Waffen-SS Kriegsberichter Photographers
by Marc Rikmenspoel
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In January of 1940 an SS-Kriegsberichter-Kompanie (Waffen-SS war reporters
company) was established, and its züge (platoons) were attached to the
four main Waffen-SS combat formations that fought in the Western Campaign of
May and June, 1940. These platoons remained with their respective divisions
for the Balkans Campaign in the spring of 1941. By August of 1941 many additional units were fighting as part of the Waffen-SS. As a result, also during August of 1941, the SS-Kriegsberichter-Kompanie was expanded to Abteilung (battalion) strength. Waffen-SS expansion continued to grow throughout the war, and in December 1943 the reporters unit again expanded, this time to regimental size. It also received an honor title at this point, becoming known as SS-Standarte "Kurt Eggers". It also receiving a cuff-title bearing the same name. Kurt Eggers was the former editor of the SS magazine Das Schwarz Korps. He was killed in action west of Kharkov while serving with the 5.SS-Division on August 13, 1943. Gunter d'Alquen commanded the SS-Kriegsberichter unit for its entire existence. He held the Allgemeine-SS rank of Standartenführer, and began his Waffen-SS command in 1940 as a Waffen-SS Hauptsturmführer der Reserve. During the course of the war, he was gradually promoted until he became a Waffen-SS Standartenführer der Reserve at his regimental command. Under d'Alquen was a staff that processed the incoming material, as well as photographers, movie cameramen, writers, broadcaster and recorders, all who served in the field. The men in the field did their service with the various platoons assigned to the assorted Waffen-SS formations. The reporters generally served with several different platoons during the war, and many new reporters joined during the war's course. Non-Germans most often served with their own national formations, but were sometimes detached to cover a particular campaign and report on it for their home press. The list below of SS-Kriegsberichter is exclusively of photographers. The basis of the list is wartime captions. The photos of the SS-Kriegsberichter were reproduced in Das Schwarz Korps and in many German newspapers, and were usually released to the foreign press as well. The photos used in German newspapers were printed with the photographer's name somewhere in the article, usually directly below the photo. Many books reproduce these photos, and much knowledge of photographers stems from this. Many photos released to the foreign press survive as either original photographs or as copies. Most of these photos originally had a caption on the back listing the photographer, the date of release, and some vague details such as "The returned patrol leader makes his report on the northern sector of the Eastern Front," or something similar. It is important to note that the date of a photo's release is not the date on which the photo was taken. The time between a photo being shot in the field and its being released to the press varied between a week and three months. Often photos from the same sequence, and taken within moments of each other, were released many days apart. After studying hundreds of photos and photographers patterns begin to appear. A photo taken during, '...the second week of the great offensive action between Belgorod-Orel," and released to the press on August 24, 1943 can reasonably supposed to have been taken during the Zitadelle battle. If this photo shows Panzer IVs with the Das Reich Kursk-era unit symbol, and is credited to Zschaeckel, it gives a clue that Zschaeckel spent time with that unit. This can then be reinforced if another Zschaeckel photo released at about the same time shows a Das Reich Knight's Cross winner. Variations on this process were used to establish all of the assignments recorded below. Finally, issues of a wartime magazine (not Das Schwarz Korps) from a German archive were consulted. These listed the promotions and decorations accumulated by the SS-Kriegsberichter, and included every type of reporter. This is where the first names and other personal details of the men below were found. Already since this list was first posted some new names of photographers have been provided by visitors to this page. Anyone with press release photos or anything to add to the information is welcomed to share the details. This list is far from complete, and this is why it is named the "growing list." The hope is that it can continue to grow for a long time to come. Thanks for any help! |
| Adendorf, Peter Totenkopf 1942-1944, II. SS-Panzerkorps at Arnhem 1944, holder of the Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze and the Close Combat Clasp in Silver. |
| Ahrens, Anton? SS-Kavallerie Division 1943-1944 |
| Alefs, ? SS-Polizei Division 1944 |
| Altstadt, Willi commanded 5. Zug of the Kriegsberichter Abteilung with Wiking in the Caucasus 1942, won the Iron Cross I in August 1942, promoted to Untersturmfuehrer in March 1943, married February 23, 1943 |
| Apfel, Hans Ardennes 1944-1945 |
| Augustin, Paul LAH in the Kharkov campaign 1943, promoted to Hauptscharfuehrer March 1, 1943 and killed in action 19 days later on March 20. |
| Baumann, ? Totenkopf 1941 |
| Bayse, ? SS-Panzerkorps at Kursk (same as Buyse below?) |
| Brantsen, ? Legion Nederland 1942 |
| Budulis, Janis Unit unknown, Latvian? |
| Bueschel, Max SS-Kavallerie Brigade 1941, LAH at Kursk and Zhitomir 1943, still with LAH in winter of 1944, then briefly with Hohenstauffen early spring 1944 in Galicia, back with LAH late spring 1944 in Belgium |
| Buyse, Jan Flemish, Legion Flandern 1942, Untersturmfuehrer 1944, commanded the war reporters platoon of Division Langemarck 1944-1945. Holder of the Iron Cross II |
| Chlemacher, ? LAH 1943 |
| Dietel, ? Western Front 1945 |
| Duerr, ? LAH late 1941, Totenkopf 1943 |
| Fabiger, Erich III.(Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps at Narva 1944 |
| Fritsch, Ferdinand SS-Kavallerie Division 1943-1944, holder of the Wound Badge in Black and the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze |
| Fritz, Hans Waffen-SS staff in the Netherlands 1942-1944 |
| Frost, ? SS-Polizei Division 1944 |
| Gerber, Gerhard Unit unknown, served for a time on the Pressestelle des RFSS, holder of the Iron Cross II, promoted to NCO Candidate on January 30, 1944 |
| Goesling, Jobst commanded 10. Zug of the Kriegsberichter Abteilung with Nord 1941-1942, his platoon later moved to cover the Latvian 15. Waffen-Grenadier Division, holder of the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze |
| Gottschmann, Franz probably with Das Reich early 1942, then with Totenkopf at Demyansk later 1942, killed in action with the SS-Panzerkorps near Kharkov early 1943 |
| Groenert, Hermann Totenkopf 1943, Reichsfuehrer-SS Division early 1944, back to Totenkopf in Poland summer 1944, promoted to Unterscharfuehrer August 15, 1944, awarded the Iron Cross I during August 1944, also held the Infantry Assault Badge and the Wound Badge in Silver |
| Hilkenbach, ? Totenkopf late 1943 |
| Hoffmann, ? (several men with this name) SS-Panzerkorps at Kharkov early 1943, 2. Latvian SS-Infanterie Brigade autumn 1943 |
| Hoppe, Kurt SS-Kavallerie Division 1943, Reichsfuehrer-SS Division early 1944 |
| Jaeckisch, Fritz Ardennes 1944-1945, previously a movie cameraman, holder of the Wound Badge in Black |
| Jarolim, Alois Wiking 1943-1944, holder of the Infantry Assault Badge |
| King, Johan LAH 1943 |
| Koennecke, ? IV. SS-Panzerkorps near Warsaw, autumn 1944 |
| Kok, Cornelius Estonian, came to Wiking with SS-Panzergrenadier Bataillon Narwa in 1943, holder of the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze |
| Kraus, ? Eastern Front 1941 during Barbarossa |
| Kunzmann, Adolf SS-Fallschirmjäger Bataillon 500 1944 |
| Lechner, ? Eastern Front 1943 |
| Lindekens, Hugo Brigade Langemarck 1944, Flemish? |
| Ludwig, Hans LAH Winter 1943-1944, holder of the War Merit Cross with Swords II |
| Lueder, ? Normandy 1944 |
| Merz, Willi Totenkopf at Kharkov and Kursk 1943, Das Reich rebuilding in France early 1944, holder of the Iron Cross II |
| Mielke, Werner Legion Nederland during 1942, II. SS-Panzerkorps in Normandy |
| Moebius, Helmut Wiking 1943, Brigade Nederland spring 1944, holder of the Iron Cross I |
| Nachtwey, ? member of the war reporters platoon of Hitlerjugend spring 1944 |
| Neumann, Paul Served with (commanded?) several units, won the Iron Cross I during the spring of 1943, promoted to Untersturmfuehrer on November 9, 1943 |
| Niquille, Giovani (Nino) Nord 1942, SS-Skijaeger Kompanie Norge mid 1943, SS-Kavallerie Division late 1943, holder of the Wound Badge in Black, Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze, and the Iron Cross II |
| Pachnike, Klaus LAH early 1944, Hitlerjugend in Normandy, holder of the Wound Badge in Black and the Iron Cross II |
| Prochnow, Dieter Das Reich or Totenkopf late 1943 |
| Puttrich, ? Eastern Front(SS-Kavallerie Division?) late 1942 |
| Reinsberg, ? Legion Nederland 1942 |
| Roeder, ? Hitlerjugend in Normandy |
| Rose, Heinrich Unit unknown |
| Roth, Franz as Untersturmfuehrer commanded 7. Zug of the Kriegsberichter Abteilung assigned to LAH in 1941 for Greece and Barbarossa, holder of the Winter 1941-1942 Medal and the Iron Cross I, killed in action early 1943 |
| Rottensteiner, Ferdinand LAH winter 1943-1944, won the Iron Cross II August 1944 |
| Schremmer, Hans Totenkopf 1944 in Bessarabia and Poland |
| Schulz, ? Normandy 1944, Ardennes 1944-1945 |
| Slapak, Walter Wiking summer 1943, probably as commander of war reporters platoon, promoted to Untersturmfuehrer September 21, 1942 |
| Steinkopf, ? Festung Kuestrin 1945 |
| Stollberg, Willi Hitlerjugend in Normandy |
| Tillmann, ? Frundsberg at Nijmegen 1944 |
| Truoel, Hans III.(Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps in Estonia spring and summer 1944, won the Iron Cross II during August 1944 |
| Unger, ? IV. SS-Panzerkorps near Warsaw late 1944 |
| Westermann, ? Prinz Eugen 1944 |
| Wiesebach, ? Totenkopf and the SS-Kavallerie Brigade 1942 |
| Wisniewski, Bruno Nord 1942-1943, Brigade Nederland 1944, holder of the Iron Cross II |
| Wittmar, Gerhard Totenkopf 1942-1943, holder of the Demyansk Badge |
| Woscidlo, Wilfried Training staff for reporters 1942, Hitlerjugend 1943-1945 |
| Zschaeckel, Friedrich Eastern Front (Das Reich?) 1941, Nord 1942, Totenkopf at Kharkov 1943, Das Reich at Kursk, Hitlerjugend in Normandy, promoted to Obersturmfuehrer on April 20, 1943, holder of the Iron Cross I |
| Zeymer, Werner Eastern Front 1943, Totenkopf late summer 1943 |