Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.
Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.
Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.
Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.
The first paramilitary unit to have the abbreviation SS (German: Schutz Staffel) in its name was the personal protection of the dictator of the Third Reich called Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, which was officially formed in 1933. From 1934, the SS was an independent formation headed by Heinrich Himmler. With time, further SS units were formed, including the SS-Totenkopfverbände and the SS-Verfügungstruppe. It is worth adding that the latter was trained similarly to regular Wehrmacht infantry units. On a relatively small scale, SS units were used in combat during the fighting in Poland in 1939 and in the French campaign in 1940. The first units intended from the beginning to fight at the front were created in mid-1940, giving them the name of the Waffen SS. Initially, they were recruited on a voluntary basis, also among non-German people, but over time, compulsory recruitment began to apply. Within the Waffen-SS, many divisions of different combat value were formed. Nevertheless, a few of them (e.g. the 1st SS LAH Panzer Division, the 2nd SS Das Reich Panzer Division or the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Panzer Division) can be considered elite units, with very high combat value and often equipped with the best available equipment. They demonstrated their considerable advantages not only on the Eastern Front (1941-1945), especially during the battles near Kharkiv in 1943, but also during the battles in France in 1944. Another thing is that the quality of the commanding staff of these units was in many cases debatable, and many Waffen-SS soldiers committed war crimes during World War II.
Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.
Josef Diefenthal was born in October 1915 and died in April 2001 at the age of 86. He was a German armored officer serving within the Waffen-SS. Josef Diefenthal joined the NSDAP at a relatively young age, and shortly thereafter into the Waffen-SS. At the age of 24, he took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland. In the course of these activities, he showed considerable personal courage and tactical sense. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class. From 1941, he served on the Eastern Front, and in early 1944 he was transferred to France to prepare to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy. In 1944 he fought in France. During the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945, he commanded the 3rd battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of the 1st Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. In February 1945, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements during the battles in the Ardennes and battles in the Bastogne region. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment, and finally - lightened to 10 years in prison. Josef Diefenthal was released from prison in 1956.