3rd Cumulative WW2 History Quiz

[FriendlyFire]

Why did 1st SS Panzer choose the divisional symbol they did?

Deaths head ??? Tokempf panzer division ???
Old prussian symbol for eliye troops. Also used by freikorp troops after the war.

 

[Asclepius]

Why did 1st SS Panzer choose the divisional symbol they did?

Oooh, oooh, ooh! I know this one! .... bugger I'm not allowed to answer though

 

[nonconformist]

Did they originate from Bremen?

 

[privatehudson]

I don't know where they came from, but that wasn't their reason no. The symbol I'm speaking of wasn't a death's head either.

 

[nonconformist]

It's the key.
I thought that a key was the coat of arms of Bremen.
So this is the 1st SS Panzer Division? The Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler?

 

[cidknee]

well from my research they were originally hitlers bodyguards when he assumed the chancellory. Then they became the 1st SS Panzer division and the key symobl was chosen,,,, no clue why
heres an exerpt from a web site. BUT i nitially found the 1st panzers symbol from a book.

This division evolved from Hitler’s personal bodyguard regiment, which is also quite precisely what the name translates to. The earliest incarnation of the unit was the SS-Stabswache Berlin (= SS Staff Guard Berlin), which was soon re-designated as the SS-Sonderkommando Berlin (=SS Special Detachment Berlin). Amalgamated with the short-lived SS-Sonderkommando Zossen, the new unit was called “Adolf Hitler Standarte”, later known as “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”. Initially a regiment, then upgraded first to brigade and finally to divisional strength and transformed from a motorized regiment to an armored grenadier unit it finally became an armored division with the above designation.

The name “Adolf Hitler” first appeared in block letters on the cuff title of the “Adolf Hitler Standarte”, but this version was short-lived and soon replaced by a pattern in Sütterlin script.

 

[privatehudson]

It was the key, and there was a specific reason for it too

 

[cidknee]

hmmm... i must have looked in 2 books..all I have on the SS. google is useless... but ill guess the key because,,,,,, key to the german military,. seeing as they were hitlers bodyguards, they were guarding the key to the German military?

 

[privatehudson]

Nope, it was nothing to do with their role

 

[cidknee]

one down 4 million guesses to go....lol

 

[Asclepius]

aaargh my head is going to explode

 

[privatehudson]

Clue... hmmm hard without giving it away. Let's say it's because of a person rather than an action or special deep meaning.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Clue... hmmm hard without giving it away. Let's say it's because of a person rather than an action or special deep meaning.

This is why PH should NEVER get to ask questions.
Adolf hitler had a hand in designing hes hand picked bodyguards uniforms. In fact he's sketch and ideas were used. The SS designed eagle used for all officers in the SS was designed by Adolf hitler himself. (Thou it was crap and Officers only used it for parade, as it would break easily)

I bet the Fuhuer ended up designing the 1st SS divisions emblem.

 

[privatehudson]

Nope, not Hitler.

 

[cidknee]

didnt speer design alot of things other than buildings too?.....

 

[privatehudson]

Yup, but he's not the man either. This was a guy who fought in WW2 with the formation.

 

[cidknee]

so he designed the symbol. and fought with the unit....

 

[cidknee]

this may be going oyt on a limb but im gonna say Sepp Dietrich. He cammanded them at normandy and Paris also Dunkirk.

 

[privatehudson]

Yup Sepp was the man the symbol came from. Depending on what you read, Sepp means either 'key' or 'skeleton key' in German, and as the first commander of Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, the symbol was chosen in honour of him.

He was an interesting commander, an early mover in the SS, he was involved in the night of the long knives (the killing of Rohm and attacks on the SA). Later during the war his loyalty lay firmly with his men and he frequently argued with Himmler and twice protested at the shooting of Jews he witnessed. Some claim he was involved in the July plot, but in reality he was appalled by the attempt on Hitler's life declaring it a cowardly act. The closest he came was agreeing to obey orders from Rommel (his senior commander in Normandy at the time) even if they disagreed with Hitler's orders. After the war he was charged with "offence against the custom and ethics of war" (specifically using evidence from the Malmedy masacrre) and sentenced to life, later reduced to 25 years. Like most Germans he served less than half this time and was released in 1955. Then he was arrested by the Germans and put on trial for his part in the night of the long knives, and spent until 1958 in jail. He died in 1966 and his funeral was attended by many who had fought against and with him during the war.

 

[FriendlyFire]

but in reality he was appalled by the attempt on Hitler's life declaring it a cowardly act. The closest he came was agreeing to obey orders from Rommel (his senior commander in Normandy at the time) even if they disagreed with Hitler's orders.

had hitler been killed it would be likely he would have sided with rommel rather then the hardline nazis. Some of hes actions and conversations "hint" at this.