SS-Division "Handschar"

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Ivan Ž.
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SS-Division "Handschar"

#1

Post by Ivan Ž. » 16 Apr 2005, 11:38

[This thread was split off from the thread "Searching for particular Waffen-SS crime photo (Balkan)" at:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=75481
and recaptioned by this moderator -- DT.]



Are these soldiers with Damjanovic also from "Handschar" Division?
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(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg
(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg (122.06 KiB) Viewed 9564 times

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Zlatni ljiljan
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#2

Post by Zlatni ljiljan » 17 Apr 2005, 01:23

rommel_gaj wrote:Paisan,I'm interested in the photos as well-think you won't have difficulties with scanning the photo-I could have done it in Sarajevo,just couldn't get the damned scanner! :roll:
Vozdra, Gaj

In Tuzla Archive, they have scanners, special digital camera for copying images and other equipment, but they are very suspicious about copying and publishing documents and photos from their collection without direct supervision. But, I hope I could do something, I know some guys who work there.


Ivanwss wrote:Are these soldiers with Damjanovic also from "Handschar" Division?
If this photo really was taken on Majevica in 1944 - there's no doubt that these soldiers belonged to 13th SS Handschar. They certainly were Waffen-SS officers (look their uniforms), from some Gebirgs unit (look Edelweis on left officer's arm). And, in 1944 it wasn't any other Waffen-SS unit in North-East Bosnia except Handschar Division. Man on left is SS-Standartenführer, so he don't wear divisional collar patch.


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#3

Post by Ivan Ž. » 17 Apr 2005, 01:30

What about this one?
Handschar?
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(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg
(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg (191.29 KiB) Viewed 9535 times

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#4

Post by Zlatni ljiljan » 17 Apr 2005, 02:11

Ivanwss wrote:What about this one?
Handschar?
" (1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg"
Probably.

Well, they don't wear fezes, but not all Handschar soldiers wore them.

According to feldgrau.com:

"Headgear was the Muslim Fez, in field grey (normal service) or red ("walking out"), with the SS eagle and death's head emblazoned. Non-Muslim members could opt to wear the normal SS mountain cap. The oval mountain troop Edelweiss patch was worn on the right arm."
http://www.feldgrau.com/13ss.html

My father's uncle was in Handschar and I've seen one of his pictures where he wear cap like these soldiers above. On the other photo, he wear helmet. These guys on photo probably are Germans, but they could be even a Bosniaks :?

Do you have any other similar pictures, (possible) Handschar & Chetniks?

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#5

Post by Ivan Ž. » 17 Apr 2005, 02:25

I have one more taken at the same time as previous photo.

I have just one photo of Handschar soldiers with chetnik,
but, as far as i know, he could also be partisan, muslim, or whatever.
No chetnik marks (kokarda, sajkaca etc), he could be member of any unit.
I can post it tomorrow.

(Handschar soldiers are on horses, in the water, and chetnik (or whoever he is) stands on the bridge)
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(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg
(1944, Majevica) Stevan Damjanovic.jpg (162.7 KiB) Viewed 9520 times

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#6

Post by G. Trifkovic » 17 Apr 2005, 15:52

(Handschar soldiers are on horses, in the water, and chetnik (or whoever he is) stands on the bridge)
I have already posted it here (bottom of the page):

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... c&start=30

By the way,do we know who took these photos above? Is it possible they were staged after the war? How did Damjanovic end?

Cheers,

Gaius
Last edited by G. Trifkovic on 17 Apr 2005, 15:56, edited 1 time in total.

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#7

Post by Ivan Ž. » 17 Apr 2005, 15:55

Yes, that's the one.
I see that we have same book. :)

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#8

Post by Zlatni ljiljan » 17 Apr 2005, 19:04

rommel_gaj wrote:
(Handschar soldiers are on horses, in the water, and chetnik (or whoever he is) stands on the bridge)
I have already posted it here (bottom of the page):

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... c&start=30

By the way,do we know who took these photos above? Is it possible they were staged after the war? How did Damjanovic end?
I've sen picture. Man on the bridge isn't bearded - which would be sign that he is Chetnik. Is he in black uniform? Maybe he is Ustsha from 1st Ustasha Brigade - they wor black uniforms.

Captain Stevan Leka Damjanovic was killed by KNOJ (Corps of People's Defense of Yugoslavia) in December 1945. near Lopare (Majevica).

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#9

Post by bzy16257 » 09 Jun 2005, 03:46

April, 1944. Zupanja.

What was the Handschar army division doing in April, 1944? Moreover, what is the regiment to whom these soldiers belong?

<< Source : Private photo. It was discovered in Austria. >>
Last edited by bzy16257 on 21 Jun 2005, 07:33, edited 1 time in total.

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#10

Post by Ivan Ž. » 09 Jun 2005, 14:50

bzy16257 wrote:What was the Handschar army division doing in April, 1944? Moreover, what is the regiment to whom these soldiers belong?
Here's some info (according to WSSOB, i believe):

April 1944: anti-partisan duties Bosnia; atrocities, particuarly against Serbs

April 12: Antipartisan sweep in "Unternehmen Ostrei" (Operation Easter Egg) Janja, Bosnia

April 17: I Battalion of Regiment 28, comprised of Albanians,is sent to Pristina to form nucleus of
21st Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg.

April 17: Divisional CO Sauberzweig publishes "Guidelines for the Liberation of Bosnia",
which outlines a sweeping plan for the division to pacify and administer their zone of control.
The Croatian government is displeased, but RFSS Himmler forms an SS & Police adminstration staff
for the Bosnian territory under Handschar control. However, V SS Corps CO Phleps is more interested in employing the division on purely military excercizes rather than a "hearts and minds" pacification campaign.

April 23 - May 5: "Unternehmen Maibaum": In one of the largest antipartisan sweeps of WWII, the V
SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps attempts to destroy the III Bosnia Corps along the Drina river.

Županja is in Croatia.

Cheers,
Ivan
Last edited by Ivan Ž. on 09 Jun 2005, 17:24, edited 1 time in total.

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#11

Post by Ivan Ž. » 09 Jun 2005, 17:17

It could be perhaps Waffen-Flak-Abteilung der SS 13 ...?
Sdkfz 10 was often used for Flak transporting (not the 88mm one, of course)...

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#12

Post by bzy16257 » 10 Jun 2005, 06:17

Thanks Ivanwss.

Having decided from a caption to photography day was impossible.
Can a lower left caption be read?

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#13

Post by Ivan Ž. » 10 Jun 2005, 06:41

bzy16257 wrote:Can a lower left caption be read?
It looks like German...
Mein Fahrzeug'.
(...also Zupanja and not Županja)

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Re: Sauberzweig's "Guidelines for the Liberation of Bosnia"

#14

Post by MarmiteMan » 06 Aug 2009, 15:19

Ivanwss wrote:
April 17: Divisional CO Sauberzweig publishes "Guidelines for the Liberation of Bosnia",
which outlines a sweeping plan for the division to pacify and administer their zone of control.
The Croatian government is displeased, but RFSS Himmler forms an SS & Police adminstration staff
for the Bosnian territory under Handschar control. However, V SS Corps CO Phleps is more interested in employing the division on purely military excercizes rather than a "hearts and minds" pacification campaign.
Does anybody know the German for Sauberzweig's contentious manifesto "Guidelines for the Liberation of Bosnia," as mentioned in Lepre's book pp. 170-172 ...??? Extensive searches have not (yet) turned up the original German. Am merely assuming it's "Richtlinien für ... yada yada yada"

:?

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar"

#15

Post by Mujo » 09 May 2010, 14:17

the first set of pictures are Prinz Eugen, it's pretty obvious that it's the winter of 1944.
I say that because of the winter clothing.

When Handschar crossed into Bosnia it was already march, and at that time they didnt even make it as far south as the Majevicas (until april) They were wearing camouflaged smocks from Op. Wegweiser, all throughout the summer of 1944.
The last pictures of 13. SS men in overcoats are during the 1943 and early 1944 training (Mufti visit pictures, and one picture from march 1944)

The officer in the first picture doesnt have the Chessboard patch under the SS eagle, German officers (from Handschar) usually stayed true to the uniform regulations. The SS Bergmutze was a common sight in Prinz Eugen and I dont know if any enlisted men from Handschar were even issued it. In fact, when the men didnt feel like wearing the fez, they most often put on the side cap that they were issued during training.

Also notice the Bergmann type SMG being pointed at the cetnik in the 3rd pic. Another indicator of Prinz Eugen.

My last point is, Handschar was nowhere near the Majevicas during the last winter of the war. It had already pulled out of Bosnia during the early autumn. Basically it's impossible to see men from Handschar in overcoats and say it's the Majevicas.

Handschar and the cetniks:
this picture comes from Otto Kumm's book. It's the casualty collection point (late May 1944) It shows a mixed unit, Prinz Eugen and possibly Handschar with Cetniks, bringing in the wounded.
Image

Image
The pic above is from the same location (Cetniks and men from 7. SS carry a wounded man across). In Lepre's book there is a couple of pictures of 13. SS men passing by that same Prinz Eugen (NCO/officer ?)

This is the only confirmed case of Bosnian SS men being near Cetniks (in photographs)

The picture of the soldier on the bridge talking to the recon. guys on horseback isnt from the previous scene. It's a different wooden bridge. I say it's most likey an Ustasa or a Muslim militia member (both had long WW1 era rifles, like the cetnik in my first pic)

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