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| IV SS Panzer Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 1943 – May 1945 |
| Country | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Panzer corps |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Corps |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | SS-ObergruppenführerHerbert Otto Gille |
TheIV SS Panzer Corps was apanzer corps of theWaffen-SS which saw action on theEastern Front and in theBalkans duringWorld War II.
The corps was formed in August 1943 inPoitiers,France. The formation was originally to be a skeleton formation to supervise those SS divisions that were being reformed as SS panzer divisions.
On 30 June 1944, the formation absorbed theVII SS Panzer Corps and was reformed as a headquarters for the3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" and the5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking". The corps was placed under the command of formerWiking commanderSS-ObergruppenführerHerbert Otto Gille.
The corps was placed into the line aroundWarsaw,Poland, where it saw action against theRed Army as a part of the9th Army. In August 1944, elements of the corps took part in the suppression of theWarsaw Uprising. After holding the line near Warsaw, the corps was pushed back to the area nearModlin, where it saw heavy fighting until December.
WhenSS-ObergruppenführerKarl Pfeffer Wildenbruch'sIX SS Mountain Corps and large numbers of Hungarian troops wereencircled inBudapest in December 1944,[1] the corps was shifted south fromArmy Group A to join the6th Army and to take part in the relief efforts.[2] The operations were namedKonrad. InOperation Konrad III, the largest of the relief operations, the corps destroyed all the tanks of the Soviet3rd Ukrainian Front in an intense two-week battle inTransdanubia but could not relieve the city.[3]
After the failure of Operation Konrad III, the corps was moved west to the area aroundLake Balaton, where it was responsible for defending the left flank of theOperation Spring Awakening (Frühlingserwachen), nearStuhlweissenberg. After the failure of this operation, the SovietVienna offensive tore a gap between the corps and the neighbouringHungarian Third Army.[4] After escaping an encirclement thanks to the efforts of the9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen", the corps withdrew towardsVienna. The remnants of the corps surrendered to the Americans on 9 May 1945.
September 16, 1944 — Defence of Modlin
January 17, 1945 — Operation Konrad III
March 1, 1945 — Operation Spring Awakening