Police units, Pohorje (Bachern) 08.01.43

[Ivan Ž.]

Dear everyone,

Does anyone know which police units participated in the destruction of the partisan Pohorje (Bachern) Battalion on Jan. 8th 1943?

I'm particularly interested to know whether the Pol.Geb.Jg.Rgt. 18 could have been there at the time, because there's a photograph allegedly taken on this day and there, showing policemen with Edelweiß on their caps, which should be the 18th regiment as far as I know. But I've read that the regiment was in Finland at the time. Any info/explanation?

Also was there ever another police unit which wore the Edelweiß insignia, other than Pol.Geb.Jg.Rgt. 18?

Ivan

[Georges JEROME]

Hello Ivan,

Polizei-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 18 moved to Danzig on december 42 then moved to Greece on august 1943.


Georges

[Ivan Ž.]

Thank you, Georges. Please take a look here http://fototekamnzs.com/zbirke/nemski-f ... ousel-1466 In all sources (that includes also old newspapers), the date for the photo is Jan. 8th 1943 and the captured partisan is identified as the only survivor of the battalion. Look at the caps and insignia; a Sipo/SD Ostuf. is present as well, on the left, with Totenkopf (according to the Yugoslav sources, in the attack participated four police companies, a gendarmerie company, three army companies and a Wehrmannschaft battalion).

?
Ivan

[filigranofil]

Hello,

I can confirm, that all Data conected to the Photo of captured partisan is 100% right.



Yes, on the Photo is fighter from Pohorje Battailon Maks Kunaver-Sulc, captured on 8. January 1943 on Pohorje/Bahern near Maribor/Marburg, Slovenia.
Photo was made the same day, on 8.th January 1943 from Fotographer Ordelt.



Photos from The Book: France Filipič: Pohorski bataljon, Ljubljana 1963


Yes , Maks Kunaver was the only survivor of the battalion. He was woundet so he can not commit suicide as many of the partisan do in this fight.
Maks Kunaver was shot as hostage on 30th July 1943.


regards
Darko

[Ivan Ž.]

Hello, Darko, and thanks very much for your contribution! I had little doubts about the ID of the man and the date of the photo (the snowy background also matches it), my biggest concern is - are those men of 18th regiment, or was there another police unit allowed to wear the Edelweiß?

Ivan

PS
Is it Maks or Franc, I keep finding both names mentioned?

[Mark V.]

According to the Einsatzbefehl for the operation, the following units took part:
4./Pol.Wachbatl.I Wien
2./Pol.Wachbatl. Wiesbaden
5./Pol.Wachbatl. Alpenland
3./Pol.Rgt.19
Gend.Res.Komp. (mot.) Alpenland
Komp.Gend.Hauptmannschaft Marburg
Heer units (350 men)
SA-Wehrmannschaft Btl.

Pol.Geb.Jg.Rgt. 18 already left Slovenia in early October. It's seems that a number of Polizei units deployed in Slovenia used the Edelweiss on their caps.

[filigranofil]

Hello,

I suppose that the Name Maks is an Error. In the Book is only the Name Franc mentioned.

Document "Einsatzbefehl No.106" for the operation which mentioned Mark...




Map of the operation...




Both Documents from the Book: France Filipič: Pohorski bataljon, Ljubljana 1963


regards
Darko

[Ivan Ž.]

Excellent additions, Darko and Mark, thank you both very much.

It's seems that a number of Polizei units deployed in Slovenia used the Edelweiß on their caps.

Can anyone contribute please to this issue? I've read only that the 18th regiment was allowed to wear the Edelweiß, but it seems this wasn't the case. Any additional info is most welcome.

Ivan

[Mark V.]

It's seems that a number of Polizei units deployed in Slovenia used the Edelweiß on their caps.

Can anyone contribute please to this issue? I've read only that the 18th regiment was allowed to wear the Edelweiß, but it seems this wasn't the case. Any additional info is most welcome.

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

Ther're a couple of discussions where this topic was touched upon:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 7#p1017787
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 8&t=186457

I also found several photos of policemen from SS-Pol.Rgt.14 from early 1944 wearing caps with Edelweiß.

[filigranofil]

Hello Ivan,

unfortunately I am not specialist for uniforms.

But also Erwin Rösener, Higher SS and Police Leader in Slovenia was allowed to wear the Edelweiß...



link to wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_R%C3%B6sener


regards
Darko

[Ivan Ž.]

Thank you very much, Mark and Darko, again.

Darko, I was just about to bring up again the Rösener example.

From http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&start=15

Erwin Rösener was HSSPF Alpenland and as such had overall command of anti-partisan units in the alpine region. Therefore he was entitled to wear the SS edelweiss insignia on his Waffen-SS uniform. There are a number of photos I have of him wearing his edelweiss insignia, some of which are also published in one of Mark Yerger's excellent books.
Max.

Not all members of Oberabschnitt Alpenland were entitled to wear it because they weren't all involved with anti-partisan warfare!! Himmler was in overall command of all anti-partisan units and he delegated responsibility to von dem Bach and his HSSPF (in addition to various OKH, OKL and OKK.) Rösener was HSSPF und SS-Oa. Alpenland Führer and a very large area of his region was mountainous. In fact the majority. Rösener was also one of the few Oa. Führer who personally actively participated in anti-partisan actions (albeit in a command position) and, by virtue of his Oa. command, he was in charge of a large number of mountain troops. It makes perfect sense that he was entitled to wear the insignia.

Question: were then the HSSPF Alpenland units which were involved in the anti-partisan warfare - allowed to wear the Edelweiß insignia?

Ivan

[Mark V.]

If anyone can find such an order, I'm sure Darko will.

[filigranofil]

Mark, thanks a lot to rely upon my work, but from May last Year I have a big Problem with my 60.000 big archive of Copies of Documents.
It was stollen fro my car in Tallinn, Estonia several notes and copy-books, guides for the Photos in my computer so it is not so easy to find documents in my PC. It was stollen also many Copies from Bundesarchiv and Arhiv Slovenije.

Nothing's the Same As Before

regards
Darko

[Ivan Ž.]

I am really sorry to hear that, Darko, that is terrible. Hope you will be able to recover at least some of it.

Ivan

[Ivan Ž.]

According to the Einsatzbefehl for the operation, the following units took part:
4./Pol.Wachbatl.I Wien
2./Pol.Wachbatl. Wiesbaden
5./Pol.Wachbatl. Alpenland
3./Pol.Rgt.19
Gend.Res.Komp. (mot.) Alpenland
Komp.Gend.Hauptmannschaft Marburg
Heer units (350 men)
SA-Wehrmannschaft Btl.

There is no SS/SD unit listed, but there is an SS-Hauptscharführer in the photo. Any thoughts?

hschaf.jpg (123.11 KiB) Viewed 2302 times

Ivan