der kriegsberichter
WHAT IS A KRIEGSBERICHTER?
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During the First World War the Allies on the Western Front were so much more successful and organised at Propaganda than the Germans. So in 1938 Adolf Hitler ordered a new and efficient special unit in the German Army focused solely on propaganda.
The first four Propaganda-Kompanien in the Wehrmacht were formed in September 1938 with the same sort of Propaganda-Kompanien established in the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine the following year. Their role was to;
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At the beginning of the war, Kriegsberichters worked at the divisional or regimental level in conjunction with a cameraman and a driver. These three men constituted a Propagandatrupp. Several Trupps formed a propaganda platoon at corps level and several propaganda platoons constituted a propaganda company at Army level. Later in the war, from 1944 onwards the role of war journalist and cameramen was combined and accomplished by one man.
Kriegsberichters were always a soldier first before completing the tasks as a war correspondent. They received standard army pay (as per their rank) and received orders just like every other soldier in the unit. The chain of command goes from the W.Pr. (OKW) to the propaganda companies and further down to platoons and Trupps. As a general rule, every war correspondent was required to have gone through basic training and to have had a few weeks' front line experience.
The actual reporting is done in the following way. The reporter transmits his story to the headquarters of the Propaganda platoon, which is usually in the immediate vicinity of G-2,. Army Group. From there, the report is disseminated to W.Pr. (OKW) where it passes through the rigid censorship of this section. Thus "purified", the story goes to the office of the Reichspressechef (Reich Press Chief) in the Propaganda Ministry. Here, the report is further moulded according to the demands of the hour. It is finally submitted to the newspapers, which have the option of accepting or rejecting it.
Kriegsberichters were always a soldier first before completing the tasks as a war correspondent. They received standard army pay (as per their rank) and received orders just like every other soldier in the unit. The chain of command goes from the W.Pr. (OKW) to the propaganda companies and further down to platoons and Trupps. As a general rule, every war correspondent was required to have gone through basic training and to have had a few weeks' front line experience.
The actual reporting is done in the following way. The reporter transmits his story to the headquarters of the Propaganda platoon, which is usually in the immediate vicinity of G-2,. Army Group. From there, the report is disseminated to W.Pr. (OKW) where it passes through the rigid censorship of this section. Thus "purified", the story goes to the office of the Reichspressechef (Reich Press Chief) in the Propaganda Ministry. Here, the report is further moulded according to the demands of the hour. It is finally submitted to the newspapers, which have the option of accepting or rejecting it.
In January of 1940 the Kommandoamt der Waffen-SS ordered the establishment of a SS-Kriegsberichter-Kompanie (Waffen-SS war reporters company) and its three Züge (platoons) were attached to the three SS-Divisionen (Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Totenkopf). They reported on the Western Campaign in 1940. By August of 1941 many additional units were fighting as part of the Waffen-SS.
As a result, the SS-Kriegsberichter-Kompanie was expanded to Abteilung (battalion) strength. Waffen-SS expansion continued to grow throughout the war as did the number of SS Divisions and in December 1943 it was at regimental size. It also received an honour title at this point becoming known as SS-Standarte "Kurt Eggers".
It is estimated that during the whole war the Kriegsberichters produced over 80.000 written reports and more than 2 million photographs.
As a result, the SS-Kriegsberichter-Kompanie was expanded to Abteilung (battalion) strength. Waffen-SS expansion continued to grow throughout the war as did the number of SS Divisions and in December 1943 it was at regimental size. It also received an honour title at this point becoming known as SS-Standarte "Kurt Eggers".
It is estimated that during the whole war the Kriegsberichters produced over 80.000 written reports and more than 2 million photographs.
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Kriegsberichters were soldiers first and war correspondents second.
They were expected to take part in assaults, offensive operations and fight next to their comrades as their positions were being overrun by the enemy rather than taking photographs. They gained respect very quickly as most Kriegsberichter demonstrated remarkable courage in the face of battle. One such soldier was SS-Kriegsberichter Peter Adendorf who was a war correspondent with the II. SS Panzerkorps at Arnhem in September 1944. He had spent the previous 2 years on the Eartern Front with the 3rd SS-Panzer Division 'Totenkopf'. Adendorf was awarded during the war the Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze as well as the Close Combat Clasp in Silver, proving that these correspondents were never to far away from the combat zone during the war. |
Our unit is currently looking for a member willing to act as our Kriegsberichter. You would have to wear an accurate impression of a Kriegsberichter attached to Totenkopf.
For an extensive collection of photographs taken by wartime Kriegsberichters, please check out the link below. The Kriegsberichter Archive is the largest database of SS photographs available anywhere. We are extremely grateful to the hard work put into cataloguing the albums here, and then providing them to the public for free.
