2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
| 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich 2. SS-Panzer-Division „Das Reich“ | |
|---|---|
 Truppenkennzeichen (unit or troop insignia), the Wolfsangel | |
| Active | 1939–1945 |
| Country |  National Socialist Germany
|
| Branch |  Waffen-SS
|
| Type | Panzer |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Paul Hausser Heinz Lammerding |
The SS Division "Das Reich" was one of the 38/39 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. It is one of the most well-known and researched of all the SS divisions. Das Reich was composed of some of the best, most well-trained and battle-hardened troops in the world at the time.
It served from the invasion of France and took part in several major battles on the Eastern Front, before it was pulled back to France and took part in the fighting in Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and the last, desperate fighting in Hungary and Austria (southern Germany). The symbol for the Das Reich division was the wolf's hook or Wolfsangel rune.
Contents
Name evolution
- SS-Verfügungsdivision (VT-Division), 10 October 1939 (three Standarten or regiments)
- SS-Division „Reich“ (mot.), 21 December 1940 (other sources state 25 February 1941)
- SS-Division „Das Reich“, May 1942
- SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division „Das Reich“, 9 November 1942
- 2. SS-Panzer-Division „Das Reich“, 22 October 1943
History
For the 1939 Poland campaign, three SS regiments ("Deutschland", "Der Führer", and "Germania") were grouped into a division of the SS-Verfügungstruppe ("Special-Purpose Troops"). After Poland, one regiment ("Germania") was sent to form another division (SS-Division Wiking), and a new third regiment was created (SS Regiment 11); this became the 2nd SS Division Das Reich. The division first took part in the Campaigns in the West against the Low Countries and France in 1940, and did so as the SS-VT-Division. It first saw action in the main drive for the Dutch central front and Rotterdam. After Rotterdam had been seized the Division, along with other divisions, intercepted a French force and pushed them back to the area of Zeeland and Antwerp. Next, it was used to mop-up small pockets of resistance in the areas already captured by the Germans. The Division was then transferred to France and helped breach a stiffly defended canal line, and then participated in the drive on Paris. At the end of the Campaign, it had advanced all the way to the Spanish Frontier.
Originally, the SS-V.T.-Division was composed of three of the original four SS-Standarten. Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LAH) was the other SS-Standarte, and it was developed on its own. The other three SS-Standarten were Deutschland, Germania and Der Führer. After the Western Campaign was over, the SS-V.T.-Division was reorganized. The SS-Standarten Germania was transferred out of the Division and along with the SS-Standarten Nordland and Westland, formed the backbone of a different SS-Division, Germania, which was soon to become the Wiking Division. For the loss of Germania, the SS-V.T.-Division was given a SS-Totenkopfstandarte designated as SS-Infanterie Regiment 11. Soon after, the Division changed its title from V.T. to Deutschland, and soon after that, to Das Reich.
War in the East
During the period after the fall of France, the Division was stationed in France preparing for the invasion of England. The Division was moved to Romania to take part in the Battle of Yugoslavia and Greece in March of 1941. In April, 1941, Reich took part in the successful capture of Belgrade, the Capital of Yugoslavia.
On the morning of April 12th, 1941, SS Hauptsturmführer Fritz Klingenberg and members of his motorcycle assault company approached Belgrade from Pancevo along the bank of the Danube river. Forcing a crossing, Klingenberg crossed the river and approached the city, proceeding into downtown Belgrade with only six men. Soon after entering the city, Klingenberg encountered a group of twenty Yugoslavian soldiers and without firing a shot the Yugoslavs surrendered. Receiving some reinforcements the Das Reich detachment held the city against counterattacks, and unfurled a large swastika and raised it over the embassy to declare the capture of the city. Two hours later, the mayor of Belgrade arrived at the embassy and surrendered the city to Klingenberg. It was not until the next day that a sizable German force arrived to secure the city. For capturing Belgrade, SS Haupsturmführer Fritz Klingenberg was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
After the capture of Belgrade, the Division was moved to Poland to take part in the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. During the invasion of the Soviet Union, Das Reich fought with Army Group Center, taking part in the Battle of Yelnya near Smolensk, and then in the spearhead to capture Moscow. Reich came within a few miles of the Soviet Capital in November 1941, reaching the "High Water Mark" of the German advance in the Soviet Union. With the Soviet capital within sight of the Division, weather, massive losses and a major Soviet Winter Counter-Offensive pushed the Division back.
Back to the Eastern Front, 1943
Early in 1943, Das Reich was transferred back to the Eastern Front where it helped reclaim the crumbling central front around Kharkov. After helping recapturing Kharkov, Das Reich, along with many other divisions, was thrown into a massive assault into the Kursk Salient, a huge bulge in the German Front line around the area of Kursk and Byelgorod. Das Reich pushed upwards of 40 miles (approximately 64 kilometers) into the southern sector of the bulge, but was pulled out of the battle along with the other SS-Division when the offensive was called off. After a period of brief fighting, Das Reich was refit once again, this time as SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". In doing so, it left a portion the Division in the East titled "Kampfgruppe Das Reich", also known as Kampfgruppe Lammerding. The rest of the Division was transferred to the West to refit, and while doing so, took part in anti-partisan operations in France.
- Operation Roland commenced at 0810 hours on 30 July. [...] General Hollidt’s counter-offensive might have collapsed against a wall of Soviet mines and anti-tank guns, had not Nehring’s XXIV Panzerkorps supporting attack achieved some measure of success southwest of Stepanovka. Von Vormann’s 23. Panzer-Division attacked with Kampfgruppe Schägger at 0810 hours. The composition of this Kampfgruppe demonstrates the growing poverty of German Panzer-Divisionen after Zitadelle: Major Peter Schägger’s Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 23, Hauptmann Robert Alber’s I./Pz.Rgt. 201, the II./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 126 and the Feld-Lehr-Bataillon 128 (the division’s replacement battalion). Despite lacking Tigers like Hausser’s Waffen-SS divisions, both Schägger and Alber were experienced reserve officers who knew how to handle their limited resources. Avoiding high ground, Alber manoeuvred his tanks through lightly-wooded, low-lying ground and managed to overrun the town of Saurivka (Saur-Mogilsky in 1943). Soviet mines and anti-tank guns were a problem in this sector as well, but the 315th Rifle Division’s defences were not as well-prepared. After breaking through the crust, Alber’s panzers boldly advanced cross-country and seized the village of Garany, behind the 315 RD’s main positions. At 1000 hours, the 16. Panzergrenadier-Division joined the attack and sent Kampfgruppe Sander (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 116 and III./Grenadier-Regiment 50 from 111.Infanterie-Division) to link-up with Alber’s Panzers, which was achieved at 1145 hours. A force of just five battalions had surrounded the 315 RD and succeeded in taking over 3,000 Soviet prisoners on the first day of Roland, as well as destabilizing the left flank of the Mius bridgehead. During the night of 30–31 July, Totenkopf’s pioniers were able to remove about 2,000 mines and cleared a narrow lane through the outer minefields, but pionier casualties for this effort were excessive. On the second day of the offensive, Hausser’s II. SS-Panzerkorps began their attack at 0915 hours with a 45-minute artillery preparation and received some Stuka close air support sorties, but their assault units were substantially weaker. Totenkopf attacked into the teeth of the Soviet defence with only 15 tanks (including two Tigers) and was again repulsed with heavy losses. [...] Hollidt assembled all available artillery and put it at Hausser’s disposal for an all-out attack on 1 August. By this time, the Germans knew where most of the Soviet artillery and anti-tank guns were located and thus the artillery preparation that started before dawn was far more effective. Prior to the ground assault, Nebelwerfer batteries created a thick smoke screen to conceal the advancing German infantry and tanks, thereby reducing the effectiveness of Soviet defensive fire. After much heavy fighting, Das Reich finally captured Stepanovka and then its panzers swept eastward, overrunning some of the anti-tank units blocking Totenkopf ’s path. By 1600 hours, the centre of the Soviet defensive line was near collapse. [...] In the south, the XXIV Panzerkorps achieved a major breakthrough and advanced toward the Mius. By evening, the Soviet defence crumbled and the remaining units began retreating across the Mius. On 2 August, Hollidt’s forces advanced to the river and crushed the last resistance in the bridgehead. Tolbukhin’s forces had suffered a major defeat, leaving behind 17,895 prisoners, but the remnants of 2 GMC and 4 GMC escaped across the river. Although a tactical success, the Mius River fighting was extremely costly for the Germans. Overall, AOK 6 suffered 21,369 casualties in the 17-day battle. Hausser’s II.SS-Panzerkorps was virtually burnt-out: Totenkopf suffered 1,458 casualties in its four-day attack and was reduced to just 23 operational tanks, while Das Reich suffered nearly 1,000 casualties and was left with 22 tanks. While many damaged tanks would be repaired in time, losses in Panzergrenadiers and pioniers were particularly crippling and not easy to replace. The 3. and 23. Panzer-Divisionen were also reduced to a very depleted condition and 16. Panzergrenadier-Division was wrecked (3,957 casualties between 17–31 July) by the Battle for the Mius Bridgehead. Tolbukhin’s short-lived Mius bridgehead succeeded in causing von Manstein to disperse his armour after Zitadelle and then crippling his strongest formation, II. SS-Panzerkorps.[1]
In the Winter of 1943/1944, another massive Soviet winter counter offensive managed to encircle German units in the center of the front. "Kamfgruppe Das Reich" was one of the units encircled by the Soviet offensive, and an assault by II. SS Panzerkorps managed to rescue the trapped elements of Das Reich. In February 1944 the Kampfgruppe was transferred to France to join the rest of the Division already stationed there. The remaining small portion of Das Reich left in the East were renamed Kampfgruppe Weidinger and was involved in the retreats through Proskurov and Tarnopol. Most of Das Reich was stationed in the southern French town of Montauban north of Toulouse gaining new equipment and freshly trained troops.
The Battle of Normandy and Fighting in the West, 1944
After the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France, Das Reich was committed to stop the Allied advance, and took part in the attempts to stop the Allies near Caen and St. Lo alongside the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and the elite German Panzer Lehr Division. The Division recaptured Mortain, but was forced to retreat when it became apparent the Allies were going to encircle the Division along with a large number of other German units in the Falaise pocket. Thanks to the efforts of Das Reich along with the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, a large number of German forces were able to escape the pocket and retreat to the east.
Pulled back across the Seine River and then behind the West Wall fortifications in Germany, the 2nd SS Panzer Division took part in the operations to punch through the Ardennes Forest to reclaim the port of Antwerp on 16 December 1944. Coming within 23 miles of the River Meuse, the Division was halted at Manhay on 25 December, and then slowly smashed by fierce Allied counter-attacks. Das Reich panzer commander Ernst Barkmann became famous for the creation of Barkmann's Corner, where he destroyed numerous American tanks in small skirmishes.
1945
Pulled out of the offensive, Das Reich was transferred into Germany to refit again, and to take part in the last German offensive of the war in Hungary in an attempt to break the siege around Budapest. This offensive also ground to a halt, and Das Reich spent the rest of the war more-or-less performing a fighting retreat from Dresden, to Prague and finally to Vienna. In the end, most of the Division managed to escape to the West to surrender to the Americans in May 1945.
Order of battle
1941–1942
- SS Infantry Regiment Deutschland
- SS Infantry Regiment Der Führer
- 11th SS Infantry Regiment
- SS Artillery Regiment
- SS Sturmgeschütz Battery
- SS Motorcycle Battalion (Kradschützen-Bataillon/I. (Kradschützen-)Bataillon "Langemarck")
- SS Reconnaissance Battalion (Aufklärungs-Abteilung)
- SS Panzerjäger (anti-tank) Battalion
- SS Pionier Battalion
- SS Signal Battalion
- SS Rocket Battalion
- SS Supply Battalion
- SS Medical Battalion
- SS Reserve Battalion
1943/44–1945
- 2nd SS Panzer Regiment
- 3rd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Deutschland
- 4th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Der Führer
- 2nd SS Panzer Artillery Regiment
- 2nd SS Motorcycle Battalion
- 2nd SS Sturmgeschütz Battalion
- 2nd SS Reconnaissance Battalion
- 2nd SS Panzerjäger Battalion
- 2nd SS Flak Battalion
- 2nd SS Pionier Battalion
- 2nd SS Signal Battalion
- 2nd SS Rocket Launcher Battalion
- 2nd SS Supply Battalion
- 2nd SS Maintenance Battalion
- 2nd SS Medical Battalion
Persons
Commanders
- SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Kment, Prior to 1935
- SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser, 19 October 1939 – 14 October 1941
- SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Bittrich, 14 October 1941 – 31 December 1941
- SS-Brigadeführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, 31 December 1941 – 19 April 1942
- SS-Gruppenführer Georg Keppler, 19 April 1942 – 10 February 1943
- SS-Brigadeführer Herbert Ernst Karl Vahl, 10 February 1943 – 18 March 1943
- SS-Standartenführer Kurt Brasack, 18 March 1943 – 29 March 1943
- SS-Gruppenführer Walter Krüger, 29 March 1943 – 23 October 1943
- SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding, 23 October 1943 – 24 July 1944
- SS-Obersturmbannführer Christian Tychsen, 24 July 1944 – 28 July 1944
- SS-Oberführer Otto Baum, 28 July 1944 – 23 October 1944
- SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding, 23 October 1944 – 20 January 1945
- SS-Standartenführer Karl Kreutz, 20 January 1945 – 4 February 1945
- SS-Gruppenführer Werner Ostendorff, 4 February 1945 – 9 March 1945
- SS-Standartenführer Rudolf Lehmann, 9 March 1945 – 13 April 1945
- SS-Standartenführer Karl Kreutz, 13 April 1945 – 8 May 1945
Knight's Cross holders (selection)
- Karl-Heinz Boska
- Siegfried Brosow
- Hans Eckert
- Wolfgang Gast
- Wilhelm Grieme
- Hans Hauser
- Friedrich Holzer
- Vinzenz Kaiser
- Helmut Kämpfe
- Dieter Kesten
- Fritz Klingenberg
- Karl Kloskowski
- Josef Lainer
- Fritz Langanke
- Adolf Lex
- Karl Mühleck
- Albin Freiherr von Reitzenstein
- Sylvester Stadler
- Hans Weiß
- Heinz Werner
- Günther Wisliceny
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