Waffen-SS divisions

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Waffen-SS divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type.[1] Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the higher-numbered units were divisions in name only, being in reality only small battlegroups (Kampfgruppen). As a general rule, an "SS Division" is made up of mostly Germans, or other Germanic peoples, while a "Division of the SS" is made up of mostly non-Germanic volunteers.

Flag of SS and Waffen-SS

List

Waffen-SS divisions by number

Number Division Name
(in German)		 Ethnic composition Named after Years Active Maximum Manpower
1st Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Germans Lifeguard/Personal Regiment Adolf Hitler 1933–1945 22,000 (1944)[2]
2nd Das Reich Germans Greater Germanic Reich 1939–1945 19,021 (1941)[1]
3rd Totenkopf Germans Totenkopf 1939–1945 19,754 (1941)[1]
4th Polizei Germans Ordnungspolizei 1939–1945 17,347 (1941)[1]
5th Wiking
(Germanische SS)		 Germans; Norwegians; Danes; Swedes; Finns; Estonians; Dutch; Flemish Vikings 1940–1945 19,377 (1941)[1]
6th Nord
(Germanische SS)		 Germans Nordic; North as cardinal direction
(Operation Arctic Fox)		 1941–1945 15,000 (1943)[1]
7th Prinz Eugen Germans; ethnic Germans from Banat, Croatia, Hungary and Romania Prince Eugene of Savoy 1942–1945 18,000 (1943)
8th Florian Geyer Germans Florian Geyer 1941–1945 15,000 (1944)
9th Hohenstaufen Germans Hohenstaufen dynasty 1943–1945 19,611 (1943)
10th Frundsberg Germans Georg von Frundsberg 1943–1945 19,313 (1943)
11th Nordland
(Germanische SS)		 Swedes; Danes; Norwegians Northland 1943–1945 11,749 (1943)
12th Hitlerjugend Germans Hitler Youth 1943–1945 21,482 (1943)
13th Handschar
(Kroatische Nr. 1)		 Bosniaks; Croats; Albanians; ethnic Germans from Croatia Khanjar dagger 1943–1945 21,000 (1943)[3]
14th Galizische Nr. 1 Ukrainians Galicia 1943–1945 22,000 (1945)
15th Lettische Nr. 1 Latvians Members 1943–1945 18,000 (1943)
16th Reichsführer-SS Germans Reichsführer-SS
(Heinrich Himmler)		 1943–1945 17,500 (1943)
17th Götz von Berlichingen Germans Götz von Berlichingen 1943–1945 18,354 (1944)
18th Horst Wessel Ethnic Germans from Hungary Horst Wessel 1944–1945 11,000 (1944)
19th Lettische Nr. 2 Latvians Members 1944–1945 11,000 (1944)
20th Estnische Nr. 1 Estonians Members 1944–1945 15,000 (1944)
21st Skanderbeg
(Albanische Nr. 1)		 Albanians Skanderbeg 1944–1945 9,156 (1944)
22nd Maria Theresia Ethnic Germans from Hungary Maria Theresia 1944–1945 8,000 (1944)
23rd Kama
(Kroatische Nr. 2)[4]		 Croats and Bosniaks Kama dagger 1944 2,199 (1944)
23rd Nederland
(Niederländische Nr. 1)
(Germanische SS)		 Dutch Netherlands 1941–1945 9,342 (1943)
6,000 (1944)
24th Karstjäger Germans; ethnic German volunteers from Italy and Slovenia Karst topography 1944–1945 4,000 (1944)
25th Hunyadi
(Ungarische Nr. 1)		 Hungarians John Hunyadi 1944–1945 15,000 (1944)
26th Hungaria
(Ungarische Nr. 2)		 Hungarians Hungary 1944–1945 10,000 (1944)
27th Langemarck
(Flämische Nr. 1)
(Germanische SS)		 Flemish Battle of Langemarck (1917) 1943–1945 8,000 (1944)
28th Wallonien Walloons Members 1941–1945 5,000 (1944)
29th RONA
(Russische Nr. 1)		 Russians Russian National Liberation Army (RONA) 1944 13,000 (1943)
29th Italienische Nr. 1 Italians Members 1945 11,000 (1944)
30th Russische Nr. 2 aka Weißruthenische Nr. 1 Belarusians White Ruthenia 1944–1945 11,000 (1944)
31st Batschka Ethnic Germans mostly from Hungary and Yugoslavia Bačka/Batschka region 1944–1945 11,000 {1944}
32nd 30. Januar Germans Date of Hitler becoming Reichskanzler in 1933
(also date of formation)		 1945
33rd Ungarische Nr. 3[5] Hungarians Members 12/1944 to 1/1945
33rd Charlemagne
(Französische Nr. 1)		 French Charlemagne 1944–1945 11,000 (1944)
34th Landstorm Nederland
(Niederländische Nr. 2)
(Germanische SS)		 Dutch (Waffen-SS) Netherlands Landstorm 1944–1945
35th Polizei-Grenadier Germans Ordnungspolizei 1945
36th Dirlewanger Germans Oskar Dirlewanger 1940–1945 5,000 (1945)
37th Lützow Germans;
ethnic Germans from Hungary		 Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow 1945
38th Nibelungen Germans Nibelung 1945 7,000
39th Rumänische Nr. 1 Romanians Members 1945 12,000

Also

Number Division Name
(in German)		 Ethnic composition Named after Years Active Maximum Manpower
— Kempf[6] Germans General der Panzertruppe
Werner Kempf		 1939 164–180 tanks
— Böhmen-Mähren[7] Various Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia 1944–1945
1st Kosaken Nr. 1 Cossacks Members 1943–1945 17,500

Division titles used as deception

  • 26th SS Panzer Division (Brigade size only)
  • 27th SS Panzer Division (Brigade size only)
  • 1st SS Bartenura Division (Brigade size only)

Further Waffen-SS units

Waffen-SS Armies

Unit Name Engagements Notable Commanders Parent Unit
6th SS Panzer Army (de) Battle of the Bulge, Operation Spring Awakening (de), Vienna Offensive (de) Sepp Dietrich Army Group B (December 1944)

Army Group South (March 1945)

11th SS Panzer Army
(with XXXIX. Panzerkorps, III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps, X. SS-Armeekorps) 		Eastern Front, Operation Solstice (de) Felix Steiner OB West

Waffen-SS Corps

Sniper of the SS-Jagdverbände under Otto Skorzeny
SS-Fallschirmjäger showing the captured uniform of Tito during the Operation Rösselsprung in 1944.
  • I SS Panzer Corps
  • II SS Panzer Corps
  • III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (Germanische SS)
  • IV SS Panzer Corps – (formerly VII SS Panzer Corps)
  • V SS Mountain Corps
  • VI SS Army Corps (Latvian)
  • VII SS Panzer Corps – (see above ↑ IV SS Panzer Corps)
  • VIII SS Cavalry Corps – planned in 1945 but not formed
  • IX Waffen Mountain Corps of the SS (Croatian)
  • X SS Corps – (made up of disbanded XIV SS Corps headquarters)
  • XI SS Panzer Corps
  • XII SS Corps
  • XIII SS Army Corps
  • XIV SS Corps – (see above ↑ X SS Corps)
  • XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps
  • XVI SS Corps
  • XVII Waffen Corps of the SS (Hungarian)
  • XVIII SS Corps
  • Serbian Volunteer Corps (Classified SS by 1944)

Waffen-SS Brigades

  • 1st SS Infantry Brigade
  • 2nd SS Infantry Brigade
  • 3rd Estonian SS Freiwilligen Brigade
  • 4th SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
  • 5th SS Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade Wallonien
  • 6th SS Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade Langemarck
  • Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS
  • 8th SS Freiwillingen Sturmbrigade France
  • SS Cavalry Brigade
  • SS Brigade Westfalen
  • Schutzmannschaft Brigade Siegling
  • SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger
  • SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 49 aka the 26th SS Panzer Division (Brigade size only, Division title used as deception)
  • SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 51 aka the 27th SS Panzer Division (Brigade size only, Division title used as deception)
  • SS Panzer Brigade 150
  • SS Volunteer Grenadier Brigade Landstorm Nederland (Niederländische Waffen-SS)

Other

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 George H. Stein (1984). "Operation Barbarossa", The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War, 1939–1945. Cornell University Press, 119–120. ISBN 0801492750. 
  2. ↑ 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
  3. ↑ Lepre, George (1997). Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943–1945. Atglen, Philadelphia: Schiffer Publishing, 138–139. ISBN 978-0-7643-0134-6. 
  4. ↑ Formed on 19 June 1944 under Helmuth Raithel (1907–1990), it was built around a cadre from the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) but did not reach its full strength and never saw action as a formation. Elements of the division fought briefly against Soviet forces in southern Hungary in early October 1944 alongside the 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division. They were soon disengaged from the front line in Hungary and had begun a move to the Independent State of Croatia, to join the 13th SS Division when the Bosnian Muslim soldiers of the Kama division mutinied on 17 October 1944. The cadre quickly regained control, but the mutiny resulted in the division being formally dissolved on 31 October 1944. After the division was disbanded, the numerical designator "23rd" was given to the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland.
  5. ↑ The Division was formed from Hungarian volunteers, in December 1944. It never had more than one regiment when it was absorbed by the 26th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Hungarian) the following month, after it was almost destroyed in the fighting near Budapest. There is also some doubt that there ever was a 33rd Waffen Cavalry Division of the SS (3rd Hungarian) in anything but name. The number 33 was re-issued and given to the Charlemagne Division.
  6. ↑ A temporary unit of mixed Heer and SS-Verfügungstruppe components.
  7. ↑ A separate unit formed from training units in Bohemia and Moravia.
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