This is coolbert: Hunter/Killer II.

As I have said before, conventional military units in a variety of places around the world were just found to be ineffective in dealing with guerilla insurgencies. Such as the communist model insurgencies that proliferated around the world in the years just subsequent to World War Two [WW2].

And one solution that was found to this problem was to create hunter/killer battalions. Specially organized, trained, equipped, hand-picked units designed to destroy the guerillas with much greater effectiveness. And this concept does work!

Now, it may be, and I emphasize may be, that this concept of the hunter/killer battalion had it's origins in the exploits of a German SS battalion fighting in the French Indo-China War [1945-54]. Yes, a German SS battalion fighting for the French in Vietnam.

It is somewhat misleading to describe this battalion as a German SS unit. It was a French Foreign Legion unit consisting of German ex-soldiers that had sought refuge in the Legion in the years just after WW2 ended. As you can well imagine, there were a lot of Germans that had did things during the war that would have brought them to the attention of the victorious Allied Powers. These men did not want to be arrested, stand trial, go to prison, be hung, or worse yet, be sent to the Soviet Union. Numbers, not large, but still significant, fled to France and joined the French Foreign Legion, the Legion more than happy to receive an influx of trained, experienced "headhunters". Some of these men were Waffen SS, some Brandenburgers [remember then from a previous blog entry], some conventional infantry men, some pilots, some submarine captains, etc. None saw a bright future in Germany and fled to the Legion, in the hope of an alternative better than prison, poverty, or even death.

And the exploits of this German SS battalion in Vietnam is contained in a book titled, "Devil's Guard". Was first published around 1970 or so. Has stirred up a lot of controversy and is quoted in a lot of web site forums. Purports to be the account of the battalion as told by the commander, named Hans Wagemueller. A former Waffen SS officer on the eastern front in WW2 who gained a lot of experience in anti-partisan fighting against Russian forces. It was supposedly this Wagenmuller who persuaded the French to form a Foreign Legion battalion consisting of only Germans, commanded by Hans himself. The French, supposedly desperate for success in their war against the Viet Minh, obliged Hans and the unit was formed. A unit, according to Hans, that was exceedingly successful.

To be continued.

coolbert.