Richard Landwehr
Encyclopedia
Richard Landwehr has been the author of numerous books about the Waffen-SS
, its foreign (that is, non-German
) volunteers in particular. He has been putting out a magazine called Siegrunen on that topic "[f]or more than 25 years".
His work has been published in the Journal for Historical Review (JHR), published by the Institute for Historical Review
an American
Holocaust denial
organization. It is of no surprise then that Landwehr's works about the Waffen SS are favourable toward them. His article "The European Volunteer Movement in World War II" (20 1981 JHR 59-84) lauds the Waffen SS and the ideals they fought for while assiduously avoiding any mention of war crimes (real or alleged). The world view that permeates Landwehr's work is best summed up in his own words from the 1981 article in JHR: "After a generation of slander, vilification and falsehood concerning the European volunteers, the first rays of light are beginning to shine through. Slowly, but surely, their story is being told. As for the soldiers themselves, many are of the belief that they were ahead of their time, both militarily and philosophically, and that their legacy is yet to be fulfilled. For myself, perhaps the most incisive observation was made by the former Waffen-SS Colonel Joachim Peiper
in a letter to his comrades while he was being held in American confinement under sentence of death: 'Don't forget that it was in the ranks of the SS that the first European died'."
After citing the example of the Dutch SS volunteers, Landwehr claims that "the men who got into the Waffen-SS usually represented the best human material that their respective countries had to offer" (1981 JHR). However, some historians do not agree. Dr. van Hoesel's 1948 study (cited in both George Stein's "The Waffen SS" and Henry L. Mason's 1952 "Purge of the Dutch Quislings") of 450 Dutch SS volunteers revealed some joined to avoid prosecution for petty crime or delinquency. Others joined out of boredom and a desire for adventure, some for prestige, better food or to avoid labour service. In fact, the record left by the Nazis themselves serves to contradict Landwehr's misleading image of the idealistic European SS volunteer. Stein notes that Gottlub Berger, who dealt with foreign volunteers, was aware of the prevalence of criminal elements and noted that "many criminals are quite outstanding soldiers if one knows how to handle them" (Berger to Gruppenfuhrer
Rauter, April 9 1942, Geheim, RFSS/T-175, 111/2635463ff.). In A European Anabasis - Western European Volunteers in the German Army and SS 1940 - 1945, historian Kenneth Estes authoritatively documented the motivations of the western European volunteers and came to markedly different conclusions than those of Landwehr.
Landwehr's work is often quoted by neo-Nazi websites and he is routinely defended by them. The group Nazi Lauck NSDAP/AO expressed outrage after they claimed a German court had tried Landwehr in absentia for charges arising from his books.
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
, its foreign (that is, non-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) volunteers in particular. He has been putting out a magazine called Siegrunen on that topic "[f]or more than 25 years".
His work has been published in the Journal for Historical Review (JHR), published by the Institute for Historical Review
Institute for Historical Review
The Institute for Historical Review , founded in 1978, is an American organization that describes itself as a "public-interest educational, research and publishing center dedicated to promoting greater public awareness of history." Critics have accused it of being an antisemitic "pseudo-scholarly...
an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
organization. It is of no surprise then that Landwehr's works about the Waffen SS are favourable toward them. His article "The European Volunteer Movement in World War II" (20 1981 JHR 59-84) lauds the Waffen SS and the ideals they fought for while assiduously avoiding any mention of war crimes (real or alleged). The world view that permeates Landwehr's work is best summed up in his own words from the 1981 article in JHR: "After a generation of slander, vilification and falsehood concerning the European volunteers, the first rays of light are beginning to shine through. Slowly, but surely, their story is being told. As for the soldiers themselves, many are of the belief that they were ahead of their time, both militarily and philosophically, and that their legacy is yet to be fulfilled. For myself, perhaps the most incisive observation was made by the former Waffen-SS Colonel Joachim Peiper
Joachim Peiper
Joachim Peiper , more often known as Jochen Peiper, was a field officer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, convicted of war crimes in Belgium and accused of war crimes in Italy. He was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's personal adjutant . In 1945, he was an SS-Standartenführer, the Waffen-SS's...
in a letter to his comrades while he was being held in American confinement under sentence of death: 'Don't forget that it was in the ranks of the SS that the first European died'."
After citing the example of the Dutch SS volunteers, Landwehr claims that "the men who got into the Waffen-SS usually represented the best human material that their respective countries had to offer" (1981 JHR). However, some historians do not agree. Dr. van Hoesel's 1948 study (cited in both George Stein's "The Waffen SS" and Henry L. Mason's 1952 "Purge of the Dutch Quislings") of 450 Dutch SS volunteers revealed some joined to avoid prosecution for petty crime or delinquency. Others joined out of boredom and a desire for adventure, some for prestige, better food or to avoid labour service. In fact, the record left by the Nazis themselves serves to contradict Landwehr's misleading image of the idealistic European SS volunteer. Stein notes that Gottlub Berger, who dealt with foreign volunteers, was aware of the prevalence of criminal elements and noted that "many criminals are quite outstanding soldiers if one knows how to handle them" (Berger to Gruppenfuhrer
Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Rauter, April 9 1942, Geheim, RFSS/T-175, 111/2635463ff.). In A European Anabasis - Western European Volunteers in the German Army and SS 1940 - 1945, historian Kenneth Estes authoritatively documented the motivations of the western European volunteers and came to markedly different conclusions than those of Landwehr.
Landwehr's work is often quoted by neo-Nazi websites and he is routinely defended by them. The group Nazi Lauck NSDAP/AO expressed outrage after they claimed a German court had tried Landwehr in absentia for charges arising from his books.
Works
- Estonian Vikings: Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen Bataillon Narwa and Subsequent Units, Eastern Front, 1943-1944 ISBN 1-899765-09-3
- Lions of Flanders: Flemish Volunteers of the Waffen-SS, 1941-1945 ISBN 1-899765-03-4
- BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
: The Stalingrad of the Waffen-SS ISBN 1-57638-129-3, (Hardcover), ISBN 1-57638-128-5, (Paperback) (description) - Charlemagne's Legionnaires: French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS 1943-1945 ISBN 0-918184-07-X, Hardcover
- Fighting for FreedomFighting for FreedomFighting for Freedom: The Ukrainian volunteer Division of the Waffen-SS is a book by Richard Landwehr on the 14th Waffen-Grenadier Division of the SS ....
: The Ukrainian Volunteer Division of the Waffen-SS ISBN 0-918184-05-3, Hardcover - Italian Volunteers of the Waffen-SS: 24 Waffen-Gebirgs-(Karstaeger) Division Der SS and 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division Der SS (Italienische Nr. 1) ISBN 1-57638-104-8 Paperback
- Lions of Flanders: Flemish Volunteers of the Waffen-SS 1941-1945 with Ray Merriam & Ramiro Bujeiro (Illustrator) ISBN 0-918184-04-5, Hardcover
- Narva, 1944: The Waffen-SS and the Battle for Europe ISBN 0-918184-02-9, Paperback
- Nordic Warriors: SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark, Eastern Front,1943-45 with Holger Thor Nielsen ISBN 1-899765-07-7
- Romanian Volunteers of the Waffen-SS, 1944-1945 with Ramiro Bujeiro (Illustrator) ISBN 0-918184-08-8 Hardcover
- Steadfast Hussars: The Last Cavalry Divisions of the Waffen-SS ISBN 1-57638-105-6 Hardcover, ISBN 1-57638-130-7, Paperback
- The Wallonien: The History of the 5th SS-Sturmbrigade and 28th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division with Ray Merriam and Jean-Louis Roba ISBN 1-57638-088-2, Paperback, ISBN 1-57638-089-0, Hardcover