Who/What had the most intersting career?

[Brett]

What individual or what ship / plane / military unit
do you think had the most interesting career in WWII?

I’ll leave it open ended – e.g. it could be an individual
plane or type (i.e. B-17), etc; and feel free to add
another category.

My vote would be for the German auxiliary cruiser Komet.
This ship broke the British blockade by going through
the Artic NE passage N. of the USSR. It later hunted
Allied whaling ships in the Antarctic.

I’m almost certain it navigated the furthest North-South
in the war. In addition, it sailed the 7 seas (Artic, Antarctic,
N&S Pacific, N&S Atlantic, and Indian oceans) in one cruise.
I’m sure it’s the only ship that could make that claim
in the war.

For more info, see:

German auxiliary cruiser Komet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In addition to other info, a link on this site shows a map
of its cruise:

Vinni's Story, Victim of Komet - Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945

[Brett]

Originally Posted by Brett

What individual or what ship / plane / military unit
do you think had the most interesting career in WWII?

Surely SOMEONE must have an opinion on this????

[Freightshaker]

Paul Hausser.

In February 1931 he was elevated to Generalmajor, and one year later to Generalleutnant, at which point he retired from the Reichswehr.Hausser joined the SS in 1934. Making best use of the immense experience of this accomplished senior officer, Himmler appointed him as commander of the SS-Junkerschule (officer training academy) at Brunswick. Two years later Hausser was made Inspector of SS officer training schools; in May 1936 he was promoted to SS-Brigadefuhrer, and in October of that year appointed Inspector of the SS-Verfugungstruppe (SS-VT), the forerunner of the Waffen-SS.

During the invasion of Poland, Hausser served as SS liaison officer with the Army’s Panzer Division Kempf, and in October 1939 he was given command of the SS-Verfugungs Division, which would later evolve into 2.SS-Panzer Division ‘Das Reich’. Hausser commanded the division through the Balkan campaign and the early stages of the invasion of the USSR in 1941, being decorated with the Knight’s Cross on 8 August for his success in command. On 1 October 1941, Hausser was promoted to SS-Obergruppenfuhrer und General der Waffen-SS; but that same month he was seriously wounded, losing the sight of his right eye. On his return to duty in May 1942, now sporting the eyepatch that was to become his trademark, the 61-year-old ‘Papa’ Hausser moved to a staff posting which he held until September, when he was given command of II SS-Panzerkorps. On 28 July 1943, Hausser was awarded the Oakleaves for his command of the corps, especially in the recapture of Kharkov that March - an operation which had involved his calculated disobedience of Hitler’s orders.

In August 1944, Hausser was promoted to SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS, the highest rank attainable short of the Reichsfuhrer-SS himself. He was appointed commanding general of 7.Armee on the Western Front, and saw action throughout the fighting in Normandy, where he once again suffered a serious head wound during the breakout from the Falaise Pocket. The Swords were added to his Knight’s Cross on 26 August 1944. On returning to duty in January 1945 he was appointed to command Heeresgruppe Oberrhein, holding this post until the command was disbanded in April 1945. During the closing days of the war he was attached to the staff of GFM Kesselring (qv), the Commander-in-Chief South-West. Hausser surrendered to US troops in Austria at the end of the war, and was finally released from captivity in 1948.

Hausser is often called the 'father of the Waffen SS'. Together with Josef Dietrich they formed the SS into the fighting unit it was.

[Hagen]

Flak Bait, A Martin B26 Marauder built in Baltimore MD, holds the record for most bombing missions survived during WW2. While racking up 202 missions with the 449th Bombardment Squadron, 322 Bombardment Group in England, Flak Bait was holed over 1000 times from schrapnel and bullets. Returned home twice on one engine, and returned once with an engine on fire, lost its electrical system once and its hydraulics twice.

While not a pic of Flak Bait here's what she'ld look like coming at ya!

[MAGNA]

Wow, what a question. My answer this week would probably be different next week but here we go.

HMS Warspite is my choice for an interesting career. Starting from the First world war right through the second, Warspite was a true survivor with more real actions to her credit than any other Battleship. Entering service as one of a class of five, Warspite was the sixth Royal navy ship to carry the name, the first being in Elizabethan times in the wars against Spain. There was a bit of controversy over the class (Queen Elizabeth) as it was the first in the navy to be oil fired rather than using coal, which was the standard fuel for industry at the time.

From Norway to the Mediterranean , then the Indian Ocean, Warspite fought and suffered along with others.

Warspite's seaplane was the first to sink a U-Boat in the war when it surprised one at Narvik. Warspite appropriately took the surrender of the Italian fleet in 1943 and escorted it to Malta.

Successful actions such as Narvik and Matapan were balanced by severe wounding at Crete and the dubious honour of being the first Allied ship to be hit by a glider bomb at Salerno. The bomb blew a hole the size of a bus through the stern area but Warspite stayed afloat - after filling the damage with forty tons of concrete, the Navy then employed her for the Normandy landings and again at Walcheren island.

Warspite was scrapped in the fifties after 35+ years of service.

[McCoy]

Warspite ran on ground when she was towed to the scrapdock n' had to be scrapped where she lay. Defiant 'til the sad end.

[MAGNA]

Originally Posted by McCoy

Warspite ran on ground when she was towed to the scrapdock n' had to be scrapped where she lay. Defiant 'til the sad end.

Very true. You have to wonder how much would be raked in if she was in dry dock next to the Victory. Two very famous ships side by side. It would have to be more than the scrap value was.