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Did the Liebstandarte indeed prepare to be shipped to Africa?

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Abteilung wrote:Did the Liebstandarte indeed prepare to be shipped to Africa?
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I don't know about the LIEBstandarte, oerhaps the LEIBstandarte did. HN

I also read that the 3rd SS Panzer-Division prepared to go to Africa. Is that true?

LEIBstandarte, my bad

So, correction: Did the Leibstandarte indeed prepare to be shipped to Africa?

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Yes, the situation on the eastern front changed this though.

Best regards/ Daniel

Thank you Daniel.

Who has details about Leibstandarte preparations for Africa? Did they receive special tropical equipment?

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Abteilung wrote:Thank you Daniel.

Who has details about Leibstandarte preparations for Africa? Did they receive special tropical equipment?

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There were no real preparations to go to Afrika like changing vehicles, uniforms and so on (At least I never found evidence). These were possibilities which were depending on the situation. A officer of Das Reich I interviewed said also that they heard rumours about going to Afrika but they were then sent to Russia because of the situation there.
But when a division was in refreshment in France the top rumours were always when and WHERE they will go.

\Christoph

Thank you Christoph

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Servus Abteilung
I spoke to several veterans of the Totenkopf, which was in the south of France in late summer 42 through early 43. They told me that some of their vehicles had been painted desert sand in preparation for a deployment to Africa. They futher stated that in addition to their division, the LAH, DR and the HG division were slated to go to Africa and that those plans changed due to the Stalingrad situation. It could well be that Christoph is right, that this was just soldiers rumors or, possibly, a deception plan. Who knows?

Regards
Helmut

Hello,

As far as I remember (and according to Lehmann - Leibstandarte II - and Tiemann - 7.kompanie ) the Leibstandarte was only ordered to do some fitness tests for tropical weather among its soldiers and this probably caused the widespread rumors.

cheers

Thank you all for the clarification.

The 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" could have made the defeat of the Afrika Korps impossible. These SS Panzer Divisions (like Das Reich, Totenkopf, and Leibstandarte) where hardcore fighting elites from the Eastern front.

they would have been a great tool in the hands of Erwin Rommel and most likely would have driven the Allies out of Africa. Once into Egypt they could wipe out the British 8th Army and begain a drive into the middle east, and seccessfully cuting off the lease lend supply line threw the middle east and giving Germany a endless supply of oil and yet another front from which to assault the USSR.

2nd SS Panzer Das Reich wrote:These SS Panzer Divisions (like Das Reich, Totenkopf, and Leibstandarte) where hardcore fighting elites from the Eastern front.

LSSAH trained for deployment in Africa during refitting in Metz (late 1940 - early 1941), so a) Those units were no Panzerdivisions at that time. LSSAH for example was an Infanterie-Brigade (mot.) and b) There was no Eastern Front at that time so "hardcore fighting elites from the Eastern front" were non-existant.

2nd SS Panzer Das Reich wrote:The 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" could have made the defeat of the Afrika Korps impossible. These SS Panzer Divisions (like Das Reich, Totenkopf, and Leibstandarte) where hardcore fighting elites from the Eastern front.

they would have been a great tool in the hands of Erwin Rommel and most likely would have driven the Allies out of Africa. Once into Egypt they could wipe out the British 8th Army and begain a drive into the middle east, and seccessfully cuting off the lease lend supply line threw the middle east and giving Germany a endless supply of oil and yet another front from which to assault the USSR.

This statement shows your total lack of knowledge about WW2 and general military issues. I blame that on your young age but please spare this RESEARCH forum with such childish, ridiculous statements.

\Christoph

Exactly. Sending three more fully equipped panzerdivisions to Africa in early 1941 could have tipped the scale in Africa in favour of the Germans regardless of these units being Waffen-SS or Heer.

If send to Tunesia in early 1943 (instead of Charkow), like the rumours suggested (see the above post by Helmut) I doubt they could have made such a difference that it had propelled the Germans back into action all the way to Egypt (as suggested by 2SSPDR).

BTW, in late 1942 - early 1943 mentioned Waffen-SS units still were no Panzer-Divisions