Quote:
Originally Posted by Asterix
I remember reading about this recently on another thread. I'd be interested to know which regiment Peiper was in. I have several sources which recount one particular day during which one regiment of the LASSH (later joined by units of a another regiment of the same division) were fighting the French reargaurd on the outskirts of Dunkirk. ....
... This particular engagment has always fascinated me, as the LASSH had always thought of themselves so superior to everyone else, but at Teteghem bridge they recieved a severe lashing at the hands of the French 137 R.I. after 2 FAILED engagements. I have always wondered if Peiper had participated in that battle.
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While not a indepth investigation I've kept my eyes open for mention of the SS in the 1939 & 1940 campaigns. I'm starting to get the impression they were not all that skilled or led tactically. Probablly brave, fanatical, and diciplined, but not much better than anyone else at infantry tactics or skill with their weapons. There is a old story from the Polish campaign that a SS regiment was caught along the road at night without adquate guards or sentrys. A band of by passed Polish soldiers fell on the halted column after midnight and massacred the SS unit. Maybe this is a legend or myth, but it is similar to other stories in circulation, a corps commander that had a SS unit attached for the 1940 campaign summed up the unit as 'its only real skil being parade'... 'showed a decided lack of combat or tacitcal ability'...found in its first engagement that fighting Allied soldiers having nothing in common with pushing Jews off the sidewalk'...'usually failed to take thier objectives and alsways suffered excess casualties'.