Tank divisions SS

SS-Panzer-Division

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Leibstandarte SS AH, LSSAH, LAH) was formed as the 1st SS Motorized Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" from the SS Motorized Brigade "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" in January-June 1942, located on the southern sector of the Eastern Front. In July 1942 she was sent to Northern France for rest and recovery. In November 1942, the division was renamed the SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". In January 1943, the division was transferred to Ukraine: it took part in the battles on the Seversky Donets River, in the spring in the recapture of Kharkov, in the summer in Operation Citadel. From August 1943 she was in Italy. On October 22, 1943, the division was renamed the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". Since November 1943, the division fought on the Eastern Front in the Kyiv region. In April 1944, units of the division were sent for restoration to North-Eastern France and Belgium. Since June 17, the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS AG" fought heavy battles in Normandy. Then she retreated through France and Belgium, and at the end of August she was withdrawn to the Aachen region for replenishment. In December 1944 - January 1945, the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" fought in the Ardennes. In February 1945, the division as part of the 6th SS Panzer Army was transferred to Hungary and took part in fierce battles near Budapest and Lake Balaton; then retreated to Austria. On May 8, 1945, the remnants of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS AG" were surrounded near Steyr and surrendered to American troops.

2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" (2. SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich) formed on October 19, 1939 as an SS reinforcement division or V-division (SS-Verfügungsdivision, or V-Division). In May-June 1940, the SS reinforcement division took part in the invasion of France. In December 1940, the division was reorganized into the SS motorized infantry division "Reich". In April 1941, the SS motorized division "Reich" took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia. From June 1941 to March 1942 she fought on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group Center. From March 1942 to January 1943, the division was rebuilt in Germany and then in northeastern France. In May 1942, the division was renamed the SS Motorized Division "Das Reich". In November 1942, the division was renamed the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division "Das Reich" (2. SS-PzGren.-Division “Das Reich”). Since February 1943, the division fought on the Eastern Front: battles near Kharkov, participation in Operation Citadel. On October 22, 1943, it was renamed the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". In February 1944, the division was sent to France for restoration. From June 1944, the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" fought in Normandy; at the end of August and in September it retreated to Ruzan, Saint-Vith and then to the German border. In December 1944 and January 1945, she took part in the Ardennes offensive. In February 1945, the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" was transferred to Hungary; in April she retreated to Austria. On May 8, 1945, the remnants of the division surrendered to American troops.

3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf) began the formation on October 16, 1939 in Dachau from the concentration camp guard units according to the staff of the motorized division. In May-June 1940 she took part in the campaign in France. From June 1941 she fought on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group North. From October 1942 to February 1943 she was under restoration in France. On November 9, 1942, the division was reclassified as the 3rd SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Totenkopf". Since February 1943, she was again on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group South: battles near Kharkov, Belgorod, in July - participation in Operation Citadel, then a retreat to the Dnieper and defensive battles in Right Bank Ukraine. On October 22, 1943, the division was renamed the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (3.SS-Pz.Div. Totenkopf). In June 1944, the division was moved to the central sector of the Eastern Front. In December 1944, the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" was transferred to Hungary under the command of Army Group South. In January 1945, the division attempted to break through to Budapest. The division then retreated and withdrew to Austria in April. On May 9, 1945, the remnants of the 3rd SS Panzer Division “Totenkopf” surrendered to American troops in the Linz region. Subsequently they were transferred to the Russian occupation zone.

5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking" (5. SS-Panzer-Division Wiking) began formation on November 20, 1940 as the SS motorized division "Germany". In January 1941, the division became known as the SS Volunteer Motorized Division "Viking". The division's personnel consisted of Germans, Dutch, Flemings and Scandinavians. In 1941-1943. The division included the Finnish Nordost battalion. From the summer of 1943 to July 1944, the division included the Estonian SS Narva battalion. From June 1941, the SS Viking Division fought on the Eastern Front as part of Army Group South. November 9, 1942 5th motor units. The SS-Division "Wiking" was renamed the 5th SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Wiking". On October 22, 1943, the division was reorganized into the 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking". At the end of 1944 she was sent to Hungary and in January 1945 she took part in the attack on Budapest, then retreated to Austria. The remnants of the division surrendered to American troops in Bavaria near Radstadt on May 5, 1945.

9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" (9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen) was formed from December 31, 1942 to March 1944 in France. In March, the division was sent to Ukraine, and in June 1944 it was transferred to France to repel the landing of Allied troops in Normandy. After fierce fighting in Northern France, the division retreated through Belgium to Arnhem. In September 1944, the main forces of the division were withdrawn from the front for restoration. The combat-ready units of the division were left at the front and fought as part of the Hartzer battle group. In December 1944 and January 1945, the 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" took part in the Ardennes operation. In February-March 1945, the division fought heavy battles west of Budapest, then retreated to Austria. On May 5, 1945, the remnants of the division surrendered to American troops near Steyr.

10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" (10. SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg) began formation on February 1, 1943 in Southern France as the 10th SS Panzergrenadier Division and was formed throughout 1943. On June 1, the division received the name 10th SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Charlemagne". On October 3, 1943, the division was renamed the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg. In March 1944 the division was sent to the Eastern Front in Ukraine, and in June 1944 it was transferred to France and participated in heavy fighting in Normandy until August. The division then retreated fighting through Eastern France and Belgium, then was withdrawn from the front and stationed in the Arnhem area. At the beginning of 1945, the division fought on the Upper Rhine and in the Strasbourg area. In February 1945, the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg was transferred to Pomerania as part of the 11th Army of the Vistula Army Group, then retreated to the Oder. The remnants of the division surrendered Soviet troops near Schönau on May 5, 1945

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" (12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend) was formed in Belgium at the Beverloo training ground from February to July 1943 as the SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Hitler Youth". In October 1943, it was renamed the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth". In June-July 1944, the division took part in heavy fighting in Normandy. The main forces of the division fell into the Falaise “sack”. Then the remnants of the division were being restored. In December 1944 and January 1945 she fought in the Bulge. In January 1945, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth was transferred to Hungary, where it fought heavy battles west of Budapest. The division then retreated to Austria, where it was defeated by Soviet troops. The remnants of the division surrendered to American troops near Enns in Austria on May 8, 1945.

The divisions of the SS troops (Waffen SS) were selected units, the true elite of Hitler's armed forces during the Second World War. The SS Division Das Reich (which, translated from German, means Empire, or more precisely, Power), is the subject of the study of this book, which sets out the background to the formation of this elite SS military unit, including the history of the origin of the SS-FT division (Verfugungstruppe or Verfugungstruppen ), its organization, the number of personnel recruited into it, the most famous commanders and lower ranks, who especially distinguished themselves during military operations. The book also pays considerable attention to the description of the military training of Waffen SS ranks, symbols, uniforms, banners and insignia of the division's military personnel.

The book “SS Panzer Division Das Reich” details the combat path of the division, which fought during the Second World War on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. The division's participation in the invasion of Poland, the defeat of Belgium, Holland and France, the invasion of Soviet Union, the battles of Kharkov and Kursk, the defense of Normandy, the Ardennes offensive, an unsuccessful attempt to break the encirclement around Budapest and in the defense of Vienna, where the division actually bled to death, completing its combat journey with dignity. The dark spot in the history of the division, associated with the participation of its military personnel in the “cleansing operations” carried out in the French city of Toulle and the destruction of the town of Oradour-sur-Glane, did not go unnoticed. Illustrated with rare photographs, the book “SS Panzer Division Das Reich” is in contrast to countless publications demonizing the SS in general and SS troops in particular, and from not so numerous, but nevertheless found on the modern book market, apologetic publications about the SS , immeasurably extolling their merits and virtues and at the same time trying by any means to justify or silence the crimes they committed! - represents a truly true, that is, non-fictional and unvarnished, history of one of the best combat formations of Hitler's Germany during the Second World War - the most terrible and bloody conflict in the history of mankind.

ARMOR IS STRONG AND OUR TANKS ARE FAST

It was the second day of the Bulge Breakthrough, the last German offensive on the Western Front. The morning of December 17, 1944 here on the western slopes of the Belgian Ardennes dawned damp and foggy. It was a fine, cold rain, brought from the Atlantic by a gusty north wind. A full-fledged American armored artillery division, consisting of twenty-seven of the latest Sherman medium tanks, twenty-six pieces of field and anti-tank artillery and two hundred US Army soldiers and officers, was approaching the southern outskirts of the small town of Malmedy. The quarters of the city, dimly visible through the veil of heavy morning fog, seemed to be already very close. American tank crews, leaning waist-deep out of their turrets, chatted merrily through laryngophones. Suddenly…

Something very large and at the same time very fast flashed through the fog, and a German medium tank “Panther” with a cross on the armor jumped out at the American armored column, turning the long trunk of the turret gun as it moved, from under the slope of the ravine. The carriage of the lead American gun, crushed by the Panther's caterpillar, crunched. She quickly jumped over the next two, now close, no longer dangerous anti-tank guns. Obliquely, almost on the move, with some sort of laughing tear, spitting out a smoky-red sheaf of fire, the Panther's gun hit - and immediately exploded the ammunition load on the lead American Sherman. With a deadly peck at the barrel, the Sherman instantly turned into a brightly blazing torch. From somewhere on the side, out of the fog, two more German tanks emerged and, turning sharply, fired machine guns at the American gun personnel. Without having had time to prepare for battle, two more brand-new Shermans burst into flames, and the rest, heavily breaking formation, like a frightened herd of Arizona bulls, rushed down the long, gentle slope, cowardly exposing their angular, ash-colored ones to the hissing shells of the German "Panthers" in flight. sides with white pentagrams...

The defeat was complete. On the field tank battle, which lasted no more than a quarter of an hour, left sixteen burnt Shermans and the bodies of seventy (according to other sources - seventy-one) killed Americans. The entire cannon artillery battery was completely destroyed. At the same time, the Germans did not lose a single person. The success of the German tank attack at Malmedy could have entered the annals of world military science as one of the fastest and most effective tactical tank operations of World War II. I could have, but I didn't enter. There were a number of reasons for this.

First, the German plan to throw the Anglo-American “Western Allies” into the Atlantic Ocean from where they came failed. After persistent requests from Roosevelt and Churchill to “save private Ryan,” Stalin launched Soviet troops from three central fronts into a massive offensive, which forced the command of the German Wehrmacht to transfer the most combat-ready units from the Western Front to the Eastern Front. The German offensive in the Ardennes was stopped - the Anglo-Americans were saved.

Secondly, the brilliant victory near Malmedy was won not just by some Germans, but by the SS troops (Waffen SS), which, apparently, even before the relevant verdict of the Nuremberg International Tribunal, it was tacitly decided to consider, together with all the SS, a criminal organization - although one could just as easily consider the Soviet NKVD troops who fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, responsible for all the crimes committed by the executioners of the NKVD in Stalin’s camps and dungeons, only because both were considered “NKVDists” and wore the same uniform!

Thirdly, the victory at Malmedy was won not just by some SS troops, but by the 1st SS Panzer Division, which bore the name of Adolf Hitler, which could be interpreted not only in a purely military, but also in an undesirable symbolic sense.

Fourthly, the command of the American Expeditionary Forces, disregarding all the rules of officer honor, did not want, in the face of History, to admit their troops were so quickly and ingloriously defeated at Malmedy. The destruction, within just a quarter of an hour, of an entire armored artillery division with just three German medium tanks could be explained by only two reasons:

1) the complete mediocrity of the American military leadership (but the Americans, of course, could not admit this - the “honor of the uniform” did not allow it!);

2) excellent moral and combat training of the enemy (but recognition of this fact, of course, would deal a blow to the morale of the US Army, which was not particularly resilient - its companies in Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, etc. serve as an example of this).

However, turning a blind eye to the truth, one could try to find (or, more precisely, invent) a third reason for what happened. And the Anglo-American sages followed this third path.

A few days after the front in the Ardennes was stabilized, the British Royal Air Force radio station transmitted an information report (of course, without prudently informing that the information it transmitted did not come from military intelligence, from the battlefield, but from the exact opposite side - from overseas, from the special services USA!). The report stated that the Germans, in order to create the impression of the defeat of American troops near Malmedy, killed several hundred (!) captured (!) American soldiers, allegedly specially brought in advance for this purpose to the Malmedy area from Germany.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies finally opened a second front in Western Europe. On this day, American, British and Canadian units successfully landed on five sections of the Normandy coast in France, and Operation Overlord began. To successfully develop the offensive deep into the continent, the Allied troops needed to capture the French city of Caen. This city was considered the key that would open the way for Allied troops to southeast France.

Kan, this one old City Normandy, played an exceptional role in the system of transport communications on the Norman coast of France. Essentially, it was the main link between the Cotentin Peninsula and the rest of France. Both the Germans and the Allies understood this very well. The main task of the 3rd Infantry Division of the British Army was to capture this city on the first day of the invasion - June 6. In addition, the main tasks of the Allied troops in this direction were to capture and hold the Carpiquet airfield, located in the vicinity of Caen at a distance of 18 kilometers from the coast; access to the parachute landing zones of the British 6th Airborne Division, which was able to capture a number of bridges over the Orne River; capture of commanding heights near Caen.

The Allies' attempt to take Caen failed. Allied troops were able to capture the city only on July 20, 1944, and the battle for Caen itself lasted until August 6. In many ways, the Allied plans were thwarted by German tank divisions. Already at 16:00 on June 6, 1944, the Germans brought the forces of the 21st Panzer Division into battle in this direction. It was the only tank division that began operating against the landing forces directly on the day of landing. The division was unable to throw the British and Canadians into the sea, but seriously confused their plans, preventing them from taking Caen on the very first day of the operation and giving the opportunity to other tank and mechanized units of the Wehrmacht and SS troops to approach the city.

Having managed to stop the advance of British and Canadian troops to Caen on June 6, 1944, the German command began to hatch a plan for a powerful offensive in this area. On June 7-9, trying to improve their positions before the upcoming offensive, German troops carried out several local counterattacks against Allied forces. The most stubborn battles eventually had to be fought by the Canadians, who fought in the area of ​​​​the settlements of Rho, Bretteville-l'Orgueyez and Norrey-en-Bessin.

Here the Allies first encountered the German “Panthers”, which during the battles in Normandy turned out to be a “tough nut to crack” for them. In total, by the time the Allied troops landed in France on June 6, 1944, there were a total of 663 Panthers in the tank formations of the SS and Wehrmacht troops in the West. This tank featured good frontal armor and a formidable long-barreled 75 mm gun, which could effectively hit all types of Allied tanks. The only truly formidable rival for the German Panthers was the British Sherman Firefly tank, rearmed with an English 17-pounder anti-tank gun (76.2 mm gun, barrel length 55 calibers).

British and Canadian units could have encountered even more Panthers at Caen, but German industry could not produce this tank in the quantities required by the military. Initially, it was planned to replace all Pz III and Pz IV tanks in combat units with Panther tanks, but the pace of mass production could not meet the needs of the troops for armored vehicles. In the end, the Inspector General of the Wehrmacht tank forces, Colonel General Heinz Guderian, in consultation with the Minister of Armaments Albert Speer, decided that only one battalion in a tank regiment should be rearmed with new tanks.

The battalion was to consist of 4 companies of 17 Panther tanks each. At the same time, at the battalion headquarters there were 8 more tanks, an air defense platoon armed with a Mobelwagen or Wirbelwind self-propelled gun, and an engineer platoon. Also, the battalion was supposed to have a technical company, equipped with various vehicles and evacuation tractors. In practice, the number of units in German army never met the staffing schedule. Thus, Panzerwaffe units had an average of 51-54 Panther tanks per battalion, and the SS troops had 61-64 tanks.

First appearance of the Panthers

The first appearance of the Panther tanks did not make much of an impression on the Allies. The debut of the formidable cat on the western front was a mess and led to heavy tank losses. The first three Panther companies (approximately 40 tanks) arrived at the front near Caen on the evening of June 8, 1944. These were combat vehicles from the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". The division was formed from more than 16 thousand members of the Hitler Youth. It recruited 17-year-old members of this Nazi organization, who then underwent 6-month training. In addition, approximately a thousand soldiers and officers of SS veterans and experienced commanders from the Wehrmacht were transferred to the division. The division was transferred to Normandy in the spring of 1944, at that time it consisted of more than 20 thousand people and approximately 150 tanks. This was one of the most fanatically fighting German units. By July 9, 1944, the division had lost 60% of its original strength in battle.

The commander of the PzKpfw V "Panther" tank of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend", in the commander's turret hatch, during a march in a column. Vehicles from the 3rd company. photo: waralbum.ru

Arriving at the front on the evening of June 8, 1944, the Panthers of the 12th Panzer Division of the Hitler Youth attacked the Allies at night, trying to capture the village of Ro. The Canadian infantry, which was in the village, did not resist for long, retreating to Bretteville, where a well-prepared defense awaited the Germans. As the German tanks approached Bretteville, they were met with a barrage of anti-tank artillery, tank and hand grenade fire. As a result, several Panthers were shot down and burned. Canadian Joe Lapointe especially distinguished himself in this battle, who, having entered into a duel with the Panther, knocked out the tank with three shots from a PIAT grenade launcher. The German infantry also did not achieve success and was forced to retreat, leaving their tanks without support. As a result, the Panthers retreated after her.

Having failed to immediately capture Bretteville and Norrey in a night attack from June 8 to 9, 1944, the Germans decided to repeat the offensive during the day. However, they were unable to prepare a truly powerful blow against the Allies, since the 12th SS Panzer Division entered the battle in parts. This development of events not only weakened the offensive capabilities of the division, but also prevented the organization of full interaction between tanks, infantry and artillery.

At noon on June 9, the 1st and 3rd Panther companies (approximately 25 tanks) took part in the attack on Norrey. Another tank company covered their actions, firing from the spot. At the same time, the German infantry almost did not support the attack, most likely for the reason that they were pinned to their trenches by strong Allied artillery fire. As a result, German tanks were forced to operate with virtually no support, accompanied by only two to three dozen soldiers.

Panther shot down by Joe Lapointe

The Panthers were rushing towards Norrey at top speed. At the same time, the tanks of the 1st company made a short stop and fired at the church spire, believing that Canadian observers could take refuge there. After that, the Panthers rushed forward again. The tanks had not yet reached the village when Canadian anti-tank guns opened fire on them. A short battle took place. Although in this battle the German tank crews destroyed a couple of guns without losing a single tank, the company commander decided not to tempt fate by ordering the tanks to retreat. This ended the participation of the 1st Panther company from the 12th SS Panzer Division in the battles of June 9.

Massacre of the Panthers at Bretteville-l'Orgueyeuze

The 3rd Panther Company of the same tank division faced a much sadder fate. This company was commanded by Captain Luderman, who was urgently found to replace the main commander of the unit, who was wounded the day before. Very little is known about his personality; his name is not even preserved in the sources. It is known that 12 tanks of his company were advancing along the railway. At some point, he gave the order to slow down and turn left, towards Norrey. According to Luderman, his Panthers thus faced the Canadian anti-tank guns with their most protected part - the forehead. However, in practice, this order turned out to be fatal; only a few seconds passed and allied shells flew at the Panther, but not from the front, but from the right side. In just a few minutes of battle, the Germans lost 7 tanks - five destroyed and two knocked out.

Everything happened so quickly that the crews of the German tanks did not even understand who was shooting at them. The Panthers simply caught fire, and their crews tried to leave the burning vehicles as soon as possible. Those who participated in this battle and survived later recalled it with horror. The Panther, commanded by Germani (name and rank not preserved), was hit on the starboard side of the turret. The shell hit under the gunner's seat, causing a fire. Germani was an experienced tanker; before the battle he did not lock the commander's hatch. Thanks to this, he was able to be the first to leave the burning tank. The gunner had to escape through the flames and suffered serious burns.

The commander of another Panther tank leaned out of the turret to look around and was killed by a direct hit from a shell. Another “Panther” received many hits on the tracks and rollers, but managed to maintain momentum and somehow retreated to its original positions. Some of the 7 Panthers destroyed in this attack had their turrets torn off by an explosion of ammunition.

As a result, the remnants of the 3rd Panzer Company of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" retreated without seeing their enemy. After the battle, many tankers were shocked by what they saw and experienced. Company commander Ludermann even had a nervous breakdown. The captain was sent to the hospital, where it took him several days to recover. One of German officers, who witnessed the beating of the Panthers in that battle, noted after the end of World War II: “I could then cry with rage and grief.”

Canadian fireflies

Who ultimately knocked out the Panthers? Their killers were Sherman tanks from the reserve unit that arrived to replenish the 1st Canadian Hussars Tank Regiment. Among the 9 tanks that arrived were several in the Firefly modification, armed with long-barreled 76.2 mm guns that perfectly penetrated any of the German tanks. It was this Allied tank that could fight on equal terms with the German “Panthers” and “Tigers”. The armor-piercing projectile of the English 17-pounder gun accelerated to 884 m/s, the sub-caliber projectile - to 1204 m/s. At the same time, at a distance of 900 meters, a conventional armor-piercing projectile from this gun penetrated armor 110 mm thick, located at an angle of 30 degrees. An armor-piercing projectile with a ballistic tip under the same conditions - 131 mm of armor, and a sub-caliber projectile - 192 mm. This was more than enough to fight the Panther tank.

When the German tankers attacked Norrey, the Shermans were located nearby, not far from Bretteville. The “Panthers” of the 3rd company, having made their turn, exposed their sides to the Canadian tanks. The sides of the panthers had armor of only 50-40 mm (top and bottom of the hull, respectively), and the armor of the turret side was 45 mm. The shooting distance was the same 900 meters. At such a combat distance, the first shells fired by the Canadians were able to find targets.

Sherman Firefly tank

In this battle, the crew of a Canadian tank, commanded by Lieutenant Henry, especially distinguished themselves. His gunner managed to knock out 5 attacking Panthers with five shots. Two more Fireflies were able to chalk up one of the seven Panthers that remained burning on the battlefield. At the same time, fire on German tanks All available Shermans were firing, so some Panthers received several hits at once. While the Fireflies easily pierced their sides with armor-piercing shells, conventional Sherman tanks fired high-explosive fragmentation shells. They could not seriously harm the German tanks, but they confused their crews and also prevented them from observing the surrounding area and finding targets. That is why it remained a mystery to the German tank crews who exactly was shooting at them.

On the afternoon of June 9, 1944, Canadian Sherman tanks were in the right place at the right time. And although the German troops carried out a counterattack suddenly, the Canadians were able to quickly find their bearings and do their job well without suffering losses in tanks on their part. At the same time, the German command was again convinced that haste in organizing and conducting tank attacks would inevitably lead to the failure of the offensive. Moreover, this battle was the first victory of Canadian tankers and their Shermans over the German Panthers.

Information sources:
http://worldoftanks.ru/ru/news/pc-browser/12/panthers_defeat_near_bretteville
http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/PzV/txt/PzV2.php
http://narkompoisk.ru/arhivy-dokumenty-analitika/2015/10/28/diviziya-ss-gitleryugend.html
Open source materials

Country: Third Reich.

Type: motorized division.

1939 - SS division reserve troops (German: SS-Division Verfügungstruppe),

1940 - Reich,

1942 - 2nd Motorized Division "Das Reich" (2.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich),

the final name was given in 1943.

Motto: “My honor is called ‘loyalty’” (German: “Meine Ehre heißt Treue”).

Participation in World War II:

Invasion of France.
Battle of Smolensk (1941).
Battle for Moscow.
Battle of Rzhev.
Battle of Kursk.
Kharkov operation (1943).
resistance to the Normandy landings.
Ardennes operation.

Insignia: sleeve cuff ribbon

Notable commanders: Paul Hausser, Wilhelm Bittrich, Matthias Kleinhesterkamp.

SS Reserve Division (German: SS-Verfügungsdivision) - was formed on October 10, 1938 by combining the “SS Reserve Forces” (German: SS-Verfügungstruppen) with part of the SS “Totenkopf” formations. The branch of the army is motorized infantry (German: Panzergrenadier).

The first commander is SS Gruppenführer Paul Hausser.

Connection history.

SS division "reserve army" (SS-Division Verfügungstruppe).

In the Polish campaign in September 1939, individual regiments of the division were included in larger Wehrmacht formations. Paul Hausser with the Deutschland Regiment, a propaganda and reconnaissance unit, was attached to the headquarters of the Kempf Panzer Division. The Germania regiment became the reserve part of the 14th Army under the command of General List. The shock assault battalion served with the Life Standard of von Reichenau's 10th Army. The Der Fuhrer regiment remained in a special reserve throughout the entire campaign and did not take an active part in the battles.

In 1940, the division took part in campaigns in the West (Netherlands, France).

SS Division "Reich".

Transformed into the SS division "Reich" (in Russian-language sources also "Reich") on February 25, 1941. Participated in the capture of Yugoslavia in April 1941. On the evening of April 12, 1941, SS-Hauptsturmführer Klingenberg, at the head of the reconnaissance patrol of the Reich division, occupied the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and officially (in the presence of a German diplomatic official) accepted the keys to the city from the mayor of Belgrade.

Eastern front.

From 06/22/41 - was part of the 46th Corps (motorized) of the 2nd Panzer Group (Guderian), Army Group Center:

Battle of Smolensk.

Since 1942, she fought in the Rzhev area.

Composition of the division in 1941-42:

• SS Regiment "Der Fuhrer".
• SS Regiment "Deutschland".
• 11th SS Infantry Regiment.
• Artillery Regiment:

1. Battery of assault guns.
2. Anti-tank battalion.
3. Motorcycle battalion.
4. Reconnaissance battalion.
5. Sapper battalion.
6. Anti-aircraft machine gun battalion.
7. Communications battalion.

Motorized SS division "Reich".

Reformed in November 1942 in Normandy (Northern France).

From February 1943 on the southern sector of the Eastern Front (Third Battle of Kharkov).

April 20, 1943 USSR, after the third battle for Kharkov. Walter Kruger at the ceremony of awarding the Knight's Cross.

T-34 tanks from the Das Reich division.

Grenadiers and armored vehicles of the Harmel battle group in Kharkov 1943.

Units of the division participated in punitive operations in the occupied territories.

In July 1943, as part of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps - in Battle of Kursk(participated in battles with the 5th Guards Tank Army of General Rotmistrov near Prokhorovka). In August 1943 - on the Mius Front. Then there were battles in Ukraine, and from February 1944 it was transferred to France.

In October 1943, it was renamed from a motorized to a tank division (in fact, even before the renaming it corresponded to the staff of a tank division).

Since July 1944 - in battles in Normandy. At the end of 1944, she took part in the Battle of the Bulge, in February-March 1945, in battles in Hungary, in April 1945, she retreated to the Czech Republic, and in May 1945, she surrendered to American troops in Austria.

Composition of the division in 1943-45:

• 2nd SS Panzer Regiment.
• SS Grenadier Regiment "Deutschland".
• SS Grenadier Regiment "Der Fuhrer".
• SS Grenadier Regiment "Langemarck".
• Artillery Regiment.

1. Assault gun battalion.
2. Battalion of rocket launchers.
3. Anti-tank battalion.
4. Anti-aircraft artillery battalion.
5. Reconnaissance battalion.
6. Sapper battalion.
7. Communications battalion.

Division tank (Pz Kpfw VI Ausf H "Tiger") near Kursk. June 1943. The tank's affiliation with this unit, as well as the period of time, clearly follows from the characteristic tactical emblem applied to the frontal armor.

Commanders:

• Oberstgruppenführer Paul Hausser, October 19, 1939 - October 14, 1941.
• Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich, October 14, 1941 - December 31, 1941.
• Obergruppenführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, ​​December 31, 1941 - April 19, 1942.
• Obergruppenführer Georg Keppler, April 19, 1942 - February 10, 1943.
• Brigadeführer Herbert-Ernst Wahl, February 10, 1943 - March 18, 1943.
• Oberführer Kurt Brazak, March 18, 1943 - March 29, 1943
  Obergruppenführer Walter Krueger, March 29, 1943 - October 23, 1943.
• Gruppenführer Heinz Lammerding, October 23, 1943 - July 24, 1944.
• Standartenführer Christian Tychsen, July 24, 1944 - July 28, 1944.
• Oberführer Otto Baum, July 28, 1944 - October 23, 1944.
• Gruppenführer Hans Lammerding, October 23, 1944 - January 20, 1945.
• Standartenführer Karl Kreutz, January 20, 1945 - January 29, 1945.
• Gruppenführer Werner Ostendorf, January 20, 1945 - March 9, 1945.
• Standartenführer Rudolf Lehmann, March 9, 1945 - April 13, 1945.
• Standartenführer Karl Kreuz, April 13, 1945 - May 8, 1945.

Applications.

Document No. 1.

SS Panzer-Grenadier Division Divisional headquarters 01/07/43.

"Das Reich"

Order for the day

Soldiers of the SS Panzergrenadier Division "Das Reich"!

The Fuhrer calls us to the East. Together with other SS and army units, he assigned us tasks that would require us to go either on the attack or on the defensive. We will do it!

We are grateful to the Fuhrer for demanding the most from us. He relies on us, and we will prove to him that we are his faithful followers. Let everyone in difficult times remember our motto, the SS motto: “SS man! Your honor is loyalty!

The SS Panzergrenadier Division "Das Reich" must carry out the order in memory of our fallen comrades.

Document No. 2.

Certificate from the head of the 7th department of the political department on the composition and condition of enemy formations in the offensive zone of the Voronezh Front

We are currently facing the following enemy units.

SS Army Corps, consisting of the Reich, Adolf Hitler, Grossdeutschland, and Death's Head divisions.

The SS Corps was transferred from France on January 16, 1943. Of the four divisions of this corps, two divisions initially operated: “Gross Germany” and “Adolf Hitler”, then the “Reich” division appeared, replacing the defeated “Gross Germany” division, and in last days The action of the Death's Head division is noted.

Since December 1942, the SS Army Corps has been called the Panzergrenadier Corps. According to the testimony of prisoners of war, the name “grenadier” was assigned to the best divisions in honor of continuing the traditions of the grenadiers of the times of Frederick the Great.

Each SS division has two motorized grenadier regiments, a tank and an artillery regiment. For example, the Reich Division consists of the SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Deutschland, the Fuhrer Motorized Regiment, the Langemarck Motorized Rifle Regiment and the 2nd Artillery Regiment.

The commander of the SS Panzer Corps is Lieutenant General Gausser (Obergruppenführer).

The commander of the Reich division is Lieutenant General Keppler (Obergruppenführer).

The commander of the Death's Head division is Lieutenant General Eike.

The commander of the Adolf Hitler division is Lieutenant General Dietrich.

The commander of the "Greater Germany" division is Colonel General Kasnitz.

The commander of the Deutschland regiment is Colonel Carmel.

The commander of the regiment "Der Fuhrer" is Obersturmbannfuhrer Kumm.

The divisions are staffed in most of the ages of 1923-1924. birth. 75% are Germans from Germany, the rest are Germans from other countries. There are a small number of non-Germans (Czechs, Poles, Croats).

Noteworthy is the fact that in the SS divisions there are many soldiers from Volksdeutsche, and not from Reichsdeutsche, i.e. the majority are Germans from Slovakia, Croatia and other occupied countries. The parents of most of the soldiers interviewed are members of the National Socialist Party, and the soldiers themselves were brought up in Hitler Youth organizations and were fooled by nationalist propaganda.

As a survey of prisoners of war showed, the soldiers of these divisions for the most part represent a rather crude contingent. This is a reinforcement poured into the divisions in 1942, during their reorganization after the winter fighting in Russia. The officers are exclusively Germans.

The SS divisions were supposed to complete training of personnel in March. In early January, the entire corps was unexpectedly transferred to the Eastern Front. There was a rumor that the corps was tasked with providing assistance to the encircled Stalingrad group. We reached Stalino, and it was impossible to go any further.

The reformation of the SS Corps took place in France. The soldiers of the SS divisions arrived confident of a German victory and that they would stop the Russian advance. The stories of soldiers demoralized by heavy fighting and a hasty retreat had a depressing effect on the mood of those approaching the front.

First, two SS divisions were sent to the front: “Reich” and “Great Germany”, then “Adolf Hitler”, and recently the appearance of the “Totenkopf” division has been noted at the front. The divisions suffered heavy losses. "Reich" during the retreat to Kharkov lost, for example, 53 tanks out of 80. At first they were tasked with delaying the advance of the Red Army along the Volchanok, Kupyansk line, but under the pressure of our troops they retreated to Kharkov, and then beyond Kharkov.

While retreating, SS units committed incredible atrocities against the civilian population: they killed men, old people and children, blew up and destroyed all industrial buildings and residential buildings in cities, and burned entire villages. In Kharkov they destroyed all large public buildings and industrial enterprises.

Head of the 7th Department of Political Administration

Voronezh Front, Lieutenant Colonel Kirsanov.

TsAMO. F.203. Op.2777. D. 1, L.59-64.

Document No. 3.

Brief description of enemy divisions operating in front of the Voronezh Front, as of May 15, 1943

SS Panzer Division "Reich". The division includes the 1st and 2nd motorized regiments, a tank regiment and an artillery regiment. Motorized regiments have a three-battalion composition, an artillery regiment has a four-divisional composition.

The division commander is Gruppenführer Kepler. The commander of the MP "Führer" is Obersturmführer Kumm. The commander of the Deutschland MP is Obersturmbannführer Harmil. The division was formed in 1939 from independent personnel regiments, took part in the war with Poland, and fought with great audacity. Transferred to the Eastern Front in early July 1941. It operated in the Smolensk direction, fighting in the Orsha and Yelnya region. Subsequently, it attacked in the Volokolamsk, Rzhev and Sychevsk directions. In these battles it lost almost all of its personnel. In March 1942, she was sent to Germany for replenishment and reorganization, and after replenishment she was transferred to France. The personnel were almost completely renewed (no more than 20% of the old career soldiers remained). The division was replenished mainly by volunteers from members of the Hitler Youth League, collected from various regions of Germany. Age composition: 19-22 years. Duration of training is 9 months.

In January 1943, the division was redeployed to the Eastern Front. The Fuhrer regiment with an artillery division and a tank company embarked on the trains on January 8, 1943 and followed the railway. to Stalino, where he arrived on January 21, from Stalino parts of the regiment departed by march to Voroshilovgrad. 01/25/43 took up defense east of Voroshilovgrad. In the defensive battles near Voroshilovgrad, according to the testimony of prisoners, he suffered heavy losses and suffered many frostbite. In the first half of February 1943, he was transferred to the Kharkov direction, where on February 8 he joined his division. The Deutschland regiment, the motorcycle regiment, the division headquarters and other special units of the division unloaded in the Kiev area in the period January 18-27, 1943 and were marched to the Kharkov, Volchansk area, where in early February the advanced units entered into battle with our attackers troops. After unsuccessful oncoming battles, units of the Reich division from 02/07/43 began to fight back from the line of the Seversky Donets River in the direction of Kharkov, Merefa, Krasnograd. By 02/20/43, the division retreated to Krasnograd, from where it launched a counterattack on Pavlograd and captured Pavlograd on February 25. By March 20, the division reached the Seversky Donets River in the Starosaltovsky direction, after which it was relieved by the 11th Panzer Division and transferred to the Belgorod area. During the fighting (January - March), the division lost up to 2,000 people killed and over 2,000 people frostbitten. The numerical and combat strength of the division as of May 15, 1943 is: people - 7000, guns - 50, anti-tank guns - 62, mortars - 40, machine guns - 260, tanks - 80. The political and moral state of the division personnel is high, the majority believes in victory for Germany.

CONCLUSION: the Reich division has losses of up to 30%, is currently replenished to full strength, the soldiers are highly trained, the offensive spirit has not been undermined, and is a combat-ready unit.

Document No. 4.

Order for the army

On July 18, the 2nd SS Panzer Corps leaves the subordination of the 4th Panzer Army. In the second half of March, the corps with its three Panzergrenadier divisions, as part of the army, stopped the great Russian winter offensive at its climax and strengthened the German front. In the most difficult conditions, the SS Corps fought shoulder to shoulder with army units and bore the brunt of the struggle in the great spring battle. With incomparable fighting spirit, the corps drove back the Russian shock armies and turned, with the recapture of Kharkov and Belgorod, a threatening disaster into a brilliant victory. After weeks of recovery, which were filled with rigorous training work, the corps returned to action on July 5th. Well-fortified enemy positions were stormed with a strong offensive spirit, against which, in the toughest tank battles, counterattacks launched by Russian tank corps were broken.

I affirm that the 2nd SS Panzer Corps, throughout its subordination to the 4th Panzer Army, has demonstrated loyalty, firmness and exemplary courage, and I express to it my gratitude and my highest recognition. If now the command assigns new, difficult tasks to the corps, then I am confident that the corps will also successfully cope with them, with loyalty to the Fuhrer, on the day of Germany's victory.

Literature.

Penaud, Guy - "La "Das Reich" 2e SS Panzer Division" (Parcours de la division en France - 560 pages), Editions de La Lauze/Périgueux - ISBN 2-912032-76-8

Akunov V. SS Division "Reich". History of the Second SS Panzer Division. 1939-1945. - Moscow: Yauza, 2006. - 416 p. — 4,000 copies. — ISBN 5-87849-197-4

Ponomarenko R. SS Division "Reich". March to the East 1941-1942. - Moscow: Yauza-Press, 2009. - 288 p. - (SS troops in battle. You need to know the enemy!). — 5,000 copies. — ISBN 978-59955-0043-8

Ponomarenko R.O. 1943. SS Division "Reich" on the Eastern Front. - Moscow: Yauza-Press, 2010. - 512 p. — (The trench truth of the Wehrmacht). — 3000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-9955-0086-5

Mattson G.L. History of the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". 1939-1945 = SS-DAS REICH. The history of the second SS division 1939-45. - Moscow: AST: AST MOSCOW: Transitkniga, 2006. - 189, p. — 5,000 copies. — ISBN 5-17-036614-0 (LLC Publishing House AST), 5-9713-2419-5 (LLC Publishing House AST MOSCOW"), 5-9578-4101-3 (Tranzitkniga LLC)

Note: material used

Emblems of SS divisions

Almost all German divisions had their own emblems or identification marks. As a rule, they were applied with white, black or yellow oil paint on divisional military equipment and vehicles; buildings in which the ranks of the relevant divisions were quartered; appropriate indicators in parts locations; airplanes (if any), etc. In SS divisions, such identification marks or emblems (“Erkennungszeichen”, German: Erkennungszeichen) were almost always inscribed on heraldic shields that had a “Varangian” or “Norman” form, or a tarch form, and in many cases differed from the lapel insignia of the ranks of the corresponding divisions. Although in practice such identification marks (judging by the surviving photographs) were often applied to equipment and divisional equipment without heraldic shields or simply fit into a circle.

1st Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" . The name of the division can be translated as “The SS Personal Guard Regiment of Adolf Hitler.” The emblem of the division was a tarch shield with the image of a master key (and not a key, as is often incorrectly written and thought). This choice of design is explained by the fact that the surname of the division commander Joseph (Sepp) Dietrich in German means master key (dietrich). After Joseph Dietrich was awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the division emblem began to be framed by 2 oak leaves or a semicircular oak wreath. The division was founded on March 17, 1933 by Hitler shortly after he came to power. At the beginning of World War II, the 1st SS Division fought as a motorized infantry regiment. According to evidence, due to the special resilience, this unit suffered high losses, due to insufficient military training and blind fanaticism. Achieving a given task regardless of losses was considered a special pride.

2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" . The name of the division can be translated into Russian as “Empire”, “Power”. The emblem of the division was the “wolfsangel” (wolf hook) inscribed in the shield-tarch - an ancient German amulet rune that scared away wolves and werewolves (in German: “werewolves”, in Greek: “lycanthropes”, in Icelandic: “ulfhedin” , in Norwegian: “varulvov” or “vargov”, in Slavic: “volkolakov”, “volkudlakov” or “volkodlakov”), located horizontally. The division was created on October 10, 1938 by combining “SS reserve troops” and part of the SS “Totenkopf” formations.

3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (Totenkopf). The emblem of the division was the image of a dead (Adam's) head (skull and bones) inscribed in the tarch shield - a symbol of loyalty to the leader until death. It was created on November 1, 1939, as a motorized infantry division. It included SS units "Dead Head", which was involved in guarding concentration camps, and the Danzig SS battalion.

4th SS Motorized Infantry Division "Police" ("Police"), also known as "(4th) SS Police Division". This division received this name because it was formed from the ranks of the German police. The emblem of the division was the “wolf hook” - “wolfsangel” in a vertical position, inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch. Founded on October 1, 1939 as a Police Division made up of members of the German police. On February 10, 1942, it passed to the Waffen-SS, to which it belonged informally.

5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking". It was founded in April 1941 from the SS regiments Nordland and Westland. The division was the first to include foreigners. Foreign volunteers from “racially acceptable peoples” fought in it, mainly residents of Northern European countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden), as well as Belgium, the Netherlands, Latvia and Estonia. However, foreigners made up only 10% of the personnel. By the end of the war, Swiss, Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish volunteers served in the ranks of the division. The emblem of the division was a scythe cross (sun wheel), that is, a swastika with arched crossbars, on a heraldic shield-tarch.

6th SS Mountain (Mountain Rifle) Division "Nord" ("North"). It was founded in the autumn of 1942 in Finland as the SS Mountain Division Nord from the SS Division Nord. On October 22, 1943 it received the 6th number and became the 6th SS Division. The name of this division is explained by the fact that it was recruited mainly from natives of the Northern European countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia). The emblem of the division was the ancient German rune “hagall” (“hagalaz”) inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch, which was considered a symbol of unshakable faith.

7th Volunteer Mountain (Mountain Rifle) Division of the SS "Prinz Eugen (Eugen)". Founded in October 1942. Showed particular cruelty to the civilian population. According to the results of a military investigation in 1944, it became known that as a result of the division’s atrocities, 22 settlements were destroyed from general population about 1000 people. This division, recruited mainly from ethnic Germans living in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Vojvodina, Banat and Romania, was named after the famous commander of the Holy Roman Empire German nation» second half of the 17th - early 18th centuries. Prince Eugene (in German: Eugen) of Savoy, famous for his victories over the Ottoman Turks and, in particular, for conquering Belgrade for the Roman-German emperor (1717). Eugene of Savoy also became famous in the War of the Spanish Succession for his victories over the French and gained no less fame as a philanthropist and patron of the arts. The emblem of the division was the ancient German rune “odal” (“otilia”, “ethel”), stylized and inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch, with curved lower ends. The rune itself means “real estate/estate” or “heritage” and symbolizes the roots and past of a person - clan, family, homeland, home, property, traditions. However, it should be noted that some foreign and domestic runologists tend to consider this version of the “odal” rune (with curved lower ends) as a separate, “irregular” “erda” rune (“earth rune”). According to their interpretation, the rune of the earth and the earthly goddess, who bears the same name in Germanic languages ​​- “erda”, symbolizes, on the one hand, the earth itself and its holiness, and on the other, the native land, homeland, clan. However, apparently, in the Third Reich in general, and in the SS in particular, no distinction was made between the “Odal” and “Erda” runes (in relation to both versions of the runic sign we described above, as well as in relation to the third option - with arrow-shaped lower ends, used as the emblem of the Dutch SS division "Landstorm Nederland" - the name "odal-rune" was used).

8th SS Cavalry Division "Florian Geyer". It was created on September 9, 1942 as an SS cavalry division. She took part in the suppression of the partisan population and acted against Polish rebels from the Home Army in Volhynia. This division was named in honor of the imperial knight Florian Geyer, who led one of the detachments of German peasants (“Black Detachment”, in German: “Schwarzer Gaufen”) during the Peasant War in Germany (1524-1526), ​​who rebelled against the princes (large feudal lords who opposed the unification of Germany under the scepter of the emperor). Since Florian Geyer wore black armor and his “Black Squad” fought under the black banner, the SS viewed him as their predecessor (especially since he opposed not only the princes, but also for the unification of the German state). Florian Geyer (immortalized in the drama of the same name by the classic of German literature Gerhart Hauptmann) died heroically in battle with the superior forces of the German princes in 1525 in the Taubertal Valley. His image entered German folklore (especially song folklore), enjoying no less popularity than, say, Stepan Razin in Russian song folklore. The emblem of the division was a straight naked sword inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch with the tip up, crossing the shield from right to left diagonally and a horse's head.

9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" ("Hohenstaufen"). Created from the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler reserve on December 31, 1942 in France. It was replenished by volunteers from all over the Reich. This division was named after the dynasty of the Swabian dukes (since 1079) and the medieval Roman-German emperor-kaisers (1138-1254) - the Hohenstaufens (Staufens). Under them, the medieval German power (“Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation”), founded by Charlemagne (in 800 AD) and renewed by Otto I the Great, reached the peak of its power, subjugating Italy, Sicily, the Holy Land and Poland. The Hohenstaufens tried, relying on a highly developed economically Northern Italy as a base, centralize its power over Germany and restore the Roman Empire - “at a minimum” - the Western (within the borders of the empire of Charlemagne), ideally - the entire Roman Empire, including the Eastern Roman (Byzantine), in which, however, didn't succeed. The most famous representatives of the Hohenstaufen dynasty are considered to be the crusader Kaisers Frederick I Barbarossa (who died during the Third crusade) and his great-nephew Frederick II (Roman Emperor, King of Germany, Sicilia and Jerusalem), as well as Conradin, who was defeated in the fight with the Pope and Duke Charles of Anjou for Italy and beheaded by the French in 1268. The emblem of the division was a vertically straight naked sword inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch with the tip up, superimposed on the capital Latin letter “H” (“Hohenstaufen”).

10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg". It was created on February 1, 1943 in southern France as the 10th SS Panzergrenadier Division. On October 3, 1943, it was renamed and received the name Frundsberg in honor of the German Renaissance commander Georg (Jorg) von Frundsberg, nicknamed the “Father of the Landsknechts” (1473-1528), under whose command were the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation and King Charles of Spain I Habsburg conquered Italy and took Rome in 1514, forcing the Pope to recognize the supremacy of the Empire. They say that the ferocious Georg Frundsberg always carried with him a golden noose, with which he intended to strangle the Pope if he fell into his hands alive. The emblem of the division was the capital Gothic letter “F” (“Frundsberg”) inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch, superimposed on an oak leaf located diagonally from right to left.

11th SS Motorized Infantry Division "Nordland" ("North Country"). It was created in July 1943. She fought on the Eastern Front and was almost completely destroyed in Berlin in May 1945. The name of the division is explained by the fact that it was recruited mainly from volunteers born in northern European countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Latvia and Estonia). The emblem of this SS division was initially a “wolf hook” without a central vertical line, and later a heraldic shield-tarch with the image of a “sun wheel” inscribed in a circle.

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth" The order to form a division from conscripts born in 1926 was signed on February 10, 1943. This division was recruited mainly from the ranks of the youth organization of the same name of the Third Reich. The emblem of the division was the ancient German “solar” rune “sig” (“sowulo”, “sovelu”) inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch - a symbol of victory and the emblem of the Hitler youth organizations “Jungfolk” and “Hitlerjugend”, from among whose members the division’s volunteers were recruited, superimposed on the master key (“alignment with Dietrich”).

13th Waffen SS Mountain Division "Khanjar" (often also called “Handshar” or “Yatagan” in military literature), consisting of Croatian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Muslims (Bosniaks). Formation began in August 1943. The division has established itself as a competent anti-partisan detachment, the main area of ​​​​operation in Bosnia, Serbia. The emblem of the division was a curved khanjar sword inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch - a traditional Muslim edged weapon, directed from left to right up diagonally. According to the surviving data, the division also had another identification mark, which was an image of a hand with a khanjar superimposed on a double “SS” rune “sig” (“sovulo”).

14th Grenadier (Infantry) Division Waffen SS "Galicia" (Sichev Streltsov) aka Galician division No. 1, since 1945 - Ukrainian division No. 1). The emblem of the division was the ancient coat of arms of the city of Lvov, the capital of Galicia - a lion walking on its hind legs, surrounded by three three-pronged crowns, inscribed in a “Varangian” (“Norman”) shield. Along with the 13th SS division, the first SS division was recruited from “non-Nordic” Ukrainian volunteers - Galicians.

15th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS (Latvian No. 1). Created in early 1943 and originally called German. Lettische SS-Freiwilligen Division, renamed a division in June 1944, like the 19th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, from the Latvian SS Legion. Almost all leadership positions the divisions were occupied by Latvians. The division's emblem was originally a "Varangian" ("Norman") heraldic shield depicting the Roman numeral "I" above a stylized printed capital Latin letter "L" ("Latvia"). Subsequently, the division received another sign - three stars against the backdrop of the rising sun. The stars stood for three Latvian provinces - Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Latgale (a similar image adorned the cockade of the pre-war army of the Latvian Republic).

16th SS Motorized Infantry Division "Reichsführer SS". It was created on October 3, 1943 in Ljubljana from the SS assault brigade "Reichsführer SS". The division was responsible for the massacres at Sant'Anna di Stazzema and Marzabotto, on August 12, 1944 and October 1, 1944, respectively. It was widely used from Italy and Corsica to Hungary. This division was named after the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler. The division's emblem was inscribed in a heraldic shield-tarch, a bunch of three oak leaves with two acorns at the handle, framed by a laurel wreath.

17th SS Motorized Division "Götz von Berlichingen". Created in the late autumn of 1943 in the southwest of France from the Panzergrenadier Brigades 49 and 51 and other units, among others, the 10th Panzer Division. Used in the Balkans against Tito's partisans, in France, in Normandy against 3 American divisions, Saarpfalz, Bavaria. This division was named in honor of the hero of the Peasants' War in Germany (1524-1526), ​​the imperial knight Georg (Götz, Götz) von Berlichingen (1480-1562), a fighter against the separatism of the German princes for the unity of Germany, the leader of a detachment of rebel peasants and the hero of the drama Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Götz von Berlichingen with an iron hand” (the knight Götz, who lost his hand in one of the battles, ordered an iron prosthesis to be made for himself instead, which he wielded no worse than others - with a hand made of flesh and blood). The emblem of the division was the iron hand of Götz von Berlichingen clenched into a fist (crossing the tarch shield from right to left and from bottom to top diagonally).

18th SS Volunteer Motorized Infantry Division "Horst Wessel". It was created from the 1st SS Infantry Brigade on January 25, 1944 in the Zagreb (Celje) region in western Croatia. The formation of the division was planned from SA employees, however, due to their insufficient number, the division was staffed by Hungarian Germans. This division was named in honor of one of the “martyrs of the Hitler movement” - the commander of the Berlin stormtroopers Horst Wessel, who composed the song “Banners High”! (which became the anthem of the NSDAP and the “second anthem” of the Third Reich) and was killed by communist militants. The emblem of the division was a straight naked sword with the tip up, crossing the tarch shield from right to left diagonally. According to the surviving data, this division also had another emblem, which was the Latin letters SA stylized as runes (SA - Sturmabteilungen, i.e. “assault troops” - one of the leaders of which Horst Wessel was), inscribed in a circle.

19th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS (Latvian No. 2). Formed on the basis of the “Latvian Volunteer Brigade” in January 1944. Most of the soldiers and officers up to the regiment commanders were Latvians. The emblem of the division at the time of formation was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of the Roman numeral “II” above the stylized printed capital Latin letter “L” (“Latvia”). Subsequently, the division acquired another tactical sign - an upright, right-sided swastika on the “Varangian” shield. The swastika - “fiery cross” (“ugunskrusts”) or “cross (of the thunder god) Perkon” (“perkonkrusts”) has been a traditional element of Latvian folk ornament from time immemorial.

20th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS (Estonian No. 1). Formation began in February 1944 and was carried out on a voluntary basis. Everyone wishing to serve in this unit had to meet the requirements of the SS troops for health and ideological reasons. The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of a straight naked sword with the tip up, crossing the shield from right to left diagonally and superimposed on the capital Latin letter “E” (“Estonia”). According to some reports, this emblem was sometimes depicted on the helmets of Estonian SS volunteers.

21st mountain (mountain rifle) division of the Waffen SS "Skanderbeg" (Albanian No. 1). It began to be created on May 1, 1944 in Northern Albania (region of Kosovo) by order of Himmler. This division, recruited mainly from Albanians, was named after the national hero of the Albanian people, Prince George Alexander Kastriot (nicknamed "Iskander Beg" or "Skanderbeg" for short) by the Turks. While Skanderbeg (1403-1468) was alive, the Ottoman Turks, who had repeatedly suffered defeats from him, could not bring Albania under their rule. The emblem of the division was the ancient coat of arms of Albania, a double-headed eagle, inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch (the ancient Albanian rulers claimed kinship with the basileus-emperors of Byzantium). According to surviving information, the division also had another sign - a stylized image of the “Skanderbeg helmet” with goat horns, superimposed on 2 horizontal stripes.

22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division "Maria Theresa" (and not “Maria Teresa”, as is often incorrectly written). It was formed on April 29, 1944 from Hungarian volunteers. Operated as part of Army Group Southern Ukraine. She received her baptism of fire in October 1944 as part of the 6th Army. It took part in the defense of Budapest, where it was virtually destroyed; the remnants of the division were used in the formation of the 37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division "Lützow". This division, recruited mainly from ethnic Germans living in Hungary and from Hungarians, was named after the Empress of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" and Austria, Queen of Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Hungary Maria Theresa von Habsburg (1717-1780), one of the most prominent rulers of the second half of the 18th century. The emblem of the division was an image of a cornflower flower inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch with eight petals, a stem, two leaves and one bud - (subjects of the Austro-Hungarian Danube Monarchy who wanted to join the German Empire, until 1918, wore a cornflower in their buttonhole - the favorite flower of the German emperor Wilhelm II of Hohenzollern).

23rd Waffen-SS Volunteer Motorized Infantry Division "Kama" (Croatian No. 2). The formation of the division began on June 10, 1944 in eastern Croatia from Croatian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Muslims, but was not completed due to the threat to the division's training camp from the advancing Red Army. The personnel were included in the 13th SS Mountain Division "Handschar", which consisted of Croatian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Muslims. “Kama” is the name of a traditional Balkan Muslim edged weapon with a curved blade (something like a scimitar). The tactical sign of the division was a stylized image of the astronomical sign of the sun in a crown of rays on the heraldic shield-tarch. Information about two other tactical signs of the division has also been preserved. The first was the Tyr rune with two arrow-shaped processes, perpendicular to the trunk of the rune, in its lower part; the second - the “odal” rune (similar to the tactical sign of the SS division “Prince Eugene”.

23rd Waffen-SS Volunteer Motorized Infantry Division "Netherlands" (1st Dutch) . The division appeared in February 1945, after the renaming of the volunteer SS tank-grenadier brigade "Nederland". Nominally, the division consisted of volunteers, in fact - of Dutch collaborators who fled to Germany after the Allies occupied Holland, as well as German soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. (The division number “23” had previously been used for the never-formed 23rd SS Mountain Division “Kama” (Croatian No. 2)). Until the end of the war, the division, which never numbered more than 5,200 personnel, fought in Pomerania against the Red Army before being almost completely destroyed when encircled at Halbe. and surrendered. The emblem of the division was the “odal” (“otilia”) rune with lower ends in the shape of arrows, inscribed in the heraldic tarch shield.

24th Waffen SS Mountain (Mountain Rifle) Division "Karst Jaegers" ("Karst Jaegers", "Karstjäger"). Organized on August 1, 1944 and consisted mainly of Italian volunteers. Used in northern Italy, primarily in Friuli and Julian Venice, against partisans. The name of this division is explained by the fact that it was recruited mainly from natives of the Karst mountain region, located on the border between Italy and Yugoslavia. The emblem of the division was a stylized image of a “karst flower” (“karstbloome”), inscribed in a heraldic shield of the “Varangian” (“Norman”) form.

25th Grenadier (Infantry) Division Waffen SS "Hunyadi" (Hungarian No. 1). It was formed from employees of the Hungarian army in February 1945. The Soviet winter offensive forced a retreat to the west, where it surrendered to American forces. This division was named after the medieval Transylvanian-Hungarian Hunyadi dynasty, the most prominent representatives of which were János Hunyadi (Johannes Hunyades, Giovanni Vaivoda, 1385-1456) and his son King Matthew Corvinus (Matiás Hunyadi, 1443-1490), who heroically fought for freedom Hungary against the Ottoman Turks. The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of an “arrow-shaped cross” - the symbol of the Viennese National Socialist Arrow Cross Party (Nilashists) of Ferenc Szálasi - under two three-pronged crowns.

26th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS "Gömbös" (Hungarian No. 2). This division, consisting mainly of Hungarians, was named after the Hungarian Foreign Minister Count Gyula Gömbös (1886-1936), a staunch supporter of a close military-political alliance with Germany and an ardent anti-Semite. The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of the same arrow-shaped cross, but under three three-pronged crowns.

27th SS Volunteer Grenadier (Infantry) Division "Langemarck" (Flemish No. 1). This division, formed from German-speaking Belgians (Flemings), was named after the site of a bloody battle that took place on Belgian territory during the Great (First World) War in 1914. The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of the “triskelion” (“triphos” or “triquetra”).

28th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Wallonia". It was finally formed on October 18, 1944, after the 5th SS Volunteer Assault Brigade "Wallonia", consisting of the 69th and 70th SS Grenadier Regiments, was reorganized. This division owed its name to the fact that it was formed mainly from French-speaking Belgians (Walloons). The emblem of the division was a heraldic shield-tarch with the image of a naked straight sword and a curved saber crossed in the shape of the letter “X” with the hilts up (in rare cases, with the hilts down).

29th Grenadier Infantry Division Waffen SS "RONA" (Russian No. 1). The formation of the division was officially announced on August 1, 1944, but the Warsaw Uprising that began soon led to the fact that the promising potential of the “division” (4-5 thousand people) was used by the German command in its suppression, where it suffered heavy losses; at the same time, the composition of the proposed division showed its extremely low combat value with almost completely absent discipline and morality. In September 1944, together with the Dirlewanger brigade, it was deployed to suppress the Slovak Uprising, where it operated until October 1944. By this point, the idea of ​​​​forming a division was finally abandoned, and the remaining personnel (about 3 thousand) were transferred to the formation of the 600th Wehrmacht Infantry Division (aka 1st ROA Division) where they were characterized by the new command as “bandits, marauders and thieves” ; By the end of October 1944, after inspection of those remaining personnel stationed in Katowice, plans to form a division finally disappear. Unit like real combat division never existed and did not take part in hostilities. Despite this, in popular literature it is mentioned precisely under the same name as it actually existed. At the beginning of 1945, under the same number (No. 29), the 29th SS Grenadier Division “Italy” was created. The divisional sign applied to the equipment, judging by the surviving photographs, was a widened cross with the abbreviation “RONA” under it.

29th Grenadier (Infantry) Division Waffen SS "Italy" (Italian No. 1). It arose on February 10, 1945 as the second SS division under this number (29th SS Grenadier Division "RONA" (Russian No. 1), previously disbanded) from the Waffen-Grenadier SS Brigade that already existed since November 1943 (Italian No. 1). In some publications the additional name of the division appears as "Italia" or "SS Legione Italiana". This division owed its name to the fact that it consisted of Italian volunteers who remained loyal to Benito Mussolini after his release from prison by a detachment of German paratroopers led by SS Sturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny. The tactical sign of the division was a vertically located lictorial fascia (in Italian: “littorio”), inscribed in the heraldic shield of the “Varangian” (“Norman”) form - a bunch of rods (rods) with an ax embedded in them (the official emblem of the National Fascist Party of Benito Mussolini) .

30th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS (Russian No. 2, also known as Belarusian No. 1). It began to form on March 9, 1945 on the basis of the 1st Belarusian SS brigade created on January 15, 1945 and consisting of one regiment. It was planned that the formation of the division would be completed by June 30, 1945, but events at the front led to the division being disbanded between April 15 and 20, 1945. The majority of the personnel were Belarusians who had previously served in police formations and detachments of the “Belarusian Regional Defense”, and then in the 75th and 76th regiments of the “2nd Russian”. The division was not fully formed and did not take part in hostilities. The tactical sign of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield with the image of the double (“patriarchal”) cross of the Holy Princess Euphrosyne of Polotsk, located horizontally.

31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division (aka 23rd Waffen SS Volunteer Mountain Division). It was created on October 1, 1944 on the territory of Hungary from Volksdeutsche self-defense units and soldiers from the disbanded 23rd SS Mountain Division "Kama". Initially, the division took part in the fighting in the Mohács-Pecs region. There they took part in the battles of Popovac, Borca, Fekete Kapu. The division then retreated northeast to Pecvarad, then took part in battles south of Szekszard. Having suffered significant losses, in December 1944 the division was forced to retreat again, this time to the Dombovara area. During these battles, the division again suffered significant losses and was withdrawn to Styria, to Marburg. At the end of January 1945, the somehow replenished division was sent to Army Group Center in Silesia. Upon arrival in the Liegnitz area, the SS police regiment "Brisken" was introduced into its composition and sent to the front. The division first took part in the offensive in the area of ​​Schonau and Goldberg, and then went on the defensive. After which the division defended itself near Murau, then retreated to Hirschberg, then to Kennygratz, and there it surrendered to the Red Army. The emblem of the division was the head of a full-face deer on the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield.

31st SS Volunteer Grenadier (Infantry) Division “Bohemia and Moravia” (German: “Böhmen und Mähren”). This division was formed from natives of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, who came under German control of the territories of Czechoslovakia (after Slovakia declared independence). The emblem of the division was a Bohemian (Czech) crowned lion walking on its hind legs, and an orb crowned with a double cross on a “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield.

32nd Volunteer Grenadier (Infantry) SS Division "30 January". Formed in January 1945 in the city of Kurmark from German Volksdeutsche conscripts (volunteers and mobilized), teachers of the SS Junker Schools, instructors and cadets of SS tank and infantry schools. Initially there were about 2000 people. The division suffered heavy losses on the Eastern Front on the Oder River where it fought in February-March 1945. Some units defended the southern part of Berlin. The surviving remnants of the division surrendered to the Allies on May 5, 1945 in the city of Tanemünde. This division was named in memory of the day Adolf Hitler came to power (January 30, 1933). The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) shield with the image of a vertically located “battle rune” - the symbol of the ancient German god of war Tyr (Tira, Tiu, Tsiu, Tuisto, Tuesco).

33rd Waffen-SS Cavalry Division "Hungaria", or "Hungary" (Hungarian No. 3). This division was supposedly formed in Hungary in 1944-1945 from Hungarian cavalry units and was destroyed in Budapest. No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

33rd Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS "Charlemagne" (French No. 1). The formation of the brigade began back in 1944, however, this military formation became a division only on February 10, 1945 in West Prussia, after the reorganization of the SS Waffen Grenadier Brigade “Charlemagne” (French No. 1) giving it the status of a division. After suffering heavy losses in Pomerania, on March 25, 1945, the unit was withdrawn east of Neustrelitz and was supposed to remain there until the end of the replenishment and rest. In May 1945, the division surrendered to Soviet troops. This division was named in honor of the Frankish king Charlemagne (“Charlemagne”, from the Latin “Carolus Magnus”, 742-814), who was crowned Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 800 in Rome (which included the territories of modern Northern Italy, France, Germany , Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and parts of Spain), and is considered the founder of modern German and French statehood. The division's emblem was a dissected "Varangian" ("Norman") shield with half a Roman-German imperial eagle and three fleurs de lys of the Kingdom of France.

34th SS Volunteer Grenadier (Infantry) Division "Landstorm Nederland" (Dutch Militia), (Dutch No. 2). It was originally a volunteer SS brigade in the Third Reich, consisting mainly of Danes and Dutch. Took part in hostilities on the Western Front European theater actions of the Second World War. In February 1945, the brigade received an order that reorganized it into an SS division, despite the fact that its strength was never greater than the fighting strength of an individual brigade. The emblem of the division was the “Dutch national” version of the “wolf hook” - “Wolfsangel”, inscribed in the “Varangian” (“Norman”) heraldic shield (adopted in the Dutch National Socialist movement by Anton-Adrian Mussert).

35th SS Police Grenadier (Infantry) Division ("Police Division II") The formation of the division began on March 16, 1945, when the 29th and 30th SS police regiments were assigned to the Waffen-SS and consisted of those mobilized for military service German police officials. The real combat potential of the division remained unknown, since the division only managed to take part in the defense of Berlin (in the Battle of Seelow Heights) and was destroyed during an attempt to break through the Soviet defense, known in Western historiography as the Battle of Halbe. Some minor parts of the division managed to surrender to American or Soviet troops in the area of ​​​​the demarcation line of the two army groups at the Elbe. The emblem of the division was the “Varangian” (“Norman”) shield with the image of the “Hagall” rune and the Roman numeral “II”.

36th Waffen SS Grenadier Division "Dirlewanger". The SS Assault Brigade "Dirlewanger" - a punitive unit of the SS under the command of Oskar Dirlewanger, was recruited from prisoners of German prisons, concentration camps and SS military prisons. The special status of the brigade was noted by the fact that on their buttonholes, instead of SS runes, its members wore the symbol of the brigade - crossed grenades. At the end of the war, the 36th SS Waffen Grenadier Division "Dirlewanger" was created on the basis of the brigade. It can only be called a division conditionally, since it never formally became one (in 1944, on the basis of this brigade, it was planned to form a separate (36th according to the standard “end-to-end” numbering) division, but the formation was never completed, since in 1945, almost all members of the brigade were destroyed). The emblem of the division was two hand grenades “mallets” inscribed in the “Varangian” (“Norman”) shield, crossed in the shape of the letter “X” with the handles down.

According to the orders of the imperial leader (Reichsführer) of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, in the last months of the war, the formation of several more SS divisions was begun (but not completed):

35th SS Grenadier (Infantry) Division "Police" ("Policeman"), also known as the 35th SS Grenadier (Infantry) Police Division. No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

36th Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the Waffen SS. No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division "Lützow". It was formed near Marchfeld on the Hungarian-Slovak border in February 1945. The division's personnel were assembled from the remnants of the cavalry divisions - the 22nd "Maria Theresa" and the 8th "Florian Geier", battered in battles near besieged Budapest, and, due to the recruitment of Hungarian Volksdeutsche, were quickly brought to the required strength. The division was named in honor of the hero of the fight against Napoleon - Major of the Prussian army Adolf von Lützow (1782-1834), who formed the first volunteer corps in the history of the Wars of Liberation (1813-1815) of German patriots against Napoleonic tyranny (“Lützow’s black huntsmen”). The tactical sign of the division was the image of a straight naked sword with the tip up, inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch, superimposed on the capital Gothic letter “L”, that is, “Lutzov”).

38th SS Grenadier (Infantry) Division "Nibelungen" ("Nibelungen"). It was formed on March 27, 1945 and, by personal order from Hitler, was sent to the Western Front. She fought in Bavaria. The war ended on May 8, 1945 in Reit im Winkl with the surrender to American troops. The division was named after the heroes of the medieval German heroic epic - the Nibelungs. This was the original name given to the spirits of darkness and fog, elusive to the enemy and possessing countless treasures; then - the knights of the kingdom of the Burgundians who took possession of these treasures. As you know, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler dreamed of creating an “SS order state” on the territory of Burgundy after the war. The emblem of the division was the image of the winged Nibelungen invisibility helmet inscribed in the heraldic shield-tarch.

39th SS Mountain Division "Andreas Hofer". The division was named after the Austrian national hero Andreas Hofer (1767-1810), the leader of the Tyrolean rebels against Napoleonic tyranny, betrayed by traitors to the French and shot in 1810 in the Italian fortress of Mantua. To the tune of the folk song about the execution of Andreas Hofer - “Under Mantua in Chains”, German Social Democrats in the 20th century composed their own song “We are the young guard of the proletariat”, and the Soviet Bolsheviks - “We are the young guard of workers and peasants”. No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

40th SS Volunteer Motorized Infantry Division "Feldgerrnhalle" (not to be confused with the German Wehrmacht division of the same name). This division was named after the building of the “Gallery of Commanders” (Feldgerrnhalle), in front of which on November 9, 1923, the Reichswehr and the police of the leader of the Bavarian separatists Gustav Ritter von Kahr shot a column of participants in the Hitler-Ludendorff putsch against the government of the Weimar Republic. Information about the division's tactical sign has not been preserved.

41st Waffen SS Infantry Division "Kalevala" (Finnish No. 1). This division, named after the Finnish heroic folk epic, began to be formed from among the Finnish Waffen SS volunteers who did not obey the order of the Finnish Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Baron Carl Gustav Emil von Mannerheim, issued in 1943, to return from the Eastern Front to their homeland and rejoin the Finnish army. No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

42nd SS Infantry Division "Lower Saxony" (Niedersachsen). Information about the emblem of the division, the formation of which was not completed, has not been preserved.

43rd Waffen SS Infantry Division "Reichsmarschall". This division, the formation of which began on the basis of units of the German air force (Luftwaffe), left without aviation equipment, flight school cadets and ground personnel, was named in honor of the Imperial Marshal (Reichsmarshal) of the Third Reich, Hermann Goering. Reliable information about the division's emblem has not been preserved.

44th Waffen SS Motorized Infantry Division "Wallenstein". This SS division, recruited from ethnic Germans living in the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia and Slovakia, as well as from Czech and Moravian volunteers, was named after the German imperial commander of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Duke of Friedland Albrecht Eusebius Wenzel von Wallenstein (1583-1634), Czech by birth, hero of the dramatic trilogy of the classic of German literature Friedrich von Schiller “Wallenstein” (“Camp of Wallenstein”, “Piccolomini” and “The Death of Wallenstein”). No information about the division's emblem has been preserved.

45th SS Infantry Division "Varyag" ("Vareger"). Initially, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler intended to give the name “Varangians” (“Varaeger”) to the Nordic (Northern European) SS division, formed from Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and other Scandinavians who sent their volunteer contingents to help the Third Reich. However, according to a number of sources, Adolf Hitler "rejected" the name "Varangians" for his Nordic SS volunteers, seeking to avoid unwanted associations with the medieval "Varangian Guard" (consisting of Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Russians and Anglo-Saxons) in the service of the Byzantine emperors. The Fuhrer had a negative attitude towards the Constantinople “Basileus”, considering them, like all Byzantines, “morally and spiritually corrupt, deceitful, treacherous, corrupt and treacherous decadents,” and did not want to be associated with the rulers of Byzantium. As a result, the German-Scandinavian division formed as part of the Waffen SS (which later also included the Dutch, Walloons, Flemings, Finns, Latvians, Estonians, Ukrainians and Russians) was given the name “Viking”. Along with this, on the basis of Russian White emigrants and former citizens of the USSR in the Balkans, the formation of another SS division began, called “Varager” (“Varangians”); however, due to the prevailing circumstances, the matter was limited to the formation in the Balkans of the “Russian (security) corps (Russian security group)” and a separate Russian SS regiment “Varyag”.

Serbian SS Volunteer Corps. The corps consisted of former soldiers of the Yugoslav royal army (mainly of Serbian origin), most of whom were members of the Serbian monarcho-fascist movement "Z.B.O.R.", led by Dmitrie Letić. The tactical sign of the corps was a tarch shield and an image of an ear of grain, superimposed on a naked sword with the tip down, located diagonally.