Sonder Lehrgang Oranienburg

Sonder Lehrgang Oranienburg was activated in early 1942 on the order of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Hans Juttner, as an obvious rival to the Wehrmacht "Brandenburg" regiment.

Originally based at Oranienburg, the unit consisted of a hundred experienced volunteers from the Waffen-SS under the command of SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer van Vessem.

Their first operational mission (Operation Osprey) was a proposed deployment to Ireland but this never transpired. In early 1943, five members of the unit were parachuted into Persia to assist guerilla opposing the Allied occupation.

Early in the summer of 1943, SS Sonder Lehrgang Oranienburg moved to a purpose-built facility in nearby Friedenthal and was re-designated ‘SS Sonder Lehrgang zbv Friedenthal’- the ‘zbv’ in the unit’s title indicated ‘special duties.’ At this time, the unit consisted of one full company under the command of SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer van Vessem, as well as part of another company and a transport element. Comprising a total of three hundred men , all personnel were members of the Waffen-SS which included fifty Dutchmen and Flemings, with a few ethnic Germans from Hungary.

Shortly after this, the unit came under the command of Otto Skorzeny and was absorbed into SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 in June 1943.

Sources

* O'Reilly, Terence Hitler's Irishmen 2008 ISBN 1856355896