalSocialism.Therewerecompulsorybathsandhair-cuts.

Bythenightof14May,thespearheadsofArmyGroupAwerepreparingtobreakoutoftheMeusebridgeheads;Eickewasalertedtostandby.SedanandDinantweresoonfarbehind. Hitlers armoured divisions fanned out and careered triumphantly towards theChannelports.

EickesinstructionsweretomovewestalongthesoutherntipofHollandandthroughBelgium, to link up with the 15th Panzer Corps of General Hermann Hoth. He wasmovingwithbreakneckspeed;inwentTotenkopfDivisiontoaddmuch-neededmuscle.

ThemarchthroughHollandandBelgiuminvolvednofightingastheBritishandFrenchhadbeenpushedback.Buttherewereotherproblems.Theswiftprogressofthearmiesledtoanumberoftrafficsnarl-ups.EickewasnorespecteroftheWehrmacht,certainlynotofits rankers. Countless times, he leapt from his command car to bluster and threatenpassageforhisownmen.DesperatelytiredandfootsoretroopsrepliedtotheSSupstart

with interest.Thedelay seemedeternal; indeed itwasnotuntil the early eveningof19MaythatthetruckcolumnsofTotenkopfDivisionwereabletorollfowardagain.

Orders for the first combat assignmentwere of a kindwhich time and againwere tocharacterise the role of Totenkopf Division in this war. Eickesmenwere pressed intoserviceasHitlersfirebrigade,racingtopullotherunitsoutofthefire.

Seventh Panzer needed help and fast. Rommels crack division had been haltedbetweenLeCateauandCambrai.TheFrenchwerepinningitdowninasavagecounter-attack.

Forthetask,EickepeeledoffTotenkopfDivisions1stInfantryRegiment,togetherwithanti-tank, engineer and artillery companies. They were pressed into attack across theSambreRivertowardsbothLeCateauandCambrai.

SmallvillagesweredefendedbyFrenchMoroccantroops.Withsuchopponents therecould be no question of taking prisoners. They were hauled from the houses andslaughteredintheirhundredsaftervicioushand-to-handfighting.

Nexttherecameaconcentratedseriesoftankattacks,butbymid-morningon20May,EickehadclearedtheenemyfromeastandnorthofCambrai.Advancecouldberesumedby15thPanzerCorps.

Allied divisions were later trapped between Rund-stedts Army Group A andGeneraloberstFedorvonBochsGroupB.Eickesordersnowweretomassinforce,crosstheScarpeRiv