Wednesday 13 July 2016

Marching Order

"SS Regiment Nordland
September 30th, 1941

Special order to commanders and chiefs

An unacceptable situation arose when regimental automotive columns traveled through Kremenchug to Podgornoye.

Despite combat on the way, 1st battalion arrived at their destination with small losses.

Columns from the 2nd and 3rd battalions arrived with losses of over 50%, and 16th company lost 70%.

Reports indicate that travel discipline is incredibly unsatisfactory, especially in 11th and 12th companies, but worst of all in 16th company.


Idiotic, reckless driving, passing of vehicles, a lack of elementary understanding of movement, all of this happened after three weeks of rest, following insignificant travel over the last two weeks. It turns out that Stabsscharführers and NCOs rarely measure up to standards. NCOs in charge of fuel, and especially commanders of columns, behave like saboteurs and reckless villains. Sometimes it was impossible to move due to the roads being cluttered with disordered groups of cars. It seems that training of new drivers that were assigned to the regiment during its rest was completely ignored.

The so called "technical service" is possessed by laziness of the worst kind. Unit commanders are responsible, commanders who thought that they could plug a hole with a person unsuitable for the front lines, and that they solved a problem in this manner. The fault also lies with technical chiefs, who did not act as advisers and helpers in training people. It is painful to realize that a regiment such as ours, wonderfully fighting the enemy, has rear echelons that are so poor that the regiment is currently not combat capable and puts the success of future operations in question.

I order to immediately replace unsuitable people where it is necessary. The best and most energetic assistants of company commanders were company column chiefs. Act mercilessly towards drivers who haven't figured that out, applying the strictest measures, and report the worst instances of negligence or carelessness to the regimental staff. It is unacceptable for a group of irresponsible grifters to disgrace the honour of the regiment that its soldiers earned with their blood.

SS Standartenfuhrer and regiment commander, Scholtz

Translated by: Technician-Intendant 1st Grade Borisova
Major Baruskov"

Via gistory.

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