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| 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg | |
|---|---|
| 10. SS-Panzerdivision "Frundsberg" | |
 Divisional insignia | |
| Active | 2 January 1943 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  Waffen-SS |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Michael Lippert Lothar Debes Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld Heinz Harmel Franz Roestel |
The10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" (German:10. SS-Panzerdivision "Frundsberg")[1] was a German Waffen-SS armoureddivision duringWorld War II. The division's first battles were inUkraine in April 1944. Afterwards, the unit was then transferred to the west, where it fought the Allies in France and atArnhem. The division was moved toPomerania, then fought south east of Berlin in theLusatian area until the end of the war.
The Division began forming in February 1943, and by June 1943 had received the honor title "Karl der Größe" after theFrankishCarolingian KingCharlemagne.[2]
In October 1943 the division was renamed[3], with the Charlemagne title being given later to the33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS instead, and received the honor title "Frundsberg" after the 16th-century German commanderGeorg von Frundsberg.[4] The division was mainly formed from conscripts. It first saw action atTarnopol in April 1944 and later took part in the relief of the German troops cut off in theKamenets-Podolsky pocket. It was then sent to Normandy to counter the Allied landings, where, along with theSS Division Hohenstaufen, it took part in fighting against the AlliedOperation Epsom.[5]
The division spent the rest of July defending against British attacks against Hill 112 and Hill 113, most notably duringOperation Jupiter. A ridge, one kilometre west ofChêndollé, held by a battalion of theRoyal Norfolk Regiment was attacked by the division on the 6th August, but repulsed by the self sacrifice of corporalSydney Bates VC.[6] In all, after two weeks of this fighting against the British duringOperation Bluecoat and the Americans at Domfront the division was like many other units encircled at Falaise.Hitler intended them to take part in the counterattackOperation Lüttich conducted by the II. SS-Panzerkorps on the 7th August but due to the confusion and chaos in the pocket, and the impression given toGünther von Kluge that the division was required to contain the British positions, the attack broke down.[7] SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 21 struck towards St. Lambert but got repulsed. After that the planned attack of the Frundsberg was abandoned and they were ordered to break out between St. Lambert and Chambois.
The division suffered heavy casualties and retreated into Belgium before being sent to be reconstituted nearArnhem, where it soon fought the Allied airborne troops duringOperation Market Garden atNijmegen, in the Netherlands, when together with the9th SS Panzer division it constituted theII SS Panzer Corps.[8] The division however suffered heavy losses in the ensuingcounter offensive against the Nijmegen salient in early October. After rebuilding, it fought in theAlsace in January 1945. It was then sent to theEastern Front, where it fought against theRed Army inPomerania and thenSaxony. Encircled in theHalbe Pocket, the division effected a breakout and retreated throughMoritzburg, before reaching the area ofTeplice in Czechoslovakia, where the division surrendered to the US Army at the end of the war.[9]
German writer andNobel laureateGünter Grass was trained as a tank crewman with the SS division at the age of 17 in November 1944. He was wounded in action on 25 April 1945 and captured in a hospital.[10] He did not reveal until 2006 that he had been a member of the Waffen-SS.[11]
The organisation structure of this SSformation was as follows:[12]
| Designation (English)[13] | Designation (German)[14] |
|---|---|
|
|
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Lippert, MichaelSS-Standartenführer Michael Lippert (1897–1969) | 1 February 1943 | 15 February 1943 | 14 days |
| 2 |  | Debes, LotharSS-Gruppenführer Lothar Debes (1890–1960) | 15 February 1943 | 15 November 1943 | 273 days |
| 3 | .gif) | Treuenfeld, KarlSS-Gruppenführer Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld (1885–1946) | 15 November 1943 | 27 April 1944 | 164 days |
| 4 |  | Harmel, HeinzSS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel (1906–2000) | 27 April 1944 | 28 April 1945 | 1 year, 1 day |
| 5 | | Roestel, FranzSS-Obersturmbannführer Franz Roestel (1902–1974) | 28 April 1945 | 8 May 1945 | 10 days |
Waffen-SS divisions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Panzer | |||
| Panzer- grenadier | |||
| Mountain | |||
| Cavalry |
| ||
| Infantry | |||
| Police | |||
| Deception "Panzer" | |||
| Lists | |||
Units marked inbold were officially named "volunteer".See also:SS heavy Panzer battalions | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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