Lions of Judah part three of three

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The SIG were a sub-group of D Squadron 1st Special Service Regiment.

The SIG's true strength has never been known, though it was probably only about 20 - 40 men. Recruits came from Jews in the Free Czech Forces (about eight), the French Foreign Legion (two?) and German Speaking French Jewish troops. Their first training base was at Geneifa near Suez.

Capt Buck, the British Commanding Officer of the SIG, had been wounded and captured by the Germans in North Africa at Gazala and escaped using an Afrika Korps uniform. Surprised by how easy it was - speaking German - to pass unmolested through Axis lines, he had the idea of the SIG. His name was indeed Capt Herbert Cecil A Buck, MC ,3/1 Punjabis & Scots Guards, and Oxford scholar who, like his Palestinian Jews, spoke fluent German.

Authors to this day have been unable to agree on what SIG actually stood for. Peter Smith calls them the "Special Identification Group" - as does Eric Morris - but in his index Morris also refers to them as the "Special Intelligence Group"!

Recruits used German drill and were expected to use the slang and obscenities then prevalent amongst the Afrika Korps. They were repeatedly warned that if their true identity was learned then they would be killed.

Two "real" Germans, Walter Essner (or Esser) and Herbert Brueckner, had been conscripted from a POW camp to train the SIG. They were former members of the French Foreign Legion before the war, professing to be German anti-Nazis. They had been captured in Nov. 1941 serving in the 361st Regiment of the Afrika Corp and recruited by the British "Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre" (CSDIC) as "double agents". But they were not trusted by the Jewish members of SIG, who opposed the idea of the two actually going into action with them; but Buck insisted and the orders were obeyed.

Some of their exploits included using captured German vehicles and going behind German lines near Bardia and setting up roadblocks. Dressed as German military police they stopped and questioned German transports, gathering crucial intelligence. They would carry out sabotage behind the German lines in German uniforms or simply pull in at German camps, speak to troops and gather information. On other occasions the SIG mingled with German POW's to gather intelligence and learn how they behaved.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Dov Cohen
• Bernard Lowenthal
• Lions of Judah
• Special Interrogation Group
• Nazi war effort
• holocaust
• western desert
• British army
• Afrika Corps
• Jews
• Jewish
• Egypt
• Libya
• Tobruk
• 1942
• Rommel
• British High Command
• Captain Herbert Buck
• Scots Guards

[ZangaroZen]

@AlanHeath3, don't suppose you can re-upload a clean part 3 video? Most annoying flicker damage. Great documentary though. Thanks for uploading.

[alanheath3]

@ZangaroZen If I had had an undamaged version I would have uploaded it. It is either this or nothing.

[ZangaroZen]

@alanheath3, OK this not nothing. Great documentary. Thanks for uploading.

[alanheath3]

@ZangaroZen Basically the question is, should I publish a damaged video or not? In other places I have some idiots complaining - but those that complain are invariably those that never do anything for anyone and have published nothing themselves.  In this case I don't think the video is necessary, particularly as there are subtitles.

[ZangaroZen]

@alanheath3, thanks again for uploading this fine documentary. Again something is better than nothing, especially as a celan version of part 3 is not available.

[alanheath]

@dinavienna Great to hear - I am glad it was interesting for you!

[dinavienna]

fascinating military history, although that is not normally my interest.. great upload!