saint venant 1940-------farm boulet

[ivor43]

John.
the map tells me that St Omer is about 16 miles from St Venant. about 25 mins drive. less if they were south of the place. and if my memory is correct 3pz etc were to the east of St Venant. any way Dix had been photographed with ''deaths head ''badges on.
i have stood down the squadrons of flying pigs.


ivor

[Baconwallah]

LAH was halfway between St Omer and Gravelines, Ivor, not south of St Omer.

A 25 k drive on a peaceful day in spring is not quite the same as the same distance across the divisional areas of three infantry and two armoured divisions in a contested advance, I am afraid. And then there were refugees, shot up roads, traffic jams with horse drawn corps artillery and all the other mod cons of 1940.

Make no mistake about the SS discipline. They may have been a threat to all and sundry, but within the Div and Corps discipline was discipline. A commander leaving his unit to go on a killing spree thirty miles down the road would have found himself in serious trouble indeed. Not for the killing but for his disobedience.

John

[teecee1941]

Dave, sorry about that but I was having a hell of a time trying to type out a complete sentence. The words kept breaking up and running into each other.

In the meantime, I asked Jim the question I was going to ask on here. It was a geographical question about Saint Venant, so, no harm done.

Thanks again,

Tony

[ivor43]

John.

Mon Ami, you have defended your position admirably and for this i salute you. I might have awarded you a medal, but i do not have any handy.a accept your arguments. it would not have been a Sunday Afternoon drive in the country. It is a pity as he seemed a natural for the part.
And i fully agree with you regarding the discipline within the SS. this is highlighted by the reaction of the SS Officers who found the ''La Paradise'' aftermath. I think that Knochlien became a marked man by his own people.

But.
in post #690, Dave poses the following question.

', was at some time member of the Totenkoph division and most photos of him show him wearing the deaths head collar patch rather than the SS runes'

is there a possibility of him transferring between the units.
this is my parting shot.


ivor

[Baconwallah]

is there a possibility of him transferring between the units

Very unlikely, Ivor. The Totenkopf regiments consisted of former concentration camp guards. A man from the Leibstandarte, Hitler's bodyguard, would not have relished a transfer.

Re Dix: i can't find any photo of him so can't deny or confirm his membership of the Totenkopf. Two notes, if I may: 1/ it may have been a pre-war uniform; 2/ there was at least one other Rudolf Dix.

John

[ivor43]

thanks John.
Dave had the link so we will have to ask him.
in the meantime i will look around


good night

ivor

[Baconwallah]

Nos da Ivor.

John

[ivor43]

Good Morning all.
John.
you were right there were 2 Rudolf Dix. one we can forget

1) Rudolf Dix B 1884 D 1952.
a lawyer who was part of the defence team at Nuremburg. was at sometime a member of the German Gentleman's Club. and certainly not Pro Nazi. so i think we can forget him.

2) i have a one line entry from an '' Axis History Forum''.

'SS Pz Gren Rg2 (20.9.43)
18. (AUFKL) Komp. SS.OSTF Rudolf Dix.

still looking


ivor

[ivor43]

i think i have the right guy.

Ostuf. Rudolf Dix
Postby Moniroth You-Bell on 12 Apr 2013, 07:16


Ostuf. Rudolf Dix


B:16.12.19
Ostuf. 18(Aufkl.)/SS-PGR.2 9.43
Ostuf. LSSAH 4.42
Ustuf. 8./LSSAH 12.40
SS:357248 Ostuf:20.4.42


while i have no real idea of German.I suspect this is an extract of his service record. Promoted to I/C 8 Pl 12.40. and to Lt on 20.4.42. So prior to 12/40 he was just an OR maybe NCO.
Both these within the ''Adolph Hitler''. No Mention of ''Totemkopf''.
I wonder. could he have used 'False Insignia' to cover up his actions.

will keep looking


ivor

[dcdl12976]

Ivor, sorry mate but I cant find the site I found the reference to Totenkoph now so I guess we have to consider that a no no