Request to post - SS medic or chaplain pictures?

[Larry L]

Gentlemen,
Anyone has pictures of SS medics or SS chaplains?
If you have one, could you please post it?
Thanks in advance,

-L-

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Larry, I don't think the SS had Chaplains?

Cheers, Ade.

[Larry L]

Hi Adrian,
That's what I think too (atleast never seen one), I was hoping that maybe someone has new info of that issue .
Foreign volunteer legions might have had?

Thanks,
-L-

[Olli Wikberg]

Hi folks,

As we all know W-SS was not a very religious organization There was, however, at least one Finnish chaplain (in fact two) among Finnish volunteers in division Wiking (1941-1943). The position of them was more like liaison officer, but they were allowed to act as chaplains as well. No other chaplains in any other SS formations are known to me. And for those of you willing to know about any special insignia etc, there were, of course, no. Photos of these men can be seen in (Finnish) books dealing with Finnish SS volunteers.
Regards
Olli

[Larry L]

Thanks for the info Olli!

I think I have read those books, but I does not own them. If you refer to the books you have wrote (Dritte Nordland and Meine Ehre Heisst Treue)?

OK, harder part solved.

What about those SS medics? That should be easy after the chaplain .

Cheers,
-L-

[Chap15]

Larry,

Foriegn Waffen SS units would have liasons for religious needs. But they were not chaplains.
There was one division that had chaplains. The 13th SS Handshcar (spelling??) from Bosnia. Himmler allowed them to have muslim chaplains. The chaplains were sent to Berlin for special training. When the unit was in France, some of Tito's communist were in the unit and killed some officers and tried to take over the division. The chaplains helped put it down. Read "Himmler's Bosnian Division" by Steven Lepre. He has pics and chapter on these guys. The chaps wore side arms.

[Øyvind]

Hi!

The Norwegian Legion (Frw Legion Norwegen) had one (SS-unit), but he was anti German, and not a particular good chaplain either, so he got fired! But if im not wrong he served a while one the front. But in the end of his carrer he didnt do a damn thing, was just walking around doing nada!

Hope this help!

Cheers
Øyvind

[Larry L]

Great info!
Chap15: Thank you for that info and reference, another book to look for!
Norwegian: Thanks for that story.

Cheers,
L

[Thomas V.]

During its existance, SS-Stu.Brig.,,Wallonien'' had at least 2 Pfarrer. One of them simply returned to his monastry after the war. I think the other one became secular after the war, at any rate one of them was involved in the Truppengemeinschaft for this unit postbellum.

[Olli Wikberg]

Nice thread and interesting topic. Chap15 is correct in saying that the "chaplains" were not real chaplains as for example in Wehrmacht. Eg. the two Finns in question did officially serve as liaison officers but were also allowed to act as chaplains as the SS could not accept real acting "churchmen". The highest ranking Finnish SS officer, SS-Ostubaf. Kurkiala, was also a chaplain in Wiking and vicar in Finland. The other (and first) Finnish chaplain in Wiking was just SS-Ustuf. He fell already in the early stage of operation Barbarossa.

Larry, you got it right, the books I refer are those you mentioned. One can also see photos of SS medical officers (and other medics) in many books (including those named by Larry), but these officers also looked like any other officers. Thanks Norwegian, it was a new info to me. Maybe the Danes had "chaplains" as well.

Olli

[stuart c]

In Micheal James Melnyk's book "To Battle, The Formation and History of the 14th Galician Waffen SS Division", he states that the Ukranians had a field chaplain assigned to each regiment and independent battalion.They were responsible to DR V.Steciuk the senior religious officer and member of the divisional staff.Their role and functions were set out by Father Myhailo Levenets, who is pictured on page 87, taking Holy Mass at the swearing in of new recruits,Heidelager 1943 ( unfortunately I dont have a scanner, does anyone else own this book ? )Melnyk also states that the appointment of the chaplains was one of only two concessions that the Germans made and kept to the Ukrainians.

Its nice when a thread on the forum coincides with the book you are reading at the time, makes you feel like a bit of an expert for 5 minutes

[Larry L]

Thanks again guys!

Stuart, yet another book to be checked, thanks!

Now we have found those persons in Wiking, Handshcar, Frw Legion Norwegen, Wallonien and Galician divisions allready!

L

[Chris Liontas]

Many of the Eastern Voll. units brought chaplains with them. Bill Stump posted a while back a great photo of a Ukrainian (or Latvian) orthodox priest giving Literagy to men of a WSS Division.

However no standard, Germanic Waffen SS unit had Chaplains, as was true with the Luftwaffe.

The only chaplains in the Luftwaffe were men drafted into technical fields, who would then officiate chaplain duties for occasions such as downed Allied Airman. Bill Dienna posted a while back an amazing funeral service for the crew of an American B17, in which a Luftwaffe man officiated and a Heer chaplain attended.

There was also posted here a fantastic set of photos for a WSS funeral with a Heer Pfarrer in attendance.


http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...light=chaplain

[Larry L]

Thanks Chris!

Indeed, interesting photos! Thanks for posting!

L

[Chris Liontas]

Another good book to check out if you are interested is:

The Shadow of His Wings by Father Gereon Karl Goldman


It is the story of a man who was on his way to be a priest, enlisted into the Heer, then became a memeber of the SS Poliezi division until he refused to renounce his faith. It is an amazing read!

Also for a general Priest accounting in WWII by those men drafted into the military not as chaplains, try Priester in Uniform

Photo of Father Goldman, In his SS uniform, I will try to scan in other photos, but my systems is still wacked out from my second major re-formatting this month