Why didn't the Nazis Have "Special Forces"

Wouldn't you consider that the American speaking units deployed during the Battle of the Bulge were special forces. I think that one of the biggest German problems was man power and just trying to keep their main units up to strength. I feel they did miss out a lot not having small attack forces like the SAS to play havoc behind Allied lines.
 
Many of the SS battalions could be classed special forces, and were used highly well armed shock troops. Britain used it's special forces to tie down huge number of German troops by raiding up down the vaunted Atlantic wall. In north Africa they were used to great effect.
Now changing the subject slightly just how many Special Forces did America have and what clandestine raids did they carry out during WW2
 
Hey, we had Gomer Pyle dammit! He could fudge anything up!
Also, let's not forget the great Archie Bunker as well, Ooh-Rah!

picture49.gif

 
Last edited:
LeEnfield said:
Now changing the subject slightly just how many Special Forces did America have and what clandestine raids did they carry out during WW2
Click to expand...

Marine Raiders-Makin Island raid-3 Companies of the 2nd (Carlsons Raiders)

Navy NCSDU'S -UDT's- Scout Raiders- Conducted Pre invasion recon, Demo and beach survey in both ETO and PTO.

Army Alamo Scouts in the PTO conducted advanced recon and raids.

Multi Service OSS Jedburg teams in all theaters conducted training of partisians and gathered intel as well as assisted downed aviators.
 
LeEnfield said:
Wouldn't you consider that the American speaking units deployed during the Battle of the Bulge were special forces. I think that one of the biggest German problems was man power and just trying to keep their main units up to strength. I feel they did miss out a lot not having small attack forces like the SAS to play havoc behind Allied lines.
Click to expand...


That's special operations no matter how you look at it.
 
One of the most productive raids was carried out my my old Regiment at Bruneval where they waltzed of with a German radar apparatus for the cost of handful of men yet saved thousands of allied aircrew lives
 
As far as behind enemy lines sabotage, etc, the Germans did land a couple teams on the East Coast of the US early in the war with money and munitions to blow rail lines and set up local resistance cells in the Americas. Unfortunately their first landing was spotted by a lone American sentry and their cache was found. The agents did make it to New York where they decided it was better to live the high-life with the Third Reich's money. They also went around calling and visiting old friends and family, telling them why they were back in the States. They got nabbed pretty quick and gave up the other teams names and locations to the FBI.
 
I thought that group had landed to set a spy and sabotage groups amongst the German sections of America, are do class spies as as Special Forces
 
During the Cold War, US Army Special Forces detachments were pre-positioned at various locations in West Germany and Berlin. These teams were to blend into the local population, when a Soviet invasion occurred, and form teams for sabotage and intelligence gathering. Just as the OSS did in WWII.
 
AussieNick said:
I've been reading up on the topic of special forces operations, and it seems to me that the Nazis never used "special forces" as we know them now. The SS were not commandos as such, and did not operate clandestinly, or teach/work with guerilla soldiers.

It is interesting that the British/French/Australian/Americans all had commandos, the SAS, OSS, SOE etc etc etc, and they cultivated guerilla warfare to aid their cause, but the Nazis didn't use this effective weapon.
We know that the Brits developed commandos because they knew they couldn't face the German army toe to toe in regular combat alone. They needed an edge. Why didn't the Nazis, when they had seen how effective they were.

Not to say the Nazis didn't have daring, commando style raids, but they were soldiers from regular units, trained for the job, then returned to their units once the job was done.

Anybody have any thoughts on the issue of special forces and why the Nazis never used the system.
Click to expand...

Firstly, the SOE and the OSS weren't special forces units. They were intelligence agencies created at the start of the war to help set Europe on fire. That phrase does not mean they dropped groups of armed insurgents all over occupied Europe. To understand what these agencies did, read A Man Called Intrepid by W. Stevenson. The Germans did have Special forces. Notably the Brandenburgers, who had exploits on every front. Also, Otto Skorzeny's group of Fallschirmjager, Waffen SS and former petty criminals could be described as a special force. The Brandenburgers were actually an arm of the Abwehr, the German secret service.
 
Last edited:
well i know that the soe and the oss were forerunners of modern special ops units and comands take the us army special forces for example they decended from the oss.
 
Well yes and no. Jedburg teams operated with the local resistance and acted much like the USASF-ODA's do today. In an advisory role. Thats why Army Special Forces has them included in their lineage. But on the whole alot of OSS operators were intel gathers.
 
Despite not being Special Forces, I have nothing but the highest regard for SOE and OSS operatives, operating in enemy territory at risk of being caught, tortured and executed. Extremely brave men and women.

I remember the story of an OSS operator being caught by a German officer while eating a meal in a crowded restaurant. The reason he was caught, he had the American habit of eat with the fork in the right hand. European always use the left hand, with the knife in the right.

Despite intense training, such a simple mistake cost the man his life.
 
BritinAfrica..........That episode about an American spy using his fork was in a film and there has never been anything about it being in real life
 
Special Forces was mainly a British Activity. They raided up and down the coasts of Norway, France and North Africa, they also parachuted in teams of SAS men into Germany,Italy, and North Africa with heavily armed jeeps and roamed around the country gathering information and and shooting the place up. If caught they were immediately executed. Then there were the raids on the shipping and other Axis shipping that was carried out in France, Norway, and Malaya. This tied down about 500,000 German troops and Hitler kept about 300.000 German Soldiers in Norway just to stop these raids
 
The thread is very long but has no one mentioned Otto Skorzeny? Operation Long Jump and Operation Griffin?

Whilst the Wehrmacht didn't have formed "irregular fighting" units they did create them for specific operations, some accomplished brilliantly.

Apologies if I'm repeating someone else, but Otto does desrve credit, his rescue of Mussolini wasn't a assymetrical warfare, as were the gains made during Op Griffin (The Battle of the Bulge.).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top