Wehrmacht Veterans in other Armies of the World

[Edward L. Hsiao]

It seems that many ex-Luftwaffe pilots of WWII who were in the French Foreign Legion were stuck for life as infantrymen on the battlefield since the FFL don't have any flying machines of its own. I think it was impossible for a German Legionnaire who was a pilot to get a transfer to military aviation of France. No want ads,no interviews for a legionnaire who wanted to fly. Maybe some Luftwaffe veteran in the FFL would get lucky to fly a French helicopter or fix-winged flying machine if some higher ups in the French military call for volunteers in the FFL to be a pilot.

By the way,Friedrich Herz who was an airman of fortune during the Bush Wars was born in 1929 and was only 16 when he completed pilot training in the Luftwaffe in 1945,too late to see action when WWII was over.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

It was a known fact that there were WWII Germans from the Panzerwaffe serving in the French Foreign Legion and commanding and driving French tanks. Are there any stories that you are willing to share about WWII German tank crews commanding these French tanks during the First Indochina War?
I already knew that German Wehrmacht veterans were in the US Army and had commanded and driven US tanks during the Korean War. They probably were expert in combating and destroying North Korean tanks which were Soviet made. Some of these German veterans probably also commanded US tanks during the Vietnam War in the late 1960's.

Were there any tank armies of the world that had WWII Germans from the Panzerwaffe and had commanded their tanks that you can think of. I already possibly thought of Israel. South Vietnamese tank force may had WWII German advisors temporary.


Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

The Nigerian Air Force had West German technical assistance during the early 1960's. The Nigerian Air Force first commander was Oberst Gerhard Kahtz of the West German Air Force Assistance Group. I believed Kahtz was a pilot veteran of the Luftwaffe of WWII. Source,Wikipedia-Nigerian Air Force.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I'm looking for information of German Wehrmacht Veterans of WWII serving as military advisors for the armed forces of Paraquary under President Alfredo Strosser. So far I was unsuccessful in my finding. Could you help me? All I did find was one of Adolf Hitler's pilots(probably from the Luftwaffe) was an adviser to Alfredo Strosser after WWII. Paraquary's armed forces had been in minor wars after WWII.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

A highly classified US Army Special Forces Detachment the was stationed in Berlin,Germany from 1956 to 1990 has just been recently told. This secret unit was supposed to numbered only 90 soldiers. There were possibilities of German Wehrmacht veterans who served in the US Army after WWII were among the soldiers in that secret unit. It's called "Secret Forces Berlin".


Edward L. Hsiao

[Annelie]

What exactly was the purpose of US Army Special Forces Detachment or
their interest/assignment of these 90 in Berlin?

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Go to the website called https://www.detachment-a.org I was at that website briefly. It confirms that there were plenty of Germans in that secret unit.
Edward L. Hsiao

[Annelie]

Code: Select all

          


Product DetailsSpecial Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the US Army’s Elite, 1956–1990 has been released for publication as of 17 February 2017. 

Highly classified until only recently, two U.S. Army Special Forces detachments were stationed far behind the Iron Curtain in West Berlin during the Cold War. The units’ existence and missions were protected by cover stories, their operations were secret.

The massive armies of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies posed a huge threat to the nations of Western Europe. US military planners decided they needed a plan to slow the juggernaut they expected when and if a war began. The plan was Special Forces Berlin. The first 40 men who came to Berlin in mid-1956 were soon reinforced by 60 more and these 100 soldiers (and their successors) would stand ready to go to war at only two hours’ notice, in a hostile area occupied by nearly one million Warsaw Pact forces, until 1990.

Their mission should hostilities commence was to wreak havoc behind enemy lines, and buy time for vastly outnumbered NATO forces to conduct a breakout from the city. In reality it was an ambitious and extremely dangerous mission, even suicidal. Highly trained and fluent in German, each man was allocated a specific area. They were skilled in clandestine operations, sabotage, intelligence tradecraft and able to act as independent operators, blending into the local population and working unseen in a city awash with spies looking for information on their every move.

Special Forces Berlin was a one of a kind unit that had no parallel. It left a legacy of a new type of soldier expert in unconventional warfare, one that was sought after for missions such as the attempted rescue of American hostages from Tehran in 1979. With the U.S. government officially acknowledging their existence in 2014, their incredible story can now be told.
                

Haven't found that they were German only that they were highly trained and fluent in German. Speaking German doesn't make you German?

Intersting though.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

A former Special Forces Berlin soldier had said at one time there were only fifteen U.S. born Army soldiers in that secret unit(probably in late 1950's and early 1960's). I think the commander of that unit at one time was a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Most of the special forces soldiers were former German Wehrmacht soldiers who joined the US Army after WWII. I don't like calling them Nazis. Examples,Gerhard Kunert was in the 7th Panzer Division (Heer). Also a German who served on U-boats during WWII. No mention of his name. They were both on Team 6 of Special Forces Berlin. The Germans in the US secret unit were stationed in their homeland country. They did plenty of clandestine operations behind the Iron Curtain to gather information on Soviet and East German Armies of strength and their weapons. Sometimes they will steal military secrets from the Soviets and the East Germans. They also carried out sabotage operations behind the Iron Curtain. I have not read the book yet. Of course the U.S. born soldiers in that secret unit did carry out missions behind the Iron Curtain too. Most of the German Wehrmacht veterans of WWII had still seen the Soviet Union as their biggest enemy after WWII. They want to give the Soviets more than just a black eye. This is just what I know for now. I got much of the information about Special Forces Berlin from its website. Read the book about the secret unit if you don't believe my statement.


Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I was at "Twelve O'clock High Forum" and a member of that forum had posted that there were Luftwaffe pilot veterans that trained pilots of the newly established Syrian Air Force in the late 1940's. There were also German pilots from the Luftwaffe that trained pilots of the Lebanese Air Force as well.
I'm not surprised that the Wehrmacht veterans of WWII once they renewed their relationships with a country called Turkey would become advisers of her. Germany had a long relationship with Turkey (Ottoman Empire) even before WWI with training her armed forces.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Do you know any other names of Luftwaffe veterans besides Adolf Galland,Werner Baumbach,and Hans-Ulrich Rudel that became advisors to Peron's Argentina Air Force? On page 132 of the book "The Rise of the Fourth Reich" by Jim Marrs,Rudel brought with him about one hundred members of the wartime Luftwaffe staff. I like to know some more names of these Luftwaffe veterans.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Karl Neuhoff was a highly decorated German paratrooper of WWII who was awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross. His last rank was Oberleutnant of the Luftwaffe. After WWII,Neuhoff emigrated to the United States. He died on Dec. 25,2001 on Christmas Day in Tazewell-Clairborn,Tennessee. My question is,did Karl Neuhoff served with the US Army after WWII and fought in the Korean War? Does anyone in the US known Neuhoff?
Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

It was known that there were a number of German Wehrmacht Veterans lived in Sweden after WWII was over for Germany. I wonder if there were a few that actually served in the Swedish Armed Forces?

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

There were reports of German Wehrmacht veterans acting as advisors and trainers to India and Nepal.

Edward L. Hsiao

[LineDoggie]

It was a known fact that there were WWII Germans from the Panzerwaffe serving in the French Foreign Legion and commanding and driving French tanks. Are there any stories that you are willing to share about WWII German tank crews commanding these French tanks during the First Indochina War?
I already knew that German Wehrmacht veterans were in the US Army and had commanded and driven US tanks during the Korean War. They probably were expert in combating and destroying North Korean tanks which were Soviet made. Some of these German veterans probably also commanded US tanks during the Vietnam War in the late 1960's.

Were there any tank armies of the world that had WWII Germans from the Panzerwaffe and had commanded their tanks that you can think of. I already possibly thought of Israel. South Vietnamese tank force may had WWII German advisors temporary.


Edward L. Hsiao

Driving a tank isn't very hard skillset and usually the second least experienced soldiers job in the crew. Most young Americans know how to drive so to need a Wehrmacht veteran to drive a M26/46/47/48 tank is pretty silly.