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3rd SS Division Totenkopf
Image:SS Division Totenkopf.png
Divisional insignia of 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf.
Active October 1939 - 8 May 1945
Country Nazi Germany
Branch Infantry, Special Forces
Engagements Invasion of France, Operation Marita, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Kharkov, Operation Citadel, Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket, Operation Konrad, Falaise pocket,
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Theodor Eicke

SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull") is also known as 3. October events and holidays Children's Book Week ( England) - First Week of October National Day ( China People's Republic Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, Unternehmen Marita was a World War II battle that occurred on the Greek mainland and in southern Albania Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II The Battle of Kursk (Курская битва refers to a series of German and Soviet operations on the Eastern Front of World War II The Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket took place from 24 January 1944 until 16 February 1944 Operation Konrad was the German - Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest during the Battle of Budapest in January 1945 During August 1944 the Falaise pocket was the area between the four towns of Trun, Argentan, Vimoutiers and Chambois near Falaise Theodor Eicke ( October 17 1892 &ndash February 26, 1943) was a Nazi official SS- Obergruppenführer, commander SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. It was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron" World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke. The division is infamous due to its insignia and the fact that most of the initial enlisted men were SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS concentration camp guards). SS-Totenkopfverbände ( SS-TV) was a German Nazi formation of concentration camps guards Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial

The Totenkopf division was numbered with the "Germanic" divisions of the Waffen-SS. These included also the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich, and SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking. The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler ( SS-LAH) founded in September 1933 was Adolf Hitler 's personal Bodyguard Regiment. The SS Division Das Reich (germ 2SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich) was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during SS Division (motorised Wiking was a German Waffen SS division recruited from foreign volunteers

Contents

Formation and Fall Gelb

The SS Division Totenkopf was formed in October 1939. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Totenkopf was initially formed from concentration camp guards and men from the SS-Heimwehr Danzig. SS Heimwehr "Danzig" was an SS unit established in the free city of Danzig (today Gdańsk Poland) before the Second World War. The division was officered by men from the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT), of whom many had seen action in Poland. The SS-Verfügungstruppe ( The Combat Support Force) (short SS-VT) were combat divisions of the SS, trained according to the German Army ( Wehrmacht The division was commanded by SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke. Theodor Eicke ( October 17 1892 &ndash February 26, 1943) was a Nazi official SS- Obergruppenführer, commander

Having missed the Polish campaign, Totenkopf was initially held in reserve during the assault into France and the Low Countries in May 1940. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They were committed on 16 May to the Front in Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Totenkopf men fought fanatically, suffering heavy losses.

Within a week of this initial commitment the division's first war crime had already been committed. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied At Le Paradis 4th Kompanie, I Abteilung, commanded by SS-Obersturmführer Fritz Knöchlein, machine-gunned 97 out of 99 British officers and men of the Royal Norfolk Regiment after they had surrendered to them; two survived. The Le Paradis massacre was a War crime committed by members of the 14th Company SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein ( May 27, 1911 in Munich - January 21, 1949) was a SS Obersturmbannführer during the Second The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry Regiment of the British Army. After the war, Knöchlein was tried by a British Court and convicted for war crimes in 1948. He was sentenced to death and hanged.

Totenkopf saw action a number of times during the French campaign. To the north-east of Cambrai the division took 16,000 French prisoners. Cambrai (Dutch Kamerijk; old spelling Cambray) is a French town and commune, in the Nord département, Whilst subsequently trying to drive through to the coast they encountered a major Anglo-French force which they had a great deal of difficulty stopping and came perilously close to panic. Totenkopf had to resort to firing artillery pieces in an anti-tank role, and were saved only by the intervention of Luftwaffe dive-bombers. It then suffered heavy losses during the taking of the La Bassée Canal. Further stiff resistance was then encountered at both Béthune and Le Paradis. Béthune (Betun is a city and commune of northern France, sous-préfecture of the Pas-de-Calais département The French surrender found the division located near the Spanish border, where it was to stay, resting and refitting, until April 1941. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Totenkopf had suffered heavy losses during the campaign, including over 300 officers. Replacement personnel were supplied, this time via regular Waffen-SS recruitment as opposed to coming from the camps. Flak and artillery battalions were added to its strength.

Barbarossa – Demjansk Pocket

In April 1941, the division was ordered East to join Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb’s Army Group North. Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ( September 5, 1876 - April 29, 1956) was a German Field Marshal during World War II Army Group North ( Heeresgruppe Nord) was a strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War Leeb's Army Group was tasked with advancing on Leningrad and formed the northern wing of Operation Barbarossa. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II Totenkopf saw action in Lithuania and Latvia, and by July had breached the vaunted Stalin Line. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The Stalin Line was a line of Fortifications along the western border of the Soviet Union. The division then advanced by Demjansk to Leningrad where it was involved in heavy fighting from July 31st to August 25th. Demyansk (Демя́нск is an Urban-type settlement in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, administrative centre of Demyansky District

During Autumn and Winter of 1941, the Soviets launched a number of operations against the German lines in the Northern sector of the Front. During one of these operations, the Division was encircled for several months near Demjansk in what would come to be known as the Demjansk Pocket. Demyansk Pocket ( German: Festung Demjansk or Kessel von Demjansk; Демя́нский котёл is a name for the encirclement of German troops During these kessel battles, Totenkopf suffered so greatly that, due to its reduced size, it was re-designated Kampfgruppe Eicke. Salient Salients can be formed in a number of ways An attacker can produce a salient in the defender's line by either intentionally making a Pincer movement around the In Military history and Military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe (pl The division was involved in ferocious fighting to hold the pocket. SS-Hauptscharführer Erwin Meierdress of the Sturmgeschütze-Batterie Totenkopf formed a Kampfgruppe of about 120 men and held the strategic town of Bjakowo despite repeated determined enemy attempts to capture the town. Hubert-Erwin Meierdress ( 11 December 1916 &ndash 1945 usually referred to as Erwin Meierdress, was a German Waffen-SS officer In Military history and Military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe (pl During these battles, Meierdress personally destroyed several enemy tanks in his StuG III. The Sturmgeschütz III ( StuG III) Assault gun was Germany's most produced Armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. He was awarded the Iron Cross for his actions during this period. For other meanings please see Iron Cross (disambiguation The Iron Cross ( was a Military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia In April 1942, the division broke out of the pocket and managed to reach friendly lines. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

At Demjansk, about 80% of its soldiers were killed in action. The remnants of the Division were pulled out of action in late October, 1942 and sent to France to be refitted. While in France, the Division took part in Case Anton, the takeover of Vichy France in November 1942. During World War II the German authorities codenamed the occupation of Vichy France Case (or Operation) Anton. Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 For this operation, the division was supplied with a Panzer regiment and redesignated 3. A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf. Thanks to the persuasive efforts of Himmler and SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser, all SS panzergrenadier divisions received a full regiment of panzers, so were full strength panzer divisions in all but name. Paul "Papa" Hausser ( October 7, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1972) was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high (abbreviated PzGren or Pzg) (Literally armored grenadeer is a German term for motorised or Mechanized infantry, as introduced during The division remained in France until February, 1943, when their old commander, Theodor Eicke, resumed control. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Kharkov - Kursk

In Early February 1943 Totenkopf was transferred back to the Eastern Front as part of Erich von Manstein’s Army Group South. The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Erich von Manstein ( November 24, 1887 &ndash June 9 1973) served the German military as a lifelong professional soldier Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. The division, as a part of SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser’s SS-Panzerkorps, took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov, blunting the Soviet General Konev’s offensive. Paul "Papa" Hausser ( October 7, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1972) was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high The IISS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured Corps which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov ( Ivan Stepanovich Konev ( Ива́н Степа́нович Ко́нев ( &ndash May 21, 1973) was a Soviet military commander who led Red During this campaign, Theodor Eicke, while flying above enemy lines in a Fieseler Storch spotter aircraft, was shot down and killed. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The division mounted an assault to break through enemy lines and recover their commander’s body, and thereafter Eicke’s body was buried with full military honours. Hermann Priess succeeded Eicke as commander. Hermann Prieß ( May 24 1901 - February 2 1985) was the commander of 3rd SS Division Totenkopf following the death of Theodor

SS-Panzerkorps, including Totenkopf, was then shifted north to take part in Operation Citadel, the great offensive to reduce the Kursk salient. The Battle of Kursk (Курская битва refers to a series of German and Soviet operations on the Eastern Front of World War II History KurskOld2jpg|thumb|200px|Pre-1917 view of Kursk]] Archaeology indicates that the site of Kursk was settled in the fifth or fourth century B It was during this period that The 3. SS-Panzerregiment received a company of Tiger I heavy tanks. Tiger I ( is the common name of a German heavy Tank of World War II. (9. /SS-Panzerregiment 3).

The attack was launched on 5 July 1943, after a massive Soviet artillery barrage fell on the German assembly areas. The SS-Panzerkorps was to attack the southern flank of the salient as the spearhead for Generaloberst Hermann Hoth's 4.Panzer-Armee. Hermann "Papa" Hoth ( 12 April 1885 - 25 January 1971) was an officer in the German Military from The 4th Panzer Army (German 4Panzer-Armee) was before being designated a full army the Panzer Group 4 ( Panzergruppe 4) a German Panzer

The Totenkopf covered the advance on the SS-Panzerkops left flank, with the Leibstandarte forming the spearhead. SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 advanced in a panzerkeil across the hot and dusty steppe. The Panzerkeil (Armoured Wedge was an offensive armoured tactic developed by German forces on the Eastern Front during World War II In physical Geography, a steppe ( German, from степь - "a flat and arid land" степ - /stɛp/ тал - tal дала - /dɑlɑ/ pronounced Despite encountering stiff Soviet resistance and several pakfronts, the Totenkopf's panzers continued the advance, albeit at a slower pace than had been planned. The Pakfront was a defensive military tactic developed by the German forces on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. Hausser ordered his SS-Panzerkorps to split in two, with the Totenkopf crossing the Psel river northwards and then continuing on towards the town of Prokhorovka. Prokhorovka (Про́хоровка is an Urban-type settlement in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Psyol River southwest

In the early morning of 9 July, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Theodor Eicke attacked northwards, crossing the Psel and attempted to seize the strategic Hill 226. 6, located to the east of the fortified village of Kliuchi. The attack was rebuffed by the defending Soviets. The failure to capture the hill meant that the drive along the north bank of the Psel was temporarily halted, forcing Hausser to also delay the Southern advance. In the afternoon, regiment Eicke managed to redeem itself by capturing the hill, but the northern advance slowed and the majority of the division was still south of the Psel, where elements of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 5 Thule continued to advance towards Prokhorovka and cover the flank of the Leibstandarte.

By July 11, SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdress had led his I. Hubert-Erwin Meierdress ( 11 December 1916 &ndash 1945 usually referred to as Erwin Meierdress, was a German Waffen-SS officer /SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 across the Psel on hastily constructed pontoon bridges, reinforcing the tenuous position. The forces in the bridgehead were subjected to several furious Soviet attacks, but with the support of Meierdress' panzers they held their ground and slowly expanded the bridgehead, securing the village of Kliuchi. Strong Soviet opposition had severely slowed division's advance along the north bank. In the afternoon of 12 July, near the village of Andre'evka on the south bank of the Psel, the Soviets launched a major counterattack against Regiment Thule and the division's StuG Abteilung.

Panzergrenadiers of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Theodor Eicke during the advance on Prokhorovka.
Panzergrenadiers of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Theodor Eicke during the advance on Prokhorovka.

SS-Brigadeführer Hermann Priess, the Totenkopf's commander, ordered Meierdress' abteilung to advance and support the beleaguered forces. Hermann Prieß ( May 24 1901 - February 2 1985) was the commander of 3rd SS Division Totenkopf following the death of Theodor The PzKpfw IIIs and PzKpfw IVs of Meierdress' unit were supported by the Totenkopf's Tiger I company, 9(schwere). Panzer III is the common name of a Medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and used extensively in World War II. The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a Medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively Tiger I ( is the common name of a German heavy Tank of World War II. /SS-Panzer-Regiment 3. In ferocious combat with the lead units of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army, Meierdress managed to halt the Soviet assault, destroying many Soviet T-34s, but at the cost of the majority of the division's remaining operational panzers. The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1941 to 1958 It is widely regarded as having been the world's best Tank when the Soviet Union

While the SS-Panzerkorps had halted the Soviet counteroffensive and inflicted heavy casualties, it had exhausted itself and was no longer capable of offensive action. Manstein attempted to commit his reserve, the XXIV. Panzerkorps, but Hitler refused to authorise this. On 14 July, Hitler called off the operation.

Battles on the Mius Front - Retreat to the Dniepr

Along with Das Reich, the division was reassigned to General der Infanterie Karl-Adolf Hollidt’s reformed 6.Armee in the Southern Ukraine. The 6th Army was a German Field army which saw action in World War I and World War II. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The 6. Armee was tasked with eliminating the Soviet bridgehead over the Mius River. Mius (Миус is a River in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia.

Totenkopf was involved in heavy fighting over the next several weeks. During the July-August battles for Hill 213 and the town of Stepanowka, the division suffered heavy losses, and over the course of the campaign on the Mius-Front it suffered more casualties than it had during Operation Citadel. Mius-Front was a heavily fortified Defensive line created by the Germans along the Mius River during World War II. The Battle of Kursk (Курская битва refers to a series of German and Soviet operations on the Eastern Front of World War II By the time the Soviet bridgehead was eliminated, the division had lost 1500 men dead and the Panzer regiment was reduced to 20 tanks.

The Totenkopf was then moved North, back to Kharkov. Along with Das Reich, Totenkopf, took part in the battles to halt Operation Rumyantsev and to prevent the Soviet capture of the city. Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev (Полководец Румянцев literally "Regiment leader Rumyantsev" after 18th-century Field Marshal Peter Rumyantsev Although the two divisions managed to halt the offensive, inflicting heavy casualties and destroying over 800 tanks, the Soviets outflanked the defenders, forcing them to abandon the city on 23 August.

By early September, the Totenkopf reached the Dniepr. Elements of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army had forced a crossing at Kremenchug and were soon threatening to break through the Dniepr line. Kremenchuk is also an alternative spelling for the village of Cremenciug in Transnistria. Totenkopf was thrown into action against the bridgehead.

In October 1943, the division was reformed as 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. The Panzer abteilung was officially upgraded to a regiment, and the two Panzergrenadier regiments were given the honorary titles Theodor Eicke and Thule. (abbreviated PzGren or Pzg) (Literally armored grenadeer is a German term for motorised or Mechanized infantry, as introduced during

After holding the Kremenchug bridgehead for several months, the Soviets finally effected a breakout, pushing Totenkopf and the other axis divisions involved back towards the Romanian border. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania By November, Totenkopf was engaged fighting intense defensive actions against Soviet attacks over the vital town of Krivoi Rog to the west of the Dniepr. Kryvyi Rih or Krivoy Rog (Кривий Ріг Кривой Рог is a city in central Ukraine.

Poland – Warsaw

In January 1944, Totenkopf was still engaged in heavy defensive fighting east of the Dniepr near Krivoi Rog, where a breakthrough still evaded the Soviets, thanks in a great part to the actions of Totenkopf and the Heer's Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland. Kryvyi Rih or Krivoy Rog (Кривий Ріг Кривой Рог is a city in central Ukraine. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Infanterie-Division Großdeutschland (mot Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland Panzer-Korps Großdeutschland In February 1944, 56,000 German troops were trapped in the Korsun Pocket. The Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket took place from 24 January 1944 until 16 February 1944 Totenkopf was sent towards Cherkassy to assist in the relief attempts. The division attacked towards the city of Korsun, attempting to secure a crossing across the Gniloy-Tilkich river. The 1.Panzer-Division, fighting alongside the Totenkopf, achieved a linkup with the encircled forces. The German 1st Panzer Division ( 1 Panzer-Division) was an armored division in the German Army during World War II.

In the second week of March, after a fierce fight near Kirovograd, the Totenkopf fell back behind the Bug River. Kirovohrad (Кіровоград, Кировоград Kirovograd) is a City in central Ukraine. The Bug or Buh River (Bug; Західний Буг Zakhidnyy Buh; Захо́дні Буг Zakhodni Buh; Западный Буг Zapadnyy Bug Totenkopf immediately began taking up new defensive positions. After two weeks of heavy fighting, again alongside the Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland west of Ivanovka, the Axis lines again fell back, withdrawing to the Dniestr on the Romanian border near Iaşi. For the village and municipality in Azerbaijan see İvanovka. The Dniester (Дністер translit Dnister; Nistru is a river in Eastern Europe. Iaşi (pronunciation in Romanian: /jaʃʲ/ or Jassy, is a city and municipality in north-eastern Romania.

In the first week of April, Totenkopf gained a moment's respite as it rested in the area near Târgu Frumos in Romania. Târgu Frumos (or Târgul Frumos, also spelled Tîrgu Frumos) is a town in Iaşi County, Moldavia, Romania. The division received replacements and new equipment, the division's panzer regiment receiving a component of Panthers to replace some of the outdated PzKpfw IVs. The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 In the second week of April, heavy Soviet attacks towards Târgul Frumos meant that Totenkopf was back in action, playing a role in the decisive defensive victory. By 7 May, the front had quietened and the Totenkopf went back to the business of reorganising.

Near Iaşi elements of the division, together with elements of the Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland, managed, amazingly, to halt an armoured assault by the Red Army. The assault, which in many aspects had outlines similar to those of the later British Operation Goodwood, was carried out by approximately 500 tanks, but in excellent defensive positions and through a very skilful use of the high-velocity guns of the German panzers, the German forces, consisting of only 160 panzers, were able to rebuff the attacking forces and inflict a loss of as many as 400 tanks for the price of only 11 panzers, of which a few could later be repaired. Operation Goodwood was an attack launched on July 18 1944 during the Second World War, by the British army to the east of the city of Caen. [1]

In early July, the division was ordered to the area near Grodno in Poland, where it would form a part of SS-Obergruppenführer Gille's IV.SS-Panzerkorps, covering the approaches to Warsaw near Modlin. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The IVSS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured Corps which saw action on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans during World

After The Soviet Operation Bagration and the destruction of Army Group Centre the German lines had been pushed back over 300 miles, to the outskirts of Warsaw. Operation Bagration (Oперация Багратион Operatsiya Bagration) was the Codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte was the name of two distinct German strategic Army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. The Totenkopf arrived at the Warsaw front in late July 1944. After the launch of Operation Bagration and the collapse of Army Group Centre, the central-Eastern front was a mess, and the IV. Operation Bagration (Oперация Багратион Operatsiya Bagration) was the Codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Army Group Center (Heeresgruppe Mitte was the name of two distinct German strategic Army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II SS-Panzerkorps was one of the only formations standing in the way of the Soviet attacks. On 1 August 1944, the Armia Krajowa, rose up in Warsaw itself, sparking the Warsaw Uprising. The Warsaw Uprising ( Powstanie Warszawskie) was a World War II struggle by the Polish Home Army ( Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw A column of Totenkopf Tigers was caught up in the fighting, and several were lost. The Totenkopf itself was not involved in the suppression of the revolt, instead guarding the front lines, and fighting off several Soviet probing attacks into the city's eastern suburbs.

In several furious battles near the town of Modlin in mid August, the Totenkopf, fighting alongside the 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking and the 1.Fallschirm-Panzer-Division Hermann Göring virtually annihilated the Soviet 3rd Tank Corps, which contained a division of communist Poles. SS Division (motorised Wiking was a German Waffen SS division recruited from foreign volunteers The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division1 Hermann Göring ( 1st Paratroop Panzer Division Hermann Goering - abbreviated Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 HG The terrain around Modlin is excellent armour terrain, and Totenkopf's panzers exploited this to their advantage, engaging Soviet tanks from a range where the superiority of the German optics and the 75mm high-velocity guns gave the Panthers an edge against the T-34s.

Budapest Relief Attempts - Hungary

The efforts of the Totenkopf, Wiking and Hermann Göring allowed Germans to hold the Vistula line and establish Army Group Vistula. Army Group Vistula ( Heeresgruppe Weichsel) was an Army Group of the Wehrmacht, formed on January 24[[ 945]] In December 1944, the IX.SS-Gebirgskorps was encircled in Budapest. IXWaffen-Gebirgskorps der SS (kroatisches IXSS-Gebirgs-Korps The IX Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, Hitler ordered the IV. SS-Panzerkorps to head south to break through to the 95,000 Germans and Hungarians trapped in the city. The corps arrived late December, and was immediately thrown into action.

The relief attempts were to be codenamed Operation Konrad, the first attack was Konrad I. Operation Konrad was the German - Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest during the Battle of Budapest in January 1945 The plan was for a joint attack by the Wiking and Totenkopf from the town of Tata attacking along the line Bicske-Budapest. Bicske is a town in Fejér county, Hungary. It is located at around.

Despite initial gains, Konrad I ran into heavy Soviet opposition near Bicske, and during the battle the I. Abt/SS-Panzer-Regiment 3's commander, SS-Sturmbannführer Erwin Meierdress was killed. Hubert-Erwin Meierdress ( 11 December 1916 &ndash 1945 usually referred to as Erwin Meierdress, was a German Waffen-SS officer

After the failure of the first operation, Totenkopf and Wiking launched an assault aimed at the city centre. Named Operation Konrad II, the attack reached as far as the Budapest Airport, before resistance stiffened. Gille's corps was ordered to fall back as part of a ruse to encircle Soviet units north of the city.

Operation Konrad III got underway on 18 January, 1945. Aimed at encircling ten Soviet divisions, the relief forces could not achieve their goal, despite tearing a 15 mile hole in the Soviets' line. Although they had been on the verge of rescuing the IX.Waffen-Gebirgskorps der SS, the encircled troops could not be reached and capitulated in early February. IXWaffen-Gebirgskorps der SS (kroatisches IXSS-Gebirgs-Korps The IX

Grenadiers of the 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf take cover from incoming artillery. Hungary, March 1945.
Grenadiers of the 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf take cover from incoming artillery. Hungary, March 1945.

The division was pulled back to the west, executing a fighting withdrawal from Budapest to the area near Lake Balaton, where the 6th SS Panzer Army under SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef Dietrich was massing for the upcoming Operation Frühlingserwachen. Lake Balaton, located in Hungary, is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the foremost regional tourist destinations The 6th Panzer Army (6Panzer-Armee was a unit of Wehrmacht Heer, formed in the Autumn of 1944 Josef "Sepp" Dietrich ( May 28, 1892 –April 21/22 1966 was a German Waffen-SS general an SS-Oberstgruppenführer Operation Spring Awakening ( Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen) ( 6 March 1945 &ndash 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive

Gille's corps was too depleted to take part in the Operation, and instead provided flank support to assaulting divisions during the beginning of the Operation.

Totenkopf, together with Wiking, performed a holding operation on the left flank of the offensive, in the area between Velenczesee-Stuhlweissenberg. Székesfehérvár (ˈseːkɛʃfɛˈheːrvaːr, colloquial Fehérvár Stuhlweißenburg İstolni Belgrad is a city in central Hungary, located around southwest of As Frühlingserwachen progressed, the division was heavily engaged preventing Soviet efforts to outflank the advancing German forces.

As the offensive stalled, the Soviets launched a major offensive, the Vienna Operation, on 15 March. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Attacking the border between the Totenkopf and the 2. (Hungarian)Panzer Division, contact was soon lost between the two formations. Acting quickly, 6. Armee commander Generaloberst Hermann Balck recommended moving the I.SS-Panzerkorps north to plug the gap and prevent the encirclement of the IV. Hermann Balck ( December 7, 1893 &ndash November 29, 1982) was a General in Nazi Germany 's Wehrmacht during The I SS Panzer Corps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or I SS Panzer Corps (I SS-Panzerkorps. Despite this quick thinking, a Führer Order authorising this move was slow in coming, and when the divisions finally began moving, it was too late.

On 22 March, the Soviet encirclement of the Totenkopf and Wiking was almost complete. Desperate, Balck threw the veteran 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen into the area to hold open the small corridor. The 9 Waffen SS Panzerdivision "Hohenstaufen", also known as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9 Hohenstaufen or In the battle to hold open the Berhida Corridor, the Hohenstaufen bled itself white, but Gille's corps managed to escape.

On 24 March, another Soviet attack threw the exhausted IV. SS-Panzerkorps back towards Vienna, all contact was lost with the neighboring I. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. SS-Panzerkorps and any semblance of an organised line of defence was gone. The remnants of the Totenkopf executed a fighting withdrawal into Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By Early May, they were within reach of the American forces, to whom the division officially surrendered on 9 May. The Americans promptly handed Totenkopf back to the Soviets, and many Totenkopf soldiers died in Soviet Gulags. The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union.

Totenkopf War Crimes

The division's original cadre was drawn from the SS-Totenkopfverbände (concentration camp guards), as opposed to the other Germanic SS Divisions which were formed from the SS-Verfügungstruppe. SS-Totenkopfverbände ( SS-TV) was a German Nazi formation of concentration camps guards Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial The SS-Verfügungstruppe ( The Combat Support Force) (short SS-VT) were combat divisions of the SS, trained according to the German Army ( Wehrmacht

The members of this unit were trained and led by Nazi commanders such as Theodor Eicke, Max Simon and Helmut Becker. Theodor Eicke ( October 17 1892 &ndash February 26, 1943) was a Nazi official SS- Obergruppenführer, commander Eicke instilled ruthlessness as a necessity in his men, and during the original training at Dachau, the troops commonly spent time guarding inmates at the nearby concentration camp. The three SS-TV Standartes which were to form the Totenkopf division saw action in Poland, where some say its soldiers were involved in war crimes. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

Civilians killed on the spot after their capture during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Training and Replacement Battalion of the 3rd SS Division was involved in the suppression of the 1943 Uprising.
Civilians killed on the spot after their capture during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Training and Replacement Battalion of the 3rd SS Division was involved in the suppression of the 1943 Uprising.

The only documented example of war crimes against the division came under Friedrich Jeckeln where, several days into the Fall Gelb campaign, Totenkopf men committed a war crime. Friedrich Jeckeln ( 2 February 1895 - 3 February 1946) was an SS- Obergruppenfuhrer who served as an SS and Police In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries 14. /III. Bat/Totenkopf Infanterie Regiment-2 executed 97 British troops of the Norfolk Regiment at the town of Le Paradis. The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry Regiment of the British Army. The Le Paradis massacre was a War crime committed by members of the 14th Company SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer The commander, SS-Obersturmführer Fritz Knöchlein (Hauptsturmführer at the time of the massacre), had accused the Norfolk Regiment of using dum-dum ammunition and therefore being in violation of the Hague Convention of 1899. Fritz Knöchlein ( May 27, 1911 in Munich - January 21, 1949) was a SS Obersturmbannführer during the Second The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and However, this allegation seems unlikely because all small arms ammunition used by British and German armed forces during the conflict was fully metal jacketed. A full metal jacket (or FMJ) is a Bullet encased in a shell of Copper Alloy (such as Gilding metal or Cupronickel) or a Fully metal jacketed bullets are, though highly effective and deadly, legal according to international laws. After the war, Knöchlein himself was found guilty of war crimes and was hanged.

The Jurgen Stroop Report of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising lists the "Training and Replacement Battalion" of the 3rd SS as involved in the suppresssion of the uprising of April-May 1943. Jürgen Stroop, (born Josef Stroop, September 26, 1895 &ndash March 6, 1952) was a General of the SS and The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (German "Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto", Polish "Powstanie w getcie warszawskim") was the Jewish See [2]

However, by the end of 1942 the division had experienced virtually a complete turnover in personnel. The high casualty rates meant by late 1943 virtually none of the original cadre were left. However, while the division's record in the brutal Eastern Front fighting to follow is quite clean, its reputation lingered. In 1945 the members of the division were turned over by the Americans to the Soviets after their surrender at Linz. This implied a virtual death sentence: its members were sent to their deaths in camps of the Gulag with extreme hard living conditions, or instantly shot without trial. The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. Only few of them survived the captivity.

Order of Battle – As of 1943

3. SS Panzer Division Totenkopf

See also

www. Totenkopf (Plural Totenköpfe) is the German word for "skull" (literally "dead man's head" and is used to describe a military (abbreviated PzGren or Pzg) (Literally armored grenadeer is a German term for motorised or Mechanized infantry, as introduced during A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. A panzer division is an Armored division in the German Army (Panzerdivision A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy This is a list of German divisions in World War II. Only ground units are covered "divisions" of aircraft are not SS-Totenkopfverbände ( SS-TV) was a German Nazi formation of concentration camps guards The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron" The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the totenkopf. org. uk

References

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