STEINBOCK (January 1944)

STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
See U-boats.
STEINBOCK ( JANUARY 1944) “IBEX.” A Luftwaffe bombing operation
against Britain in June 1944. It was carried out mainly for propaganda purposes,
at considerable cost in German aircraft and crews.
STEINER, FELIX (1896–1966) German general. He fought on the Eastern
Front during World War I to 1917, then in the west in 1918. He joined a Freikorps
in 1919. He resigned from the Reichswehr in 1931. An early Nazi, he joined the
Sturmabteilung (SA) then the Schutzstaffel (SS) following the Night of the Long Knives
in 1934. He utilized his late World War I experiences to develop infi ltration tactics
that were highly influential in the German military during World War II, notably
within the Waffen-SS. He was an eager supporter of raising Scandinavian and other
foreign troops for the Waffen-SS, and was given command of SS-Wiking division.
Fighting on the Eastern Front in 1943–1945, he commanded 3rd (Germanic) SSPanzerkorps. In the last days of the “Third Reich” in April 1945, he refused one of
Adolf Hitler’s final, desperate orders to fight his way toward Berlin against overwhelming Soviet forces. Still deluded that Waffen-SS men might be welcomed in
a continuing fight against Communism, Steiner stayed put and was forced to surrender to the Western Allies.
STELLENBOSCHED British Army slang for transferring unfit officers from
frontline commands to rear areas where they could do less harm. The expression
dated to the Boer War when incompetent officers were sent to Stellenbosch.
STELLUNG

German strongpoint.

STELLUNGSKRIEG “war of position.” German term for the type of static
fighting that the Wehrmacht least liked and always sought to avoid in its early
operations. It was seen as marked by attrition, the least favorable form of combat
for the design, doctrine, and (early) mobile capabilities of German forces. The preferred style of operations was Bewegungskrieg.
See also Blitzkrieg; Vernichtungskrieg.
STEN GUN A British and Commonwealth 9 mm automatic weapon. It was 30”

long, weighed seven pounds, and took a 32-round clip.
STEP “vystup.”
See balcony.
STERN GANG
See Palestine.

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