Waffen SS in North Africa

Is anyone aware of any Waffen SS activities or presence in North Africa? Anything whatsoever?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There were no Waffen-SS units of any sort in North Africa at any time. However, the notorious SD ( the Security Police branch of the SS ) did maintain an Office in Tunis. These personnel would not have worn black or field grey in such a location , but tropical pattern uniform. A photo exists of an SS Officer wearing the 'Afrika' campaign cuffband on his left sleeve. The possibility of personnel in SS uniform being seen in Tunis, and photos such as the one just mentioned may have given rise to speculation that SS troops were in North Africa, but certainly no Waffen-SS combat personnel ever served there.

Well, for most of the desert campaign, the Afrika Korp consisted of 15th Panzer, 22 Panzer, and the 90th (Light) divisions. There were no SS units in the AK.

After the retreat to Tunisia, I believe another Panzer division was added. I don't believe that any SS units served in North Africa.

What I know of there was no Waffen-SS activities of any significanse in North Africa. The international part of Waffen-SS used the threat of communism as its main argument to get youngsters out of the occupied countrys to sign on. This could be a reason why.

Mats Gahnstrom

No Waffen-SS units served in North Africa. According to some published sources, this was due to personal intervention by Erwin Rommel, who had acquired a strong dislike for the Waffen-SS during the french campaign in 1940. He reportedly was disgusted by reports of atrocities carried out by W-SS troops, most notably the infamous mass killing of 100+ Canadian POWs by members of the 3rd SS-Panzergrenadier Division 'Totenkopf'. At least one source has quoted Rommel as saying something to the effect that '...wherever those thugs from the SS go, rape and murder follow.' When Hitler offered Rommel command of the DAK, Rommel accepted on the condition that he could choose his units and that the Waffen-SS was kept out of 'his' theatre of operations.

During the final stages of fighting in Tunisia in early 1943, the Army units were augmented by some Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger units.

Hope this helps.

My various readings on Rommel concur with this. Yet he somehow got along very well indeed with Sepp Dietrich in Normandy. . .
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

These PWs were British (Norfolks?), not Canadian. 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade and supporting arms went to France via Calais and moved inland by train, but the contingent was quickly extracted (without most of its transport, but *with* its guns, thanks to the obstinacy of the Royal Canadian Artillery) before engaging the Germans. A few men were lost as PWs, but not to the SS.

In addition to the bitter end in the French colonies, the Ramcke (sp?) Brigade of Fallschirmjager fought in North Africa, this being during the offensive phase of the war.

I would imagine that the impending arrival of history's greatest invasion armada from the other side of the Channel encouraged cooperation. But let's not forget that at this very time Rommel was active in the movement to kill Hitler. And paid for that with his life not long after.

Maybe I missed something (I've quoted Sensha's message in whole), but the FJ were not SS.

Ed Frank

Some writers have been confused about the presence of the Waffen-SS in N. Africa. This might be because of some Luftwaffe units, including the Herman Goring Div. using SS camoflage clothing in the Medditerranean theater of operations. Have seen a number of pics of Luftwaffe guys in N.A. wearing SS cammo smocks.

regards, peter