| 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler | |
|---|---|
| 1. SS-Panzerdivision Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler — 1. SS-PzDiv LSSAH — | |
 Unit insignia, askeleton key | |
| Active | 9 November 1933 – 8 May 1945 |
| Country |  Germany |
| Branch |  Waffen-SS |
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Patron | Adolf Hitler |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
The1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler orSS Division Leibstandarte,[1] abbreviated asLSSAH (German:1. SS-Panzerdivision "LeibstandarteSSAdolfHitler"), was a Waffen-SS Panzer division that served from 1933 until it was disbanded in 1945. It began asAdolf Hitler's personalbodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially the size of aregiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into adivision-sized unit duringWorld War II.
The LSSAH participated in combat during theinvasion of Poland and was amalgamated into theWaffen-SS together with theSS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) and the combat units of theSS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) prior toOperation Barbarossa in 1941. By mid-1942 it had been increased in size from a regiment to aPanzergrenadier division and was designatedSSPanzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". It received its final form as aPanzer division in October 1943.
Members of the LSSAH perpetrated numerous atrocities and war crimes, including theMalmedy massacre. They killed an estimated 5,000prisoners of war in the period 1940–1945, mostly on the Eastern Front.[2]
In the early days of theNazi Party, the leadership realized that a bodyguard unit composed of reliable men was needed.Ernst Röhm formed a guard formation from the19.Granatwerfer-Kompanie ("19th Grenade Thrower Company"); from this formation theSturmabteilung (SA) soon evolved.Adolf Hitler in early 1923, ordered the formation of a small separate bodyguard dedicated to his service rather than "a suspect mass", such as the SA.[3] Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded byJulius Schreck andJoseph Berchtold.[4] It was designated theStabswache (staff guard).[5] TheStabswache were issued unique badges, but at this point was still under SA control. Schreck resurrected the use of theTotenkopf ("death's head") as the unit's insignia, a symbol various elite forces had used in the past, including specialized assault troops ofImperial Germany inWorld War I who usedHutierinfiltration tactics.[6]
In May 1923, the unit was renamedStoßtrupp (Shock Troop)–Hitler.[4] The unit numbered no more than 20 members at that time.[7] On 9 November 1923, theStoßtrupp, along with the SA and several other Nazi paramilitary units, took part in the abortiveBeer Hall Putsch inMunich. In the aftermath, Hitler was imprisoned and his party and all associated formations, including theStoßtrupp, were disbanded.[8]
In the mid-1920s, violence remained a large part of Bavarian politics.[9] Hitler was a potential target. In 1925, Hitler ordered the formation of a new bodyguard unit, theSchutzkommando (protection command).[9] The unit was renamed theSturmstaffel (assault squadron) and in November was renamed theSchutzstaffel, abbreviated to SS.[10] By 1933 the SS had grown from a small bodyguard unit to a formation of over 50,000 men. The decision was made to form a new bodyguard unit, again called theStabswache, which was mostly made up of men from the1st SS-Standarte.[11] By 1933 this unit was placed under the command ofSepp Dietrich, who selected 117 men to form theSS-Stabswache Berlin on 17 March 1933.[12] The unit replaced the army guards at theReich Chancellery.[12] Out of this initial group, three eventually became divisional commanders, at least eight would become regimental commanders, fifteen became battalion commanders, and over thirty became company commanders in theWaffen-SS.[13] Eleven men from the first company of 117 went on to win the Knights Cross, and forty of them were awarded the German Cross in gold for bravery.[14] Later in 1933, two further training units were formed: ''SS-Sonderkommando Zossen on 10 May, and a second unit, designatedSS-Sonderkommando Jüterbog on 8 July.[15] These were the only SS units to receive military training at that time. Most of the training staff came from the ranks of the army.[15] On 3 September 1933 the twoSonderkommando merged into theSS-Sonderkommando Berlin under Dietrich's command.[16] Most of their duties involved providing outer security for Hitler at his residences, public appearances and guard duty at the Reich Chancellery.[5]
In November 1933, on the 10th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, theSonderkommando took part in the rally and memorial service for the Nazi Party members who had been killed during the putsch. During the ceremony, the members of theSonderkommando swore personal allegiance to Hitler. At the conclusion the unit received the new title, "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (LAH).[17] The termLeibstandarte was derived partly fromLeibgarde – a somewhat archaic German translation of "Guard of Corps" or personal bodyguard of a military leader (Leib,lit. 'body, torso') – andStandarte: theSchutzstaffel (SS) orSturmabteilung (SA) term for a regiment-sized unit, also the German word for a specific type of heraldic flag (Standard).
On 13 April 1934,Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, ordered theLeibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) to be renamed "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH). Himmler inserted the SS initials into the name to make it clear that the unit was independent from the SA or the army.[17] The LSSAH was designated a "National Socialist" unit, which eventually grew into an elite PanzerDivision of the Waffen-SS.[18] Although nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.[19]
During 1934,Stabschef-SA Ernst Röhm continued to push for greater political influence for his already powerful SA. Hitler decided that the SA had to be eliminated as an independent political force and ordered the LSSAH to prepare for the action. The LSSAH formed two companies under the control ofJürgen Wagner and Otto Reich, these formations were moved to Munich on 30 June.[20]
Hitler ordered all SA leaders to attend a meeting at the Hanselbauer Hotel inBad Wiessee, near Munich. Hitler along with Sepp Dietrich and a unit from the LSSAH travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally oversee Röhm's arrest on 30 June. Later at around 17:00 hours, Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the LSSAH to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim prison where certain SA leaders were being held.[20] There in the prison courtyard, the LSSAH firing squad shot five SA generals and an SA colonel.[21] Additional alleged "traitors" were shot in Berlin by a unit of theLeibstandarte.[22] On 1 July Hitler finally agreed with Göring and Himmler that Röhm should be executed.[23] In what the Nazis called the Röhm Putsch, but otherwise came to be known as theNight of the Long Knives, companies of the LSSAH, together with theGestapo and Göring'sLandespolizeigruppe, performedDeath Squad actions. At least 85, but most likely no less than twice that number of people, were executed without trial over the next few days.[23][24]
This action succeeded in effectively decapitating the SA and removing Röhm's threat to Hitler's leadership. In recognition of their actions, both the LSSAH and theLandespolizeigruppeGeneral Göring were expanded to regimental size and motorized. In addition, the SS became an independent organization, no longer part of the SA.[25]
The LSSAH provided the honor guard at many of theNuremberg Rallies, and in 1935 took part in the reoccupation of theSaarland.[26] On 6 June 1935, the LSSAH officially adopted a field-grey uniform to identify itself more with the army, which wore a similar uniform.[27] The LSSAH was later in the vanguard of the march into Austria as part of theAnschluss, and in 1938 the unit took part in the occupation of theSudetenland.[28] By 1939, the LSSAH was a full infantry regiment with three infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and anti-tank, reconnaissance and engineer sub-units.[28] Soon after its involvement in the annexation ofBohemia andMoravia, the LSSAH was redesignated"Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (mot.)". When Hitler ordered the formation of an SS division in mid-1939, theLeibstandarte was designated to form its own unit, unlike the otherStandarten of theSS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS-Standarte Deutschland,SS-Standarte Germania, andSS-Standarte Der Führer).[29] The Polish crisis of August 1939 put these plans on hold, and the LSSAH was ordered to joinXIII.Armeekorps, a part ofArmy Group South, which was preparing for the attack on Poland.
TheLeibstandarte division's symbol was askeleton key, in honor of its first commander, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Dietrich is German for skeleton key orlock pick); it was retained and modified to later serve as the symbol forI SS Panzer Corps.[30]
During the initial stages of theinvasion of Poland, the LSSAH was attached to the17. Infanterie-Division[31] and tasked with providing flank protection for the southern pincer. The regiment was involved in several battles againstPolish cavalry brigades attempting to hit the flanks of the German advance. AtPabianice, a town nearŁódź, the LSSAH fought elements of thePolish 28th Infantry Division and theWołyńska Cavalry Brigade in close combat.[32] Throughout the campaign, the unit was notorious for burning villages.[33] In addition, members of the LSSAH committed atrocities in numerous Polish towns, including the murder of 50 Jews inBłonie and the massacre of 200 civilians, including children, who were machine gunned inZłoczew. Shootings also took place in Bolesławiec,Torzeniec,Goworowo,Mława, andWłocławek.[34]
After the success at Pabianice, the LSSAH was sent to the area nearWarsaw and attached to the4. Panzer-Division under thenGeneralmajor (brigadier general)Georg-Hans Reinhardt. The unit saw action preventing encircled Polish units from escaping and repelling several attempts by other Polish troops to break through. In spite of the swift military victory over Poland, the regular army had reservations about the performance of the LSSAH and SS-VT units due to their higher casualty rate than the army units.[35]
In early 1940 the LSSAH was expanded into a full independent motorized infantry regiment and aSturmgeschütz (Assault Gun) battery was added to their establishment.[29] The regiment was shifted to the Dutch border for the launch ofFall Gelb. It was to form the vanguard of the ground advance into the Netherlands, tasked with capturing a vital bridge over theIJssel, attacking the main line of defense at theGrebbeberg (the Grebbeline), and linking up with theFallschirmjäger ofGeneraloberstKurt Student's airborne forces, the7. Flieger-Division and the22. Luftlande-Infanterie-Division.
Fall Gelb—the invasion of France and the Low Countries—was launched on 10 May 1940. On that day, the LSSAH crossed the Dutch border,[29] covered over 75 kilometres (47 mi), and secured a crossing over the IJssel nearZutphen after discovering that their target bridge had been destroyed. Over the next four days, the LSSAH covered over 215 kilometres (134 mi), and upon enteringRotterdam, several of its soldiers accidentally shot at and seriously wounded General Student.[36] After the surrender of Rotterdam, the LSSAH left forThe Hague, which they reached on 15 May, after capturing 3,500 Dutch soldiers asprisoners of war.[37] After the surrender of the Netherlands on 15 May, the regiment was then moved south to France.[38]
After the Britishcounterattack at Arras, the LSSAH, along with theSS-Verfügungs-Division, were moved to hold the perimeter aroundDunkirk and reduce the size of the pocket containing the encircledBritish Expeditionary Force and French forces.[39] The LSSAH took up a position 15 miles southwest ofDunkirk along the line of the Aa Canal, facing the Allied defensive line near Watten.[37] That night the OKW ordered the advance to halt, with the British Expeditionary Force trapped. The LSSAH paused for the night. However, on the following day of 25 May, in defiance of Hitler's orders, Dietrich ordered his 3rd battalion to cross the canal and take theWattenberg Heights beyond, whereBritish artillery observers were putting the regiment at risk. They assaulted the heights and drove the observers off. Instead of being censured for his act of defiance, Dietrich was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[40]
On 26 May the German advance resumed. By 28 May the LSSAH had taken the village ofWormhout, only ten miles from Dunkirk.[37] After their surrender, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion,Royal Warwickshire Regiment, along with some other units (includingFrench soldiers) were taken to a barn inLa Plaine au Bois nearWormhout andEsquelbecq. It was there that troops of the LSSAH 2nd battalion, under the command of SS-HauptsturmführerWilhelm Mohnke committed theWormhoudt massacre, where 80 British and French prisoners of war were killed.[41][42] Although it is unarguable that the massacre occurred, Mohnke's level of involvement is impossible to know; he was never formally charged and brought to trial.[29][43]
After the conclusion of the Western campaign on 22 June 1940, the LSSAH spent six months inMetz (Moselle). It was expanded to brigade size (6,500 men). A 'Flak battalion' and aStuGBatterie were among the units added to the LSSAH. A new flag was presented by Heinrich Himmler in September 1940.[44] During the later months of 1940, the regiment trained in amphibious assaults on theMoselle River in preparation forOperation Seelöwe, the invasion of England. After the Luftwaffe's failure in theBattle of Britain and the cancellation of the planned invasion, the LSSAH was shifted toBulgaria in February 1941 in preparation forOperation Marita, part of the planned invasion ofGreece andYugoslavia.[45]
The operation was launched on 6 April 1941 by aerial bombings of central-southern Yugoslavia, especially over Belgrade, causing enormous destruction and thousands of victims and wounded. After the LSSAH entered on 12 April into the Yugoslavian capital, then to follow the route of the9. Panzer-Division, part ofGeneral der PanzertruppeGeorg Stumme'sXL Panzer Corps. The LSSAH crossed the border nearBitola and was soon deep in Greek territory.
The LSSAH capturedVevi on 10 April. SS-SturmbannführerKurt Meyer's reinforcedAufklärungs-Abteilung (reconnaissance battalion), LSSAH was tasked with clearing resistance from theKleisoura Pass south-west ofVevi and driving through to theKastoria area to cut off retreating Greek andBritish Commonwealth forces.[46] Despite stiff resistance, Meyer's unit captured the pass.[46]
The brigade participated in theclearing the Klidi Pass just south of Vevi, which was defended by a "scratch force" of Greek, Australian, British and New Zealand troops. An Australian artillery officer wrote of the Germans' "insolence" in driving "trucks down the main road – to within 3,000 yards (2,700 m) of our infantry" and there unloading the troops. The Germans were forced off the road by artillery fire and faced fierce resistance for more than two days. On the morning of 12 April the Germans renewed their attack, and by late afternoon the pass was cleared.[47]
With the fall of the two passes the main line of resistance of theGreek Epirus army was broken, and the campaign became a battle to prevent the escape of the enemy. On 20 April, following a pitched battle in the 5,000-foot-high (1,500 m)Metsovon Pass in thePindus Mountains, the commander of the Greek Epirus army surrendered the entire force to Dietrich. British Commonwealth troops were now the only Allied forces remaining in Greece, and they were falling back across theCorinth Canal to thePeloponnesos. By 26 April the LSSAH had reached theGulf of Patras, and in an effort to cut off the retreating British Commonwealth forces, Dietrich ordered that his regiment cross the Gulf and secure the town ofPatras in thePeloponnesus. Since no transport vessels were available, the LSSAH commandeered fishing boats and successfully completed the crossing but were forced to leave much of their heavy equipment behind. By 30 April the last British Commonwealth troops had either been captured or escaped. The LSSAH occupied a position of honor in the victory parade throughAthens. After Operation Marita, the LSSAH was ordered north to join the forces ofArmy Group South massing for the launch ofOperation Barbarossa.[48]
Following LSSAH's outstanding performance during Marita, Himmler ordered that it should be upgraded to divisional status.[48] The regiment, already the size of a reinforced brigade, was to be given motorized transport and redesignated "SS-Division (mot.) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". It was moved toCzechoslovakia in mid May for reorganization until being ordered to assemble in Poland[49] forOperation Barbarossa, as part ofGerd von Rundstedt'sArmy Group South. There was not enough time to deliver all its equipment and refit it to full divisional status before the launch of the invasion of theSoviet Union, so the new "division" remained the size of a reinforced brigade, even though its expansion and development was of concern at the very highest ranks of command.Franz Halder, chief of theOKH General Staff noted on 20 June that "SS 'Adolf Hitler' will not be ready in time. Tracked components leave on 22 June, others not before 25 June," then more hopefully the next day; "Materiel position of SS 'Adolf Hitler' has improved, Div. may yet get ready in time."[50]
Despite Halder's hopes, LSSAH was held in reserve attached toXIV Panzer Corps[49] as part ofGeneralfeldmarschallEwald von Kleist's1st Panzer Group during the opening stages of the attack. Through July it was attached toIII Panzer Corps before finishing August as part ofXLVIII Panzer Corps.[49] During this time, the LSSAH was involved in theBattle of Uman and the subsequent capture ofKiev. According to a postwar report by Waffen-SS journalist Erich Kern, the division murdered 4,000 Soviet prisoners in reprisal on 18 August, after finding the mutilated bodies of six dead divisional members who had been executed at Nowo Danzig, north ofKherson. These allegations have been researched using local units' war diaries; no mention of executed German soldiers during those dates has been found. For want of reliable evidence, not even accusations by the Soviet authorities, the allegations remained unproven.[51][52]
.jpg)
In early September, the division was shifted to LIV Army Corps, as part of the11th Army underEugen Ritter von Schobert during the advance east after the fall of Kiev. Hoping to capitalize on the collapse of the Red Army defense on theDnepr River the reconnaissance battalion of LSSAH was tasked with making a speedy advance to capture the strategically vital choke point of thePerekop Isthmus through a "coup de main" but were rebuffed by entrenched defenders at the town ofPerekop.[53] That same day, 12 September, 11th Army's commander was killed in an aircraft accident, and Hitler appointedErich von Manstein to command. It took five days for Manstein to take matters in hand, and the operation to clear theCrimean Peninsula was not launched until 17 September. Manstein deployed LSSAH to create diversions while preparing for the main assault, intending to employ it to exploit an eventual breakthrough, but was forced to throw pioneers into the attack on the "Tatar Ditch" in the face of a furious counterattacks and did not break the Soviet defense for ten days.[54]
On 8 October 1941, the LSSAHcaptured the major coastal city ofMariupol, catching the Soviets off guard.[55]
In October, the LSSAH was transferred back north to help solidify the Axis line against fresh Soviet attacks against theRomanian 3rd Army and later took part in the heavy fighting for the city ofRostov-on-Don, which was captured in late November; there, the LSSAH took over 10,000 Red Army prisoners. However, by the end of the year, the German advance faltered as Soviet resistance grew stronger.[46]
Under pressure from heavy Soviet counterattacks during the winter, the LSSAH and Army Group South retreated from Rostov to defensive lines on the riverMius.[46] After the springrasputitsa (seasonal mud) had cleared, the division joined inFall Blau, participating in the fighting to retake Rostov-on-Don, which fell in late July 1942. Severely understrength, the LSSAH was transferred to theNormandy region of occupied France to join the newly formedSS Panzer Corps and to be reformed as aPanzergrenadier division.[56]
The LSSAH spent the remainder of 1942 refitting as apanzergrenadier division. Thanks to the efforts of Himmler, along with SS-ObergruppenführerPaul Hausser, the SS Panzer Corps commander, the threeSSPanzergrenadier divisions, LSSAH,Das Reich andTotenkopf, were to be formed with a full regiment of tanks rather than only a battalion. This meant that theSSPanzergrenadier divisions were full-strength Panzer divisions in all but name. The division also received nineTiger 1 tanks, and these were formed into the 13th (schwere) Company/1st SS Panzer Regiment.[56]
The collapse of the front around Stalingrad and the encirclement of the6th Army created a threat to Field MarshalErich von Manstein'sArmy Group Don. Manstein requested reinforcements to halt the Soviet attack nearKharkov. The SS Panzer Corps was then ordered east to join Manstein's forces.[56]
Arriving at the front in late January 1943, the LSSAH was engaged in fighting in and around Kharkov as a part of Hausser'sSS Panzer Corps.[56] In March 1943 the division participated in therecapture of Kharkov. On 12 March 1943, the LSSAH made progress into the city's center by breaking through the Soviet defenses in the northern suburbs. By the end of the day, the division had reached a position just two blocks north of Dzerzhinsky Square.[57] The 2ndPanzergrenadier Regiment's 2nd Battalion was able to surround the square, after taking heavy casualties from Soviet snipers and other defenders, by evening. When taken, the square was renamed "Platz der Leibstandarte".[58] Despite the declaration that the city had fallen, fighting continued on 15 and 16 March, as German units cleared the remnants of resistance in the tractor works factory complex, in the southern outskirts of the city. The city was taken on 17 March.[59] While in Kharkov, troops of the LSSAH engaged in the murder of wounded Soviet soldiers that were located in the city's military hospital; several hundred were killed. Additionally, captured Soviet officers and commissars were routinely executed.[60]
The division was pulled back to rest and refit. Division commander Sepp Dietrich was promoted to form a new Corps, the1stSS Panzer Corps Leibstandarte, and the LSSAH was to supply all the senior officers for the new headquarters. At the same time a new SS division would be formed from members of theHitler Youth and the LSSAH would supply all of the regimental, battalion and most of the company commanders. This new division would become the12th SS Panzer Division (Hitlerjugend).[61]
During the fighting around Kharkov, a unit under the command ofJoachim Peiper gained a nickname "Blowtorch Battalion", after the inhabitants of two Soviet villages were shot or burned.[62][63][64] Ukrainian sources, including surviving witness Ivan Kiselev, who was 14 at the time of the massacre, described the killings at the villages of Yefremovka and Semyonovka on 17 February 1943. On 12 February Waffen-SS troops of the LSSAH occupied the two villages, where retreating Soviet forces had wounded two SS officers. In retaliation, five days later LSSAH troops killed 872 men, women and children. Some 240 of these were burned alive in the church of Yefremovka.[65]
The reputation of the "Blowtorch Battalion" was confirmed in August 1944, whenSturmbannführer Jacob Hanreich was captured south of Falaise in France and interrogated by the Allies. He stated that Peiper was "particularly eager to execute the order to burn villages". Hanreich had previously served withLeibstandarte but was with SS DivisionHitlerjugend at the time of his capture.[66]
Additional sources support the division's reputation for brutality. The following statement, taken from the surreptitious recording of POWs' conversations by the Allies, describes the atrocities on the Eastern Front. SS-Untersturmführer Krämer (captured on the Western Front during his service with the SS DivisionHitlerjugend) recounted the following from his time with the LSSAH:[67]
I have experienced it in Russia at Orel. An MG 42 was set up in the main aisle of a church, [...] and the Russian men, women and children were taken into the church, without knowing at all what was happening. Then they were shot immediately with the MG 42 and petrol was poured on them and the whole place was set on fire.
Elements of LSSAH took part inFabrikaktion ("factory action”), also known as theGroßaktion Juden ("Major Action [on] Jews”), an operation to capture remaining German Jews working in thearms industry. Men of the LSSAH helped the Gestapo round up Jews in Berlin; people were taken from their jobs and herded into cattle wagons on 27–28 February 1943. Most of the captured perished either inAuschwitz or other camps in the East.[68][69][70] In May 1943,Hans Frank shipped 500 watches collected from Auschwitz prisoners to soldiers of the3rd SS Panzer DivisionTotenkopf.[71]
The springrasputitsa halted offensive operations, giving the LSSAH time to rest and refit. By early June 1943, the division had been fully refitted and was now under the command of SS-Brigadeführer,Theodor Wisch.[72] Its armor strength was 12 Tiger Is, 72Panzer IVs, 16Panzer III andPanzer IIs, and 31StuGs. In late June 1943, the formation ofI SS Panzer Corps meant that Hausser'sSS Panzer Corps was renamedII SS Panzer Corps.[73]
TheII SS Panzer Corps was moved north to Belgorod in preparation for the upcoming summer offensiveOperation Citadel. The LSSAH, along with the SS Divisions Totenkopf and Das Reich, was to form the spearhead of GeneralHermann Hoth's4th Panzer Army, tasked with breaching the southern flank of theKursk salient. Field MarshalWalter Model's9th Army was to breach the northern flank, and the two forces were to meet near the city of Kursk, to the east, thereby encircling a large Soviet force.
The attack commenced on 5 July. The LSSAH's panzers, advancing inPanzerkeils (wedges), soon ran into the elaborate defenses of the Red Army, which slowed the advance. UntersturmführerMichael Wittmann, a Tiger commander in Leibstandarte's heavy company, destroyed eight enemy tanks and seven anti-tank guns on the first day of battle.[74]
On 8 July,Unterscharführer Franz Staudegger, another Tiger commander, halted for repairs in the town ofTeterevino and became separated from his company. He became aware of a nearby Soviet armored counterattack developing and rushed the repairs on his tank to meet the threat. Staudegger and his crew spotted the enemy vanguard and took out seventeenT-34s in two hours.[74] The Russian attack was now faltering, so Staudegger pressed his Tiger forward into the retreating enemy flanks, switching to high-explosive shells after exhausting his armor-piercing ammunition. By day's end, Staudegger's Tiger had destroyed twenty-two T-34s, for which he won theKnight's Cross.[74]
By 9 July, the II SS Panzer Corps had advanced 48 km (30 mi) north and were nearing the small town ofProkhorovka. The LSSAH again took the lead; by now its strength was reduced to just 77 armored vehicles. The 2nd SSPanzergrenadier Regiment, supported by several tanks, advanced up the road to Prokhorovka against heavy resistance. By midday, the infantry had cleared the Komsomolets State Farm and begun the attack on Hill 241.6, which they secured shortly after nightfall on 10 July.
The next day the advance resumed, with the division capturing Oktiabr'skii State Farm and Hill 252.2 in heavy fighting against Sovietparatroopers of the9th Guards Airborne Division. On 12 July, the Soviets threw the5th Guards Tank Army into acounterattack near Prokhorovka. Two tankcorps faced the LSSAH, hitting the Germans around Oktiabr'skii State Farm and Hill 252.2. In the ensuing fighting, the Germans inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviets. The Soviet counterattack had stalled the German advance, and the division was forced to fall back to Oktiabr'skii. Fighting continued the next day, but the focus of the Soviet attack had then shifted to the Totenkopf, on the left of the LSSAH.
With the battle at Prokhorovka still in the balance, Soviet High Command launched an offensive of their own,Operation Kutuzov, nearOrel causing Hitler to order the cessation of Citadel. The II SS Panzer Corps was pulled back. The LSSAH was ordered out of the line, having suffered 2,753 casualties including 474 killed.[72] Eleven tanks were also lost during Citadel. The division was sent to Italy to help stabilize the situation there caused by the deposal ofBenito Mussolini by theBadoglio government and theAllied invasion of Sicily which began on the night of 9–10 July 1943. The division left behind its heavy equipment, which was given to Das Reich and Totenkopf.[75]
The division, re-equipped with vehicles, arrived on thePo River Plain on 8 August 1943. The LSSAH was given the task of guarding several vital road and rail junctions in the area ofTrento-Verona. After several weeks, the division was moved to theParma-Reggio area. During this period, theLeibstandarte was involved in several skirmishes withpartisans. With Italy having announced anarmistice with the Allies of 8 September 1943, the division was ordered to begin disarming nearbyRoyal Italian Army units.[75] This went smoothly, with the exception of brief, bloody fights with Italian troops stationed inParma,Cremona andPiacenza on 9 September. By 19 September, all Italian forces in the Po River Plain had been disarmed.[75]
While on rear security duties in Italy, LSSAH men murdered 49 Jewish refugees nearLake Maggiore, in theLake Maggiore massacres, who had fled there after the German takeover.[76] The murders happened between 15 and 24 September. Some of the victims had their feet and hands tied and were drowned.[77]
The LSSAH was sent to theIstria Peninsula and was engaged in several anti-partisan operations as part ofNazi security warfare. During its period in Italy, the LSSAH was reformed as a full panzer division, and redesignated 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.[75] In early November, the division was ordered back to the Eastern Front, arriving in theZhitomir area in mid-November.[75]
The division was assigned toXLVIII Panzer Corps, a part of4th Panzer Army, which was struggling to hold the line near Zhitomir.[78] The division was transferred to theCherkassy area at the end of January, where it was assigned to theIII Panzer Corps, part of1st Panzer Army. As part of the corps, the division took part in the relief attempt of German forces ofArmy Group South encircled in theKorsun Pocket in January–February 1944.
The majority of the LSSAH, which amounted to 41 officers and 1,188 men, were withdrawn to Belgium for rest and refit,[78] however aKampfgruppe was left behind. On 25 March, the 1st Panzer Army was encircled in theKamenets-Podolsky pocket. The battle group took part in the fighting to escape the encirclement, forming a part of the spearhead which linked up with theII SS Panzer Corps nearBuczacz on 6 April.[78] The LSSAH Division was reformed in Belgium and was at full strength by 25 April 1944.[79]
The division was transferred again as part of theI SS Panzer Corps which at this time consisted of the 101 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion,SS Division Hitlerjugend,SS Division Götz von Berlichingen and thePanzer Lehr Division.[45] The LSSAH had been positioned north of the RiverSeine to counter any possible landing in the area of thePas de Calais so the first units did not arrive in Normandy until after theAllied invasion there on 6 June 1944; part of it arrived on the night of 27–28 June with the whole division taking another week.[80] By 4 July the I SS Panzer Corps was reformed, and now consisted of the LSSAH and the Hitlerjugend.[81] The first action they were involved in was the defense ofCarpiquet village and airfield in the AlliedOperation Windsor.[82] There then followed a number of Allied attacks – OperationsCharnwood andJupiter. On 12 July the LSSAH was holding theCaen south sector fromMaltot in the west to the Caen –Falaise road in the east.[83] During the night of 14–15 July, LSSAH was relieved by the272nd Infantry Division and pulled back to an assembly area astride the Caen – Falaise road betweenIfs andCintheaux.[84]
The BritishOperation Goodwood took place between 18 and 20 July 1944.British VIII Corps, with three armored divisions, launched the attack aiming to seize the German-held Bourguébus Ridge, along with the area betweenBretteville-sur-Laize andVimont. The operation was preceded by a three-hour bombing by 2,500 aircraft.[85] The Division strength prior to Goodwood was reported as 59 Panzer IVs, 46 Panthers and 35 StuG IIIs.[86]
II/1st SS Panzer Regiment, located near Garcelles, received orders to attack the British atSoliers. While moving its 13 Panthers towards Bourguébus, the unit engaged 60 British tanks, destroying 20 of them and capturing Soliers. Around 12:00, the Panther Battalion, I/1st SS Panzer regiment, was engaged in combat with theBritish 29th Armoured Brigade of theBritish 11th Armoured Division. The body of the LSSAH was rushed to the front fromFalaise, where it was being held in reserve. It counterattacked at 17:00, together with the21st Panzer Division, and halted the British offensive on the left front.[87]
The British resumed their assault at around 13:00 on 19 July, having brought up reinforcements to continue the attack. They overran some of the forward German units and approached Bourguébus Ridge at 16:00. They came under fire from Panthers of theLeibstandarte, who had taken up positions on the ridge. Reinforcements of the12th SS Panzer Division arrived at the right flank at around 15:00. The Canadians attacked next in theBattle of Verrières Ridge andOperation Spring (see map), where the LSSAH came up against a number of Allied divisions, including theGuards Armoured Division,7th Armoured,2nd and3rd Canadian Divisions.[88]
On 25 July 1944, US forces under GeneralOmar Bradley succeeded in breaking through the German defenses as part ofOperation Cobra and entered Brittany.[89][90] Hitler forbade any retreat, and ordered a counteroffensive, codenamedOperation Lüttich,[91] by the XLVII Panzer Corps, consisting of the2nd Panzer Division, part of the LSSAH, theSS Division Das Reich and the116th Panzer Division.[92] The plan for the attack was to hit the30th Infantry Division east of Mortain, then cut through American defenses to reach the coast.[89] The US response was aided byUltra intelligence, which had revealed the plans for Operation Lüttich by 4 August.[93] As a result, Bradley was able to obtain air support from both the US 9th Air Force and theRAF.[94]
The LSSAH and other divisions went on the attack on 7 August. The 1st SS Panzer Regiment, along with two battalions of motorized infantry, one combat engineer company, and the division's flak battalion, were used for the attack. The weather was not suitable for flying that morning, which disadvantaged the Allies. The SS Division Das Reich recaptured Mortain, and an armored battle group underJoachim Peiper reached Bourlopin, but had to halt due to US counterattacks and air strikes.
The much-reduced division was encircled in theFalaise pocket by US, Canadian, and Polish forces. Some LSSAH units broke out of the pocket on 22 August, leaving behind all their tanks and artillery. The division sustained 5,000 casualties during the Normandy campaign.[95] During their retreat from France, members of the LSSAH and the SS Division Hitlerjugend division murdered 34 French civilians in the towns ofTavaux andPlomion.[96]
The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive launched through the forestedArdennes Mountains region of Belgium, France and Luxembourg. The offensive was calledUnternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Operation "Watch on the Rhine") by the Germans. The "bulge" was the initial incursion the Germans put into the Allies' line of advance, as seen in maps presented in contemporary newspapers.[97][page needed]
Wilhelm Mohnke, now in command of the LSSAH, attached to theI SS Panzer Corps, was the spearhead of the operation. The fuel crisis in Nazi Germany meant that the LSSAH had insufficient amounts of fuel for its vehicles.[98] On 16 December the operation began, with then SS-ObersturmbannführerJoachim Peiper'sKampfgruppe leading the push to the Meuse.[99]
Peiper was supposed to reach theMeuse River on the first day of the offensive. Instead, he was delayed by almost an entire day by arecon platoon atLanzerath Ridge. Then, unable to dislodge the99th Infantry Division fromElsenborn Ridge, he diverted to an alternative road to the south. At 07:00 on 17 December, the unit seized a US fuel depot atBüllingen, and refueled before continuing westward. At 12:30, near the hamlet of Baugnez, on the height halfway between the town ofMalmedy and Ligneuville, Peiper's Kampfgruppe encountered a convoy of the285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion,US 7th Armored Division.[100][101]
After a brief battle the Americans surrendered. Along with other Americans captured earlier (127 men total), they were disarmed and sent to stand in a field near the crossroads, where the Germans shot them en masse with machine guns and pistols.[102] Of the 84 men killed, 41 were killed by a pistol shot to the head at close range and six were killed by having their skulls bashed in.[103] After feigning death in the field for several hours while the Germans moved among them shooting survivors, a group of about 30 men escaped.[104] Researcher Danny S. Parker believe that Peiper or one of his subordinates made the decision to kill the prisoners.[105] There is no record of an SS officer giving an execution order.[106] News of the killings raced through the Allied lines.[107] Captured SS men who were part ofKampfgruppe Peiper were tried during theMalmedy massacre trial following the war for this massacre and several others in the area. Many of the perpetrators were sentenced to hang, but the sentences were commuted. Peiper himself was imprisoned for eleven years for his role in the killings.[105]
Peiper entered Stavelot on 18 December but encountered fierce resistance from the American defenders. Unable to defeat them, he left a smaller support force in town and headed for the bridge atTrois-Ponts with the bulk of his strength, but by the time he reached it, retreating US engineers had already destroyed it. Peiper then headed for the village ofLa Gleize and from there on toStoumont. There, as Peiper approached, engineers blew up the bridge. US defenders were entrenched and ready. Peiper's men were cut off from the main German force and supplies when the Americans recaptured the poorly defended Stavelot on 19 December. As their situation in Stoumont was becoming hopeless, Peiper decided to pull back to La Gleize where he set up his defenses, waiting for the German relief force. Since no such force was able to penetrate the US line, Peiper decided to break out back to the German lines on 23 December. The men of theKampfgruppe abandoned their vehicles and heavy equipment, although most of the men were able to escape.
With each passing day, enemy resistance stiffened and the advance was eventually halted on all fronts. The German High Command ordered that a renewed attack begin on 1 January 1945. Yet by this time, the Allies had regrouped their forces and were ready to repulse any attack launched by the Germans. The operation formally ended on 27 January 1945, and three days later Mohnke was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer. LSSAH and the I SS Panzer Corps were then transferred to Hungary to bolster the crumbling situation there. Mohnke was wounded in an air raid.[108] In his place, SS-BrigadeführerOtto Kumm was appointed the new Division Commander as of 15 February 1945.[108]
During Battle of the Bulge, troops from3./SS-PzAA1 LSSAH captured eleven African-American soldiers from the333rd Artillery Battalion in the hamlet of Wereth. Subsequently the prisoners were shot and their remains found by Allied troops two months later. The soldiers had their fingers cut off, legs broken, and at least one was shot while trying to bandage a comrade's wounds.[109]
Operation Spring Awakening (6 March 1945 – 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive launched during World War II. It began in great secrecy on 6 March 1945. The German forces launched attacks in Hungary nearLake Balaton. This area included some of the last oil reserves still available to the Axis. The operation involved many German units withdrawn from the failed Ardennes Offensive on the Western Front, including the6th SS Panzer Army and the LSSAH. Operation Spring Awakening was a failure for the German side. Within a week, the early gains were halted by massive counter-attacks by Soviet forces. The overwhelming numerical superiority of the Red Army made any defense impossible, yet Hitler somehow had believed victory was attainable.[110]
After the failure of Operation Spring Awakening, Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army retreated in stages to theVienna area. The Germans prepared defensive positions in an attempt to hold the city against the fast arriving Red Army, in what become known as theVienna Offensive. The Germans could not hold Vienna, which fell to the Soviet forces on 13 April.[111]
This defeat resulted in theÄrmelstreifen (Cuff Titles Order) or "armband order", which was issued by Hitler to the commander of the 6th SS Panzer Army, Sepp Dietrich. Hitler claimed that the troops "did not fight as the situation demanded."[111] As a mark of disgrace, Hitler ordered the Waffen-SS units involved to remove theircuff titles (German:Ärmelstreifen). Dietrich refused to carry out the order and did not relay the message to the troops.[112] According toHeinz Guderian, most cuff titles had already been removed; he later wrote that the removal of unit cuffs from theLeibstandarte,Totenkopf,Hohenstaufen, and theDas Reich Divisions was accomplished for security reasons.[113]
Part of the LSSAH ended the war fighting in Berlin. On 23 April 1945, Hitler appointedBrigadeführer Mohnke the commander for the central government district (Zitadelle sector) that included theReich Chancellery andFührerbunker.[115] Mohnke's command post was under the Reich Chancellery in the bunkers therein. He formedKampfgruppe Mohnke which was divided into two weak regiments made up of approximately 2,000 men.[116] The core group were the 800 of theLeibstandarte Guard Battalion (assigned to guard the Führer).[117] AfterHitler's suicide, they received orders to break out. Prior to the attempt, Mohnke briefed all commanders who could be reached within the Zitadelle sector about Hitler's death and the planned break out.[118] It started at 2300 hours on 1 May. Mohnke led the first of ten small groups.[119] Several very small groups managed to reach the Americans at the Elbe's west bank, but most, including Mohnke's group, could not get through the Soviet lines. Many were taken prisoner and some committed suicide. On 2 May hostilities officially ended by order of Helmuth Weidling, Commandant of the Berlin Defense Area.[120]
After Vienna was captured, the LSSAH had fewer than 1,600 men and 16 tanks.[121] Apart from the remains of Berlin Guard Battalion, the LSSAH surrendered to US forces in theSteyr area on 8 May 1945.[122] On 4 July (Independence Day) 1945, theUnited States flag was raised over Berlin for the first time at theLeibstandarte barracks.[114]
Structure of the division:[123][124]
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dietrich, SeppSS-Oberst-Gruppenführer Sepp Dietrich (1892–1966) | 15 August 1938 | 4 July 1943 | 4 years, 323 days |
| 2 |  | Wisch, TheodorSS-Brigadeführer Theodor Wisch (1907–1995) | 4 July 1943 | 20 August 1944 | 1 year, 47 days |
| 3 | | Mohnke, WilhelmSS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke (1911–2001) | 20 August 1944 | 6 February 1945 | 170 days |
| 4 |  | Kumm, OttoSS-Brigadeführer Otto Kumm (1909–2004) | 6 February 1945 | 8 May 1945 | 91 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 | |
Media from Commons
