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Old March 6th, 2023 #1
jagd messer
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Default Danes awarded the Knights Cross ? Ritterkreuz

Søren Kam one of the three Danes awarded the Knight's Cross


A life without a homeland: Søren Kam's memories.





Et liv uden fædreland: Søren Kams erindringer
by John T. Lauridsen, Mikkel Kirkebaek




Exiled for life from his native Danmark by the threat of a lengthy prison term. The story of Hitler's elite soldier who became a hated man in Denmark. The privileged son of a merchant from Charlottenlund volunteers for the SS already at 18 years-old. He becomes a Nazi celebrity and meets both Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.


Søren Kam volunteered for the Waffen-SS in June 1940 and served with SS Division Wiking, like the other Danes who joined early in the war. Kam remained in Wiking for the rest of his service, while most Danes served in Free Corps Denmark and later SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Danmark" of SS Division Nordland. As such, it seems like Kam mostly served with Germans, and he commonly describes conversations he had during the war in German. On 30th January 1943, Kam became an Untersturmführer (Lieutenant) in the Waffen-SS. In summer 1943, Kam was selected to form the Schalburg Corps in Denmark, originally intended to be a Danish variant of the Waffen-SS in regards to military training and ideological schooling, but was mostly known for its anti-partizan activities in Denmark. In 1945, he won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, as company chief in Regiment Germania of Division Wiking, for defending a hill in Poland against all odds, allowing many friendly troops to escape. While Kam is overwhelmingly known in Denmark for the murder on editor Clemmensen, it seems like he is most famous internationally for being awarded the Knight's Cross. This makes him one of only three Danish Knight's Cross recipients. The Danish Waffen-SS volunteers were never punished for war crimes or other activities outside of Denmark, and as such only spent a few years in prison following the war for treason. However, an accomplice in the murder, Flemming Helweg-Larsen, was executed for it in 1946, and Kam would never officially return to Denmark after the war. Kam obtained German citizenship and was protected by Germany when Denmark later sought his extradition for punishment in Denmark. Kam lived in Bavaria to the end of his life and was very active in the post-war Waffen-SS veteran community to his death in 2015.
Published by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in 2017.


Vid:

Greatest moment of Soren's life at 38 min of this 59 min vid.

Source:




Vid really worth watching. A real Hero. Ein echter Held.
 
Old March 7th, 2023 #2
jagd messer
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Default


Three Danes won the Ritterkreutz / Knight's Cross.


They were:

Søren Kam (a platoon & company commander in Reg. Germania),

the others being Egon Christophersen (NCO in 7./Reg. Danmark)

and Johannes Hellmers (commander of 6. Kompanie in the Dutch Reg. De Ruyter).

Freikorps "Danmark" and SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt. 24
 
Old March 7th, 2023 #3
jagd messer
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Default Egon Christophersen Ritter Kreuz



Egon Christophersen Ritter Kreuz

Egon Christophersen | Forum
warrelics.eu›forum/german…egon-christophersen-492/

He was one of the first Danes that served in the Waffen-SS. I got this postcard and several of his private items from his daughter several years ago. He was a member of 7 Kompanie SS Panzer Gren Regt. Danmark , he won the RK in June 1944 for close combat in the southern part of the Narva Bridgehead around outpost Sonnenschein. He was the first Dane who recieved the Knight Cross.

Egon Christophersen was a Unterscharführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was the first of three Danes to be recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II. He survived the war and died in Denmark at the age of 68.

Early life
Egon Christophersen was born on 8 February 1919 in Strøby in Stevns, Denmark. He attended the local school in Strøby from the age of seven and worked on the experimental farm Little Køgegaard from the age of fourteen with his three brothers.

World War II
During World War II, Christophersen joined the DNSAP and became a member of its Storm Section (SA). He volunteered to join the Waffen SS on 7 April 1941. He was posted to Graz to complete his basic training with the Training and Reserve Battalion, SS Regiment Der Führer. After completing his training he was posted to 11th Company, SS Regiment Norland, 5th SS Division Wiking in August 1941, later transferring to the 9th Company.

SS Wiking was by now engaged on the Eastern Front and Christophersen was again transferred, this time to 2nd Company, SS Regiment Norland. In May 1942, he was promoted to Sturmmann. He was wounded in the right and left thighs during fighting in the Caucasus and was evacuated to a military hospital in September 1942. After recovering from his wounds, he was posted to the SS Regiment Westland Training and Reserve Battalion in Graz.

Christophersen remained in Graz until February 1943, when he returned to his former division, Wiking, now a SS Panzergrenadier Division. He was awarded the Iron Cross II class for his bravery in the Caucasus and in May, was promoted to Unterscharführer.

In May 1943 Christophersen was transferred to the new SS Division 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland which was formed around the SS Regiment Norland, based in Grafenwohr. He was assigned to 7th Company, 24th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Danmark, which was mostly made up of soldiers from Denmark. After completing of its formation training, his unit was sent to Croatia to counter Josip Broz Tito's Partisans. Egon's brother Viggo, who had also joined the Waffen SS, was killed during this time.

The 11th SS Norland together with the 5th SS Wiking now formed the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps and moved to the front line in the former Baltic states at Narva.

Narva
Christophersen and the 7th Company were dug in south of Narva and east of the Kreenholm beside the borough of Dolgaya Niva. They come under attack on 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 May and 12 June from strong Russian forces. It was for his actions on 12 June that Chistophersen became the first Danish volunteer to receive the Knight's Cross. On that day, a strong Russian attack force overran outpost Sunshine held by members of the 7th Company on the far southeastern corner of the Narva Front, and began to besiege both the remnants of the 7th and the II.Battalion. Acting upon his own initiative, Christophersen assembled all of the survivors of 7th Company that he could find in no man's land and led them in a counterattack to regain the old company positions. In the course of fierce hand-to-hand combat with a powerful enemy force, he and his men were able to recapture Outpost Sunshine and stabilize the front. He was immediately awarded the Iron Cross (1st Class) by battalion commander Hauptsturmführer Heinz Hämel. He was also nominated for the Knight's Cross which he soon received on 11 July 1944. Only three Danes received the Knight's Cross during World War II. The two other Danes were Obersturmführers Soeren Kam and Johannes Helmers, both of whom were officers.

Post war
Christophersen survived the war and returned to live in Køge in Denmark. He worked at Ørum Hansen's Machinefactory for over thirty years. He died on 15 January 1988.


Egon Christophersen | Military Wiki | Fandom
07 III 2023.


 
Old March 8th, 2023 #4
jagd messer
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Default SS - Haupsturmfuhrer Johannes Hellmers Ritterkreuz



SS - Haupsturmfuhrer Johannes Hellmers

(23rd April 1918 - 15th of December 1999)

Johannes Hellmers

The most decorated Danish SS-volunteer was Johannes Hellmers. A veteran of the "Frikorps Danmark" (Danish legion), he fought bravely on the Eastern front until the surrender of nazi Germany.


Awards:


Iron Cross 2nd Class: April 20, 1943
Iron Cross 1st Class: July 30, 1944
Panzerkampfabzeichen (Bronze): October 20, 1944.
Close Combat Clasp (Bronze): November 9, 1944.
German Cross in Gold: December 18, 1944.
Knights Cross of the I.C.: March 5, 1945.


He had joined the Danish army in 1937 where he was trained to be an NCO. After a short break from the army he returned and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, in May of 1939. On April 9th, 1940 Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany as part of operation Weserubung. Short skirmisches took place along the southern borders of Denmark. Lying in wait for the german armoured vehicles was also 3 light AT-guns. After shooting up three uncomming panzers 1 crew was eliminated and the others surrendered to the overwhelming german forces. The leaders of the 2 other AT-guns both volunteered to the Waffen-SS, one of the men being Hellmers. He volunteered to the Waffen-SS in 1941 and was involved in the "Frikorps Danmark" fighting in the Demjansk pocket along side the 3rd SS-Div."Totenkopf". Then occured some unrest in the "Frikorps Danmark", because of none-national-socialists leaders having to face the hardcore nazis from the Danish naziparty. The commander (Kryssing) and Hellmers, along with others not being part of the hardcore nazis, were tranferred to other units. Hellmers was transferred to the "Totenkopf" Division, (SS-Infanterie regiment 9 (The later "Thule"). He fought with unit also in Kracow, Russia, where he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the woundbadge in black.

From October 1943 to March 1944 he was cadet at the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz and was part of the 3 team of Germanic officers to be trained. After this successful education he was transferred once again to the 23rd SS-Div. "Nederland" (Dutch), 6 company under 49th SS-Regiment "De Ruyter". He commanded the his unit in the violent defensive battles in Estonia around the strongpoint of Narwa. Nederland being part of the III Germanic SS-Corps fought along side many other European volunteers. The defensives battles that followed in the Baltic and ended at Kurland was the reason for Hellmers Knights Cross accommodation. Hellmers was ordered to cover retreating troops and in this process he along with a few men where cought up behind enemy lines. They where chased about the countryside for ten days before they could escape through lines held by strong russians armour. For this achievement he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. Back with his unit he was again involved in hard fighting that earned him the Panzerkampfabzeichen (Bronze) and the Close Combat Clasp (Bronze). His Knight Cross was awarded after an Counterattack in Kurland. Hellmers troops were dug in and around the City of Kaleti. Here his unit managed to resist strong attacks from large formations of russian infantry and armour. Hellmers, armed with an Mp, was leading the counterattacks personally and led his men to a desicive victory which halted the Russian offensive. Hellmers had with his personal leadership and men avoided a major disaster to the hard pressed German frontline in the hole area.

He was awarded his Knights Cross on March 5, 1945, as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of the 6th company in the SS-Freiw.Pz.Gren.Rgt. 49 "De Ruyter". A nationalist and a nazi he was able to stay relatively out of the media after the war. He lived a withdrawn life in Denmark until his death in 1999..


By Pz_Kugelblitz

Johannes Hellmers - FreeServers 08 III 2023
 
Old March 13th, 2023 #5
jagd messer
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Default Per Sorensen - Danish Army

Per Sorensen - Danish Army

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...2E&FORM=IQFRBA

Født: 24. september 1913 i Essenbæk ved Randers, Danmark.
Dræbt i kamp: 24. april 1945 i Niederschöneweide, Berlin, Tyskland.


Sønderjyden Per Sørensen var en af krigens højest respekterede danske soldater. Han var en dygtig officer, der med kyndigt overblik og taktisk snilde ledte sine mænd gennem mange slag.

Per Sørensen melder sig til Waffen-SS, da Frikorps Danmark bliver dannet i juli 1941. Da er han en succesfuld premierløjtnant i den danske hær. Han melder sig trygt til tysk tjeneste, da den danske regering har stillet officerer i udsigt, at de efter krigen kan vende tilbage til den danske hær.

Per Sørensen er med i Frikorpsets kampe ved Demjansk og senere ved Welikije Luki, hvor han såres den 25. december 1942, men nægter at tage på lazaret før russernes angreb er slået tilbage.

Da Frikorpset bliver til regiment Danmark følger Per Sørensen med, og han er i denne enhed til sin død i Berlin. Gennem krigen bliver han såret 7 gange.

Per Sørensen modtager to store udmærkelser for sin indsats under krigen. I oktober 1944 tildeles han Det Tyske Kors i Guld. 2 måneder senere nævnes han i den tyske hærs æresblad.

Per Sørensen bliver skudt af en snigskytte i krigens sidste dage under de heftige kampe om Berlin. Da er han avanceret til kommandør for SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark" i 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland". Han bliver regimentets eneste danske kommandør.


Forfremmelser:

SS-Sturmbannführer der Reserve.: 30. januar 1945
SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve: maj 1943
Legion-Hauptsturmführer: 13. juli 1942
Legion-Obersturmführer: 1. juli 1941

Historie:

Kommandør for 1. Kompagni i Frikorps Danmark fra juli 1941 til november 1941.
Indtrådt i Waffen-SS som Legion-Obersturmführer den 19. juli 1941.
Følger undervisningen på officersskolen i Bad Tölz fra den 1. december 1941 til februar 1942.
Kommandør for 1. Kompagni i Frikorps Danmark fra februar 1942 til 20. maj 1943, hvor Frikorpset officielt bliver til SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark".
Kommandør for 1. Kompagni i I. Bataljon af SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark", 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland" fra april 1943 til juni 1944.
Kommandør for 6. Kompagni i II. Bataljon af SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark", 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland" fra juni 1944 til januar 1945.
Kommandør for II. Bataljon af SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark", 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland" fra januar 1945 til 21. april 1945.
Kommandør for SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark", 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland" fra den 19. april 1945 til den 24. april 1945, hvor han falder for en snigskyttes kugle.

Dekorationer:

1939 Eisener Kreuz, 2. klasse: 2. juni 1942.
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Bronze: 1. juli 1942.
1939 Eisener Kreuz, 1. klasse: 15. juli 1942.
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz: 27. juli 1942.
Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP: 10. Sep. 1942
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber: 15. februar 1943
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: 17. oktober 1944.
Ehrenblatt-Spange des Heeres: 17. december 1944.

Kilder:

Haaest, Erik: "Per Sørensen - Intet nyt fra Østfronten", Bogans forlag, 1998
Haaest, Erik: "Frikorpsfolk - Frikorps Danmark på Østfronten 1941 - 1945 fortalt af dem der var med", Bogans forlag, 1995.
Landwehr, Richard & Thor Nielsen, Holger: "Nordic Warriors – SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 Danmark, Eastfront, 1943-45", Stahlhelm Series 124, Shelf Books Ldt., 1999.
Tieke, Wilhelm: "Im lufttransport an Brennpunkte der Ostfront", Munin Verlag GMBH - Osnarück, 1971.


http://ditt.almanet.dk/Sorensen.html



Danish Eastern Front Volunteers [EN SUB]

 
Old March 24th, 2023 #6
jagd messer
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Default Krikorps Danmark / Free Corps Denmark


Free Corps Denmark (Danish: Frikorps Danmark) was a unit of the Waffen-SS during World War II consisting of volunteers from Denmark.


It was established following an initiative by the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark (DNSAP) in the immediate aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and subsequently endorsed by Denmark's government which authorised officers of the Royal Danish Army to enlist in the unit. It participated in fighting on the Eastern Front and was disbanded in 1943. During the course of the war, approximately 6,000 Danes joined the corps, including 77 officers of the Royal Danish Army.

On 8 May 1942, the corps was ordered to the front line where it engaged in fighting near Demyansk, south of Lake Ilmen and Novgorod. Schalburg was killed during the night of 2 June. His German replacement, Hans Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck, was killed only a few days later. On 11 July, the Danish officer Knud Børge Martinsen took command of the corps.

The corps returned to Denmark from August to October 1942 and met with much hostility from the civilian population. On 13 November, the corps was redeployed to Jelgava in Latvia. Originally intended for anti-partisan activities, the corps was then moved up to the front line. In December, the corps engaged in intense fighting at the Battle of Velikiye Luki alongside Germany's 1st SS Infantry Brigade.

The Free Corps was withdrawn from the front line in April 1943 and sent to the Bavarian town of Grafenwöhr, near Nuremberg. It was formally disbanded on 6 May 1943.[4] It was reformed as SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Denmark" (SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark") and integrated into the recently formed 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland.[4]

Returning to Denmark in February 1943, Martinsen established the Schalburg Corps, a paramilitary formation affiliated to the Germanic SS. It drew particularly on former soldiers who had served in the Eastern Front and its creation weakened the DNSAP.

A 1998 study showed that the average recruit to Free Corps Denmark was a Nazi and/or a member of the German minority in Denmark, and that recruitment was very broad socially.

Operations



Members of Free Corps Denmark taking an oath, July 1941


With about 1,000 recruits, the corps was sent to Langenhorn barracks in Hamburg for basic training in late July 1941. It was considered ready for action by 15 September and sent to Owińska in Poland.

Commander Kryssing was dismissed in February 1942 for insufficient ideological adherence to Nazism. He was transferred to the artillery where he ended his career as a general.

Christian Frederik von Schalburg replaced Kryssing as the leader of Frikorps Danmark; von Schalburg was a Danish-Russian aristocrat, anti-communist, and member of the DNSAP who had been raised in Russia and had seen the aftermath of the Russian revolution in 1917.

On 8 May 1942, the corps was ordered to the front line where it engaged in fighting near Demyansk, south of Lake Ilmen and Novgorod. Schalburg was killed during the night of 2 June. His German replacement, Hans Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck, was killed only a few days later. On 11 July, the Danish officer Knud Børge Martinsen took command of the corps.

The corps returned to Denmark from August to October 1942 and met with much hostility from the civilian population. On 13 November, the corps was redeployed to Jelgava in Latvia. Originally intended for anti-partisan activities, the corps was then moved up to the front line. In December, the corps engaged in intense fighting at the Battle of Velikiye Luki alongside Germany's 1st SS Infantry Brigade.

The Free Corps was withdrawn from the front line in April 1943 and sent to the Bavarian town of Grafenwöhr, near Nuremberg. It was formally disbanded on 6 May 1943.[4] It was reformed as SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Denmark" (SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark") and integrated into the recently formed 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland.[4] Returning to Denmark in February 1943, Martinsen established the Schalburg Corps, a paramilitary formation affiliated to the Germanic SS which carried out violent attacks and murders on perceived political dissenters in Denmark. It drew particularly on former soldiers who had served in the Eastern Front and its creation weakened the DNSAP.

List of Commanders:

No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office


1
Christian Peder Kryssing
SS-Obersturmbannführer
Christian Peder Kryssing
(1891–1976) 19 July 1941 23 February 1942 219 days
-
Knud Børge Martinsen
SS-Hauptsturmführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949)
Acting 23 February 1942 27 February 1942 4 days

2
Christian Frederik von Schalburg
SS-Obersturmbannführer
Christian Frederik von Schalburg
(1905–1942) 1 March 1942 2 June 1942 † 93 days
-
Knud Børge Martinsen
SS-Sturmbannführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949)
Acting 2 June 1942 9 June 1942 7 days

3
Hans-Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck
SS-Obersturmbannführer
Hans-Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck
(1901–1942) 9 June 1942 11 June 1942 † 2 days

4
Knud Børge Martinsen
SS-Sturmbannführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949) 11 June 1942 21 March 1943 283 days
-
Poul Neergaard-Jacobsen
SS-Sturmbannführer
Poul Neergaard-Jacobsen
(1905–1949)
Acting 21 March 1943 20 May 1943 60 days

Free Corps Denmark - Wikipedia
 
Old April 14th, 2023 #7
jagd messer
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Default Hitler's Vikings: Scandinavian Waffen-SS, The Legions, SS-Wiking & SS-Nordland

P 136 Frikorps

With the endorsement ringing in their ears, the Danes were withdrawn to Latvia at the beginning of August, before heading home to Danmark for a homecoming parade through Copenhagen and three weeks well earned leave. The Frikorps had been in combat for three months straight, and in time had lost two commanders, a host of junior officers and NCOs, and hundreds of men. Having flown into Demyansk with a fighting strength of 24 officers, 80 NCOs and 598 men back in May, only 10 officers, 28 NCOs and 171 men took part in the Copenhagen parade. Many were wounded rather than dead of course, so some would return to the unit in time, but there was no getting away from the fact that Demyansk had decimated the Frikorps. They had given as good as they got, for sure. The SS-Totenkopf’s Order of the day on 3 August credited them with killing 1,376 Soviets and capturing 103 others, along with over 600 heavy weapons. Gratifying though this recognition was, the fact that some of the crowd watching them parade in Copenhagen jeered them did little to lift the spirits of the surviving volunteers.


P 257 The end of the SS-Wiking

Away to the southeast, and following the failure of the Spring Awaking, the Wiking had been steadily pushed out of Hungary and into Austria. Along with the rest od Dietrich’s men, the Wiking was caught up in the defence of Vienna and the fighting around Stuhlweissenburg. I the chaos and confusion the division splintered, with much of the Westland separated from its compatriots. Some fell into the vengeful hands of the Red Army near the river Mur, but |Karl Ullrich led the majority to the American lines at Radstad, where they laid down their arms and went into captivity. After four years of constant combat, all of it in the East, and having fought in Barbarossa, the Caucasus, Cherkassy, Kovel, the Vistula and Hungary – the 5th SS-Panzer Division Wiking was no more. Tens of thousands of men had been through its ranks, with so very many of them killed or wounded in the process, but the division had established a military reputation that equalled that of the very best Waffen-SS formations, and it was not stained by tales of wanton atrocities. Overall the Wiking had won an extraordinary 55 Knight’s Crosses, of all the Waffen-SS divisions only Das Reich (69) and the Leibstandardte (58) Divisions won more.


P 268 The Scandinavian Waffen-SS and its legacy

Himmler’s ambition to create a division of Scandinavian Waffen-SSS troops failed. Overall around 10,000 Danes, 6,500 Norwegians, 1,500 Finns and a few hundred Swedes enlisted. At any one time there never was more than two or three thousand serving at the front, though they fought well (especially when they gained some combat experience – the Nordland Division won the fifth highest number of Knight’s Crosses of all the Waffen-SS division, 25) they never achieved the size necessary to turn the mammoth battles of the Russian Front in their favour.

Recruited from the need for manpower as well as racial kinship, it soon became clear that the martial traditions of the ancient Viking societies had long since disappeared. The best card the likes of Terboven had to play was the ‘Red Threat’, and having seen what happened to Finland this was a powerful draw for some. This anti-communist sentiment was combined with the usual attractions to youth of potential glory and bold action, creating a heady mix that appealed to a number of individuals. Even then the recruits came from Scandinavia’s small Far-Right movements.

Hitler's Vikings

 
Old May 18th, 2023 #8
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Default Kam, Søren (Waffen SS)

Kam, Søren (Waffen SS)



Date of birth: November 2nd, 1921 (Kopenhagen, Denmark)
Date of death: March 23rd, 2015 (Kempten, Germany)

Service number: SS-Nr.: 456.059 // NSDAP-Nr.:

Nationality: Danish (1849 - present, Const. Monarchy)

Biography Promotions:

- 2 September 1941 SS-Sturmmann
- 30 November 1941 SS-Rottenführer
- 20 April 1942 SS-Unterscharführer
- 1 May 1942 SS-Junker
- 1 September 1942 SS-Standartenjunker
- 20 December 1942 SS-Standartenoberjunker
- 30 January 1943 SS-Untersturmführer
- 7 February 1945 SS-Obersturmführer
Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse

Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on: September 22nd, 1941

Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse

Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz
Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
1942
Medaille

Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse
Period: Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on: April 20th, 1944

Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse
Nahkampfspange in Bronze
Period: Second World War (1939-1945) Awarded on: 1944
Nahkampfspange in Bronze

Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber
Period: Second World War (1939-1945) Awarded on: 1944

Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
Period: Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:
SS-Untersturmführer (2nd Lieutenant)
Unit: Führer, 1. Kompanie, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 9 "Germania", 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking", IV. SS-Panzerkorps, Heeresgruppe Süd

Awarded on: February 7th, 1945

Kam’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…


“During the hard defensive battle against overwhelming Soviet forces between the Vistula and Bug rivers (north of Warsaw), which began on the 10.10.1944 and continues to this day, SS-Untersturmführer Kam once again distinguished himself through incredible courageous and exceptional steadfastness.

On the 26.10.1944 the enemy attacked the positions of Kam’s Kompanie (which lay 2.5-3 km northwest of Wieliscew) following a heavy preparatory barrage by artillery, mortars and ground attack planes. The Soviets wished to take the decisive Hill 86 (which was of massive importance for the Division’s continuation of the defensive battle) at any cost.

The defensive positions on Hill 86 (which rose as a single sandy height above the surrounding area) were completely smashed by the enemy drumfire. Kam’s Kompanie suffered substantial losses. By attacking from the east and north, and with heavy fire support from the domineering north bank of the Bug, the enemy was eventually able to capture the hotly contested Hill 86.

Following an immediate counterthrust that Kam personally led on his own initiative, the enemy was thrown off the hill. In the meantime however the Soviets had also managed to penetrate into the forest west of the hill. A bitter fight erupted which saw the hill lost to the enemy once again.

Over a period of 6 hours Kam and the remains of his Kompanie counterattacked the hill a total of 5 times, each time taking it and then losing it shortly afterwards. This continued until 15:00, when they were able to finally gain a firm control over it. With his few remaining soldiers Kam defended this place against all enemy attacks, which by now were also coming from the hill to the west. The fire of the enemy heavy weapons, especially on the commanding north bank of the Bug, increased noticeably.

Kam stood his ground until the fighting ceased in the evening, by which time his force had been reduced to 7 men.

It was only the boldly conducted counterthrusts and the death-defying, fanatical resistance of SS-Untersturmführer Kam and his men that made it possible to prevent the Soviets from taking control of Hill 86 and from here collapse the entire defensive front of the Regiment.

Kam is a Germanic volunteer/Dane, and the student of an SS-Obersturmbannführer from Schalburg. This dashing and brave SS leader has encouraged Germanic volunteers through his invigorating words and personal example in this time of momentary political crisis.

Indicative of his determination is that he flew into the Cherkassy pocket on the 09.02.1944 despite orders to the contrary, and in the fighting which followed he continued to lead his Zug during the breakout of the 17.02.1944 despite being badly wounded in the head.

The Regiment considers SS-Untersturmführer Kam as particularly worthy of being decorated with the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross.”


Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
Nahkampfspange in Silber
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
1945
Nahkampfspange in Silber

Sources
Photo 1: Andrew Straube
- Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
- Axis Biographical Research
- Microfilm Publication A3343. US National Archives.






Kam, Søren (Waffen SS) - TracesOfWar.com 19 V 2023.
 
Old December 18th, 2023 #9
jagd messer
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Default Søren Kam was a Nazi star

Søren Kam was a Nazi star
Historiker: Søren Kam var en stjerne i nazi-miljøet


Søren Kam var højtstående nazist og dræbte en dansk redaktør under Anden Verdenskrig, men han fik aldrig sin straf.


Den tidligere danske topnazist Søren Kam var højt placeret i nazisternes rækker. Nu er han død uden retsforfølgelse for drab.

One of the most-wanted Nazis in the world has died aged 93 without having been punished for a murder conviction. Danish former volunteer officer Søren Kam died on 23 March 2015, just a little more than a fortnight after his wife passed away – according to the German newspaper Allgauer Zeitung as reported by Reuters.


Kam was the fifth-most wanted war criminal by Jewish rights organisation Simon Wiesenthal Center, that seeks persecute Nazis in order to promote the Holocaust. The Dane had been a volunteer officer in the Schalburg Corps, a SS-Viking division, and was one of three men accused of killed Danish anti-Nazi newspaper editor Carl Henrik Clemmensen in 1943. A Danish court convicted him in absentia of the murder after the war. Another man was executed for the same crime. Kam had fled to Germany where he obtained citizenship in 1956 and his new home country had refused to extradite him to Denmark several times, according to Danish media.


“The fact that Søren Kam, a totally unrepentant Nazi murderer, died a free man in Kempten (Germany), is a terrible failure of the Bavarian judicial authorities,” Dr Efraim Zuroff, from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in the statement. “Kam should have finished his miserable life in jail, whether in Denmark or Germany. The failure to hold him accountable will only inspire the contemporary heirs of the Nazis to consider following in his footsteps,” Dr Zuroff added.


On 30 August 1943, Clemmensen insulted chief editor of the pro-Nazi publication Fædrelandet (the Fatherland) Poul Nordahl-Petersen. Hours later, believed to be just after midnight the next day, Clemmensen was shot dead by eight bullets by three different guns in Lundtofte. His body was found in the morning with bullet wounds to his head and upper body.

Soren Kam: Most-wanted Nazi dies aged 93 a free man



Former Danish top Nazi Søren Kam was highly regarded in the Nazis' ranks. Now he's dead without prosecution.

The 93-year-old former Danish top Nazi and SS officer Søren Kam has died in Germany with a Danish arrest warrant hanging over his head. Therefore he was never punished for involvement in a killing in Denmark 72 years ago.

Søren Kam was enlisted as a volunteer in the Waffen-SS as a youngster and was sent to the Eastern Front during World War II. In 1945 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross from Adolf Hitler as one of just a handful of Danes.

Historian Claus Bundgård Christensen from Roskilde University describes Søren Kam as a man whose life and heart glowed for Nazism. - He was a fanatical Nazi and one of the highest-profile Danish Nazis during the war. He was a star in the Nazi environment that Nazi children and young people looked up to, says Claus Bundgård Christensen.


Was used as promotion

In the Nazi youth magazine The Storm tab one often saw pictures of Søren Kam, which was also widely used in propaganda to recruit young people to the Eastern Front. He was himself at various SS units, including Division Viking, which was a unit for foreign volunteers.

He was also one of those responsible for recruiting and propaganda at SchalburgSkolen, which was affiliated with the notorious Danish Schalburg Corps, which was headquartered on Blegdamsvej in Copenhagen.

The corps was responsible for security and was involved, among other things, in shootings against civilians during the Copenhagen people's strikes. It was a corps that became very notorious for its terrorist activity. We then know today that they did not commit quite as much terror as was imagined in the day, but it was not a very popular corps, says Claus Bundgård Christensen.


Slain Danish editor

In 1943 Søren Kam helped kill editor at the newspaper B.T. Carl Henrik Clemmensen in Kongens Lyngby. The killing was committed along with two others from Waffen-SS, Knud Flemming Helweg-Larsen and Jørgen Valdemar Bitsch. The former was executed as a traitor after the war. The latter disappeared and presumed dead.

- Søren Kam claimed that he only shot at Clemmensen when he was dead and that he did so after peer pressure.


Also hailed in Germany


Søren Kam himself settled after the war in Bavaria, Germany, and became a German citizen. The citizenship prevented his extradition to Denmark. Søren Kam was remanded in custody in absentia for the murder of Carl Henrik Clemmensen, and a year-long legal pingpong was started, but Denmark failed to get Søren Kam extradited from Germany. The Ministry of Justice had an arrest warrant with his name Søren Kam. According to Claus Bundgård Christensen, there is a great propaganda value in the Danish authorities maintaining this pressure to the end. - But at the same time, it is also an example of the fact that you can get away from your war crimes, he says.


Was hailed after the war

Søren Kam also played a very important role in Bavaria after the war. He was part of HIAG, there was a federation of veterans of the Waffen-SS. According to Claus Bundgård Christensen, Søren Kam was known internationally and contacted by people from all over the world who wanted a signed photo of him as if he were a sports star who signed autographs. - He was a high-ranking member and one of the absolute highlights gathered around in HIAG. So he was very active, and it was only in recent years that he came up in age and health began to fail that he began to withdraw from the public, says Claus Bundgård Christensen.

Expected no explanations

He believes that, despite an extradition, Søren Kam would never have confessed anything. The former Nazi officer had a carefully constructed counter story about what SS-Waffen was - and what it wasn't. - I do not think, for example, he would have told us if he had had knowledge of, participated in or seen massacres of Jews on the Eastern Front. I just think he would have kept his mouth shut, says the historian.

He has no doubt that Søren Kam was so highly positioned that he must have had knowledge of many of the actions that took place during World War II.- But what he's exactly done, we don't know. And I don't think we'll ever know.


Søren Kam was a Nazi star
Historiker: Søren Kam var en stjerne i nazi-miljøet
18 XII 2023.

“He would not have told us if he had had knowledge of, participated in or seen massacres of Jews on the Eastern Front” - massacres of jews is obsessive virtue signalling. The only jews on the Eastern Front were Commissars.


Right to the end Søren Kam was a true VIKING.
 
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