What do you think were the elite units of WW2.
I think that on the British side, there were the Paras, 7th Armoured, some of the Guards regiments.
German Side I think the Paras, were the best, same as the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. The Brandenburg Regiment, and the Gross Deutchland division.
American side I think were the 82nd and 101st Airbourne Divisions. The US Ranger units, and the US Marine Corp.
The Russians would be there Guards Units.
Japanese, there top infantry units, and their fighter pilots.
Italians, no comment.

Any of you guys got any ideas.
Scott

don't forget the Japanese paras' from what I've heard they were pretty tough too.
So far i concur with your list though.
Oh and the Italians had paras' too so they might count possibly.

I agree with the paratroopers, anyone willing to jump out of a plane not on fire has my vote, for elite or something else. Since no size limits are in place I'd include the US Marine radier battalions, and the 1st special servce force.

I'd agree with Anthony about the Marine Raiders and the 1st SSF.

Don't forget the Brit SAS, SBS, and Commandos. They also had smaller very elite special operations units like the LRDG, Popsky's Private Army, and Force V in the far east.

The Italian paras fought well in North Africa and were certainly elite.

While it is unrealistic to class the entire Waffen SS as elite, units like the LSSAH, Das Reich, Totenkopf, and Hitler Jugend certainly were, along with Wehrmacht units like Panzer Lehr, the Brandenburgers, Gross Deutchland, and Skorzeny's mob, as well as the Luftwaffe's paras -- the Herman Goring Division.

For the French, the Foreign Legion, including the units that fought for the Free French and the Vichy.

Just one thought here with one after thought.
first, think Darby Rangers
second, I'm tired of hearing about this island and that island in the Pacific.
As tough as Iwo Jima was Okinawa was tougher by a long shot. Still I'm gonna call anybody that did the New Guinea thing about as tough as it can ever get. They're "Elite" in my book!
gary

Many of you are passing up a couple of the German "elite" units

The U boat fleet, a volunteer organization in and of itself that wrought havok on the Atlantic Convoys.

Stuka Squadrons, while once they came across determined fighter opposition they were quickly destroyed. The fact that the JU-87 was still being used effectively as a tank buster still says that you were tough.

I think you have to look at the selection process when defining an elite. By definition the British Commandos & Parachute Regiment, SAS, & some of the smaller units like PPA & LRDG are elites because they were made up of volunteers, not men drafted in. They are in fact double selective because the volunteers have chosen themselves, & are then whittled down further by the corps own selection process. So if you apply these criteria, you get for the US the paratroops, the Rangers, & units like Merrills Maurauders.
For the Germans the LAH, Das Reich, Totenkopf, Wiking & some of the other West European volunteers, HJ (but not Hohenstaufen & Frundesberg as they were mainly conscripted). Grossdeutschland was an elite infantry regiment to begin with, but as it swelled to a mechanised corps, were men drafted or did they have to volunteer? Brandenberg was a special forces regiment of volunteers so that counts. Stuka units were originally seen as a sort of elite at the beginning of the war, but did men continue to volunteer for them after the Battle of Britain proved their vulnerability to modern fighters?
When we come to the Russians it's more difficult, as I don't really think they recognised the elite concept in the same way. Their Guards units were merely units which distinguished themselves in a particular battle, so they were only as good as their last battle or the latest drafts, I don't think they got the pick of draftees, but I may be wrong. On the other hand there were Russian paratroops who were elite units.
This puts them more in line with, say the Desert Rats, who were a veteran unit, but there were constant movements in & out of sub units. This would be another definition of an elite, it's members should remain fairly static.
If you include the U Boat crews, you have to include the submariners of every nation, as they were all volunteers.
I'm not quite sure where the Chindits fit in, were they volunteers or infantry units drafted for special duties, like the Airlanding battalions in 1st & 6th AB (Brit).
The Italians certainly had their frogman units, not only were they volunteers, they were also developing a form of warfare as they went.
Don't know about the Japanese. They had army & navy parachute regiments. Didn't they also have an Imperial Guard?

For the Italian, add the Ariete Division , the San Marco Marines and also possibly the Littorio Divison. Remember that Italians used short divisions, about one half to one third the size of other countries divisions. The Ariete was about the same size as a British Armoured Brigade, but was better balanced in resources such as organic artillery. Their equipment was awful (the Germans called the M13/40 tanks "Sardine Cans"), but the bravery of the men was exceptional.
Don't forget the US Army regular units, such as 1st and 2nd Armored, and 1st Infantry. The 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory, Roosevelt's SS) might be considered as elite after the crucible of Mortain.
With the British Commonwealt, I am not too familiar especially the distinction of Regualr and Territorial units. But the Aussies seemed to have grabbed the mantle of elite in North Africa. Don't forget the Ghurkas and the Maori units.
Add the 116th Panzer Division and the 21st PD in North Africa.

Mike T.

the dutch marines who were fichting on the grebbeline in holland 1940.
the story that is told states that the marines used pointed sticks and bare fists after they ran out of ammo.
they only stopt fichting after the governament surrenderd following the terror bombing of rotterdam

german Fallschirmjager..