1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
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The Leibstandarte on the march. |
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Divisional insignia of the Leibstandarte. |
The
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German for "
Adolf Hitler's Bodyguard
Regiment") was a unit of the
SS. It was a
Waffen SS security and combat formation which saw action on both the
Eastern and
Western fronts during
World War II.
As its name suggested, the
Leibstandarte started life in the early days of the
NSDAP as Hitler's personal, élite bodyguard. As the Waffen SS increased in size throughout the
1930s and into the war years, so the Leibstandarte SS
Adolf Hitler evolved into a full sized
panzer division, a detachment of which was always close to Hitler. It went from being "asphalt soldiers" to being one of the most famous military divisions of the war.
In the earliest days of the NSDAP, it was realised by the leaders that bodyguard units comprising trustworthy and loyal men would be a wise development.
Ernst Röhm formed a guard formation from the 19.Granatwerfer-Kompanie, and from this formation the
Sturmabteilung (SA) soon evolved. Adolf Hitler, realising the potential threat that the SA had presented, in early 1923 ordered the formation of a bodyguard for himself. The tiny unit, originally formed by only 8 men (and commanded by
Julius Schreck and
Joseph Berchtold), was designated the
Stabswache (Staff Guard). The guards of the
Stabswache were issued uniforms which showed their difference from the SA (despite the fact that at this stage the
Stabswache still was under overall SA control). Schreck resurrected the use of the
Totenkopf (skull) as insignia, which had been a symbol used by various élite forces throughout the
Prussian kingdom and the later
German Empire.
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Julius Schreck and the men of the Stoßtrupp Adolf Hitler, 1923. |
Soon after its formation the unit was renamed
Stoßtrupp Adolf Hitler. On 9 November 1923, the
Stoßtrupp, along with the SA and several other NSDAP paramilitary units, took part in the abortive
Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. In the aftermath of the putsch, Hitler was imprisoned and the NSDAP and all associated formations, including the
Stoßtrupp, were officially disbanded.
Shortly after Hitler's release in 1924, he ordered a new bodyguard unit formed, again called the
Stabswache, but this time it did not fall under SA control. In 1925, the
Stabswache was renamed as the
Schutzstaffel, abbreviated
SS. By March 1933, the SS had grown from a tiny personal bodyguard unit to a formation of over 50,000 men. The decision was made to form a new bodyguard unit, picking the most capable and trustworthy SS men to form its cadre.
On 17 March 1933, the
SS-Stabswache Berlin was formed, under the command of
Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich, Hitler's personal bodyguard. Dietrich hand-picked 120 men to form the
SS-Stabswache. The unit was based at the
Alexander Barracks in
Berlin. Later in 1933, the formation was redesignated
SS-Sonderkommando Zossen and a second unit of 120 men, designated
SS-Sonderkommando Jüterbog was raised. The two Sonderkommandos provided guards for the NSDAP hierarchy, functioned as training cadres for the SS, and for a short time acted as auxiliary police units.
In September 1933, the two Sonderkommandos were merged into the
SS-Sonderkommando Berlin. In November 1933, on the 10th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, the
Sonderkommando took part in the rally and memorial service at the
Feldherrnhalle, erected in the place where many NSDAP members had fallen during the putsch. All members of the
Sonderkommando then swore personal allegiance to Hitler himself. To conclude this ceremony, the
Sonderkommando received a new title,
Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.
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Leibstandarte grenadiers on parade, Berlin 1936. |
In early 1934,
Heinrich Himmler, the
Reichsführer-SS, ordered that the
Leibstandarte be renamed
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (
LSSAH). In late June, the
LSSAH was called into action for the first time. Ernst Röhm, the
Stabschef-SA, began to push for greater power for his already powerful SA. Hitler decided that the SA had to be put in its place, and ordered Himmler and
Hermann Göring to prepare their élite units, Himmler's
Leibstandarte and Göring's
Landespolizeigruppe General Göring, for immediate action. The
LSSAH formed two companies under the control of
Jürgen Wagner and
Otto Reich, and these formations were moved to
Munich on 30 June.
Hitler ordered all SA leaders to attend a meeting at the Hanselbauer Hotel in
Bad Wiessee near Munich. On 30 June, Hitler joined Sepp Dietrich and a unit from the
Leibstandarte and travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally command Röhm's arrest and subsequent execution. In what the Nazis called the
Röhm Putsch to give their action an appearance of legitimacy, but otherwise came to be known as the
Night of the Long Knives, the execution companies of the
LSSAH, together with Göring's Landespolizeigruppe, performed
Death Squad actions, carrying out many executions without trials over the next few days. By 13 July 1934, at least 177 people had been executed.
The actions of the
LSSAH and Göring's unit had succeeded in effectively decapitating the SA and removing the threat to Hitler's leadership. Following the 'success' of the Night of the Long Knives, in recognition of their actions, both the
LSSAH and the Landespolizeigruppe
General Göring were expanded to regimental size and motorised. In addition, the SS was finally removed from overall SA control.
As the SS began to swell with new recruits, the
LSSAH remained the pinnacle of Hitler's
Aryan ideal. Strict recruitment regulations meant that only those deemed sufficiently Aryan, as well as being physically fit and fervent National Socialists, would be admitted.
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'Sepp' Dietrich and his adjudant, Hans Collani, enjoy the festivities at Leibstandarten-Ball, January 1939. |
The
LSSAH provided the honour guard at several of the
Nuremberg Rallies and in 1935 took part in the reoccupation of the
Saarland. The
Leibstandarte was also in the vanguard of the March into
Austria as part of the
Anschluss. The
LSSAH then took part in the occupation of the
Sudetenland. In March 1939, it was involved in the annexation of
Bohemia and
Moravia. Soon after this action, the
LSSAH had several motorised components attached, including an
armoured car platoon and a motorcycle unit, and was redesignated
Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (mot.). In January 1939, the
Leibstandarten-Ball was held at the Berlin Zoo. Sepp Dietrich had organised this high-profile party for his men, with famous performers
Hans Albers,
Heinrich George and
Kaethe con Nagy. The guest of honor was
Heer commander-in-chief,
Walther von Brauchitsch.
When Hitler ordered the formation of an SS division in mid 1939, the
Leibstandarte was designated to form its own unit, unlike the other
Standartes of the
SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT), (
SS-Standarte Deutschland,
SS-Standarte Germania and
SS-Standarte Der Führer). The Polish crisis of October 1939 put these plans on hold, and the
LSSAH was ordered to join
XIII.Armeekorps, a part of
Army Group South which was preparing for the attack on
Poland.
During the initial stages of the
Polish September Campaign, the
LSSAH was attached to the
17.Infanterie-Division and tasked with providing flank protection for the southern pincer. The regiment was involved in several ferocious battles against Polish cavalry brigades attempting to hit the flanks the German advance. At
Pabianice, a town near
Łódź, the
LSSAH fought off elements of the
Polish 28th Infantry Division and the
Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade in ferocious close combat.
After the success at Pabianice, the
LSSAH was shifted to the area near
Warsaw and attached to the
4.Panzer-Division under
Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt, where it saw action preventing encircled Polish units from escaping, and repelling several desperate attempts by other Polish troops to break through. The
LSSAH had proved itself an effective fighting unit during the campaign, though several Heer Generals had reservations about the high casualties which the
LSSAH and the
SS-VT units had sustained in combat.
The regiment was shifted to the Dutch border for the launch of
Fall Gelb, and was to form the vanguard of the ground advance into the
Netherlands, tasked with capturing a vital bridge over the
IJssel and linking up with the
Fallschirmjäger of Generaloberst
Kurt Student's airborne forces, the
7.Flieger-Division and the
22.Luftlande-Infanterie-Division.
The Invasion of France and the Low Countries was launched on 10 May 1940. On that day, the
LSSAH covered over 75 km, securing a crossing over the IJssel near
Zutphen after discovering that their target bridge had been destroyed. Over the next four days' fighting, the
LSSAH covered over 215km, and earned itself dubious fame by accidentally shooting at and seriously wounding
Generaloberst Student near
Amsterdam. After the surrender of the Netherlands on 14 May, the regiment was used to form part of the reserve for
Army Group B.
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A colorised photograph of Leibstandarte troops in the Netherlands, May 1940. |
After the British armoured
counterattack at Arras, the
LSSAH, along with the
SS-Verfügungs-Division was moved to the front lines to hold the perimeter around
Dunkirk and reduce the size of the pocket containing the encircled British Expeditionary Force and French forces. Near
Wormhoudt, the
LSSAH ignored Hitler's orders for the advance to halt and continued the attack, suppressing the British artillery positions on the Wattenberg Heights. During this battle the regiment suffered heavy casualties.
After the attack, elements of
LSSAH's II.Battalion, under the command of SS-Hauptsturmführer
Wilhelm Mohnke, were mistakenly informed that their divisional commander Sepp Dietrich had been killed in the fighting. In what is known as the
Wormhoudt Massacre, about 80 British
POWs of 2nd Battalion of the
Royal Warwickshire Regiment were executed in retaliation for the supposed death of Dietrich. Although it is unarguable that the massacre occurred, Mohnke's level of involvement is impossible to know, and as such he was never brought to trial to face the allegations (see [
1]).
The tragic events at Wormhoudt showed that while the men of
LSSAH formed an excellent fighting machine, they were also a politically indoctrinated unit. The regiment ended the campaign on the coast near Dunkirk.
After the conclusion of the Western campaign, the
LSSAH was expanded to
brigade size. Despite this, it retained the designation regiment. A
FlaK battalion and a
StuG Abteilung were among the formations added to the
LSSAH. During the later months of 1940, the regiment trained in amphibious assaults in preparation for
Operation Seelöwe. After the failure of the
Battle of Britain and the cancellation of the operation, the
LSSAH was shifted to
Bulgaria in preparation for
Operation Marita, part of the planned invasion of
Greece and the
Balkans.
The Operation was launched on 6 April 1941. The
LSSAH was to follow the route of the
9.Panzer-Division, part of
General der Panzertruppen Georg Stumme's
XL.Panzer-Korps. The regiment crossed the border near
Prilep and was soon deep in Greek territory. SS-Sturmbannführer
Fritz Witt's I.Battalion was tasked with clearing the Klidi Pass, strongly defended by Greek and British troops. Witt's Battalion was reinforced and renamed Kampfgruppe Witt. The attack was launched on 10 April, and Witt's men were engaged in heavy fighting for three days before the fortified pass fell. I.Batallion
LSSAH had inflicted many casualties and captured over 520 prisoners for the loss of only 37 dead and 95 wounded.
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Elements of SS-Aufklärungsabteilung 1 of the Leibstandarte negotiate difficult terrain in Greece during Operation Marita. |
Simultaneously, SS-Sturmbannführer
Kurt Meyer's reinforced
Aufklärungs-Abt 1 LSSAH was tasked with clearing resistance from the Klissura Pass and driving through to the
Kastoria area to cut off retreating Greek, British and
Commonwealth forces. The pass was defended by the dug in elements of the
Australian 16th Infantry Brigade and the Greek 121st Infantry Regiment. Meyer launched a frontal assault on the morning of 13 April, and by late afternoon the pass was cleared. Meyer captured over 600 prisoners for the loss of only 7 dead and 18 wounded.
With the fall of the two passes, the main line of resistance of the
Greek First Army was broken, and the campaign became a battle to prevent the escape of the enemy. On 20 April, following a pitched battle in the 5,000 foot high
Metsovon Pass in the
Pindus Mountains, the commander of the Greek First Army surrendered the entire
Hellenic Army to Dietrich. Only the British and Commonwealth troops now remained in Greece, and were falling back across the
Corinth Canal to the
Peloponnesos. By 26 April, the
LSSAH had reached the
Gulf of Patras, and in an effort to cut off the retreating British and Commonwealth forces, Dietrich ordered that his regiment cross the Gulf and secure the town of
Patras in the Peloponnesos. Since no transport vessels were available, the
LSSAH commandeered fishing boats and successfully completed the crossing, despite being forced to leave much of their heavy equipment behind. By 30 April, the last British and Commonwealth troops had either been captured or escaped. The
LSSAH occupied a position of honour in the victory parade through
Athens.
Following Operation Marita, the
LSSAH was ordered north, to join the forces of
Army Group South massing for the launch of
Operation Barbarossa.
Following the
LSSAH's outstanding performance during
Marita, Himmler ordered that it should be upgraded to divisional status. As such, the Regiment, already the size of a reinforced brigade, was redesignated
SS-Division (mot.) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Despite this, there was no time to refit the division to full divisional status before the launch of
Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the
Soviet Union, and so the new 'Division' remained the size of a reinforced brigade.
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The Aufklärungsabteilung near Uman in Ukraine, August 1941. |
The
LSSAH was attached to the
LIV.Armee-Korps and held in reserve during the opening stages of the attack. In August, it was transferred to
III.Panzer-Korps, part of
Generalfeldmarschall Ewald von Kleist's
Panzergruppe 1. During this time, the
LSSAH was involved in the
Battle of Uman and the subsequent capture of
Kiev. During this time, the division was involved in heavy fighting, with Meyer's
Abteilung particularly distinguishing itself.
In early September, the division was transferred back to LIV.Armee-Korps, preparing to launch an offensive to clear the
Crimean peninsula. The operation was launched on 17 September 1941. The
LSSAH was involved in heavy fighting for the town of
Perekop, before advancing across the
Perekop Isthmus to assault the Soviet defensive positions near the
Tarter Ditch.
In November, the
LSSAH was transferred back to Panzergruppe 1 and took part in the heavy fighting for the city of
Rostov-on-Don, which was captured in late November. During Operation Barbarossa, the division had penetrated 960 kilometers into Soviet territory.
Heavy Soviet counterattacks during the winter meant that Army Group South had to fall back from Rostov-on-Don to defensive lines on the river
Mius. The
LSSAH spent the winter fighting ferocious defensive battles in temperatures of down to -40°C, with minimal winter clothing and only 150 grams of rations per man per day. Despite this, the division held. After the spring
rasputitsa had cleared, the exhausted division joined in
Fall Blau, partaking in the fighting to retake Rostov-on-Don, which was recaptured in late July, 1942. Severely understrength and completely exhausted, the
LSSAH was pulled out of the line. The division was ordered to the
Normandy region of occupied
France to join the newly formed
SS-Panzer-Korps and to be reformed as a
panzergrenadier division.
The
LSSAH spent the remainder of 1942 refitting as a panzergrenadier division. Thanks to the efforts of the Reichsführer-SS, along with SS-Obergruppenführer
Paul Hausser, the SS-Panzerkorps commander, the four SS panzergrenadier divisions (
LSSAH,
Wiking,
Das Reich and
Totenkopf were to be formed with a full regiment of tanks rather than only an
Abteilung. This meant that the SS Panzergrenadier divisions were full-strength Panzer divisions in all but name. Also, the division received nine
Tiger 1 tanks, and these were formed into 13.(schwere)Kompanie/SS-Panzer-Regiment 1.
The collapse of the front around Stalingrad and the encirclement of the
6.Armee meant that the entire eastern front was close to collapse.
Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein, commander of
Army Group Don, requested reinforcements to halt the Soviet attack near
Kharkov. The SS-Panzerkorps was ordered east to join Manstein's forces.
Arriving at the front in late January 1943, the
LSSAH was thrown into the line defending Kharkov itself as a part of Hausser's SS-Panzer-Korps. Facing them were the hundreds of
T-34s of
Mobile Group Popov, a Soviet armoured Army sized formation which formed the spearhead of the Soviet advance. On 8-9 February, 1943, the
LSSAH's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 under SS-Sturmbannführer
Fritz Witt, fighting alongside SS-Sturmbannführer
Max Wünsche's I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1, fought a bitter delaying action near the town of
Merefa, halting a major Soviet attack. The division fought in many desperate defensive battles over the next few weeks, gradually being pushed back into the city of Kharkov itself.
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SS-Panzergrenadiers of Kampfgruppe Witt in the Kharkov outskirts, March 1943. |
Despite inflicting heavy losses on the Soviets, and rebuffing all enemy attacks, the Soviets succeeded in outflanking the corps. On 15 February, Hausser ignored Hitler's orders to hold the city at all costs and ordered the SS-Panzer-Korps to abandon the city and withdraw towards
Krasnograd. Over the next week, the SS-Panzer-Korps annihilated Mobile Group Popov in a series of brilliant and hard fought battles. The
LSSAH was a major participant in these battles, destroying several Soviet divisions and inflicting heavy losses.
Hausser now ordered that Kharkov should be recaptured. The
LSSAH,
Das Reich and
Totenkopf were to form the spearhead of the attack. The attack got underway on 2 March. The
LSSAH was formed into three
Kampfgruppen which would attack towards and capture Kharkov. Over the next weeks, the
LSSAH would take part in the ferocious battles to take the city. Kampfgruppe
Meyer, under Panzermeyer's command, penetrated to Red Square before being cut off. Kampfgruppe
Witt saw heavy fighting againt a Soviet blocking force near
Dergatschi before it also broke through into the city. Both Kampfgruppen were repeatedly cut off during the confused fighting, and it was not until Kampfgruppe
Peiper, under
Joachim Peiper, broke through that the defenders were finally overwhelmed. By 21 March, the battle was over and Kharkov was back in German hands, with Peiper's Kampfgruppe having penetrated as far as
Belgorod.
In honour of the 4,500 casualties suffered by the Leibstandarte in the fighting, Kharkov's Red Square was renamed
Platz der Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. The division was pulled back for much needed rest and refit.
The spring
rasputitsa halted offensive operations, giving the
Leibstandarte time to rest and refit. By early June 1943, the division had been fully refitted. Its armour strength was 12
Tiger Is, 72
Panzer IVs, 16
Panzer III and
Panzer IIs, and 31
StuGs. In late June 1943, the formation of
I.SS-Panzerkorps meant that Hausser's SS-Panzerkorps was renamed
II.SS-Panzerkorps.
The II.SS-Panzerkorps was moved north to Belgorod in preparation for the upcoming Summer offensive,
Operation Citadel. The
LSSAH, along with the
Totenkopf and
Das Reich, was to form the spearhead of
Generaloberst Hoth's
4.Panzer-Armee, tasked with breaching the southern flank of the
Kursk salient.
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model's
9.Armee was to breach the northern flank, and the two forces were to meet near the city of Kursk, thereby encircling a large Soviet force.
The II.SS-Panzerkorps reached its assembly areas on 28 June and began preparing for the assault. The attack was set for 5 July, and on 4 July the II.SS-Panzerkorps, as well as the
XLVIII.Panzerkorps on its left and the
III.Panzerkorps on the right, began minor attacks to secure observation posts. Fighting lasted throughout the day, with the
LSSAH Pionier-Bataillon seeing heavy action clearing out the entrenched Soviets.
The Soviet run
Lucy Spy Ring had infiltrated the German
OKW and informed
STAVKA of the impending operation. Captured German troops provided details of the objectives and locations of the major assaults. Before dawn on July 5, 1943, the Soviet artillery launched a massive bombardment against the German assembly areas. Despite this, the attack got underway after only a brief delay, and under perhaps the largest air battle in history, as the German aircraft defended against a Soviet
VVS's attempt to annihilate the
Luftwaffe on the ground.
The
LSSAH panzers, advancing in
Panzerkeils, soon ran into the Soviet
Pakfronts. The elaborate system of Soviet defences slowed the attack, but unlike in Model's sector, the 4.Panzer-Armee, spearheaded by the SS-Panzerkorps and the
LSSAH, was not halted, and eventually broke through.
By 9 July, the SS-Panzerkorps had advanced 30 miles north, and were nearing the small town of
Prokhorovka. The
Leibstandarte again took the lead, by now its armour strength reduced to just 77 armoured vehicles. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2, supported by several panzers, advanced straight up the road to Prokhorovka against heavy resistance. By midday, the grenadiers had cleared the Komsomolets State Farm and the began the attack on Hill 241.6, which they secured shortly after nightfall on 10 July.
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Tankers from SS-Panzer-Regiment LSSAH treat wounded Soviet POWs during a lull in the fighting near Prokhorovka. |
On 11 July, the advance resumed. With the division capturing Oktiabr'skii State Farm and Hill 252.2 in heavy fighting against Soviet
Paratroops of the
9th Guards Airborne Division. On 12 July, the Soviets threw the
5th Guards Tank Army into a counterattack near Prokhorovka. Two tank
corps faced the
Leibstandarte hitting the advancing Germans around Oktiabr'skii State Farm and Hill 252.2. In the ensuing fighting, the outnumbered Germans inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviets, knocking out many tanks. In the process, the
Leibstandarte also suffered relatively light casualties, however the Soviet counterattack had stalled the German advance, and the division was forced to fall back to Oktiabr'skii. Fighting continued on the 13th, but the focus of the Soviet attack had shifted to the
Totenkopf, to the left of the
Leibstandarte.
With the Battle of Prokhorovka still in the balance, a massive Soviet counteroffensive near
Orel, caused Hitler to order the cancellation of Citadel. The SS-Panzerkorps was pulled back.
LSSAH was ordered out of the line. It was to be sent to Italy to help stabilise the situation caused by the deposal of
Mussolini by the
Badoglio Government and the Allied Landings in
Sicily on 10 July. The division left its armour and equipment, which was given to
Das Reich and
Totenkopf, and entrained for the trip to Italy.
The division travelled back from the front, stopping at
Innsbruck in
Austria, where it disembarked. The division was re-equipped with vehicles and continued the journey by road, travelling across the alps and into Northern Italy. The division arrived on the
Po River Plain on 8 August 1943.
The
Leibstandarte was given the task of guarding several vital road and rail junctions in the area of
Trient-
Verona. After several weeks operating in this area, the division was moved to the
Parma-
Reggio area. During this period, the Leibstandarte was involved in several skirmishes with
partisans. With the Italian collapse of 8 September 1943, the division was ordered to begin disarming nearby Italian units. This went smoothly, with the exception of a brief skirmish with Italian troops stationed in
Parma on 9 September. By 19 September, all Italian forces in the Po River Plain had been disarmed, but OKW was concerned by reports that elements of the
Italian Fourteenth Army were regrouping in
Piedmont, near the French border. Sturmbannführer
Peiper's mechanised III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 was sent to disarm these units. Upon arriving in the Province of Cuneo, Peiper was met by an Italian officer who warned that his forces would attack unless Peiper's unit vacated the province immediately. Peiper refused, which goaded the Italians into attacking. The veterans of Peiper's battalion defeated the Italians in a fierce battle, and then proceeded to disarm the remaining Italian forces in the area.
Following the disintergration and capitulation of Italy, the activities of partisan groups increased all across the area. The Leibstandarte was sent to the
Istria Peninsula and was engaged in several major anti-partisan operations. During its period in Italy, the Leibstandarte was reformed as a full panzer division, and redesignated
1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In early November, the deteriorating situation in the east meant that the division was ordered back to the Russian Front, arriving in the
Shitomir area in Mid November.
The division was posted to
XLVIII.Panzer-Korps, a part of
4.Panzer-Armee, which was struggling to hold the line near Shitomir. The division was broken up into several
Kampfgruppen and thrown into action. On 18 November, Kampfgruppe Frey halted the advance of the Fifth Guards Tank Army near the town of Kotscherovo. Over the next two months, the division's Kampfgruppen saw very heavy fighting in the Shitomir area, performing fire-brigade actions and enabling XLVIII.Panzer-Korps to hold the line.
In January 1944, one of the Leibstandarte's
s.SS-Panzer-Abt 101 Tiger commanders,
Michael Wittman, was awarded the Oakleaves to the
Knight's Cross for his actions in halting the attack of an entire Soviet armoured brigade. The division was transferred to the
Cherkassy area at the end of January, where it was assigned to
III.Panzer-Korps, a part of
1.Panzer-Armee.
When the 56,000 men of
Gruppe Stemmermann were trapped in the
Korsun Pocket in February 1944, the Leibstandarte, along with the remainder of III.Panzer-Korps and
XLVII.Panzer-Korps were ordered to attempt to break the Soviet cordon and rescue the trapped forces. Hitler intervened, and ordered the relief attempt be transformed into an impossible attempt to counter-encircle two Soviet fronts. The Leibstandarte, along with Oberstleutnant Dr.
Franz Bäke's
503rd schwere Panzer Abteilung spearheaded the attack. Despite initial gains, the attack soon stalled due to a combination of the resistance of four Soviet tank corps and the thick mud of the
rasputitsa. The exhausted
Leibstandarte managed to reach the Gniloy Tikich river, where a small bridgehead was established. The survivors of the encirclement fought their way through to the bridgehead and by late February the battle was over.
The majority of the Leibstandarte was withdrawn to Belgium for rest and refit, however a Kampfgruppe was left behind. On 22 March, the entire 1.Panzer-Armee was encircled in the
Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket. The Leibstandarte Kampfgruppe took part in the desperate fighting to escape the encirclement, forming a part of the spearhead which linked up with the
II.SS-Panzer-Korps near
Buczacz on 6 April, 1944. The shattered remnant of the Kampfgruppe was ordered to Belgium where it was to rest, refit and rejoin the remainder of the division.
Stabswache (SA controlled)
Stoßtrupp Adolf Hitler (SA controlled)
Stabswache (not under SA control)
SS-Stabswache BerlinSS-Sonderkommando ZossenSS-Sonderkommando JüterbogSS-Sonderkommando BerlinLeibstandarte Adolf HitlerLeibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerInfanterie-Regiment (mot.) Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerSS-Division (mot.) Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerSS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerInfanterie-Regiment (mot) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - April 1941 - Operation Marita
* Regimentstab (SS-Gruppenführer
Josef Dietrich)
* I.Infanterie-Bataillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer
Fritz Witt)
* II.Infanterie-Bataillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer
Theodor Wisch)
* III.Infanterie-Bataillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer Weidenhaupt)
* IV.Infanterie-Bataillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer Jahnke)
* V.Infanterie-Battaillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer Van Bibber)
* schwere Infanterie Bataillon (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer Steineck)
* FlaK-Abteilung
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - (SS-Hauptsturmführer
Bernhard Krause)
* StuG-Abteilung
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - (SS-Sturmbannführer
Georg Schönberger)
* SS-Pionier-Abteilung
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (mot) - (SS-Sturmbannführer
Christian Hansen)
* SS-Aufklärungsabteiling 1
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - (SS-Sturmbannführer
Kurt Meyer)
The Leibstandarte - Volumes I - IV/2 by Ralf Tiemann and Rudolf Lehmann.
Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy by Michael Reynolds (New York: Sarpedon, 1997, ISBN 1885119445; Staplehurst, Kent : Spellmount, 1997, ISBN 1873376901).
The 1st SS Armored Division: A Documentation in Words and Pictures Herbert Walther (West Chester, Pa.: Schiffer Pub., 1989, ISBN 0887401651).
Hitler's Guard: The Story of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 1933-1945 by James J. Weingartner (Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 1974, ISBN 0809306824).
SS-Leibstandarte: The History of the First SS Division, 1934-45 by Rupert Butler (Staplehurst, Kent: Spellmount, 2001, ISBN 1862271178).
*
1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler at Feldgrau.com.
*
1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler at Axis History Factbook.
*
Leibstandarte SS*
Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" - Waffen SS, miscellaneous photos and Information.
*
Panzer division,
Division (military),
Military unit,
List of German divisions in WWII*
Waffen-SS,
SS
