Sig

Ingsoc · #1 (**permalink**) July 29th, 2006, 06:12 AM

SIG was a special unit in the British army that operated in North Africa, there task was to be "a Special German Group as a sub-unit of M E Commando....... with the cover name 'Special Interrogation Group', to be used for infiltration behind the German lines in the Western Desert, under 8th Army....the strength of the Special Group would be approximately that of a platoon", all of the members were fluent German speaker, most of them were Jewish refugees from Europe.

http://www.alliedspecialforces.org/s...ationgroup.htm

Jim O · #2 (**permalink**) July 29th, 2006, 09:17 AM

That's an interesting history of some very brave men. There are many excellent links at The Allied Special Forces Association site.

Helmut Von Moltke · #3 (**permalink**) August 29th, 2006, 08:14 AM

I read about a unit of this sort in WWII Time Life book. These men wore German uniforms, and while in training adopted German military discipline and tried to look like common German landsers while in missions.

K

Klaus · #4 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 08:34 AM

Didn't the Germans try something similar in the Ardennes?

Jim O · #5 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaus

Didn't the Germans try something similar in the Ardennes?

Yes, they did. And according to a book I recently finished (An Infantryman in Stalingrad by Adelbert Holl) the Russians used German winter uniforms at times toward the end of the battle of Stalingrad.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that soldiers in enemy uniform are not protected by the Geneva Convention and can be shot as spies if captured.

Klaus · #6 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 09:18 AM

Yep, thats true. You had to be identified clearly as a enemy.

Ingsoc · #7 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaus

Didn't the Germans try something similar in the Ardennes?

Yes they did, Otto Skornzeny even stand on trial for this after the war, but was aquited when a British officer testified that the Allied also wore enemy uniform.

Klaus · #8 (**permalink**) September 1st, 2006, 05:16 AM

Hear, hear! Some justice at last.

Lancer44 · #9 (**permalink**) September 1st, 2006, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaus

Hear, hear! Some justice at last.

Not really justice. Probably bribe. Otto Skorzeny was needed in South America. He had a plenipotence to get SS funds in Argentina, urgently needed by ODESSA.

I think that it was bribe, because many German SS officers were sentenced for much more trivial "crimes".

Cheers,

Lancer44

Klaus · #10 (**permalink**) September 1st, 2006, 07:28 AM

Plenipotence? What does that mean?