Oskar Dirlewanger, commander of the 36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, is responsible for being the head of one of the cruelest SS divisions during WWII which was composed of former prisoners, renegades and poachers. It wreak havoc anywhere it appeared and was acclaimed as the most heinous unit within German troops.
It is estimated that its "soldiers" killed more than 60,000 persons. Its crowning achievement was the Wola Massacre during Warsaw Rising in August 1944 when Dirlewanger’s troops executed more than 30,000 civilians (in total 50,000 were executed during the Wola Massacre in between 5-7 August 1944).
Belarus operations were a sad prelude to what happened in Warsaw in summer 1944. 345,000 people are said to be eliminated by Dirlewanger’s actions within the scope of operations named: „Adler”, „Erntefest”, „Zauberflöte”, „Cottbus”.
At the Palik lake, 16,662 Dirlewanger’s soldiers were sent to encircle scared villagers of nearby village to the lake side. 15,000 civilians are reported to have been killed. Dirlewanger’s idea to push people towards mine field proved to be very ‘effective’ and his commanders were delighted that he came up with such great „innovations”.
Dirlewanger is said to be involved in human trafficking and he was specialised in raping women and abusing children. One of the radio messages sent by Dirlewanger said: „Sturmbahnfuerher wants Russian girls. Otto will have a chase on Monday and will bring them down (…). The price the same as Obersturmbannfuerher set up earlier in the forests around the Palik Lake. One Russian girl for two vodka bottles”.(1)
Read more:
- · Ingrao, Chrisian. The SS Dirlewanger Brigade. The History of the Black Hunters, Skyhorse, New York 2011
- Richie, Alexandra, Warsaw 1944, published in 2015
- · https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/history-of-war/oskar-dirlewanger-the-ss-butcher-of-warsaw/ accessed on 11 March 2018
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