HIAG AND ITS successors had achieved much in keeping alive the story of the Waffen-SS as a noble military caste, protecting it from the unpleasant truth of history and politics. But what of the Waffen-SS as it actually existed? The Waffen-SS was, of course, part of the overall SS and can be properly understood only in that context. And it was the SS that represented the future of Nazi Germany, rather than the other increasingly muddled and corrupt agencies of the Nazi Party.
In Himmler’s view, the postwar role of the Waffen-SS was to provide military backing for an SS-controlled racially organized Pan-Germanic Europe. It would (probably) not replace the German Army but through its greater political flexibility would perform the difficult actions that the army might be reluctant to perform.23 Himmler made himself the most powerful individual in the Nazi regime aside from Hitler, well placed to take over the helm when the opportunity arose.
The wartime transformation of the Waffen-SS from a small elite guard to a large multinational army was necessary to allow the SS to become masters of postwar Europe; no other Nazi organization would have such a wide and powerful reach. The mass expansion inevitably caused immense difficulties for the administration branches, exacerbated by Himmler’s divide-and-rule policy, giving equal weight to Gottlob Berger’s Main Office and Hans Jüttner’s Leadership Main Office. Their overlapping areas of responsibility were a constant source of conflict between the two branches, which undermined efficiency. And the recruitment of men from across Europe was even more problematic for the German officers and NCOs who were to train and lead them into battle.
It was the case that as the war progressed, external differences between the German army and the Waffen-SS diminished; the hardship and shared experience of fighting against overwhelming numbers brought them together. This convergence gave some comfort to HIAG’s assertion that the Waffen-SS were merely “soldiers like any other.”24 Himmler, however, was aware of this development from the outset and fought to maintain a distinction between the two, and had Germany won the war it would have reemerged.
In a military assessment of the Waffen-SS, the seven panzer divisions maintained a high level of battlefield efficiency to the end, a remarkable achievement given the progressive qualitative decline of their reinforcements from mid-1943 onward. The Leibstandarte and Das Reich Divisions were elite formations by any standard, owing much to the high caliber of their officers and NCOs and the long and imaginative training they received in the years leading up to war. They fought almost continuously from 1939 to 1945, and as well as suffering heavy casualties their core of excellence was constantly being chipped away by the dispatch of high-quality personnel to form other SS units. At their height, roughly between 1940 and 1943, they had few if any equals on the battlefield.
The Totenkopf and Wiking Divisions stood only a little way behind, redoubtable veterans of the Eastern Front who battled it out to the end. Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg only took part in the latter stages of the war but fought creditably on both Eastern and Western Fronts. The last SS panzer division—the Hitlerjugend—repeatedly distinguished itself in the defensive fighting in Normandy, even if it proved less adroit in offensive operations.
Himmler and his propagandists held high hopes for Germanic and Western European volunteers. Recruitment levels did not live up to expectations, however, and German training and supervision were initially poor. Although individual units fought well on occasion—such as the Danish Legion at Demyansk—it was only at the end of 1943 that the Waffen-SS deployed Germanic forces that had any sustained battlefield presence. The Nordland Division and the assault brigades from Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia) and the Netherlands made a solid, if small, contribution to the war on the Eastern Front, but, in the considered view of historian Kenneth Estes, “their numbers may not have justified the efforts made by the Germans to recruit them.”25
The Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia provided both volunteers and conscripts to the Waffen-SS. Although indifferently equipped and armed, and without sufficient training, they fought with considerable resolve in the defense of their homelands. But, once again, their limited numbers and late deployment at the front were insufficient for them to have any bearing on the war.
Of the other Waffen-SS formations displaying varying degrees of military ability, 6th SS Mountain Division Nord overcame its initial poor showing in Finland to demonstrate a commendable fighting spirit in the retreat from Finland and in Operation Nordwind. The 7th SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen had some success against its only conventional military opponent, the Red Army, although its overall military performance was weak. The Ukrainian 14th Panzergrenadier Division recovered from its disaster at Brody in 1944 to successfully engage in antipartisan operations in Slovakia and Slovenia. The Florian Geyer Cavalry Division also demonstrated an aptitude for antipartisan warfare before being thrown into the maelstrom of the defense of Budapest. The remaining divisions displayed little combat aptitude, although to Himmler their prime function was in the political rather than the military sphere.
The martial swagger, ruthless behavior, dashing uniforms, and awesome weapons and equipment of the best divisions have ensured continuing popular appeal. This attraction is understandable, but when divorced from a wider historical context, it makes the men of the Waffen-SS appear as ordinary soldiers, rather than active participants in one of the most evil tyrannies of history. The story of the Waffen-SS is not one to celebrate or commemorate, but it does at least demonstrate the dangers of a powerful military organization coming under the command of a man like Hitler, consumed by hatred and determined to act out his violent fantasies on the people of an entire continent.
APPENDIX A
Waffen-SS Divisions
1ST SS PANZER DIVISION LEIBSTANDARTE SS ADOLF HITLER
1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Originated as a 117-strong headquarters guard for Adolf Hitler on 17 March 1933, it progressively expanded into a regiment, reinforced brigade, and panzer division. Fought in all the major European campaigns, establishing a reputation as a ferocious, buccaneering combat formation. Surrendered to the U.S. Army in Austria in May 1945.
2ND SS PANZER DIVISION DAS REICH
2. SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich
Formed from the three SS-VT regiments “Deutschland,” “Germania,” and “Der Führer,” it was one of the original Waffen-SS formations, achieving divisional status in 1939. A first-rate division that provided many officers and units to create new SS formations. Surrendered to the U.S. Army in Austria and Czechoslovakia in May 1945.
3RD SS PANZER DIVISION TOTENKOPF
3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
Drawing most of its troops from concentration-camp guards, Totenkopf was organized as a division in 1939 and fought in the 1940 campaign in the West. Thereafter it was exclusively deployed on the Eastern Front, acknowledged as a crack combat division. Surrendered to the U.S. Army in Austria in May 1945, before being turned over to the Red Army.
4TH SS POLIZEI PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION
4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division
Formed from police units under Himmler’s control, it became a division in 1939, though not formally assigned to the Waffen-SS until 1942. After frontline service around Leningrad, it was deployed in antipartisan operations on the Eastern Front and in Greece. Sent to support the Oder front in early 1945, surviving remnants surrendered to the U.S. Army on the Elbe in May 1945.
5TH SS PANZER DIVISION WIKING
5. SS-Panzer-Division Wiking
Formed in late 1940, the division first saw combat in the Ukraine in June 1941 and fought with distinction on the Eastern Front for the rest of the war. Although intended to draw upon Aryan volunteers from northwestern Europe, it was mainly staffed by Reich Germans and Volksdeutsche. Surrendered to the U.S. Army in Austria in May 1945.
6TH SS MOUNTAIN DIVISION NORD
6. SS-Gebirgs–Division Nord
Formed from Totenkopfstandarten, Kampfgruppe Nord was sent
to Finland in 1941. Withdrawn to reorganize after the defeat at Salla, it was upgraded as a mountain division in June 1942, reinforced by Reich and ethnic Germans. Transferred to Western Europe after the 1944 Soviet-Finnish armistice, it took part in Operation Nordwind. Destroyed by the U.S. Army in March–April 1945.
7TH SS VOLUNTEER MOUNTAIN DIVISION PRINZ EUGEN
7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen
Formed from Volksdeutsche during the winter of 1941–1942, the mountain division was engaged in antipartisan operations in Yugoslavia for most of its existence, earning a reputation for brutality toward the civilian population. Briefly deployed against the Red Army in 1944, it was overwhelmed by Tito’s partisans in Slovenia in May 1945.
8TH SS CAVALRY DIVISION FLORIAN GEYER
8. SS-Kavallerie-Division Florian Geyer
Based around the experienced SS Cavalry Brigade, the formation achieved divisional status in June 1942. Deployed on the Eastern Front as a specialist antipartisan force, increasing numbers of recruits were supplied by Volksdeutsche communities. Transferred to Hungary in October 1943, it took part in the defense of Budapest in 1944–1945, where it was destroyed.
9TH SS PANZER DIVISION HOHENSTAUFEN
9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen
Organized in the spring of 1943 around a core of youthful recruits from the Reich labor service (RAD), the division first saw action in April 1944 on the Eastern Front. Transferred to the West in June, it was involved in heavy fighting in Normandy and later at Arnhem. Took part in the ill-fated offensives in the Ardennes and Hungary, before surrender to the U.S. Army in Austria.
10TH SS PANZER DIVISION FRUNDSBERG
10. SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg
A sister division to Hohenstaufen, the RAD-recruited Frundsberg fought on the Eastern Front in April 1944 and then in Normandy and at Arnhem. It took part in the Nordwind Offensive before transfer to Pomerania in early 1945. Virtually destroyed in the final battles south of Berlin, remnants surrendered to the Red Army or the U.S. Army on the Czech-German border.
11TH SS VOLUNTEER PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION NORDLAND
11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland
Based around Wiking’s “Nordland” Regiment, the division was created in March 1943 and emphasized its Scandinavian background, although most of its recruits were Balkan Volksdeutsche. It was sent to the Leningrad front and took part in the long retreat through the Baltic States that included the defense of Narva. Remnants destroyed in Berlin, April–May 1945.
12TH SS PANZER DIVISION HITLERJUGEND
12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
Created in April 1943 using sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds from the Hitler Youth, the division’s leadership cadre came from the experienced Leibstandarte Division. Hitlerjugend fought with great tenacity during the Normandy campaign and also took part in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes and the final offensive in Hungary. It surrendered to the U.S. Army in Austria.
13TH WAFFEN MOUNTAIN DIVISION OF THE SS HANDSCHAR (CROATIAN NO. 1)
13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1)
Raised from Bosnian Muslims living in Croatia, the division was formed in March 1943, and after training in France it saw action in Yugoslavia in February 1944. Of limited military value, it began to fall apart in September 1944, although a Kampfgruppe fought on until the end of the war, the remnants surrendering to the British in Austria.
14TH WAFFEN GRENADIER DIVISION OF THE SS (GALICIAN/UKRAINIAN NO. 1)
14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (galizien/ukrainische Nr. 1)
Formed in April 1943 from volunteers in the western Ukraine, the division was all but destroyed in the Brody encirclement battle in July 1944. Subsequently re-formed, it took part in antipartisan operations in Slovakia and Slovenia, before combat against the Red Army in March 1945. Renamed 1st Division of the Ukrainian National Army, it surrendered to the British in Austria in May 1945.
15TH WAFFEN GRENADIER DIVISION OF THE SS (LATVIAN NO. 1)
15. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 1)
Formed in May 1943 from the Latvian Legion and other SS-sponsored police units, the division first saw combat against the Red Army in November 1943, the beginning of a long retreat through Latvia and East Prussia. A detached battalion fought in the final defense of Berlin, while the remainder fell back to surrender to the Allies on the Elbe and at Schwerin.
16TH SS PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION REICHSFÜHRER-SS
16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Reichsführer-SS
Formed in November 1943 from the assault brigade that had originally been Himmler’s escort battalion, additional manpower was supplied from Volksdeutsche sources. It served in Italy, against the Allies and Italian partisans, and also in Hungary, before retreating into Austria and surrender to the British in May 1945.
17TH SS PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN
17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen
Established in France in October 1943 from replacement units and Volksdeutsche, it suffered heavy casualties fighting the Americans in Normandy. A reorganized division took part in Operation Nordwind in 1944–1945 before being forced back into Germany and eventual surrender to the U.S. Army in Bavaria in May 1945.
18TH SS VOLUNTEER PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION HORST WESSEL
18. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Horst Wessel
Using the 1st SS Infantry Brigade as a leadership cadre on its creation in January 1944, its personnel were largely supplied by Volksdeutsche. Involved in antipartisan actions in Croatia and Slovakia and in the defense of Hungary from the Red Army in 1944–1945. Transferred to Silesia in February 1945, it suffered heavy casualties, the survivors surrendering to Czech and Soviet forces.
19TH WAFFEN GRENADIER DIVISION OF THE SS (LATVIAN NO. 2)
19. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 2)
Formed from Latvian troops in the 2nd SS Infantry Brigade and the Latvian Legion, it achieved divisional status in January 1944. Suffering heavy casualties during the retreat into Latvia in 1944, it remained trapped in the Courland pocket for the remainder of the war, the survivors either surrendering to the Red Army or fleeing into Soviet-occupied Latvia.
20TH WAFFEN GRENADIER DIVISION OF THE SS (ESTONIAN NO. 1)
20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr.1)
Drawn from the Estonian Legion and Wiking’s Estonian “Narwa” Battalion, the division was created in January 1944 and took part in the successful defense of Narva. Reconstituted in January 1945, it fought in the final battles in Silesia; a few survivors reached American lines, although most were captured by the Red Army or killed by Czech partisans.
21ST WAFFEN MOUNTAIN DIVISION OF THE SS SKANDERBEG (ALBANIAN NO. 1)
21. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg (albanische Nr. 1)
Formed in April 1944, predominantly from Muslim Albanians, with the intention of fighting Tito’s partisans. Incapable of concerted military action, however, desertions rose swiftly, and even the inclusion of a batch of German sailors was unable to stop the rot. Disbanded in November 1944, some troops were reassigned to Prinz Eugen.
22ND SS VOLUNTEER CAVALRY DIVISION MARIA THERESIA
22. Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division Maria Theresia
With a nucleus of experienced troops provided by Florian Geyer, the division was formed in May 1944, the bulk of its manpower supplied by Hungarian Volksdeutsche, plus some ethnic Hungarians. It was sent to support the defense of Budapest and destroyed during the abortive breakout from the city in February 1945.
23RD WAFFEN MOUNTAIN DIVISION OF THE SS KAMA (CROATIAN NO. 2)
23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Kama (kroatische Nr. 2)
Created in June 1944 with a training cadre from Handschar, this mixed Croatian, Volksdeutsche, and Muslim Bosnian force never achieved true divisional status. Elements fought against the Red Army in October, but the whole formation was dissolved at
the end of the month, some troops involved in the creation of 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division.
23RD SS VOLUNTEER PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION NEDERLAND (NETHERLANDS NO. 1)
23. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nederland (niederlandische Nr. 1)
Taking its number from the disbanded Kama Division, the former Nederland Brigade was upgraded to divisional status in February 1945. Took part in the German offensive in Pomerania during February–March 1945 before being caught inside the Halbe pocket. Survivors from the breakout surrendered to the U.S. Army on the Elbe.
24TH WAFFEN MOUNTAIN DIVISION OF THE SS KARSTJÄGER
24. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Karstjäger
Originally a battalion and then a regiment formed for antipartisan operations in the jagged limestone Karst border areas of Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy, it was upgraded as a division. Lack of personnel, however, saw it downgraded as a brigade in January 1945, where it fought in defense of the region against Tito’s partisans and the Red Army. Surrendered to the British in May 1945.
Waffen-SS Page 46