THE DEFEAT OF THE DAMNED

BOOK REVIEW

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DIRLEWANGER BRIGADE AT THE BATTLE OF IPOLYSAG, DECEMBER 1944

Douglas E Nash Sr.

Publisher: Casemate Publishing Web: www.casemate.co.uk ISBN: 978-1-63624-211-6 Hardback: 355 pages RRP: £29.95 (US $37.95)

Readers of Iron Cross magazine will be familiar with the work of Douglas Nash Sr. through his excellent work in producing feature articles for the magazine and this superb new history is testimony to his research and writing skills.

In previous issues of Iron Cross magazine, Douglas précised the ghastly doings of a notorious Waffen-ss unit that comprised the very worst dregs from German society and the military. In addition, there were many ‘volunteers’ drawn from concentration camps who saw service in this unit of criminals as preferable to inevitable death inside the camps.

As a penal battalion, the unit was largely made up of those convicted of rape, murder, and a range of the very worst crimes imaginable. In many cases, they were men who even the Nazis had earlier imprisoned for these crimes as they advanced across Europe and Russia. Now, under the command of the odious Oskar Dirlewanger, these misfits found it no chore to murder, burn, and loot to order, committing again the same crimes they had earlier been jailed for. Except now they were doing it under orders and with official sanction.

This murderous rampage came to its inevitable end at the Battle of Ipolysag in Hungary when the Sssturmbrigade Dirlewanger was defeated by two corps of Soviet mechanised forces between 13 and 18 December 1944. This followed a haphazard deployment, lack of heavy equipment, and a confused chain of command.

Blamed by the Wehrmacht for the encirclement of Budapest, what little remained of Dirlewanger’s thuggish army were withdrawn and rebuilt before a further lacklustre deployment to East Prussia in February 1945 and when the war came to its end Dirlewanger himself was captured and died in captivity (probably murdered) by his French captors.

This is an astonishingly detailed account of the brigade’s end at Ipolysag, in which Douglas Nash also takes a forensic look at whether Dirlewanger was indeed responsible for the Budapest encirclement. This book is essential reading for those who wish to understand more of Dirlewanger’s unpleasant career and to delve further into the criminality of German forces. It is a highly recommended read. Reviewed by Andy Saunders

Illustrations: ✔ References/notes: ✔ Appendices: ✔ Index: ✔