----SPEARHEAD.a.-

DAS REICHWaffen-SS Armoured Elite

Another Soviet attack has been stopped in its tracks.Waffen-SS artillery observers, wearing clean loosefitting snow camouflage coveralls over their parkas,carefully study the enemy lines through their stereotelescope. Any new movement by the Soviets will resultin another fire order to bring down artillery fire on theenemy's positions.

~SPEARHEAD.a.-

DAS leuWaffen-SS Armoured Elite

AcknowledgementsMichael Sharpe wrote the book, BrianDavis provided the black &. white photos.Thanks for the colour re-enactmentmaterial to WW2 Living History GroupSS/Pz. Gren. Regt. 3 Deutschland,9/Kompanie, New England, USA,particularly Brian Clinton (GuntherMuller). Mark Franklin did the maps andDonald Sommerville edited.

Abbreviations

First published 2003

ISBN 071102975 X

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrievalsystem, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Compendium Publishing, 2003

Published by Ian Allan Ltd

an imprint of Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT 12 4RGPrinted by Ian Allan Printing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT 12 4RG

Code: 0306/B

Note: Internet site information provided in the Reference section was correct when provided by theauthor. The publisher can accept no responsibility for this information becoming incorrect.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ACAPCArtyAtkBnBdE

EngrHyleFH

LtMCMorMotNSDAP

OKWOKHPak

PzBefWag

pzGrPzJrPzKpfwRHQSASPSPWSSSS-VT

TkWH

Dates20/7/54

Armoured carAnnoured personnel carrierArtilleryAnti-tankBattalionBefehJshaber des Ersatzheeres

(Commander of ReplacementArmy)

EngineerHeavyleichte Feldhaubitze

(light field gun)Lieutenant; lightMotorcycleMortarMotorisedNationalsozialistische Deutsche

Arbeiterpartei (Nazi party)Oberkommando der WehnnachtOberkommando des HeeresPanzerabwehrkanone

(anti-tank gun)Panzerbefehlswagen

(armd comd vehicle)PanzergrenadierPanzerjagerPanzerkampfwagen (tank)Regimental HQSturmabteilungSelf-propelledSchutzen Panzer Wagen (APe)SchutzstaffelSS-Verfiigungstruppe

(militarised troops)TankWehrmacht Heer (as in

car and MC numberplates)

20 July 1954

55 RanksMannschaften (Enlisted men)SS-SchutzeSS-OberschutzeSS-SturmmannSS-RottenfiihrerSS-Stabsrottenfiihrer

Unteroffiziere obne Portepee(Junior NCOs)

SS-UnterscharfuhrerSS-Standartenjunker

Unteroffiziere mit Portepee(Senior NCOs)

SS-OberscharfiihrerSS-HauptscharfiihrerSS-Sturmscharfiihrer

Offiziere (Commissioned Officers)SS-UntersturmfiihrerSS-ObersturmfiihrerSS-HauptsturmfiihrerSS-SturmbannfiihrerSS-ObersturmbannfiihrerSS-StandartenfiihrerSS-Brigadefiihrer und Generalmajor

der Waffen-SSSS-Gruppenfiihrer und Generalleutnant

der Waffen-SSSS-Obergruppenfiihrer und General der

Waffen-SSSS-Oberstgruppenfiihrer und

Generaloberst der Waffen-SSReichsfiihrer-SS

Waffen-SS fonnations/unit structureAbteilung Similar to a battalion, a

formation of combined units designed tobe independent on the battlefield.

Annee (army) Comprised of several Korps,plus any independent formations, theArmee operated on the strategic level.The only Waffen-SS Armee was SixthSS Panzer Army.

Aufklanmg (reconnaissance) Waffen-SSrecce units were well-armed and had twocoys of ACs, plus several MC coys and amotorised heavy weapons coy.

Bataillon (battalion) Tactical unit of three ormore Kompanien, sometimes withadditional luge and a strength ofbetween 500-1,000 soldiers.

Batterie (battery) A group of supportweapons operating as a unit.

Brigade Independent formation, usually of1-7,000 soldiers. Most Waffen-SSbrigades and/or legions were foreignvolunteer units of varying size and thusnot relevant to Das Reich.

Division Combination of several regimentsand AbteiJungen, with manpower ofanything between 10-21,000 soldiers.Waffen-SS panzer divisions tended tohave a large complement.

Feldersatz (field replacement) Whenpossible, Waffen-SS divisions would havean Ersatz, or replacement formation,often in Germany, which fed new troopsto the front line units.

Feldpostamt (FPA) Military post office.

CONTENTSOrigins and History 6

Ready for War 10

In Action 14

Insignia, Clothing and Equipment 66

People 84

Assessment 90

Reference 92

Index 96

Aak AA units usually had a mixture oftowed heavy 88mm, motorised med37mm and It 20mm quad AA guns.

Kolonne (column) An independenttransportatioriunit, varying in size,transporting equipment or supplies suchas a bridge column or a light infantrycolumn (which consisted of a number ofhorse-drawn vehicles capable oftransporting a fixed tonnage).

Kommando (detachment) Tactical militaryformation of indeterminate size.

Kompanie (company) Tactical unit of threeor more luge; with a strength of100-200 soldiers.

Korps (corps) Ideally the Waffen-5S corps(formed from 1943) comprised two ormore divisions, plus several attachedAbtei/ungen, and the HQ staff. Althoughthe I 5S Panzer Korps was the model,manpower shortages meant that the sizeand quality of each varied.

Nachrichten (signals) A signals unit,comprised Femsprech (telephone), Funk(radio) and supply units.

Nachschubbuppe Supply troops, whichinduded non-combatants such as theveterinary unit, the Backerei-Kompanie

(bakery), Fleischerei (butcher), news andQM units.

Panzer (armour) Tank battalions wereorganised into companies, with one ormore command (Befeh~ tanks percompany, and Werkstatt (workshop/repair) and supply companies allocated toeach regiment. Each Pz Div had attacheda deep-maintenance Kraftfahrzeugdetachment, including a workshop,weapons and a spares unit.

Panzerjager' (anti-tank) A PzJg unit usuallycontained a mixture of motorised andstationary anti-tank weapons.

Pionier (assault engineers) In addition tobuilding bridges and fortifications, Pioniertroops were trained as assault troops,specialising in urban fighting andweapons like flamethrowers and satchelcharges. Usually split into an armouredcompany, several Pionier and specialcompanies such as Briicken (bridging)and assault boat.

Regiment Comprising several Bataillone, withanywhere between 2-6,000 men.

Sanitiitstnlppe (medical troops) Theseincluded the Fe/d/azarett (field hospitalunit), com~rising the Sanitats companies

and the Krankenkraftwagen (motorisedambulance) section.

Stab (staff) Headquarters unit comprisingofficers who would be assigned to aspecific role such as: la =operations;Ib =supply & transport; Ie =intelligence;Id = training; lIa = personnel matters,officers; lib = personnel matters, men;III =judge advocate; IVa =administration;IVb =medical; V=motor transport.Div HQ included the CO, plus staff officers,cartographers (Kartenstelle), a signalsunit, an MP unit (Fe/dgendarmerie), plusan escort force and transport team.

Trupp (troop) Tactical, sometimesindependent, unit of 10-20 men.

Werfer (mortar) Compared to Alliedformations, German units were muchbetter armed with mortars. A divisionalWerler unit typically had three batteries ofsix 150mm towed mortars and a batteryof six 210mm towed mortars. After 1943six battalions of SS Nebeltruppen(specialised rocket launcher troops) wereraised and equipped with Nebe/werler(a multi-barrelled rocket launcher).

lug (platoon; plural Ziige) A tactical unit of30-40 soldiers.

ORIGINS & HISTORY

Fame and infamy in equal measure surround the 2nd 55 Panzer Division Das Reich, themost decorated of all World War II German armed units. With the 1st 55 Panzer Division(Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler), 12th 55 Panzer Division (Hitler }ugend) and the 3rd 5SPanzer Division (Totenkopf), Das Reich formed an elite core of highly-skilled, motivatedsoldiers within the Waffen-55 that won the deserved plaudits of both friend and foe onthe battlefields of Europe, and equally deserved condemnation for its actions outside thesphere of military operations. No fewer than 69 Knight's (ross recipients fought in theranks of Das Reich during the five and a half years of war, testimony, if any were needed,to the elite status of this much-vaunted division.The history of the division was both briefand spectacular, but with the other elite Waffen-55 divisions, Das Reich has left anindelible mark on the history of arms, both through the ferocity of its actions and for thescale of its achievements. Measure for measure they are unequalled. This title in theSpearhead series therefore looks at the career of the 2nd 55 Panzer Division, itsantecedents and related units, in peacetime and in war.

The story is all the more remarkable when one considers that prior to October 1939no formal 55 Division existed. As with all Waffen-55 units, the elements that coalescedto form 2nd 55 Panzer in 1941 were fostered in the violent political scene of 1920sGermany, by an upstart political party (the Nazi N5DAP) seeking to defend itself from

Right: Pre-war photograph of men from Germaniaduring a training march. The SS Standarten(regiments) Germania and Deutschland were themain constituent elements of the Das Reich Division.Both were created in the mid-1930s after the Naziscame to power.

6

ORIGINS & HISTORY

attacks by rival groups and, in turn, harass opponents. The rise of the party through fairmeans and foul, and the transformation of these political protection groups, is covered inmore detail in the companion volume in this series, Spearhead 5: Leibstandarte AdolfHitler. Suffice to say that by 1930, the Schutzstaffel (55) had been formalised as apersonal bodyguard unit for Hitler under the leadership of the ambitious HeinrichHimmler, with detachments in most of the main German cities. There had been a namechange, too, to Politische Bereitschaften (Political Stand-by detachments) which had theunofficial status of police squads.

Soon after the Machtergreifung (seizure of power) in January 1933 the NSDAPleaders set about consolidating their hold on power, using the Allgemeine (general)branch of the 55, the SA and the Stahlhelm, which were all authorised to act as auxiliarypolice units, to cast a long shadow over Germany. The Politische Bereitschaften wereexpanded in the principal municipalities, and rapidly any trace of opposition to the self-proclaimed Nazi 'revolution' was eradicated.

The ruthlessness of such measures was soon graphically demonstrated. Hitler hadrecognised as early as 1922 the threat that lay within the ranks of the SA membership(this in part prompted him to form the Adolf Hitler ShockTroop that became the 1st 55Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler). By the end of 1933 SA membership stoodat approximately 3 million, dwarfing the 50,000-strong fledgling Schutzstaffel. Thebrown-shirted 5A regarded itself as the true strong arm of the party, and under ErnstR6hm, a close friend of the Nazi leader, its members had become a significant andincreasingly belligerent threat to Hitler's dominance of the party. Furthermore, they hadbeen encouraged to believe that they would replace the German Army as the country'snational defence force. The delicate political balance on which the Nazis were stilldependent could, of course, countenance no such threat to the status quo and in January1934, ayear after his appointment to power, Hitler used 55 murder squads to decapitatethe SA during the infamous 'Night of the Long Knives'.

7

Above: 'Eyes Right!' The 2nd Company ofSS Regiment Deutschland salutesSS-Obersturmbannflihrer Keppler and companycommander (and later Das Reich commander)SS-Hauptsturmflihrer Willi Bittrich, both of whoseheads and upper bodies are cut off in this photograph.The regimental band plays on.

SS-Standarte Deutschland, February 1935

HQ Company3 x SS-Sturmbann each of 3 x Infantry Sturme,