Sonder Lehrgang Oranienburg
German special forces unit during WW2
Sonderlehrgang z.b.V. "Oranienburg" (Special training course for special assignments "Oranienburg") was a commando and special forces unit of Nazi Germany 's SS . It was assembled in early 1942 on the order of SS- Obergruppenführer Hans Jüttner as a rival to the Heer 's Brandenburg Regiment.
Originally based at Oranienburg in Brandenburg , the unit consisted of 100 experienced volunteers from the Waffen-SS under the command of SS- Hauptsturmführer Pieter van Vessem .
Their first operational mission ( Operation Osprey ) was a proposed deployment to Ireland but this never transpired. In early 1943, five members of the unit were parachuted into Iran to assist guerrilla opposition to the Allied occupation .
Early in the summer of 1943, SS Sonderlehrgang Oranienburg moved to a purpose-built facility in nearby Friedenthal and was re-designated SS Sonderlehrgang zbV Friedenthal - the ‘zbV’ in the unit’s title stood for "zur besonderen Verwendung" , i.e. it indicated special duties. At this time, the unit consisted of one full company under the command of SS-Hauptsturmführer van Vessem, as well as part of another company and a transport element. Comprising a total of 300 men, all personnel were members of the Waffen-SS, which included fifty Dutchmen and Flemings , with a few ethnic Germans from Hungary .
Shortly after this, the unit came under the command of Otto Skorzeny and was absorbed into SS-Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal in June 1943. In October/November the unit was renamed 502nd SS Jäger Battalion .
Development
- Sonderlehrgang z. b. V. „Oranienburg“ (18 April 1943 – 16 June 1943)
- Sonderverband z. b. V. "Friedenthal" (16 June 1943 – 17 April 1944)
- SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 (17 April 1944 – 10 November 1944)
-
SS-Jagdverband Mitte (10 November 1944 – 8 Mai 1945)
- 150. SS-Panzer-Brigade (November 1944 - 25-28 December 1944)
- Division Schwedt Kampfgruppe/Sperrverband Skorzeny (31 January 1945 – 3 March 1945)
References
- O'Reilly, Terence (2008). Hitler's Irishmen . Mercier Press. ISBN 978-1-85635-589-6 .