I write this preamble from the comfort of my own home, listening
to the arctic wind rage around me, and watching my neighbors walking their
dogs. While enjoying a cup of hot mocha, I am amused by the fact that the
temperature is only 15 degrees above the all time record low for this day,
which was set in 2005! It must be global warming.
J
We have just completed our yearly meeting where we decide major
policy decisions. One of those policies is about conventions. We decided that
the manpower requirements involved in preparing for a convention would be
better spent on development, production, and innovation. While we have many new
products in the works, none are ready yet, and since we don't have any new
products to display at Cold Wars, you won't be seeing us there. We will have a
lot of new games in the summer and we will present them at Historicon and WBC.
So just who are the people behind Lost Battalion? We have had
several changes of staff over the years. Currently the core team is Jeff and
Debbie Billings, Becky and Brian Siebe, and me.
One of the more interesting things that came to light at the
meeting was our Myers-Briggs personality profiles. This breaks your personality
down to 4 dichotomies, with a total of 16 permutations. The dichotomies are
Introversion/Extraversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and
Judging/Perceiving. Each permutation has an elaborate behavioral description,
which I won't go into here. And then, simplistically, there is provided a list
of famous people and fictional characters that also fit your permutation.
So, just who are Lost Battalion Games?
| Myers-Briggs Personality |
Jeff |
Debbie |
Becky |
Brian |
Phil |
| Fictional |
Sherlock Holmes |
Dr. Watson |
Darth Vader |
Luke Skywalker |
Data |
| Famous Generals |
Ulysses S. Grant |
Robert E. Lee |
George Washington |
... |
Eisenhower |
| Most Complementary Historical Personality |
Thomas Jefferson |
Mother Theresa |
Thomas the Apostle |
Marting Luther King Jr. |
Socrates |
Our married couples are Holmes and Watson, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. And
off to the side is the neutral evaluator, Star Trek's Data.
I realize these things are meant to be complementary, and while
I can take the complement, I think Socrates was far too rule bound for an INTP,
who are famous for breaking the rules when they are too inconvenient. Maybe
I'll take Isaac Newton instead.
Who the heck are the Illyrians? Good Question. The Roman Empire
was not quite as homogenous as high school history books would have you
believe. Even that Western Civilization class you HAD to take your first
semester of college really probably didn’t do it justice. (If you ACTUALLY did
pay attention in class you will know what I mean.) They were an ancient ethic
group living more or less peacefully inside the Empire since Roman legions
crushed them in a series of wars between 12 and 9 BC. During the time of
Tyrants of Rome, two or sometimes more provinces might be collectively referred
to as Illyria. These would always include the Provinces of Pannonia and
Dalmatia and sometimes Moesia, Noricum, Crete and practically the whole of what
we now call the Balkan Peninsula with the exception of Trace.
Although they maintain certain extremities, they were largely a
Greek speaking people who practiced a culture much more Greek than Latin. They
had a good reputation as fighters and were a major source of recruits for the
legions. They held a strategic position between the eastern province and the
capital in the west. Any trouble there was something that had to be dealt with
swiftly and decisively lest the rest of the east and largely Greek part of the
empire be engulfed in revolt.
Ingenuus: Governor of Pannonia and the first of
the Illyrians to revolt against Gallienus. Unfortunately his ambition was much
greater than his ability or resources and his hubris was punished when
Gallienus led his main army against him dispersed it and killed him.
Regalianus: Replaced Ingenuus as commander of
the east successfully fighting off a Sarmatian invasion timed to take advantage
of the chaos in the Empire. Later killed in battle against a coalition of
barbarians and a faction of disaffected Illyrian dissidents.
Valens Thessalonicus: Not to be confused with
the "legitimate" Emperor Valens, he was a proconsul in Greece under Gallienus,
he was perceived as a threat to Macriani intentions and Piso lead an army to
kill him. Valens may have seized imperial power "believing that there was no
other means of protecting himself," although he defeated Piso he soon was slain
by the soldiers.
Valens the Elder: Like his son he may have
claimed the imperial power, "But the fate of them both was alike, for he, too,
was killed after he had ruled for a few days in Illyricum."
The Imaginary:
The next three are somewhat of an enigma. While the fill slots
it the Tyrants of Rome game for game design purposes, they were most likely
invented by the author(s) of the only historical source to round out their list
of Thirty Tyrants. Since the only information available about them is in
Historia Augusta I quote it here in whole:
Trebellianus: "He, though others dubbed him
archpirate, gave himself the title of Emperor."
Celsus: "Therefore he was made emperor, but on
the seventh day of his rule he was killed by a woman named Galliena, a cousin
of Gallienus, and so he has scarcely found a place even among the least known
of the emperors"
Saturninus: "He also, being unable to endure
the loose ways of Gallienus, who reveled all night in public places, and
preferring to command the soldiers in his own way rather than in that of his
emperor, accepted the imperial power from the army."
 |
| Mars |
| From Lost Battalion Games Tyrants of Rome® |
The Emperors: As Gallienus and Aurelian will be dealt with only
briefly here. And as for Claudius, well he didn’t live long enough for there to
be much to say…
Gallienus: Reviled by the writer(s) of Historia
Augusta as a man of "loose ways...who reveled all night in public places"
hindsight has proved he did a pretty good job given the multitude of
simultaneous threats he was confronted with. He won many notable victories and
effectively broke the Gothic menace to the Empire for decades to come although
he has to share this great victory with his cavalry commander Aurelian. He died
shortly after his greatest victory under somewhat dubious circumstances.
Claudius II: He was acclaimed by the legions
after the death of Gallienus. A capable administrator and adequate general, he
laid the groundwork for some of Aurelian’s’ later success before succumbing to
plague.
Aurelian: Once of the most active and famous
Emperors of his era. Not only did he drive barbarian invaders from the very
boarders of Italy, but he crushed the Zenobia’s attempts to create a Palmayran
empires. He reestablished firm Roman control in the bread basket of the Empire:
Egypt. He then restored the infant Gallic empire to Imperial control. He had
restored the empire by the end of his reign allowing his successors to hold
their own and stabilize the economy eventually giving Diocletian the
opportunity to make much needed reforms in the administration of the Roman
state.
Next Installment: Gallienus,
his challenges, the smear campaigns against him, and a "unbiased" historians
opinion of the controversial Emperor.
Leibstandarte Schutzstaffel Adolf Hitler
By Phil Gardocki
Disclaimer: This article is about the military history and
organization of the SS, short for Schutz Staffel, or Defense Squad unit
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, the Standard Bearers of Adolf Hitler or 1st SS.
It is not going to go into all the atrocities committed by the SS, the 1st SS
included. That these atrocities occurred is a matter of historical record, and
includes the willing participation of genocide of the Jewish people, as well as
many cultures of Eastern European descent.
Organizational History
In 1933, LSSAH was created by merging two SS companies, Zossen and Jütenbog.
LSSAH was gradually expanded and participated in the Polish Campaign as a
reinforced regiment of 4 infantry battalions and supporting companies.
Tactically it was deployed as attachment to the 17th Infantry Division and then
the 4th Panzer Division. It fought well, but sustained high casualties.
For the campaign in France LSSAH had expanded to include an artillery
battalion, and a Sturmegeschütz company.
Over the next year, LSSAH was expanded first to a brigade, and then to a
motorized division. At the start of the Russian campaign LSSAH was called a
division, even though it was organizationally a large brigade, with a single,
if large Infantry Regiment, supported by a small Artillery Regiment, and an
impressive number of support battalions.
10,796 Men
3 Pz. Jag. II's
20 Jadgpanzer II's
4 15cm F. H. 18's
7 8.8cm Flak 36's
12 3.7cm Pak 35's
12 5cm Pak39's
13 2cm AA Guns
16 10.5cm le.F.H.18's
18 sIG 1B's
24 8.1cm Mortars
24 7.5cm le.I.G. 18's
39 3.7cm Flak 36's
54 5cm Mortars
361 Machineguns
74 Trucks
72 Sd. Kfz. 251's
|
|
The normal German practice of refitting and reorganization of a unit required a
unit to be pulled out of combat and a period of training to acclimate to new
units, tactics, and men. The SS did not seem to follow this pattern, and
constantly received new companies and battalions. In July 1942, the Infantry
Regiment was split into two. This created what was on paper to be a more normal
organization for a standard Motorized Division, but at all levels each
component had superior equipment levels.
-
18,836 Men
-
3 Hetzers
-
21 Stg IIIe's
-
42 Panzer IV's
-
50 Marder II's
-
4 15cm F. H. 18/40's
-
32 10.5cm le.F.H.18's
-
6 15cm Nebelwerfer 41's
-
12 5cm Pak39's
-
13 2cm AA Guns
-
18 sIG 1B's
-
18 3.7cm Flak 37's
-
21 8.8cm Flak 36's
-
36 3.7cm Flak 36's
-
36 5cm Mortars
-
48 8.1cm Mortars
-
72 7.5cm le.I.G. 18's
-
537 Machineguns
-
48 Sd. Kfz. 231's
-
703 Trucks
-
168 Half-tracks
|
|
As an example, the Infantry Battalions were all 5 companies,
instead of 4, and included some of the still uncommon 5cm antitank guns. The
regiments had self propelled Flak guns, and Jagdpanzers. The Artillery Regiment
had 4 battalions, instead of 3 normally found in motorized divisions. Extra
support battalions included a Panzer Battalion, a six company Flak Battalion
and a three company Sturmgeschutz Battalion. The Panzerjager Battalion was
upgraded with Marder II's.
After the summer campaign season LSSAH received further upgrades. The Panzer
Battalion, which only had half strength companies, was expanded to a full
strength Panzer Regiment, including a company of Tigers. While LSSAH was
referred to as a Panzer Grenadier Division, it was in fact an over sized Panzer
Division.
In anticipation of Operation Citadel, LSSAH went through further changes.
Pieces of the division were transferred to form the Cadre for the new 12th SS
Panzer Division, but the deficit was made up with newly raised formations. The
Artillery Regiment received Hummels and Wespes, while the Infantry Regiments
received Bisons. LSSAH technically had Panthers in its TOE, but the Panthers
were still in Austria during the Kursk offensive and the division did not pick
them up until it was transferred to Italy.
|
Full Strength / Strength at Kursk
-
19,856 Men
-
14 /13 Tigers
-
22/12 Panzer III's
-
30/35 Stg IIIf's
-
94/0 Panzer V's
-
94/85 Panzer IV's
-
53 Jadgpanzer II's
-
4 15cm F. H. 18/40's
-
4 Bisons
-
24 10.5cm le.F.H.18's
-
21 2cm AA Guns
-
18 3.7cm Flak 37's
-
21 8.8cm Flak 36's
-
24 5cm Pak39's
-
24 3.7cm Flak 36's
-
27 5cm Mortars
-
12 Hummels
-
30 Wespes
-
72 7.5cm le.I.G. 18's
-
96 8.1cm Mortars
-
617 Machineguns
-
1 Car
-
1499 Trucks
-
240 Half-tracks
|
|
After Kursk, LSSAH left behind most of its equipment and was
refitted in Austria and Italy with both newly built, or recently repaired
equipment. The pattern of favorable upgrades continued, with a new flak
battery, and the artillery being expanded with more 15cm and 21cm Nebelwerfers.
-
19,896 Men
-
31 Tigers
-
53 Marder II's
-
56 Panzer IV's
-
58 Panthers
-
60 Stg IIIf's
-
6 16 cm Nebelwerfer 42's
-
12 5cm Pak39's
-
13 2cm AA Guns
-
36 15cm F. H. 18/40's
-
16 10.5cm le.F.H.18's
-
21 8.8cm Flak 36's
-
24 3.7cm Flak 36's
-
64 7.5cm le.I.G. 18's
-
90 8.1cm Mortars
-
30 5cm Mortars
-
567 Machineguns
-
1400 Trucks
-
240 Half-tracks
|
|
But even the SS couldn't ignore the irreplaceable casualties
they were sustaining. While refitting in Belgium, Heavy Grenadier companies
were being disbanded, their numbers being partially made up with equipment
upgrades. With the final refit after the Falaise pocket, LSSAH was upgraded
with Whirlwinds and Jagdpanzer IV's, but lost half of its reconnaissance
battalion. Even so at this time, any numbers here are pure fiction.
-
18,201 Men
-
28 Tigers
-
56 Panzer IV's
-
60 Stg IV's
-
64 Panthers
-
56 Hetzers
-
3 Pz. Jag. IV's
-
12 Brummbars
-
21 15cm F. H. 18/40's
-
9 10.5cm le.F.H.18's
-
12 7.5cm Pak 40's
-
12 5cm Pak39's
-
13 2cm AA Guns
-
12 Whirlwinds
-
21 8.8cm Flak 36's
-
30 16 cm Nebelwerfer 42's
-
36 3.7cm Flak 36's
-
48 7.5cm le.I.G. 37
-
700 Machineguns
-
140 Half-Tracks
-
980 Trucks and Wagons
|
|
Operational History
LSSAH, or Leibstandarte Schutzstaffel Adolf Hitler, had one of the longest
histories of any unit that Germany fielded in WWII. This is phrased this way
because at no time was any SS unit actually part of the Whermacht; though the
SS often had first pick of men and material at the expense of the Whermacht.
From 1934 to 1939, LSSAH, was used to brutally suppress all dissent and
competition to the Nazi party, including the famous "The Night of the Long
Knives", in which it destroyed a competing force of Stürmabteilung, otherwise
known as SA, or Storm Battalion.
As a reinforced Regiment, LSSAH rode to war in Operation White, the assault on
Poland, as part of the southern pincer first assigned 17th Infantry Division
and then the 4th Panzer Division. The end of the campaign found LSSAH near
Warsaw.
During 1940, LSSAH was assigned to Holland, with the task of linking up with
the General Student's Fallschirmjagers (paratroopers). The contact led to a
"friendly fire" incident, nearly killing him. Later, LSSAH was re-assigned to
Army Group B and took part in the reduction of Dunkirk.
After the campaign in France, LSSAH was assigned to Army Group South as part of
1st Panzer Army in 1941, where it first fought in Yugoslavia and Greece. During
the Balkans campaign LSSAH preformed well, capturing a critical mountain pass
that led to the surrender of the Greek Army.
LSSAH was sent to Prague for another period of refit, and accrued manpower in
excess of 10,000 men before being shipped to the border of southern Russia.
There it conducted operations along the Black Sea, leading to the encirclement
of Kiev and the assault on the Crimean.
In 1942, LSSAH was wrecked in the Soviet winter offensive around Rostov.
Despite taking over 22,000 casualties since June, 1941, it was kept in the
line. Despite this decrepit state, LSSAH was used in the early stages of the
summer offensive, before it was transferred to France for refit and
reorganization. In response to the Allied invasion in North Africa, LSSAH
occupied Vichy France.
January, 1943 found Army Group 'A' and 'B' in desperate plight, and even though
the refit of LSSAH was not completed, it was hurriedly shipped back to southern
Russia for the third battle of Kharkov. Throughout February and March, it
fought a mobile defensive action, eventually losing, then regaining the city in
a series of encirclements and breakthroughs.
Before Operation Citadel, the assault on the Kursk salient, LSSAH was again
refitted and upgraded with over 130 panzers and assault guns. By all accounts,
it performed extremely well. However eight days later less than 80 armored
fighting vehicles remained in action, it had reached the high watermark of
Operation Citadel. The Red Army threw the 3rd Mechanized Corps from 5th Guards
Tank Army reserve and the 31st Tank Corps at LSSAH, at Prokhorovka. LSSAH
nominally won the action, with losses amounting to 84 men killed, 384 wounded.
Whereas, General of the Army Vatutin, Commander of the Voronezh Front claimed
332 panzers were destroyed.
Following Kursk, LSSAH was withdrawn to Austria for refit, leaving most of its
heavy equipment behind, which was divided between the remaining members of the
2nd SS Panzer Corps. Reequipped in Austria LSSAH was sent to Italy to stabilize
the German control of Italy. Even though one of the premier divisions of
Germany was in Italy, it was never deployed against the invading Allied
American and British forces.
Upgraded to a full Panzer Division, LSSAH was sent back to Russia in November,
where the division was assigned to 4 Panzer Army, 48th Panzer Corps and in
November, 1943, fought in actions that stopped the 5th Guards Tank Army from
achieving a breakthrough. The winter defensive battles never ceased, and
collimated in a relief counterattack, along with the 1st, 16th and the
11th Panzer Divisions, into the Korsun Pocket to free some 50,000
encircled soldiers. Despite the efforts of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army with
some of the new heavy JS-II's and the 6th Tank Army to maintain the
encirclement, some 35,000 Germans and Auxiliaries were rescued.
After the Korsun Pocket relief, most of LSSAH was withdrawn to Belgium for
another refit. Brought mostly up to strength, LSSAH was committed to battle
against the British in July, 1944. After enduring hours of bombardment by over
2,000 aircraft, LSSAH attacked the British near Caen, and destroyed over 100
tanks. The British however kept up the pressure, and while LSSAH was delivering
disproportionate losses, its equipment, manpower, and supplies were attrited to
the point where it needed to withdrawal, but instead was ordered to continue
attacking. Despite heavy fighting LSSAH advanced only to be trapped in the
Falaise pocket. LSSAH did not break out so much as filtered out, with all the
heavy equipment being captured or destroyed.
Rebuilt to a strength of 215 tanks, among them the massive King Tiger, 1st SS
fought in Operation "Autumn Mist", aka "The Battle of the Bulge" where its
armor was reduced to 30 vehicles due to a combination of casualties and fuel
shortages.
In January, 1945 the 6th SS Panzer Army, LSSAH included, was withdrawn from the
West Front to counterattack Soviet forces in Hungary, with the objective to
retake Budapest. The entire army was cut off, but for a narrow corridor held
open by LSSAH. Having failed to achieve its objectives, Hitler ordered LSSAH to
remove the "AH" insignia from their uniforms. In disgust, the division sent
Hitler a large number of their medals in a latrine bucket. As one sergeant put
it, "He can only have us shot."
In April, 1945, LSSAH retreated with the 6th SS Panzer Army, into Austria, and
attempted and failed to defend Vienna against the 4th Guards Army, 20th Guards
Rifle Corps and 1st Guards Mechanized Corps.
Reduced to the strength of a weakened regiment, LSSAH continued fighting until,
on May 7th, they received an order to surrender from Field-Marshal Kesselring.
It said, "The terms of the cease fire are also binding on all formations of the
SS. I expect that like the entire Wehrmacht, the Leibstandarte will also
conduct itself in an irreproachably correct manner." The reply read, "Tomorrow
we shall march into captivity with heads held high. The regiment that has the
once proud honor of bearing the name Leibstandarte is now signing off."
True to their word, the LSSAH surrendered to the Americans.
After the war, for the Malmedy Massacre, 75 men were tried at
Nuremburg. Most of them were from LSSAH but also included 6th SS Panzer Army's
Commander and Chief of Staff, General Dietrich and General Kraemer. 1st SS
Panzer Corps's Commander Lieutenant General Priess, and 1st SS Panzer
Regiment's Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Peiper. 45 of them were sentenced to
death, the rest were given lengthy prison sentences. After reviews, appeals,
and commissions, all the death sentences were commuted. Peiper was the last to
be released, in 1956.
