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Ten days after World War 2 had taken the world by storm,
horde after horde of German soldiers was pouring into Poland in an overwhelming
attack to cripple the country's defenses as fast as possible. Wreaked by fear and disorganization,
the Polish troops desperately scrambled to slow down the invaders.
One day, a group of Polish recruits was guarding a railroad bridge near
Demblin that was critical to the German invasion and was preparing to demolish it.
However, a group of highly motivated Polish soldiers suddenly came marching in while singing
a Polish Army tune. The newcomers offered to take over the bridge and execute the demolition,
while the surprised commander tried to phone his superior to get directions.
Out of nowhere, a Ju-87 Stuka dive bomb strike hit the location, sending everyone into cover.
After the close call, the guards were happy to be relieved, leaving only a few men behind.
The new unit then guarded the bridge for five hours until the German Panzer Corps
arrived and attacked the remaining Polish personnel, causing a panic.
The unit then handed control of the bridge to the Germans and changed into German uniforms.
It was one of the first covert operations of the Brandenburg Commandos,
a group of elite Nazi special forces specialized in deception and sabotage...
The use of highly specialized elite combat forces like the Brandenburg Commandos can be traced back
to the days of Ancient Rome when its vast legions and deadly Praetorian Guard redefined combat.
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A Crucial Component
Germany's plan to swiftly conquer Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
to overwhelm France by using aggressive tank and air raid tactics was a risky and ambitious scheme.
For the strategy to work, the advancing German troops needed to use much of the railways,
roads, and bridges inside the countries they were
invading to cover vast territories and supply their forces in a short time.
Of course, as soon as the invasion began, the defending countries would quickly demolish
their own transportation structures to cripple the enemies' progress. Thus,
even before the war erupted, the Nazi high command knew they needed
to insert special agents deep within enemy territory to secure key assets.
To achieve this objective, Germany made use of
secretive agencies that had been in service since World War 1. One
of the covert operations organizations was Abwehr, controlled by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris,
a distinguished and clever officer with plenty of experience and a knack for languages.
In 1939, just as Germany prepared to conquer Europe, the organization consisted of three
sections. Abwehr I oversaw espionage and intelligence gathering, Abwehr II
specialized in sabotage and special units, and Abwehr III was tasked with counterintelligence.
Early Set-Up
Abwehr II was chosen to penetrate enemy territory and secure its infrastructure before the invasion.
Captain Theodor von Hippel was in charge,
an officer who had closely studied the use of commandos in Germany's African
colonies during World War 2 and diligently studied the writings of Lawrence of Arabia.
With a clear understanding of the requirements to build up a force for deceit and sabotage
operations, von Hippel began to recruit a small force of German fighting men from the border
regions of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia or the Silesian districts of Poland.
The officer also looked for loyal Germans who had lived abroad or had
expertise in the language and customs of potential enemies.
However, von Hippel also needed recruits to be resourceful, imaginative, independent,
and have a rebellious spirit not generally associated with a good soldier.
In addition, the members of the special forces had to be volunteers, as only recruits
would have the drive and passion needed for the extremely dangerous tasks they would undertake.
The initial group comprised 80 men, most of whom were of Polish origin
and highly proficient in the Polish language and culture.
After training, these men infiltrated the country and successfully passed as
Polish railway workers. The objective was to enable movement around the rail network,
which they would eventually try to secure.
Into Action
On September 1, 1939, just as the Wehrmacht began their incursion into Poland,
the infiltrated commandos pulled out concealed weapons and surprised the Poles.
One disguised group even convinced a body of Polish troops to board a train and leave.
The operation was ultimately successful, taking a large part of the railroad system
while the German forces began to operate from Katowice Junction.
Other groups, however, were not as successful. Some of them failed to be informed of a
last-minute delay on the overall invasion and blew their cover before it was time.
The Polish forces severely pummeled these commandoes, and Germany was forced to disavow
their existence, blaming Slovakian terrorists for the attacks instead.
Despite the setbacks, the special operations were deemed a critical success for Germany's
invasion, and Adolf Hitler immediately ordered the concept to be expanded.
As such, the groups were assembled at Brandenburg at the end of the
year and given the formal status of Bauler-Kompanie zbV 800 on October 25.
Moreover, the organization took the name of the town just west of Berlin where they were assembled
The Invasion of Holland
Germany could not afford to get entangled in Holland and needed to force a speedy
surrender to proceed with France's defeat. With this objective in mind,
the Brandenburgers were deployed to secure essential assets before the Panzer Corps arrived.
On the night of May 9, 1940, the Brandenburgers crossed the border and
headed toward a railway bridge just inside the Dutch border at Gennap. Securing the
crossing was vital for Germany as it was in the path of the 9th Panzer Division,
the only armored formation used in the invasion of the Netherlands.
To secure the bridge, the commandos assumed the roles of seven German prisoners escorted by two
Dutch soldiers; the “prisoners” were then taken to the bridge and suddenly attacked the position.
A fierce and baffling skirmish ensued, as the Dutch guards didn’t know how to
react. A well-placed grenade then delivered the desired effect and
detonated the moment the guards spotted German tanks approaching.
Despite the victory, the hazardous nature of such covert operations started to take its toll,
as the commander of the Brandenburgers was mistaken for a Dutchman by a lead German vehicle,
and he was cut down by machine-gun fire. The man would survive and go on to receive the Iron Cross.
Overall, the Brandenburgers' operations were a significant success, not only managing to
secure the bridge at Gennap but also seizing critical bridges in Roermond and Stavelot.
Belgium
The unique special forces continued their
successful streak by repeating their highly reliable formula in Belgium.
In World War 1, the Belgians had successfully flooded the Yser plain
by opening the sluice gates at Nieuwpoort, impeding the Germans’ progress and managing
to keep five percent of the Belgian territory despite overwhelming odds.
The German commandos were not willing to let that happen again, and on May 27, they
drew close to Oostende as Belgium was close to surrendering. Wearing Belgian infantry uniforms,
13 commandos then blended with a large crowd and boarded a Belgian Army bus.
Amid utter chaos and a sea of refugees, the Germans managed to reach Nieuwpoort and surprised
the British soldiers holding the bridge, then quickly changed into their German uniforms.
While their comrades kept the British busy, a pair of commandos crawled across the bridge
covered by darkness and cut the explosive charges just as a storm of bullets flew over their heads.
Upon reaching the far side, the two commandos opened fire on the perplexed British troops while
the rest of the Germans charged the bridge using sub-machine guns and hand grenades.
The Brandenburgers took control of the bridge and the pump houses in Nieuwpoort,
effectively preventing the Belgians from flooding the
Yser plain before the Germans conquered the entire country.
A Wild Bunch
After the fall of France, the commandos were recalled to Germany to train for
the eventual invasion of Britain. They were stationed in Quenzsee
for a period of intensive exercises and expansion to regiment strength.
Incoming recruits learned all the skills associated with special forces,
emphasizing deception techniques. The men underwent highly unorthodox training, regularly
paraded in foreign uniforms, and used a system of trust instead of obedience among the ranks.
Their complete disregard for military tradition soon earned them the disdain
of local military forces, as they would perform risky and brazen training exercises
like taking the fingerprints of the local chief of police without him realizing it or
capturing ten German soldiers in five hours and taking them to their base.
Soon, German regulars regarded the Brandenburgers
as an aberration of the German military tradition and values.
As time went on, it became clear that Operation Sea Lion and the invasion of
Britain would not take place anytime soon, so the Brandenburgers were instead deployed to serve
as precursors for Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union
By the time Germany was ready to pierce the Soviet borders, the Brandenburgers
had already infiltrated behind enemy lines. They wore Soviet
coats over their field uniforms and drove trucks previously seized by the Finns.
However, this time it wouldn't go as planned;
despite each detachment being led by an agent proficient in Russian, they were
unaware that the Soviets had employed a password system with a code that changed every night.
As a result, many units blew their cover before the main attack began.
Many Brandenburgers then found themselves attempting to flee
through the Russian forests while heavily engaged and with no hope of reinforcements.
The commandos suffered heavy casualties during those days,
but once the main attack began, the unit performed as successfully as ever.
The Russians were especially prone to detonating bridges as soon as
they detected any suspicious activity, so a new deception tactic was employed.
The Brandenburgers approached such bridges and structures aboard two Soviet trucks
driven by agents fluent in Russian. Then one of the trucks would cross the bridge
while shouting that they were being pursued by German tanks. Meanwhile,
the second truck would pretend to malfunction in the middle of the bridge, and the first truck
driver would plead to the Soviets not to blow the bridge up before the other truck could pass.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, some commandos would locate the explosive
charges and deactivate them before the Soviets realized what was happening.
In one particular instance, the situation became incredibly tense
when Soviet soldiers began to climb aboard the trucks filled with German
commandos. The disguised Germans were forced to fight the Russians with the butt of their
rifles inside the trucks as the drivers continued to carry on with the deception.
Still, the commander in charge of the bridge was determined to blow it up,
and the Germans were forced to abandon the deceit and take the post by force to
hold it for over 15 brutal minutes before the Panzer could arrive.
Later Years
As the war continued and Germany started to lose its grip, the role of the Brandenburgers
changed drastically. They continued to operate similarly to the early years of the war in the
African and Greek campaigns, but they were soon forced to fight as regular soldiers.
By 1944, with Germany on the defensive and the Allies holding a formidable intelligence network,
Germany could not sustain such significant covert operations.
Moreover, as men and resources dwindled, the remaining Brandenburgers were transformed
into a regular regiment tasked with defending their country.
The ex-commandos fought until the war's final weeks,
but most of them would not make it to the end.
Nevertheless, the Brandenburgers proved to be an essential component in Germany's early
Blitzkrieg tactics and its overwhelming success in conquering a large part of Europe in a short
period of time, ultimately fighting in the front line just like any regular soldier…
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