Which were the SS generals that contributed to the success of Germany war efforts?

Question

Tks mdot3s :=)

I really wonder if there were any. Pardon my ignorance.

Answer 1

German war efforts were not successful, so the question is moot.

Answer 2

Well, if you consider that Germany lost the war, on both the eastern and western fronts, it's safe to say they were NOT successful. And the Waffen SS were the most deluded, albeit brave, of the bunch - the traditional aristocratic military elite, and this includes Goering, did not support Hitler's obvious appetite for destruction. Many, like Rommel - the most universally respected German general of the era - even tried to kill Hitler and end the war early - but the plot failed.

By declaring war on the United States and unleashing Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union) Hitler all but ensured his inevitable defeat. Had he stopped with France and Poland, we might have found ourselves living in a much different world.

Answer 3

In terms of technical skills, most SS generals did not perform at the typically high level of Heer (regular army) generals. But with eventually 38 Waffen SS divisions, and almost 1 million troops, it is not surprising that the SS produced quite a few good generals. Very few of them, however, commanded really large formations. They were mostly limited to divisional commands.

Here are some who performed well: -

In February/March 1943 SS-Brigadeführer Paul Hausser led the II.SS-Panzerkorps to blunt a Russian offensive and recapture the city of Kharkov , despite facing odds of 6 to 1.

One of the senior SS officers serving under Hausser in the 3rd Battle of Kharkov was Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, at that time leading SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'. Meyer was an outstanding soldier and leader, the youngest divisional commander on either side in WW2. Unfortunately, his record was blemished when he ordered his troops to shoot captured Canadians during the Normandy campaign: he served 9 years in prison for that. Nevertheless, I recommend reading his Wikipedia link (see below).

Another SS general who was convicted of murdering prisoners (in this case, Americans during the Battle of the Bulge) was Joachim Peiper. Brave but headstrong. His Wikipedia link is below as well.

A very senior SS generals was Sepp Dietrich, one of only a very few soldiers to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. He commanded various brigade and divisional units before being promoted to command 6th SS-Panzer-Armee in the Battle of the Bulge. He too was convicted of war crimes and spent many years in jail after the war. Nevertheless, he was much respected by his men.

Finally, no list of this type would be complete without mentioning Otto Skorzeny. Although less senior than the other SS officers mentioned above, Skorzeny was easily the most colorful character --- and probably the most intelligent of the lot. Essentially he was a commando leader, and a very successful one at that. His greatest coup was rescuing Mussolini from imprisonment after he had been overthrown in Italy.

Answer 4

Well, there was Joseph Goebbels, but he wasn't really an SS general, he was more like Hitler's one and only friend and partner in crime (so to speak), Goebbels was head of propaganda.
But there Heinrich Himmler, he was head of all the SS death camp units and stuff. He was a well known leader of the SS.

Answer 5

I found an interesting site.

http://www.generals.dk/nation/Germany.html

http://www.generals.dk/generals.php