Nazi Occupation in Slovenia

Hello, I'm writing a film set in WW2 in a village in what is now northern Slovenia and I am trying to verify some details. Does anyone know:

What rank an officer in charge of a medium-sized occupied village would have been?
What rank his second in command would have been?
The ranks of any other officers stationed with him?

Thanks!

 

SeanP,

From memory Slovenia was occupied by the Italians, being treated as an Italian province, not the Germans, until the Italian Armistice with the Allies which was signed on 3/9/1943 and publicly announced on 8/9/1943. The Germans then proceeded to disarm Italian forces. Until late in the war partisans in Slovenia were not that active, so a village may not have been occupied, unless it was near a strategic asset, such as a railway line or bridge.

 

Part of Slovenia was occupied by the Italians, the northern part by the Germans and a little to the East by the Hungarians.

 

And no part occupied by 'the Nazis', I see.

 

Not sure where you're going with this comment? Unless I'm mistaken, the German soldiers during WW2 were all technically Nazis.

 

Just looking for information here. No agenda.

 

My agenda was to highlight the lazy use of the term 'Nazi' where 'German' is meant. I'm tired of hearing about 'Nazi tanks', 'Nazi bombers', 'Nazi POW camps', etc. etc. Perhaps it is time to ask why so many people choose to use the term when it is clearly not accurate.

 

Might I ask then, what might the occupying force of a small to medium sized village look like (assuming it has some kind of strategic importance)? Who would be in command, what size would the force be (let's assume there is a railway line or bridge)?

Any input would be very useful. Thanks.

 

SeanP,

Nothing larger than a platoon, with one officer, a few NCOs and maybe 20-30 soldiers. Enough to man a few guard posts 24/7/365 and have a reaction force, however small. As the war progressed such Lines of Communication roles were not filled with the fittest, youngest soldiers, maybe not even an officer and possibly not even all Germans. Misfits, the unfit for combat, recuperating after hospital and possibly local German-speakers (if they existed in Slovenia). Even when 'resistance' or partisan actions began it would be a very thin field-grey line - reinforced after the Italian Armistice, mainly by weapons rather than Italians.

 

Thanks David. This what actually what I was hoping to hear. You don't have idea of the rank of the officer (I'm going to assume there is one for this story)? And the NCOs? You've been very helpful.

 

A junior officer, Lieutenant and more likely a NCO, especially as the war went on. I am not familiar with Wehrmacht ranks!

 

Thanks David.

If anyone knows what ranks these people might hold, please let me know! Thanks.

 

Sean,

Lieutenant - Leutnant
Staff Sergeant - Unterfeldwebel
Sergeant - Feldwebel
Corporal - Unteroffizier

Does your project have anything to do with Ralph Churches and his walk from Maribor?

Regards,

Dave

 

Thanks Dave. No, it doesn't. Sounds interesting though.

 

Might the Leutnant also have been a SS Untersturmführer? Might you be able to explain the difference, please?

 

And I'm wondering if the commanding officer could plausibly be a Captain (Hauptmann?). Perhaps he's been sent to babysit this area due to some kind of emotional breakdown?

Would SS ranks and Wehrmacht ranks ever be stationed together? Would that create some kind of power imbalance? Or a situation where the SS man was technically subordinate to the Wehrmacht officer, but have more influence? I'm trying to create a situation where the commanding officer's second in command wields a lot of power, but remains technically subservient to the commanding officer.

Thanks.

 

Untersturmführer was the SS equivalent of a 2nd Lieutenant.

Leutnant was the Wehrmacht equivalent of a 2nd Lieutenant

But if your Lieutenant was an SS man there is no way he would be known as a Leutnant. The SS had their own ranks

No love lost at all between the Wehrmacht and the SS. The Balkans were also chock full of local partisans of varying persuasions.

Interesting topic.

 

So, the SS would never be stationed with Wehrmacht officers? For instance, a Leutnant and Scharführer?

I'm trying to create tension between the commanding officer and his second in command...

 

Perhaps the SS man is in the area on leave? He technically outranks the heer chap but is not actually in the chain of command.