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A symbol began appearing across the walls of Germany near the end of World War
II. It looked like a hastily drawn swastika but with a short vertical line in the middle
intersected by a longer horizontal line with hooks at both ends. It was the mark of the Werewolves.
As the war was coming to its inevitable conclusion,
the Nazi Party ordered every German to: (QUOTE) "stand his ground and do or die
against the Allied armies, who are preparing to enslave Germans." The
Nazi Werewolves were the last desperate attempt to keep this ideology alive.
The fighters’ purpose was not to delay the Allied occupation but to sow fear among them
with a covert resistance force that would continue the Nazi strive. More than guerrilla fighters,
the group performed like terrorists and would take down isolated soldiers or haunt back roads.
The war was over, but the Werewolves still terrorized American soldiers...
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Inspiration
The invasion of Normandy in June of 1944 proved the beginning of the end for the German Empire. As
the nation crumbled and the Allies started to take control, the Nazi Party sought new ways to keep
their ideology alive. Untested powerful weapons were approved, and a contingency plan was forged.
Germanic folklore fascinated Hitler from the beginning, and he incorporated elements
from occult legends into Nazism. Upon thorough research from the mystical and sublime symbolism
of Christianity to the grim and esoteric corners of witchcraft, a figure stood out: it was that of
the misunderstood werewolves, which historian Eric Kurlander described as: (QUOTE) “flawed,
but well-meaning characters who may be bestial but are tied to the woods, the blood, the soil.”
A popular novel by Hermann Löns published in 1910, ‘Der Wehrwolf,’ narrated the compelling
adventure of individuals who were caught in the grip of mighty forces and struggled to survive.
The characters only found comfort in the Volk, a close-racial community, and ordinary people
transformed into fierce warriors and were capable of: (QUOTE) “terrible but beautiful” actions.
The powerful image appealed to a united racial community and inspired the Nazis to
take on the emblem. The creature would symbolize German strength and spirit,
stimulating fantasies of vengeance against the occupants of the sacred soil of Germany.
A movement was born from folkloric inspiration, and the strategy was divided into two:
an official campaign of paramilitary soldiers, and an ensemble of partisan fighters.
The Werewolves
Rumors of a secret Nazi guerilla organization spread in tandem with speculation about the
Germans wanting to prolong the war indefinitely. Such paramilitary tactics had proven effective in
1943 when a small group of commandos rescued Benito Mussolini from a prison in Italy.
Historian Perry Biddiscombe explained that: (QUOTE) “The original strategy in 1944-45
was not to win the war by guerrilla operations, but merely to stem the tide,
delaying the enemy long enough to allow for a political settlement favorable to Germany.”
A decentralized force was then created so that groups could operate independently in
case it collapsed. These groups would be commanded by regional leaders.
In late 1944, Heinrich Himmler initiated Operation Werwolf and appointed Hans Adolf Prützmann
as General Inspector of Special Defence. Prützmann was tasked with forming a group of volunteer
forces and turning them into elite fighters capable of operating discreetly behind enemy lines
as the Allies advanced through Germany. Meanwhile, the formal Army would attack from the front.
The Werewolves were never intended to be a guerilla-style force, let alone a resistance
after Germany's defeat. These units were always planned as legitimate military or paramilitary
formations and were never intended to act apart from the German High Command.
They would even wear formal uniforms and be treated like soldiers in case of capture.
Prützmann set up the headquarters in Berlin and soon began planning the organization of the force.
He had studied guerrilla tactics used by Soviet partisans in the occupation of Ukraine,
which he would pass on to the new recruits.
On January 27, 1945, the American magazine ‘Collier’s Weekly’ featured an article detailing
that elite SS and Hitler Youth were being recruited and trained to attack Allied forces,
and it opened with a remark by Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels that read:
(QUOTE) "The enemy will be taken in the rear by the fanatical population, which will ceaselessly
worry him, tie down strong forces and allow him no rest or exploitation of any possible success."
However, within Nazi ranks, Hans Adolf Prützmann was regarded as inefficient and uninspired,
while Walter Schellenberg, Head of Foreign Intelligence,
considered the whole operation: (QUOTE) “criminal and stupid.”
The plan ultimately failed due to internal bureaucracy chaos and insufficient military
supplies. And there were no monumental gains other than spreading terror among occupying soldiers.
Don’t Trust Anyone
A second attempt to recruit men for Werewolf ranks began in early 1945, with Goebbels emitting
national radio broadcasts urging civilians to join the movement. His infamous “Werwolf Speech” was
broadcast on March 23, 1945, in which he incited the population to fight to their last breath.
Goebbels dreamed of an authentic movement of fanatics and revolutionaries even though the
Werewolves were actually no more than partisans who harassed enemy lines with little impact.
Still, subsequent attacks ignited plenty of confusion, as it was difficult to tell
whether they had been perpetrated by the partly organized Werewolves or by a group of fanatics.
On Easter Sunday in April of 1945, Goebbels’s broadcast started with the howling of a wolf,
followed by an ominous announcement: (QUOTE) “Hate is our prayer. Revenge is our battle cry.”
A female voice then gloated: (QUOTE) “I am so savage, I am filled with rage,
Lily the Werewolf is my name. I bite, I eat, I am not tame. My werewolf teeth bite the enemy.
And then he’s done and then he’s gone.”
American authorities took the threat seriously. As collected by Stephen G. Fritz in his book
‘Endkampf,’ a report from May 1945 stated: (QUOTE) “The Werewolf organization is not a myth…
In every important city, the Werewolf organization is directed by an officer of the SD…
The membership of the Werewolves is made up of persons of all ages and of both sexes,
with a high proportion of under twenty years of
age… The present cadres of the Werewolves are estimated to number more than 2000.”
The US troops were provided with a manual, ‘Pocket Guide No. 10,’ that contained hefty reminders that
the Germans did not recognize the concept of “fair play,” and were not to be trusted.
Soldiers were constantly reminded to keep their distance and their eyes open.
The manual also read: (QUOTE) “You are in enemy country!
These people are not our allies or our friends… However friendly and repentant,
however sick of the Nazi Party, the Germans have sinned against the laws of humanity and
cannot come back into the civilized fold by merely sticking out their hands and saying ‘I’m sorry…’”
The Armed Forces Radio similarly claimed: (QUOTE) “Every friendly German civilian is
a disguised soldier of hate. Armed with the inner conviction that the Germans are still
superior... [they believe] that one day it will be their destiny to destroy you.
Their hatred and their anger... are deeply buried in their blood. A smile is their
weapon by which to disarm you... In heart, body and spirit, every German is Hitler.”
Futile Attempts
After May of 1945, an uneasy calm settled in the war-consumed nation. German civilians were mostly
exhausted by years of war and did not bother joining a fanatical last stand. However, several
holdouts were scattered across the country, and snipers would still fire at Allied soldiers.
Lieutenant Otto Scorzeny and Jurgen Stroup were in charge of the Werewolf
trainees during their last phase, and both were stunned at the level
that the propaganda had exaggerated the proportions of the actual forces.
Still, the Werewolves did succeed in taking down several German mayors who cooperated with
the Allies and were considered traitors. Frank Oppenhof, mayor of Akin, was one of them. He was
located by a group of secret operatives while the unit pretended to be lost pilots looking for the
front lines. Oppenhof then tried to persuade them to surrender, and was shot in the spot.
The press also helped perpetuate fear, as newspaper headlines dramatically overplayed
the reality. One of them read: (QUOTE) “Fury of Nazi ‘Werewolves’ to Be Unleashed on Invaders.”
The illusion of an organized secret resistance was unknowingly created by
the real efforts to build such a force, and every accident or misfortune that happened
to the Allied invaders after Hitler’s suicide was credited to the Werewolves.
Though the fear of a Nazi insurgency was tangible, it has been argued that the last-standing Nazis
did more damage to their own people than the foreigners. In addition, strict regulations were
placed upon German citizens, and the distrust worsened their already poor living conditions.
Whereas the psychological impact on the Allies was quite effective, the Werewolf
movement did little to help German citizens. The paranoia would continue for years resulting
in thousands of casualties, but it eventually dissipated as the nation returned to stability.
The imminent threat of the Nazi Werewolves never materialized,
and now remains nothing but a vague image of the desperation in the last leg of the war.
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