[烛光生存狂]-德国Brandenburg突击队简介

Guerilla tactics were nothing new to Theodore von Hippel when he joined the Abwehr after The Great War. Having been a junior officer in General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's army in German East Africa, he had much experience in the fields of organized mayhem. Not only had he taken part in one of the greatest guerilla campaigns in world history, but he had also made an extensive study of Colonel TE Lawrence's use of Arab cavalry in hit-and-run strikes against the Turks in Arabia. He was indeed a learned man in his field.

After his demobilization from the German colonial army, Hippel decided to try his hand at a job with the German intelligence staff. Here he introduced many radical ideas, the main one being the formation of a small, elite unit specially trained to penetrate the enemy's defences prior to major offensives. This idea gained little support amongst the traditionally-minded Prussian generals, but Hippel was not easily discouraged. When the Abwehr got word of Hippel's ideas, he was welcomed with open arms.

The German high command allowed Hippel to form a battalion of his "special soldiers" for the army, and give them the special training required for the proposed operations. These included, among other things, sabotage, capturing roadways and bridges, and securing strategic targets before they were demolished. This new unit was known as the Ebbinghaus Battalion, and first saw action in Poland, where it performed admirably. Strangely, the Ebbinghaus Battalion was disbanded shortly after the conquest of Poland. It had gained notice, however, and the Abwehr commander, Admiral Canaris, instructed Hippel to form a unit just like the Ebbinghaus Battalion, this time for the use of the Abwehr.

After the fall of France, Hitler turned his attentions East, and the Brandenburgers, now organized as a regiment, took part in many actions. In the Balkans, they were responsible for capturing the docks of Orsova, on the Danube River. But it was in August of 1941, on the Russian front, when the Brandenburg Commandos really outdid themselves.

Early in that month, a Brandenburg unit of 62 Baltic and Sudeten Germans, led by Baron Adrian von Fölkersam, penetrated farther into enemy territory than ever before. Their mission was to secure the oil fields at Maikop.Using Red Army trucks and NKVD uniforms, Fölkersam's force infiltrated the Soviet lines and moved towards their target. Soon, however, they ran into a large band of Red Army deserters. Deciding to try and use this situation to his advantage, Fölkersam persuaded the deserters to return to the Soviet cause, and thus he was able to join with them and move at will through the Russian lines. This journey took him to his destination, Maikop, where he conferred with the city's military commander.Pretending to be a NKVD major from Stalingrad, Fölkersam persuaded the Russian general to give him a personal tour of the city's defenses. With a good knowledge of his target's strengths and weaknesses, Fölkersam formulated a plan for the capture of Maikop.

By August 8, with the German army only 12 miles away, the Brandenburgers made their move. Using grenades to simulate an artillery attack, they knocked out the communications center of the city. Fölkersam then went to the Russian officers and told them that a withdrawal was taking place. Having seen Fölkersam with their commander and lacking any communications with the rest of the Red Army, the Soviets had no choice but to believe Fölkersam's story. The Russians left, and the German army entered Maikop on August 9 1942, without a single hostile shot.

The history of the Brandenburg Regiment ended in late 1944, but they had earned more decorations and mentions than any other unit of similar size in the entire German army. Their tactics were what later influenced such organizations as the US Navy's SEALS.

This unit was officially founded on 15 October 1939, and was made up mostly of Ebbinghaus volunteers. It was called the Lehr und Bau Kompagnie z.b.V. 800 (Special Duty Training and Construction Company No. 800), although it was popularly known as the Brandenburg Commandos, after the city where the unit was formed.

Unlike other elite unit of the German forces, notably the SS, the Brandenburgers did not seek out "Aryans" for their recruitment. Because his unit would be working behind the lines in hostile nations, Hippel avoided Nordic Germans, looking instead for Slavs and other ethnic groups disliked by the Nazis. All members had to be thoroughly fluent in another European language, and all had to be well educated in the customs and local habits of other regions or nations. Instead of being "racially superior" to the enemy, the Brandenburgers had to be the enemy, blending in and going unnoticed while performing acts of sabotage and espionage.

On May 8 1940, the Brandenburg Commandos got their first taste of action. Wearing Dutch uniforms, a number of commandos crossed the border with Holland, their target being the bridge over the Meuse river at Gennep. At 2:00 in the morning on May 10, just as German forces were beginning to roll across the border, a Brandenburg Leutnant, Wilhelm Walther, started the attack. Disguised as Dutch military police escorting a number of German prisoners, the eight Brandenburgers took the defenders of the bridge by surprise. Two guard posts were destroyed, but three Commandos were wounded, and the posts on the far side of the bridge were not yet under control. Wearing a Dutch uniform, Leutnant Walther advanced on these posts, and the defenders hesitated, not wanting to shoot one of their own. This proved to be a fatal error, for the posts were then destroyed and the detonators seized, just as the first Panzers arrived to consolidate the victory.

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