20 May 2019

The Capitulation of Greek Forces to SS Leibstandarte


Image size: 1600 x 1114 pixel. 180 KB
Date: Sunday, 20 April 1941
Place: Katara Pass, Northern Greece
Photographer: Unknown

SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Kommandeur Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler) negotiated the capitulation of Greek Armed Forces along with the Greek military representatives sent by Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglu (Commander Army of Epirus). The handsome officer at left is SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Wünsche (Adjutant Kommandeur Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler). This photo was taken at Katara mountain range, Greece, on April 20, 1941. Representatives from the Greek side are, from nearest to the camera: Lieutenant-Colonel Georgios Lagas, Colonel Nikolaos Balis, Major Vlachos, and an unidentified Lieutenant. In the account of that day from Rudolf Lehmann’s 'The Leibstandarte' Volume 1, the II.Bataillon / Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (motorisiert) led by SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Horstmann were surmounting the Katara mountain range on their way to Joanina. Before the summit, SS-Untersturmführer Jupp Diefenthal came careering down in a motorcycle combination with a Greek soldier in the side car who was holding a white flag of surrender. Relaying to Horstmann that he had been approached by the Greeks who were anxious to discuss surrender terms, Dietrich was immediately wired to come up himself to conduct the discussions. SS-Untersturmführer Ralf Tiemann was also dispatched back down to Hani-Murgani to escort Dietrich up accompanied by SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Wünsche. They arrived to see the soldiers from both sides standing casually about playing cards etc and a giant swastika hung from the road. Dietrich went to talk to the ‘parlementaires’ who were no doubt Greek Officers and they told him he would need to travel 15km west to Vontonosi where the HQ of General Tsolakoglou’s was situated. Tiemann than states the Wünsche was dispatched to inform Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm List in person of the developments while Dietrich and a small entourage drove on to the HQ. Tiemann states that he took over Wünsche’s duties in his absence and further relates that they arrived to be greeted personally by Tsolakoglou outside his HQ.







Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=229924&hilit=ralf+tiemann

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