SS Oberstgruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser, commander of the Das Reich Division in Russia, winter 1941.
"Papa" Hausser was the "father" and creator of the Waffen-SS, also a fine soldier and gentleman. Provided with the guts to deny Hitlers senseless orders at Charkow and avoiding a second Stalingrad this way. Shortly after this photo was taken Hausser lost his right eye due to a tiny shrapnel. Pictures of him with the patch can be seen oftenly. Hausser died on December 21, 1972 aged 92.
Yes, it is a shame that great soldiers and commanders like this often had their hands tied by a leadership that…well, didn’t know what they were doing! Disobeying those orders indeed took a lot of guts!
yes it did. when boxer Max Schmelling was invited to dinner by the Fuhrer following his shocking victory over the supposedly invincible Joe Louis, he was ostracised by the american public. Ever the gentleman, Max cooly replied" Is it not common in america for the president to honor an athlete? " and he added " When Hitler tells you to show up, you dont say you have something else to do. "