2nd SS Panzerfjivision

6DASREICH
1
Bruce Quarrie
VANGUARD SERIES
EDITOR , MARTIN WINDROW
2nd SS Panzer Division
IDAS REICH
1
Text by BRUCE QUARRIE
Colour plates by MI KE CHAPPELL
. ~
OSPREY PUBL ISHING LONDON
Published in 1979 by
Osprey Publishing Lld
Mcmbcr company ofthe Gcorgc Philip Group
1'2 14 Long Acre, London \VC'2E 9LP
Copyright 1979 Ospre)' Publishing Ltd
This book is copyrightcd under lhe Berne Convcntion.
AH rights rescrved. Apan from any fair dealing for lhe
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ISBN 085045 1 '27 '2
Filmsel by BAS l'rint ers Limited,
Over 'vVallop, Hampshire
Printed in Hong Kong
The author gralcfull y acknowl edges lhe invaluablc
assislance of Dr Matthias Haupl and Herr Mcinrad
Nilges Oflhc Bundcsarchiv, Koblenz, and Mrs
Christi ne Chisnall for their hclp in preparing Ihis
book.
Bruce Quarrie is former editor of Airjix :\Iaga<.iflt and
audlOl" of Pan<.er-Crenadier Division 'Crossdeutschland' ancl
FaltschimlPan<.erdivisioll ' Hennaml Coring' in lhis Osprcy
series; and also of _ Vapoleonic lVargllming, Afrikll Korpj
and World War 2 Wargaming in lhe Airfix Maga<.ine
Cuide series, of .XapaltonJs Campaigns in .\1iniature, Tank
Baulu in Minialure 2: A wargamers' guide lo lhe Russian
Campaign 1941 /945, Tank Balites in MinialuTe 3: A
wargamers' guide lo lite Norlh-Wesl European Campaign
1944 /945, and of Tan! Balites in A1iniature 5: A
wargllmers' guidl' to thl' ATab-lsradi lI'ars sil/u 1948, al!
published by Patrick Slephens Limitcd, Cambridge.
Origins of the Waffen-SS
The SS (Scht<slaffel) was born in April '925,
shortly after Hitl er's release from Landsberg
prison, as a squad of a mere eight men devOlcd t
lhe prolcclion of his lire. By lhe end of '944, lhe
Waffen-SS (' Armed-SS' ) had grown ID a SlrengLh
of somc 910,000 mcn in thiny-eight di visions
(fony-five including those on which lhe numbers
were doubled up). Originall y, lhe SS was secn as a
para-military ' heavy policc' force for lhe prolcction
of internal securily within lhe Reich. After lhe
'i'\ ight or the Long Kni vcs', however, lhe SS began
dcveloping along ralhcr diffcrcnt lines; ancl in
March 1935 lhe ' political readincss squads', as they
had become known (full-time armed unils of at
leasl company slrenglh), were offi ciall y renamed
SS-Vcrftigungstruppen (SS-VT ~ SS special pur-
pose trOOps).
Apart [rom lhe SS Leibsla ndane 'Adolf Hili er'.
The di visional insignia is d early visible on the mudguard orthe
leading car in this vicw or ' Reich' personncl entcri ng Belgrade
in spring 1941. (Bundesarchiv 77/93/9)
which had been formcd in autumn 1933. lhe firsl
SS-VT uni ts were the SS-Standarte ' DeuLSch -
la nd ', formed from a Bavarian Allgemeine-SS
poli ce unit in Mnchen in October 1933 under the
initial comma nd of Majors Sagerer and Li eber;
and the SS-Standane 'Germania', formed in
Hamburg in August 1934 by HauptsturmfUhrer
\oVilhelm Biurich (the laler victor of Arnhem).
These l\\lO units, logether with the SS-Standane
' Dcr Fhrcr', which was formed in Vienna at the
cnd of March 1938, were lhe nucl eus ofwhat \Vas
cventuaJl y lO bccome lhe 2nd SS Panzer Division
' Das Reich' .
In order to comprehend the Waffen-SS one has
lO understand lhe prevailing spirit in Germany
during (.he 19305. The crippling impositions ofthe
Trea ty ofVersailles had created a Germany which
was impovcrished, demorali zed a nd resentfuL The
Weimar Republic had proved unable t cope with
events, particularly inflation, leaving a power
vacuum in which any vigorous national revival
movement could hardl y help bUl prospero Scape-
goats were soughl, and lhe Jews and Bolsheviks
were lraditional largets for resentment and ag-
gression which Hitl er and his National Socialist
(Nazi ) organization exploited t the full. This is
over-simplification, of course, bUl lhe interesting
book prepared by HIAG (,he Associa,ion of
Soldiers ofthe Former Waffen-SS), Wenn alle Brder
schweigen, has much to say on lhe subjecl. The
following extract is particularly pertinent:
'Many factors played a role in motivating
volunteers tojoin lhe SS-Verrtigungstruppe: politi-
cal convictions, idealism, the desire to change
society, the opportunity for advancement, and
simple coincidence. Yet, for the period up lO the
outbreak of the Second World War, it must be
realized thal sorne basically decisive motives played
a part. The youth of that time enjoyed a healthy
and unbroken relationship with lhe generation of
their fathers. 80lh generations were "on the same
side'. The generation which had come out of the
First World War did not represent a "different
Germany" of which everybody washed their hands
... For this reason the new concept of "soldi er-
ing" did not represent at all a sharp break with
tradition. '
What sort ofmen did volunteer lO join lhe SS? Il
has oflen been suggested that they were mere 'bull y
boys' in stylish uniforms, and even Rommel once
commented that 'wherever the SS men were, there
was looting and brutality ... ' Certainl y in the earl y
days at least there was a strong element oftruth in
this accusation, as lhe 'protection squads' attracted
many toughs who were only too happy to have
semi-official sanction for their acts ofviolence; but
the SS also included many recruits from the
Reichswehr and police, who saw it as a force which
might bring internal stability to a troubled Ger-
many.
It has oflen also been argued that members ofthe
Waffen-SS enjoyed fighting for ilS own sake and
were 'unnaturall y' aggressive. Although the auth-
ors ofWennalle Brder schweigen try to play down lhis
aspect ofSS mentality, even lhey agree that ' ... a
lype ofwarrior spi rit was to be found in the Waffen-
SS which ~ a s neither equalled nor excelled byany
SS-Cruppenflihrer und Ceneralleutnant der Waffen-SS Paul
Hausser, commandcr of the SS-Oivision 'Reich' from 19
October 1939 to 14 Octobcr 1941. He wears the fieJd-grey
officer's Schirmmtze with black veJvet band, black lealher
peak, and sil ver insignia, cords and gcneral officer' s piping. His
shoulderstraps are ofintenvo"cn gold and silver cord on a light
grcy base. (Bundesarchiv 77/93/33)
other formation.' Moreover, they say clearly that
' no one will deny that a false sense of "aggressive-
ness" could also be found in the Waffen-SS, nor can
anyone deny that within its ranks there existed
cases ofrashness, or a lack of competence from time
to time, and, even worse, .irresponsibility.' From
former SS-men, an admission indeed, even though
they qualify il by adding: 'Yet where is this not to
be found in the history ofwar and the military?'
T am no apologist for the SS. Vet it must be said
that many historians, particularly those in the grip
ofimmcdiate post-war hysteria, have failed to take
into account the very real differences in recruit-
ment, organization and command structure bet-
ween the Waffen-SS and the organization's other
branches, including the Gestapo, concentration
camp personnel, economic and resettlement offices
and political education section. Moreover, while
those excesses perpetrated by members of lhe
Waffen-SS which have been brought lO light have
been rightly condemncd as atrocities and war
crimes, it is indisputable that simil ar 'crimes',
including the sho.gting of prisoners of war, were
perpetrated by the AlIies- especiall y the Russians,
who cried loudest at the war crimes tribunals. In
war, the distinction between a legitimate military
action and 'murder' is often unclear, and although
SS 'aggressiveness' may account in part for public
abhorrence of their deeds, the realistic student of
history wilI recognize the importance of one simple
fact in forming post-war attiludes: lhey lost the war.
The essential difference between members of the
Waffen-SS and members of the \>Vehrmacht
(' armed forces', including lhe Kriegsmarine and
Luftwaffe, not jUSl the army) was that the latter
owed lhei r allegiance lO the German sta te, in
practice ifnol in the actual wording ofthei r service
oath, whereas the SS genuinely owed theirs lO the
person ofHitler. The SS oath makes this very clear:
' 1 swear to you, Adolf Hitler, as Fhrer and Reich
Chancellor, loyalty and bravery. 1 vow to you, and
those you have named lO command me, obedience
unto death. So help me God.' Nevertheless,
although the Waffen-SS was controll ed directly by
the SS-Hauptampt, in time of war it carne under
the operational command ofthe OKW (Oberkom-
mando der Wehrmacht) and OKH (Oberkommando des
Heeres), and in effect if not in name or theory was
the 'fourth branch' of the Wehrmacht.
I n the early days the army was not only
responsible for the military training of SS-VT
units, it also controll ed the level ofrecruitment into
the SS through the manpower allocation rights of
the Wehrkreise Hauptquartier (Military Dislrict HQ) ,
which reduced the potemial growth ofthe SS by as
much as two-thirds. A further factor whieh kept the
strength of the SS down, at least prior lO lhe
outbreak of war, was its racial seleetion poliey.
From the end of l 935 onwards, every SS reeruit was
supposed to be able to trace his 'Aryan' pedigree
back atleastas far as 1800 (although exceptions are
known to have been made for those with politieal
'muscle' ). Whether the majority of reeruits took
this Aryan mythology seriously is questionabl e! As
the war progressed, ofcourse, maintenance ofthese
'standards' became impossible and, as is well
known, the Waffen-SS eventuall y included several
entire divisions of nan-Germanic (let alone
'Aryan') personnel.
Recruits for the SS-VT had to be in the peak of
physical condition (until 1936 the Leibstandarte
would not aeeept aman if he had a filling in a
tooth !), al least five feet eleven inehes tall , and
between the ages of sevemeen and twenty-one.
Although there was no specific political lest for
entry, the faet that a recruit was applying t join an
essentially political unit, together with hi s willing-
ness to cake the SS oath, rendered this qualifieation
'understood'. Enlistment was for a minimum of
fou r years (twelve for NeOs and twenty-five for
officers), and the training was extremely rigorous,
being founded on the unspoken assumption that
'anything the army can do, we can do better' .
Indeed, both SS men and officers were expressly
forbidden to use the word 'impossible' in respect of
any task they were ordered lO perform. A fi ve-mile
run in full kit (seven miles ir it was raining) was a
dai ly occurrence in many units, and a great deal of
time was spent on the ranges and in tactical
training. The unusual camaraderie between
officers and men within the SS 'brotherhood'
(Top left) Hauptsturmftihrer Frilz KJ.jngenberg, CO of Ihe
assault group which caplured Belgrade on 13 April 194[. The
black-collared officcr's tunic appcars to lack collar insignia,
and lhe eagle is Ilot an SS item- possibly an Army breasl
eagle? 1I is nOI uncommon to see Ihis Iype of substilulion in
earl y war photos. (Top right ) Smi ling Unlerslurmflihrer
displaying the early GOlhic ' Der Fhrer' cufflitle, lhe officer's
belt, and sidecap with Wafft1lfarbe chevron. NOle grey-collare<!
lunic; Ihe pholo is captioned [94[. (Bottom left ) Interesting
photo of an SS-Slurmann, his coll ar wilh rank patch showing
in lhe collarless neck ofhis camouflage smock, and wearing the
first patlern sidecap with off-sel gusset, dealh's-head bUIIon
and Waffenfarbe chevron on lhe front, and eagle on a black
triangle on the len side. He wears a pistol holsler and magazine
pouches for the M P38/40 and lhe pouch for machine-gun lools
on his bello (Bollom righl ) Anothcr SS-Sturmann in a
camouAage smock; equipment includes a mapcase and a slick-
grenade. (Bundesarchiv 74/44/64; 77/93/ 12; 74/75140;
77/93/ ' ,
helped enormously to develop flexibililY and
personal initiative in the field, while battle training,
usi ng ive rather than blank bullets and hand
grenades, taught the men a healthy respect for
baulefield conditions. Although this caused criti-
cism at the time because ofthe casualties it created,
it is indisputabl e that it saved many more lives at
the front.
As hule time as possible was spent on parade
ground drill once basic training was eompl eted,
excepl in the Leibstandarte, who earned them-
selves the somewhat contemptuous nickname
'asphalt soldiers' from other members of the SS-
VT. Ideologi cal training, intense before lhe war,
soon lapse<:l despite strenuous exhortations by rhe
SS-Hauptampt, and rhe front line troops of the
Walfen-SS grew gradually claser in spirit to their
brothers-in-arms ofthe army. This had not always
been the case-in the prc-war and early war years
there was a distinct cool ness between the two; but
at the end ofthe conflict Manstein was t eomment
that 'the Waffen-SS, like the good comrades they
were, fought shoulder lO shoulder with the army at
the front and always showed themselves courageous
and rcliable'; similarly, Guderian said that 'The
soldiers of the Waffen-SS fought shoulder to
shoulder with the regular soldiers and the longer
the war went on, the more they counted as sorne of
ours.'
Another cri ticism whieh HIAG seems anxious to
dispel is that the Waffen-SS suffered abnormally
high casualties in aetion due to incompetent
leadership. This scarccly requires comment. SS
Ieadership was, in fact, in many cases eonsiderably
more inspircd lhan in lhe army, * partly because
every officer candidale had to have served for a
minimum of two years in the ranks, and panl y
because of the extremely rigorous training al Bad
Tolz and Braunschweig. T he fact that there was
vinually no dass distincLion within the SS, lhe
majorilY of iis members coming from the agricul-
tural popul ace of Germany rather lhan the
tradilional military famili es, also heJped. There
was littl e of the ' lhem and us' feeJing belween
enlisted men and officers which characterized lhe
army. The usual reason why the SS appeared 10
sufTer 'abnormall y' high casualti es was simpl y thal
they werc incrcasingly regarded as being SO reliable
thal they were enlrusled with the majority ofmost
difficult and dangerous lasks in Lhe field.
Formation and Early
Operations
Rel urning t lhe specific history of the 2nd SS
Panzer Di vision ' Das Reich' : in lhe summer of '934
the Lei bstandarte was designated SS 1 ( 1St Sal-
talion) and lhe SS-Standane ' Oeutschland' as SS 2.
When the SS- VT was officially formed in lhe
following year, the Leibstandarte retained ilS
premi cr position within lhe SS as a whole, bUl the
' Oeutschland' was renumbcred l /SS I-VT (i. e. 1st
Battalion, 151 SS-VT Regiment). SS-Slandanc
'Gcrmania' became l /SS 2-VT. In 1936 lhese LWO
unilS were each expanded LO three battalions and
became regiments in their own right. This expan-
sion grew OUl of two faclOrs. Firsll y, from May
1935, service in lhe SS-VT became regarded as
mililayy service wi Lh Lhe armed forces; and
secondly, in Octber '936, the SS-VT acquired its
own general stalT in lhe form of lhe SS-VT
I nspecLOrate, under the overall command of Paul
Hausser. Boro in 1890, Hausser had been in lhe
regular army for lhinY-lhree years prior lo joining
lhe SS; he lhe SS-VT Di vision, laler
LO become ' Das Reich', from October 1939 until
These comments appiy specifically 10 Ihe major baltlefidd
fonnatiolls, and 1101 nccessarily 10 Ihe more ' By1.anli ne' unis recruiu:d
in caslcrn and soUlhern Europc, largely for ani-parl isan warf.cre.
The early years of the war saw he Waffen-SS divisions
equippcd with a motley ooll ection of Gennan, obsolete, and
foreign weapons: an ironical situation, considering the abiding
clich tha t 'he Waffen-SS was so effective because it gOl the
newest weapons'. This j unior leader (since his cap is withoul
it is not possible 10 be more specific) holds theold
MP281 1 m'a'thine-pistol, a weapon frcquentlysecn in photosof
Ihe Waffen-SS. (Bundcsarchiv 73/89/5)
lhe same month in 194' before being promoted to
Korps commander as the Waffen-SS expanded. He
lived in Ludwigsburg and di ed in 1972.
In 1938 lhe ranks or ,he SS-VT were swelled by
lhe addition of lhe lhird regimcnt, ' Oer Fhrer',
formed in Vienna, also by Bittri ch, and shonly aflcr
lhe oUl break of war Lhese three regiments, Wilh
addilions, were officially recogni zed as the firsl
Waffen-SS field division. Although it was not full y
eSlablished until OCLOber 1939, elements ofthe SS-
VT Division, including lhe ' Oeutschland' Regi-
ment, lhe SS arl ill cry regiment, and motrcycle
reconnaissance and signals battalions, parti cipated
in lhe invasion of Poland as pan of Lhe mixcd
army/SS baulegroup ' Kempf' (named after ilS
commander, Gcncralleutnant Kempf). The
'Germania' Regimenl was seconded to 14th Army
on lhe right flank, where it tok pan in the
occupation of the industrial zone of Poland and
advanced into lhe Lemberg arca. The remainder of
lhe SS-VT units took pan in lhe 3rd Army's
advance through Mlawa and Praschnitz, crossing
the ri vers Narew and Bug, and capped their fi rsl
victorious campaign by taking the Poli sh fortress of
Modlin by storm.
Aner lhe Polish campaign lhe participaling unils
were senl back to Neidenburg to bc re-formed as a
true SS division. Each of lhe three intrinsic
regimenLS, ' Deutschland' , 'Germania' and ' Der
Fhrer', consisled ofthree battalions, each of lhree
companies. Each company had nine machine guns,
twO ami-tank guns and three mortars. In addition,
each ballalion had an atlached heavy weapons
company with six heavy mortars and eight ami -
tank gunsj and each regimenl incorporated a
motorized anti-tank company wilh lWclvc guns, a
towed artillery company with six to eight 7.5cm ..
guns, and a motorcycl e recee company. The SS-
VT Division (mot ), as it was now known, also
included an anti-tank banal ion of three compan-
ies j a motorcycle recce battalion oft wo compani es j
an artill ery regiment of thrce battalions, each of
lhree compani es wilh four guns LO a companyj
signals and pioneer truppen; and a maehine gun
battalion, plus supporti ng lroops (suppl y, medical,
etc.). Renamed SS-Verfugungsdivision in April
1940, it was Wilh this force that lhe format ion wenl
to war in lhe fateful summer ofthat yeaL
The ' Der Fhrer' Regiment came under com-
mand of X Korps HQ and stormed the strongl y
defended Grebbe Line in Holl and, pushing lhrough
lO Amsterdam, while lhe main body of the division
followed up 91h Panzer Division and first went into
action againsl lhe Freneh and Dutch wesl of
Rysbergcn. The ' Deutschland' Regiment es-
peciallydistingui shed itselfin the heavy fighting for
Flushing, through the AoOOed polders and mine-
fields, but only succeeded in eaplUring lhe two-
kilomelre causeway lO lhe island of Walcheren
afler Luftwaffe aid had been summoned.
Wilhdrawn from Holl and on 18 May, the
Division was marched by night through Belgium LO
Flanders where il look part in lhe balde of Arras as
part of von Klcist's Panzer Gruppe. It was then
turned nonh lo take over protect ion of the
' Reieh' advanees into Russia, summcr. 1941. The leadi ng Opcl
Blilz truek bcars white formalion-keeping bars, lhe SS numbcr
plalc, Ihc divisional insignia flankcd by Ihc laelieal sign of a
battalion HQ, and lhe white 'G' of Panzer Cruppe Guderian.
(Bundcsarehiv 77/93/28)
.!:.
German righl fl ank againsl Allied forces which
were trying lO break out ofBelgium 10 the weSl, and
had a parlicularly hard battl e againsl Briti sh troops
in Nieppe \"'000 from '27 lO '29 May, since lhe
British had tanks and the SS at this lime did nol.
After disengaging from this successful action, lhe
Di vision was all owed a bri ef rest before being
marched south lo link up with von Reichenau's 6th
Army, subsequentl y going in with the second wave
ofthe attack on lhe Wcygand Line on 5June. After
crossing the Ri ver Somme, lhe SS troops broke
lhrough to lhe rear ofthe French positions and were
soon on the road through Soissons to Troyes. Their
lasl heavy balde occurred on 16J une againsl French
lroops trying lO escape wesl from lhe Maginol
Line; lhey lhen look part in lhe vietorious pursuit,
marching via Orlans and Bordeaux soulh lO lhe
Spanish fronti er by '27 Junc. Aftcr a bricf period
spent guarding the border with Vichy France and
the occupied part of the Biscay coastline, the
Division was marched back lo Holland, fini shjng
the year near V soul.
Al the beginning of December '940 the SS-
Regiment 'Germania' was transferred from lhe SS-
V Division to join other SS units in the creation ofa
new division, originalIy named 'Germania' and
later ' Wiking'. On 3 December lhe SS-V Di vision,
strengthened by a battalion from the ' Totenkopr'
Division, was renamed SS-Division ' Deutschland' .
However, it was thought that this might cause
confusion with the army's 'Grossdeutschland'
formation (see Vanguard 2), and a t the end of
January 1941 it was agai n renamed, this time as SS-
Division ' Reich'.
After Mussolini decided to invade Greece, a
coup d'tat put Yugoslavia in lhe Allied camp and
German units, including the SS divisions Leibslan-
darte 'Adolf Hitler' and ' Reich' as well as the
army's 'Grossdeutschland', became involved in a
hurried and makeshift operacion to bolster the
wretched ltalian cause. The SS-Division 'Reich'
was force-marched via Vienna to Rumania, where
it fell under Reinhardt' s command again. Hausser,
in his book WaJJen-SS im Einsat;:" describes their
operations :
' Theoperation against BcJgrade, the capital city,
started with the main troop concemration south of
the rivers Drau and Danube. Only Reinhardt's
Panzer Korps was employed north ofthe rivers for
mopping up in the Banat and Batschka provinces.
lt seemed hopeJess to try and reach Belgrade from
north ofthe Danube. Nevertheless, an assault party
under Klingenberg of the mOLOrcycle battalion gOL
hold of a motor boa t and after a hazardous journey,
managed to en ter Belgrade and force the mayor to
hand over the city. Reconnaissance troops of the
Army Group, south of the Danube, reached this
strongpoint probably al the same time, if not
earli er. However, the city was handed over to
Klingenberg' (who laler became a divisional
cornmandcr and was killcd in 1945).
After a short rest south-west of Linz, in Austria,
lhe Division was transferred lO Poland, whence il
was to take part in the mornentous invasion of
Russia as part ofGuderian's 2nd Panzer Gruppe in
von Bock's Arrny Group Centre.
'Barbarossa'
Al 3.30am on the rnorning of 22 June 1941 lhe
Gerrnan frontier with Russia disappeared under a
dense pall of smoke as an inlense anillery barrage
opened up. Then the tanks and half-tracks rolled
forward, and Operation 'Barbarossa' was under
way. The SS-Division 'Reich' was grouped wilh
the 10th Panzer Division and clements of the
'Grossdeutschland' Regiment in XLVI Panzer
Korps, under the command of General Freiherr
von Vietinghoff. This Korps forrned the 2nd Panzer
Gruppe Reserve and aCled in support ofthe other
divisions forcing a crossing over the River Bug either
side of the ancient fortress of Brest-Lilovsk. For
these operations the ' Reich' Division had been
strengthened by the addition of a SluG III
battalion.
XLVI Panzer Korps did not get into action
properly umil 26 June, when it was broughl up lO
safeguard lhe left flank of the Panzer Gruppe
againsl rnounting Soviet resistance, and then
participaled in the highly successful encirdement
oflarge numbersofRussian troops in the Bialyslock
pocket. By 2 July the Korps had reached lhe River
Beresina, where e1ernents of the motorcycle recon-
naissancc baltalion 'Reich' managed aftcr hard
fi ghting to secure a bridgehead ten miles south of
Beresi no. Despi le confti cting orders from the Hi gh
Cornmand, GudeF,i.,an decided thal il was vital 10
maintain the m o ~ ~ n t u m of his Gruppe's advance
lowards their firsl maj or objective, Smolensk, and
ordered a general push lowards the line oflhe Ri ver
Dnieper. During lhis operalion ' Reich' again
provided ft ank guard, lhis time on the righl , in lhe
vicinity of Pavlovo. The Dnieper was crossed with
rernarkably light casuallies, and XLVI Panzer
Korps, including the SS-Division ' Reich' , was now
ordered LO advance via Gorki-Pochinok 10 Yclnya,
whil e guarding its right ftank againsl a Soviet troop
concentration around Mogilev. This las k was
entrusted to the 'Grossdeulschl and' Regi ment,
whilc lhe 10th Panzer Division and the SS ' Reich' ,
accompani ed personally by Guderian, pushed on
LOwards Gorki, which they reached on 14J ul y after
heavy fi ghting and severe casualties, particularly
among the artillery. On the 15th, advance e1ements
orthe Gruppe (29th MOLOrized Infantry Di vision)
reached the outskirts of Smolensk, whil e 10th
Panzerand SS ' Reich' spearheaded a drive soulh of
Ihe ci ly and reached Yelnya in Ihe face of
dClcrmined Russ ian counter-altacks from fortifi cd
positions. Here Ihey held on for several days despitc
running very low on ammllnilion, and on 22 Jul y
took 1,100 prisoners and knocked oul fifty Russian
tanks. Guderian 'visiled lhe for emosl unil, lhe
motoreycJists lInder eomrnand oflhe brave Haupl-
sturmflihrer Klingenberg, as 1 wishcd lO gai n a
personal impression of Ihe lerrain a nd lhe situa-
lion.' This visil eonvineed him that Ihe planned
attaek lowards Dorogobuseh in lhe nonh, designcd
(O link up wilh HOlh's 3rd Pa nzer Gruppe, would
have lO be delayed. Russian pressure was rnounling
all Ihe time, and on 27 July the badl y malll cd 10th
Panzcr Divisioll was withdrawn from lhe line for a
resl, its place alongside SS ' Rcich' being laken by
the 2681h Infantry Division.
At this point in lhe advance, despi le lhe facI lhal
Hoth had fina ll y succeeded in trapping no fewer
Ihan tcn Russian divisions in the Smolensk pockel,
Hitl er made lhe faleful decision to caH oH' an
immediate lhrusl lowards Moscow, and dirccled
Guderian's 2nd Panzer Gruppc to discngage and
march south-wesl towards Gomel to collaboratc
with 2nd Army in anothcr large encirclernent.
Dedieating himselfto the lask with detcrminalion if
nOI enthusiasrn, for il was an incorreet military
deeision, Guderian asked for and received rein-
foreements and began planning lhe inilial stagcs of
lhe operalion, which neeessitaled lhe capture of lhe
important communiealions centre of Roslavl. SS
Two views of SdKfz 221 and 222 light armourcd cars of the
division during [he advunce into Russia, 1941. The left-hand
photo shows a car witb the insignia of a motori zcd recon-
naissance squadron bcneath the Ilumber plate, and the
divisional sign on lbe rear engine louvrcs. The motorcycle
combination bcars lhe mctical sign of an anti-tank unit - a
right-angled lriangle on whcels. On lhe rigbt, ajaunly-looki ng
Obcrsturmfiihrer wears the neck ofhis cumoufiage smock wide
open 10 display his Knight's Cross. The car in tbis photo is
surprisingly barc of lhe markings so evident in othcr shols of
tbis periodo (Bundesarchiv 77/93/ 18, 77/93/ 19)
' Reich' was not involved in lhis opcration, being
entrusled inslead wi lh the defence ofthe left flank
o f t ~ Yelnya sali ent. Roslavl feH on 1 August arter
a si ngle day's slrugglc and four Russian divisions
were surrounded, bUl SS ' Rcich' was still involved
in heavy defensive fighling, bcing faced by sorne
eleven divisions, two of lhern armoured! On 8
August they were wi lhdrawn for a badly-needed
rest and rcfit north-eaSI of Smolcnsk, and did nOI
take pan in the initi al stages of lhe southcrn push.
This proceeded weH to begin with but was running
iOlo difficulties by lhe end of lhe month, and on 2
Septembcr SS ' Reieh' was ordcred back into lhe
fray. Guderian visilCd lhe di vision near Avdeivka
on lhe 3rd, where he mCl Ha usser and 'told him to
be prcparcd to atlack Sosnitza on the 4th.'
Unfortuna tcly, that evening il began to rain, lhe
dusty roads turned to thick mud and lwo-thirds of
SS ' Reich' became complelcly bogged down and
unable lO advancc. Determinalion prevailcd,
however, and the division succeeded in capluring
its objeelivc on lhe 5th.
Guderian 'spent 6 Seplember again Wilh SS-Das
Reich [sic]. It was engaged in attacking lhe railway
bridge over the Desna, near Makoshino. I went lO
sorne trouble 10 provide air suppon for this. As a
result of the bad roads the whole division was 11 01
yet assembled. On lhe way lhere 1 passed a number
ofits units, sorne on lhe march, olhers resting in lhe
woods. The exceJl ent discipline of the troops made
a firs1-class impression and Lhey loudly expressed
their satisfaction at once agail1 forrning part of
lhe Panzer Gruppe.' During the ensui ng opera-
lions, the Division was assigned 10 lhe right fl ank
of Guderian's forces, now renarned Pan?erannee
Guderiall, providing lhe point of contact wi th Lhe
2nd Arrny. Bad roads continued to rnake progrcss
extrcmcly difIicult, and aerial rcconnaissance was
impossible, bUl lhc Kiev POCkCl was finalIy sealcd,
lrapping the bCllcr pan of five Sovict armies.
SS 'Reich' was al lhis time transferred 10 lhe
eastern wing of lhe German salient , and caplured
the lOwn of Romny. On 18 Septernber a crisis
developed as lhe Russians threw in two fresh
divisions, one oflhem armoured, against Lhe town,
supponed by heavy bombing raids. NevertheJess,
SS ' Reich' held firm and five days laler was
spearheading yet anolher olfcnsive, in conjunclion
with 4th Panzer Division, casl of Kamlicha. On 26
Seplernber the hard-foughl baltle of Ki ev came 10
an end with lhe surrender ofsome 66.5,000 Russian
soldiers and a vasl coll ection of lanks and guns. h
was a worthwhile victory, bUl two monlhs had
elapsed, the good wcather had alrnosl passed, and
Moscow was now lO prove an irnpossibl e prizc.
Operation 'Taiphun' (Typhoon), lhe allack on
Moscow, opened on 30 September in brilliant
aUlumn sunshine Wilh Guderian's forces beginning
lheir advance through Gluchov lOwards Orel. SS-
Division ' Rei ch' forrned pan of lhe spearhead
again, lOgether wilh three Panzer divisions, a
mOlOrized division and the 'Grossdcutschl and'
Regiment. On 6 OClOber the division was entrusted
wi th Ihe task ofcutting the Smolensk-Moscow road
between Gzhatsk and Vyasma, completing an
encircl ernenl around lhe latter lown. Despite ficrce
opposition, including continual strafing by Soviet
fighters, this phase oflhe olfensive was satisfaclori ly
completed Wilh the capture of the road and rail
bridges at Yegorye Kuleshi on lhe first evening,
Karnyonka on lhe second and Nikolskoya on the
12
third, leaving the division firmly as tride lhe main
highway to Moscow. UnfortunaleJy, by lhis time
the weaLher had broken and when the division
moved olfat dawn on 9 OClOber it was in the teelh
of a howling blizzard.
A three-battalion attack by the 'Deulschland'
Regiment succeeded in capturing Gzhatsk and 500
prisoners, whi le the 'Der Fhrer' Regiment pressed
on along the highway and took two funher villages,
and the Division's motorcycle battalion wiped out a
Soviet transport column. Slrong Russian counter-
attacks held up lhe Division's advance for the next
two days, the 'Der Fhrer' Regirnent su(fering
particularly heavy casualties. On the 1 Ith, SS
'Reich' was once more committed to the olfensive
with Mozhaisk as its rnajorobj ecLi ve. The Russians,
supported by lanks and an armoured train, roughl
with fanatical delerrninalion, launching attack
afler attack against the SS men, bUl could nOl c10se
lhe breaches drivcn through their lines. The assauh
was renewcd on the 121h and thc village ofShulevo
captured, by which time lhe Russians were in full
retreat along lhe whole line. Kalinin feH on the
14th bUl Soviet reinforccments were rushed to the
Mozhaisk sector, whi ch stiH hcld doggedly.
The historic battleground of Borodino felllO the
' Dcr Fhrer' Regiment on the 15th; lhe SS 'Reich'
Division was lhen entrusted wilh lhe capture of lhe
imponant crossroads six kilornetres to lhe south-
west:. of Mozhaisk. The cornerstone village of
An emki feH on lhe 17th, but the c10ser lhe SS
troops approached the crossroads, the fiercer the
Opposili on became, and their sclf-propelled guns
had a hard task beating off lhe constant waves of
T -345. Nevenheless, the crossroads was reached on
the 18th, and by 3pm two battalions of the
'Deutschl and' Regimenl had entered Mozhaisk
itself, suppon ed by lanks frorn 10th Panzer
Division. Here lhe Russians foughl fur iously, and
for a time it seemed as lhough the SS lroops would
be ejected. Then Klingenberg's motorcycle delach-
ment found a weak spot in the enemy line which
Hausser irnmediatcly exploited, driving on down
the Moscow highway towards Mikhailovskaya. On
lhe 21St a surprise Aank attack by Mongolian lroops
halled the 'Deutschland' Regiment, but despile
lemperatures of fifleen degrees below freezing and
inadequate winter c1othing, lhe SS fought back;
they took Mikhailovskaya, lhen Grachevo and
Pushkino, but were halted by enfilading fire in
rrolll of Borosivo. After arti ll ery support had been
rushed up, this town fell on thc 22nd.
Mosco\-\' was only fort y miles away, but the SS
' Reich' Division had shot ilS bolt. In three weeks it
had 10S1 nearly 7,000 killed, wounded and missing;
and although frost improved the going, allowi ng
the Germans to gel within eighteen miles of
Moscow in one pl ace, by the end of Novcmbcr it
LeCt: The endless advance into Russia. N ~ t e Neo TrtSSt
round collar of leading figure, but also the fact that he and the
third man seem to wear no collar patches. Rigbt: Officers of
the division examine a DA- l O armoured car ; the lightjacket
worn by the central fi gure is puzzl ing, as it is not thought that
tropical clothing was issued as earl y as this. Below: Back-seat
view of the advance; bot h men wear smocks and fie1d -grey
sidecaps. The tank crewman sitting on the turret ofthe PzKw
111 wears a camouAage smock over his black uniformo The
turret number '200' identifies a tank ofthe HQsection ofthe
2nd Company. (Bundesarchiv 77/93/21 , 22, 14)
' 3
StuG I II wilh shon-barrell ed 7.5em gun, photographed in a
Russian vi ll age in summer 1941. Dcspite the poor qualil y orthe
photo it isquite possible to idenliry the blaek Panzer suitS worn
by the erew, prcsumably wit h shoul derstraps piped arti ll cry
red. NOle divisional and I)anzer Gruppe markings 0 11 the
traek-guards. (Bundesarchiv 77/93/25)
had beeome obvious tha t the eity was nol going l O
faH thal winter. Zhukov's defences were 100 slrong,
and lhe maj ority of German uni LS were too ti red,
depleled and cold 10 go on a ny longer. Al lhe
beginning of December , Zhukov la unched a
counler-oH"ellsive in front of Moscow with no fewer
lha n eighteen fresh divisions, a nd by Chrislmas
Day 1941 almosl all oCthe obj ectives taken during
Operation ' Taiphun' had been recaptured.
SS ' Reich' Di vision suH"ered heavil y in lhe winter
defensive fi ghting before Moscow- a furlher 4,000
casualti es by mid-February- and in March 1942 il
was wilhdrawn Crom lhe line a nd sentlo north- wesl
Franee LO recuperale, have ilS slrenglh brought up
10 scra teh, and 10 be re-formed as a Panzer-
Grenadier division. Two mi xed battali ons from lhe
decimaled ' DeuLSchl and' and ' Der Fhrer' Regi -
ments remained in Russia as a ba ttlegroup under
Werner OSlendortT, who would lalcr command lhe
entire division for a bri cf peri odo
The reconstituted di vision, renamed ' Das Reich'
in May 1942, feH under lhe command of SS-
GruppenfUhrer Georg Keppler. Apan from iLS
reinforced pa rent units, lhe Di vision included lhe
new SS-Kradscht zen (motorcycl e) Regiment
' La ngemarck', which took pan in l he vai n German
attempt t prevent lhe scult ling oC lhe French Oeet
' 4
at Toulon in November. Aparl from this, lhe
Division saw no action during 1942, but was lhrust
back into lhe rigours of lhe Russia n campaign,
LOgether with the Leibstandan e 'Adolf Hitl er' and
lhe ' TolenkopC' Divisions, al lhe beginning of 1 943 :
lhe year of crisis for Germa ny. The sweeping
German advances of 1942 had over-extcnded lheir
lines, von Paulus's 61h Army had surrendered al
Stalingrad, the Americans had come inlo lhe war,
Rommcl had been deCeated al second Alamein,
and it seemed tha t German for ces were in retreat 0 11
all fronts. The three divisions of the SS-Panzcr
Korps were now a ttached 10 Army Group Soulh
(Don).
Campaigns of 1943
Afler advancing inLO Kharkov d uring February,
Hausser's SS-Pa nzcr Korps was lhrea tcned Wilh
encircl emenl by strong Soviet fOl"ces and, despite a
hysteri cal 'hold a t all COSLS' order from Hitl er,
Ha usser look the courageous decision 10 evacua le
and withdraw his di visions behind lhe river Uda.
SS ' Das Reich' made a sixty-mile march on lhe
16th 10 cl ose a gap in the German tines, essenti allO
Manslein' s pl an of drawing the Russian forces inlo
a trap. By lhe 21St lhe Gcrrnans were in position Cor
his counter-strrke, and three days la ter Popov's
armoured corps had been surrounded and virtually
annihil a ted. By 9 March Hausser was in a position
LO launch an au ack 10 recaplure Kha rkov, which
he did on lhe 101h. ' Das Reich' and lhe Leibslan-
da rte 'Adolf Hitler' formed the spearhead of lhis
operati on, suppon ed for the firs l time by signi ficanl
numbers of Tiger la nks , and lhe city fell in five
days' bitler fi ghting.
80th sides pauscd to regroup and relhink. 80th
were exha usled. However, Manslei n had suc-
ceeded in slabili zing the Germa n line wilh the
exception of a large Russian sali ent lO lhe nonh oC
Kharkov, around Kursk, and lhe German position
was much stronger tha n it had been a month
earli er. Moreover, although the disaster of Stalin-
grad and the long relrea l from the Caucasus were
tragic Crom the Germa n viewpoinl , lines of com-
muni cation and supply had been shonened, and
lhe Gcrmans now cnjoycd a highcr densi ty of troops
Closc-up oftunic of Army cut and sl)"lc, ypical ofthc fjrst half
of hc war, with Ihe insignia of all SS-Rottenfuhrer, Ihe
divisional cufrtitlc, and Ihe basic infanlry cquipmcnt.
' 5
Divisional and taClica! marki ngs or a motorized inrantry
regiment's 12th Coy. are clearly visible on Ihis vehicle. The
smi li ng lroopers, pholographed in Russia, summer 1941 , are
apparently enjoying a Spol ortarget practice. One cannot help
wondering, rrom Iheir relaxed air, exactly what they are
shooti ng al (Bundcsarchiv 77/93/26)
in the front line Lhan at any previous Lime during
lhe Russian campaign. BUl whether fUlure Gennan
operations were lO be slralegicall y offensive or
defensive, the Kursk sali enl had 10 be e1iminated.
Unfortunalely, lhe altack was delayed 100 long,
for a variely of reasons, allowi ng the Russians time
lO build up their defences in the salient -to lay
minefields, to establish anti-lank ' killing grounds' ,
and t create strong mobil e reserves. Jn the event,
Operation rzitadelle' (Citadel ) did nOl gel off the
ground until4July. In lhe soulhern sector lhe SS-
Panzer Korps formed the spearhead of 4th Panzcr
Army, the 'right hook' of a pincer movement
designed to en trap lhe Soviet forces concentrated in
the Kursk salienl. Von Mellenthin observed that
the terrain,,' over which the advance was lO take
place was ;: far-flung plain, broken by numerous
vall eys, small copses, irregularly laid-out villages,
and sorne rivcrs and brooks; of these lhe Pena ran
with a swift current between sleep banks. The
ground rose slightly 10 lhe nOflh, thus favouring lhe
defence. Roads consisted oflracks through the sand
and became impassable for all motor transport
during rain. Large cornficlds covered lhe landscape
and made visibility difficult.'
The attack opened at 3pm on lhe hot and sultry
afternoon of 4 Jul y, preceded by a short bUl sharp
arti llery bombardment. Flanked on their left by lhe
48th Panzer Korps and on their right by Army
Detachment ' Kempf', the SS divisions- which by
this time included strong e1ements ofTigers and the
new Panther lanks- made good initial progress,
penetrating lhe posilions of lhe 52nd Guards Rifle
Division and thrusting twards Pokrovka. On lheir
Icft, 48th Panzer Korps also made good progress,
but Kempf's group was seriously held up and lhe SS
right ftank was threatened. The advance continued
more slowly on the 5th, the SS units heading
towards Prokhorovka through the second line of
Soviet defences. On the 6th, however, rain delayed
the advance until mid-afternoon, and the Panzers
onlysucceeded in covering lwelve miles. By the 7th,
after only three days' fighting, (he SS-Panzer
Korps' original complement of 200 Panthers had
been reduced to a mere forty al though they claimed
lhe destruction of 400 Soviet AFVs. The early
Panlhers sulfered from a variely of defects, one of
the worst being a tendency to eateh fire very easily.
The 8th and 9th saw little Gerrnan progress, and
on the 10th the Russians went over lo lhe counler-
attaek. The largest lank balde of the campaign
took place on the 12th, between sorne 700 tanks
in the SS-Panzer Korps, approximately a hundred
of whieh were Tigers, and roughly 850 of
Rotrnistrov's AFVs. 'By evening knoeked-out tanks
ofboth nations littered the steppes and smoke from
burning machines darkened rhe skies aboye the
salient. ' The fighting had been in tense, often at
point-blank range, and both sides displayed a high
degree of delermined courage. BUl lhe men of
Hausser's Korps proved lhe stronger, and in lhe
end Rotmislrov was foreed lO withdraw. However,
losses on both sides had been heavy- about 350
tanks each- and the Germans now lacked the
strength to resume lhe offensive. Operation 'Zita-
delle' was abandoned on 13 July and lhe German
forces feH baek on lhe defensive.
The deteriorating situation in ltaly now claimed
Hitler's attention, and on the 17th he ordered the
SS-Panzer Korps out oflhe front line to hold itself
in readiness for a lransfer. In lhe end, however,
only lhe Leibstandarte 'Adotf Hitler' was sent,
leaving 'Das Reich' and 'Totcnkopf' to face the
renewed Russian onslaught. The next three months
saw the Gennan forces reeli ng back in disorder on
all fronls despile desperate delaying aclions by SS
'Das Reich' and other crack units. Kharkov and
Kiev bOlh fell; bUl in November a fresh counter-
offensive, spearheaded by the SS divisions (includ-
ing lhe Leibstandarte, hastily recalled from ltaly),
succeeded in checking the Russian advance. A see-
saw situalion developed with bOlh sides atlempting
to encircle isolaled groups of lheir opponents,
sometimes successfully, at other times vainly.
The West, 1944
In Decernber an advance party from SS 'Das
Reich' returned to East Prussia for the purpose of
reorganizing lhe formation as a fully ftedged
Panzer division, and in early February 1944
elements of the Division began arriving at thcir
new training centre in Bordeaux. A battlegroup,
Kampfgruppe 'Lammerding' (named after its
cornmander, Oberflihrer Heinz Lammerding)
remained in Russia, where it was caught in the
Cherkassy pocket and formed the rearguard while
other Gcnnan units escaped. In April the majority
Ag!lin, the quality of these photographs taken from wanime
conTact prints is not high, bul nevenheless they convey a
striking imprcssion of the fighting in Russia. They show
pcrsonnel of'Das Reich' crossing a road under fire in a blazing
town; and crossing a river, possibly the Dnicper, in inflatable
assault boats next toa bridge destroyed by the retrealingSoviet
forces. (Bundesarchiv 73/83/66, 77/93/23)
1)
;,
SS-Pz
62 X P
64 x pz
8 x 3.)
6 X20m
53
xM
313 ve
1,770 m
, len Regt 3
oland'
G/H
:mG/H
1 Mor
les
n
,LnReg
t
4
Irer'
' ~ ( " ' O ' )
tarck'
I but
10 aboye, only
lacking half lracks
Note: Thcse figures are for the
division at full establishment.
Excluded are medical and MP
units, etc.
2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich', 1944
sS-Pz l Regt 2
12 X 17cm Gj H
6 x 15cm SPG
12X 15cmGj H
12X 10.5cmSPG
12 X 10.5cm GfH
40 x M/C
534 vehiclcs
2,167 men
I
SS-Flak Ab. 2
12 X 8.8cm
18 X 20mm
16x M/C
18 1 vehicles
824 men f ~
SS-NblW Ab. 2
8x NblW
8xM/C
107 vehicl es
473 men
Div. HQ.
8x M/C
32 vehiclcs
140 men
I
SS-PZ Jag Ab. 2 ss-Recl e Abt 2
3' x 7'5cm SPG
13 X 7.5cm SPG
12xPak4 35 x 20mm Pak
17 xMjC 6 x F/T
135 vchicles 22 X M/C
513 men 199 vchicles
942 men
SS-StuG Ab. 2
22 X SluG IIl j lV
11 xMC
100 vchicles
344 men
AhhrelJiations
pz = Panzer
M/C = motorcycles
men = officers, NeOs and men
Regt = Regiment
Abt = Abteilung (Battal ion)
Pz-Gren = Panzer-Grenadier
CfH = Gun/Howi tzer
F/T = Flametbrower
SS-Pi lbt2
3 x 20j28mm Pak
3 x 20mm Pak
20X FjT
52 X MjC
212 vehicl es
984 men
I
SS-Sig Abt 2
14
xM
/
C
114 vehicles
515 men
Mor = Mortar
Art = Artillel)'
I
SPG = Self-propelled gun
NblW = Ncbelwcrfcr
StuG = St urmgeschtz
Recce = Reconnaissance
Pi = Pi onecr
Sig = Signals .
nf = Infantry
ofthe survivors were also sent lO Bordeaux, leaving
just!.he small Kampfgruppe 'Weidinger' still in the
east. This unit was heavil y engaged during ilS
retreat through Proskurov and Tamopol.
The organization of the reconstituted 2nd SS
Panzer Division 'Das Reich' can be seen in the
chart opposite and it was with these forces that
the Division marched nonh in J une 1944 to meet
the AlIied invasion in Normandy. During this
operation two incidents occurred which have
earned the Division a black name.
Fighting their way into the liltle lOwn ofTulle,
which had been captured by the French Re-
sistance, (he Division's reconnaissance unit disco-
vcred the mutilated corpses of sixty-two German
soldiers who had apparently surrendered to the
partisans and been killed out of hand. In reprisal,
ninety-nine Frenchmen suspected of belonging ro
the Resistance were hanged. It is perhaps possible
10 justify this as a genuine act ofwar rather than as
the 'massacre of innocents' it has sometimes been
described as, but what followed al Oradour cannoL
As the Division passed close lo (his town, a French
sniper ShOl and killed an SS Hauptsturmruhrer. In
reprisal a company leader from the ' Der Fhrer'
Regiment ordered the entire population of 642
men, women and children lO be murdered, and lhe
town was blown up and bumed lo lhe ground. There
was never any serious suggestion lhal any one ofthe
villagers could be connected with the killing of the
officer; the troops who carried out lhe massacre
were seasoned veterans; and the atrocity was
commilted calmly and methodically, nol in a wave
of baltleficld hysteria. Oradour remains the mOSl
damning answer (known in the West ) to the most
frequentI y heard arguments ofSS apologisls, and a
terrible stain on the record ofGerman arms.
Arriving in Normandy, the division was thrown
into the line north of St L, where it faced the
American divisions which had landed on Omaha
and Utah beaches. A series of counter-altacks
failed to throw (he Americans back into the sea,
and when they broke out from the beachhead al
Avranches, the 2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich'
found itself encircled at Coutances. They su c-
ceeded in breaking out of this trap on 29 Jul y,
however, and then captured Mortain, but had to
wilhdraw in common with other German fOl'ces ro
avoid being wiped out piecemeal by Patton's fast-
A blurred but extraordinary photo which says more about
combat than a thousand words: a from line cameraman frcezcs
forcvcr a momcnt of frantic activity- and fear ?- for a 'Das
Reich' machine gun squad loaded with sparc ammuniti on
boxcs. (Bundcsarchiv 73/83/58)
moving forces. The Division was lucky enough to
escape being trapped in lhe Falaise pocket and,
indeed, was largely instrumental in holding the
lwenty-four mile 'neck' of this pocket open,
enabling a large number of German lroops lO gel
out before lhe trap snapped shut. Retreating slowly
across the river Seine in August, the Division retired
behind lhe West Wall in September.
While the Allies maintained re1entless pressure
on the Gcrman lines, Hitler was reorganizing his
forces for his final gamble- the Ardennes offensive.
FO{.. lhis operation, 2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das
A brief hah for a rcconnaissancc unil. The motorcycle
combination carrics, from left, a company tactical sign, the 'e'
of euderian's Panzer eruppe on the back of a pannier, the
vehicle number '50', and the divisional signo (Bundcsarchiv
77/93/ '7)
'9
Reich' was seconded lO Sepp Dietrich's 6th Panzer
Arrny, where it forrned the north fl aok reserve. 00
19 December it was traosferred to Manteuffel' s
command and thrust through the positions of the
American 820d Airborne Division at St Vith,
pushing on lO within sight of the Ri ver Meuse by
Christmas. However, IOISt Airborne's heroic
defeoce al Bastogne (see Vanguards) had halted the
maio irnpetus ofthe German thrust, reinforcements
were brought in against their flank and, worst of all,
the skies cleared, allowing Allied aircraft to operate
again. A large part of the ' Das Reich' Division was
cut off and captured by two Allied divisions a t the
end of the year, and the remainder retreated.
Hastil y refitt ed once again, the division was
finalIy sent to Hungary, where it fought a steady
del aying action against the Russians, retreating
slowly into Austria. It stubbornly defended Vienna
until 15 April 1945 bUl was finally forced lO
evacuate. The ' Der Fhrer' Regiment was engaged
fi ghting the insurrection in Prague at the beginning
Captured Soviet officeror commissar being questioned by ' Das
Reich' officers, including a HauptsLUrmfti hrer (right ) wearing
the 'old style officer's field cap' without cords and with soft
leather peak. The lighter strips on his len arm appear to be
loops for the attachmcnt of foliagc rathcr than an insignia
(Bundesarchiv 73/81 /69)
20
ofMay, and succeeded in getting a large partofthe
city's German population away from the Russian
advance. Germany surrendered on 7 May, and the
majority of 'Das Reich' personnel entered Ameri
can captivity.
Equipment and Uniforms
Vehicles and tnarkings
There was no difference between lhe vehicles and
weapons used by the German arrny, Luftwaffe field
divisions and Waffen-SS, and these have been
outlined in my two previous books in this series on
the 'Grossdeutschland' and ' Hermann Gring'
Divisions ( Vanguards 2 and 4). However, many
commeotators have made the point that the
Waffen-SS was better equipped than the army, and
here t he HIAG book Wenn aUe Brder schweigen
again has something relevant lO say. It has already
beco ooted that the arrny controlled the leve! of
recruitrnent into the Waffen-SS a nd, says HIAG,
the 'Waffen-SS did not have its own Ordnance
Office and was thus dependent 00 the Wehrmacht
in this respect. The Waffen-SS did nOl produce its
own eq uipment, nordid it have a separatesystem of
acquisition and distribution. AH requisions made
by Waffen-SS units engaged in combat with regard
to the provision of weapons, vehicles and other
gear, were forwarded direclly lhrough Anny chan-
neIs te the highest Army Ordnance Offices and lhe
High Command of the Waffen-SS was duly
informed. The Army then examincd these re-
quisitions to determine whether or not they were
justified, and then acted accordingly.' Thus, argues
HIAG, to suppose that the SS was better equipped
implies that the Army deliberately provided them
with more than was their due- which does seem
unlikely. In one area the SS did profit, however,
and this was entirely due to Hitler's personal
intervention. This was in the allocation of new
Tiger and Panther tanks as they appeared. First
batches secm almosl invariably lO havc gone to the
SS. The overall truth of the matter, as always,
probably lies somewhere in between.
Be that as it may, SS vehicles employed exaclly
the same camouHage and marking systems as the
Army. Up until winter 1942-43 all vehicles were
normally painted a dark grey shade, and therearter
Jubilant Neos and cnlistcd mcn with a captured Soviet
banncr. In the original print it can be secn that the carly field-
grey sidecap with button insignia and off-sel rold are still worn
in Ihis 1941 photo. (Bundcsarchiv 77/93f I6)
a dark sandy yell ow. Cans of red-brown and dark
grecn paint were issued with each vehicle so that
crews could camouHage their individual vehicles to
blend in wi th thei r current surroundi ngs, although
such schemes seem normally to have been restricted
t armourcd vchiclcs and were more rarely appl ied
to 'soft-skin' trucks, ctc. National crosses, in black,
black and white or plain white, were applied to the
sides of most vehicl es, and sometimes to the front
and rear as well. These areas more usually sported
tactical and divisional devices in white or yellow,
however. The SS used lhe same systcm of tactical
signs as the Army, and thcse are outlined in my
book on the 'Grossdeutschland'. Divisional signs
were personal to lhe unit concerned, and lhose
utilized by the 'Das Reich' are illuslraled in lhe
phOlOS and colour plates. AFV turret numbers,
normally ofthree digits idemifying company, troop
Snatching a rest in the relative cornfort of a straw-Illled
bunker, this 'Das Reich' lrooper wears over his grcatcoat a
carnouflage smock with a pattern difiing frorn that on
previous and subsequent pages. (Bundesarchiv 73/ 104/27 )
and vehicle respectively, were painted in black or
red, frequently wit h a white out li ne. Aerial
recognition fl ags- black swastikas in while cireles
on red fields- were commonly draped across
engine covers or other suitably flat areas. The only
real identifying feature- and this normally applied
only lO soft-skin vehicles- was the number plateo
These consisted of black figures on a white base
and, whereas Army vehicl es prefixed their number
plates wilh the letters 'WH', SS vehicl es used the SS
runes followed by the registration number.
Uniforrns
lt is both presumptuous and futile lO attempl LO
cover the vast and compli cated subject of Waffen-
SS c10thing in the Jimited space avail able here
when there are so many good books already
available on the subjecl. It is covercd in brief in
Martin Windrow's book World War 2 Comba!
Unifonns and Insignia (Patrick Stephens Ltd) and in
slightl y more detail in Walther-Karl Holzmann's
Manual o/ the Waffen-SS (Almark) and Windrow's
The Waffen-SS (Osprey), aH of whi ch are readily
and inexpensively avail able. For those who wish to
delve into the subj ect more decply thcn lhe multi -
volume U n i f o n n s ~ Organization and History 01 lhe
Waffen-SS, by Roger J ames Bender and Hugh Page
Taylor (R.James Bender Publishing), and Uniforms
qf lhe SS, by Andrew Molla (Historical Research
Unit ) are the ' Iast word'. Ir is inevitable, therefore,
that the foHowing remarks wi ll ofnecessity exelude
a great deal bUl, in keeping my comments striclly
Comparison of this photOgraph of ' Das Reich' troops in an
assault boat with other views revcals clearly the variations in
Ihe pattern ofcarnouflage material used for smocks and helmet
covers. Variations in thcshades and cornbinations ofgreen and
brown were suppost:d 10 be seasonal, bul under front line
conditions it seerns certain that before long Ihe differences
would have been purely arbitrary in mosl cases. (Bundesarchiv
73/
8
3/34)
The winter draws in, and these infantry of the division have
taken to wearing their camouAage smocks over their field-grey
greatcoats- a common practice, to judge from photographs.
(Bundesarchiv 73{86{15)
related to 2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich' , 1
hope to provide enough information for the
average emhusiast and modellerjwargamcr.
The Waffen-SS evolved from the SS- VT as we
have seen, its first field division being created by an
orderdated 100ctober 1939. Broadlyspeaking, its
members wore c10lhing closely related in style and
cut lO that issued t regular Army personncl, which
is described in more detail in my first book in (his
series, Panzer-Grenadier Division cGrossdeutschland'
(Osprey, 1977). The basic c10thing issue, which was
supplcmented as shall be related, consiSled of: steel
hclmel; four-pocket tunic which could be worn
open or c10sed at the neck with 01' without a field
grey shi rt and black tic (originally brown shirts
were also permitted, bUl these were prohibited by
an order dated '5 September 1943) ; long trousers
(enl isted men and NeOs) or breeches (officers) ;
black marching boots (enlisted men and NeOs) or
riding boots (officers) ; black beJt with a variety of
buckles which will also be described; fieJd cap (in
various styles); and peaked cap in one oftwo basic
styles (officers and NeOs only).
The standard issuc steel hclmet or Stalhelm :wom
by SS personnel was the M T 935 pattern which
replaced the large and cumbersome First World
War hcadgear. This was supplemented later by the
MI943 helmet which was of similar design bUI
lacked the inward crimped edge, facilitaling
manufacture and economizing on stee!. Both types
had an inner aluminium-sprung leather lining and
black leather chinstrap, and were painted field
grey. Originally the helmet bore two decaIs, that on
the right-hand si de being a silver or white shield
with the double SS 'lightning flash' runes in black
and that on lhe left-hand side being a red shield
containing a black swastika on a white disco The
latter was discontinued after spring 194' as being
too conspicuous in lhe ficld, and the former from
autumn '943, although isolated examples of both
continued in occasional use until lhe end ofthe war.
Even prior to their official removal, however, it was
common forcombat troopsin the ficld todaub their
helmets wi th mud or dust t camouflage them and
lO cover lhe gaudy decals. Foliage was frequently
tucked into bands around the hclmet, and various
nets, bits of chicken wire, and so fonh were im
provised in lhe ficld to hold camouflage materials.
Hclmets were w-Tt itewashed in winter, or less
frequently, fitted with improvised white cloth
covers. There were also two patterns of purpose
made camouftage helmet cover peculiar to the
Waffen-SS, fitted with aseries ofspring hooks anda
' pocket' at the fronr accommodating lhe helmel
brim. One type was reversible in spring and
autumn moule, the other in summer mottle and
plain white.
Apart from the helmet, all ranks were issued with
undress field caps. lnitially the SS- VThad a special
type with the top roId offset to the right, but this was
replaced early in the war by a conventional cap
Wilh a central foId and 'scooped' turn-up in the
Army fashion j this, in its turn, was replaced from
1940 by a third design identical t the Luftwaffe
Fliegermt;:;e bUl in fieJd grey, with a conti nuous
'unscooped' edge lO lhe turn-up. These grey caps
had sil ver piping round the top of the turn-up for
officers. The firsr, offset style bore a death's-head

. ::.::::: .. ;:."
/ "-

chfanb
---------
- ----------
ccDer Fhrer
-----
A6
A7
----- -- - - -
Da;s Re_ch
-----
---------
A ..
- -
B Reconnaissance unit, Ru .. ia, Juiy ~
e Officers' conference before Kharkov, February 1943
D Panzer-Grenadiers with PzKw V Panther Ausf.A, Normandy, July 1944
embossed on agrey-green button on the fronLofthe
turn-up and a silver-grey woven eagle and swasti ka
on a black triangular palch on the left side al the
top ofthe turn-up. The conventional types had the
eagle and swastika at the fronl of the crown and a
dealh's-head on the from of lhe lurn-up, both in
silver-grey on black. The usual WajJerifarbe piping
chcvron was sometimes but not always worn.
The SS-pattern eagle was also wom on lhe upper
left arm of mOSl garments except camouflage
smocks (and very occasionally, even on lhem). It
exisled in a number of slightly differing forms and
malerials, bUl was silver-grey for enlisted ranks and
silver for officers, on a black ground. Basically
simi lar lO the Army and Navy eagles, with head
facing right and a mobile swastika in a circular
wrealh heJd in lhe talons, il differed mOSl notice-
ably in lhe shape of lhe wings. Where Army and
Navy eagles had the ends 'cl ipped' in a wedge
shape, the longest feather at the top, the SS type
had the longest feather in the middle, giving a
roughly poinled end.
The SS eagle was also used on bell buckles.
Enli sted men wore the convemional German
forces' rectangular buckl e plale with a raised design
showing lhe eagle emergi ng from the broken top
edge ofa circular riband bearing the motlo 'Meine
Ehre Heisst Treue' - ' Loyally is my honour'.
Officers had a more ornate circular plate, bUl in the
field usually wore the plain two-prong frame
buckle. Belts were black.
The most popular form of headgear worn by aH
ranks of aH German services was lhe 1943 peaked
field service cap or Einheitsfeldm1ze. Based on lhe
shape of the mountain troops' cap, but with a
longer peak, it had a 'scooped' lurn-up butloned al
Ihe front so lhat it could be turned down round the
ears in cold weather. One- and two-bullon versions
areknown. On lhesingle-button type Ihere was jusl
room 10 slitch lhe eagle and the death's-head
insignia on the fronl of the crown aboye lhe turn-
up, but on lhe two-button type with a deeper from
10 !.he lurn-up only the Totenkopf was worn here,
and the eagle was wom al the LOp of lhe lurn-up on
Ihe leH side, immedialely righl of the ' scoop'. In
1944, special, small er badges were produced
comprising an eagle aboye a death's-head on a
lruncated lriangular base of eilher field grey, or
black for lhe black Panzer vcrsion of the cap.
Officers' and cnlislcd rncn's SS-runc collar patchcs c1early
the
Officcrs wore higher quality badges, and had caps
piped si lver round lhe crown seam. The EinheitsJeid-
ml,e was made in grey, in black for Panzer crews,
and in camouflage moule matcrial. A loose whi tc
cover was avai lable for winler use, but is seldom
secn in photos.
SS officers wore four basic Iypes of cap in the
ficld. Their si lverpipcd versions ofthe sidecap and
field cap wcre common. Also popular was the ' old
slyle .9fficcr's fie1d cap' , a smaller, softer version of
their pcakcd service dress cap. Il had a small, grey,
unstiffened crown, usually wom pulled sharply
back; a semi-sti(fpeak ofsoft black leather or field-
grey cloth ; and a black band. Band edges and
crown seams were piped in WajJenfarbe. There were
no cords, and the eagle and death' s-head badges on
crown and band werc normally wom in a Hal,
woven version. The service dress cap, or Schirm
miit,e, was of convemional German shape- an
cleganl, high. fronted cap with a small semi-
circular peak ofglossy"black leather. The field-grey
crown was stiffened, though lhe wire former was
often removed in the field to give a jauntier
appearance j the band was black, and lhe piping al
crowl1 scam and band edges was in Waffenfarbe.
Two heavy silver bullion chincords were wom
across lhe LOp oflhe peak; and heavy white metal
eagle and TolenkopJbadges wcre worn on crown and
band respeclively.
26
A young Unterscharn.ihrer wearing an improviscd snow-
camouAage smock and helmet cover ovcr his greatcoat;
grenades are tucked behind both seIS of carlridge pouches.
Bundesarchiv 73f86f33)
Tank crews were issued black versions ofside and
field caps, and a lso rnade rnuch use of lhe
camouflaged field cap. Officers wore lheir service
dress or 'old style field' caps. In '939- 40 the
fledge1ing arrnoured forrnations were issued with
the padded beret , and in 1941 sorne arrnoured car
crcws, at least, were slill wearing a black version of
the off-sel sidecap wilh lhe bulton on the fronL
Originally all Waffen-SS troops wore while
WaifenJarbe, bUl in lhe auturnn of 1 940 a sequence of
separate branch-of-service colours was adopled,
simi lar 10 that ofthe Arrny. This piping appeared
on officers' peaked caps, and sornelimes as lhe
chevron enclosing lhe lower badge on enlisled
men's field caps; around the oUler edges of enlisted
ranks' shoulderslraps; and as lhe underlay of
officers' shoulderstraps, mounted between lhe silver
cord and an extra, black underlay. In very
occasional casesearly in the war it was s.een as coll a r
piping, or piping around collar patches. For
general officers it was pale grey; for infantry,
white- including Panzer-Grenadiers; for artillery,
se1f-propelled arti ll ery and flak troops, red; for
tank and anti-tank troops, including SP a nti-tank
units, rose-pink; for cavalry and motorized recce
troops, golden yel low ; for signals, lemon yellow; for
supply personnel , light blue; for medical personnel ,
dark cornftower blue; and for military police,
orange. (For a more complete lisl, readers are
referred 10 Bender and Taylor, op.cil .)
From 1937 lhe SS-VT wore a field grey uniform
similar in general appearance 10 lhal of lhe Army.
It had slanting slash skin pockets with external
fiaps. From 1940 this gave place to a lunic with four
box-pleated pockets with three-point bultoned
flaps, lhestand-and-fall collar being initiall y black,
but later usually in Army dark green. In lhe mid-
war years economy patterns wilh straight pocket
flaps, unpleated pockets and plain grey collars
began LO supersede earlier types. Trousers were
straight for enlisled men while officers wore ftared
breeches; boolS were initially knee-Iength march-
ing boots of heavy lealher for non-commissioned
ranks and black riding boots for officers, bUI from
1942 short laccd ankle-boots worn with grey
ObcrstunnbannfLihrer Werner Ostcndorff, commander of
Kampfgruppe OSlendorff from March to June 1942, and
commandcr oflhe emire di vision rrom 4 February lO 9 March
1945 (Bundesarchiv 77/93f34)
webhing anklclS became more and more wide-
spread. Although it does nol seem to have been as
common in lhe SS as it was in lhc Army, a final
economy tunic was inlroduced in 1944. This
Feldbluse was similar to a Brilish battledrcss blouse,
waisl-Icnglh, round-bollomed, Wilh lWO plain
patch pockets with straighl ft aps.
Armoured vehicJe crews slarled the war wearing
Army style black Panzer vehicJe uniforms; later, an
improved CUl of jackel was iOlroduced iOlo SS
unilS, with slightly small cr and more roundcd
lapels than lhe Army pattern. From 194' at least,
SP gun crcws were wearing a fie1d-grey pattern of
lhe basic armoured vehic1e jacket and l ,"OUsers.
Waffenfarbe was as in the Army excepl that SS anti-
lank gunners wore pink inslead of red; and lhe
collar piping was different. Unlike lhe Army' s rose-
pink collar piping for all ranks of Panzer unils, lhe
SS did nol (a pan from a shon and very early
2)
period) wear any coll ar piping for enlisted ranks,
and officers wore silver piping.
Ranking was indi cated on shoulderstraps and
collar patches. ln the following lisl 1 have added
equival ent Gennan Army ranks bUl, since lhere are
no exact parallels in lhe non-commissioned ranks, 1
have nOl tried to draw comparisons Wilh British
and US ranks :
later SS-Grenadier
(Same Ann) ranks)
Plain black shoulderstraps piped with WajJenfarbe; plain
black len patch ; sil ver-grey SS runes on right patch.
SS-Oberschtze (Same AmO' rank)
Straps, patches as aboye; single silver 'pip' on black disc,
left upper arm bclow eagle.
SS-Sturm.ann (Gejrtittr)
As aboye, plus t\'Vo d ose-set lines sil ver piping down
front edge of len patch ; si ngle silver-grey chevron on
bl ack tri angle, left upper a rmo
SS-Rottenf"Ubrer ( Obergifrtiltr)
Four lines pi ping on left patch, two slceve chcvrons.
28
SS-Unterscharfhrer (UnterojJier)
Single pip on left pateh ; no sleeve ranking; si lver
b .. aid round aH but oule .. edge of shouldcrstraps, inside
WajJenfarbt piping; same Trwt round front and bottom
edges ofeoHar (this applies to aH NeO ranks aboye (his
rank).
(Unttifddwtbtl)
Trwe round all edgcs shouldcrslraps; one pip and t\\'o
pi pi ng lines on left pa lch.
SS-OberschaUbrer ( Fddwtbel)
Straps as aboye plus single pi p; lcft patch wi th two pips.
SS-Hauptscharfiihrer (Oberftldwtbtl)
Two pi ps on straps; {WO pips plus l WO lines pipingon lef!
patch.
(Stabsjeldwebtl) .
T hree pi ps on straps; two pips, four lines piping on lefl
patch.
AII commissioned ranks had collar patches edged in
sil ver cord, and shoulderstraps with a si)ver cord bodyon
a double undcrlay of WalJtnJarbe over black:
SS-Untersturrnf"Ubrer (Ltulnanl)
T hrcc pips on left patch ; plain cord stra ps.
Left: Unsclfconscious sludy ofa ' Das Rcich' squad pausing for
a five-minute break in thick Russian woodtand. (Bundesarchi v
731
8
31.8)
Above: Close-up ofonc oflhc early patlcrns ofSS camouflage
smock, showing vertical pockct stashcs in the chest, drawslring
ncd, and e1aslicaled waist and cuffs.
29
SS-Oberstunnf'Ubrer (Oberleutnant)
Three pips plus two lines pipingon len patch; ol1e pipon
shoulderstraps.
SS-Hauptsturnhrer (Hauptmann)
Two pips on shoulderstraps; three pips, four lines piping
on len patch.
SS-Sturmbannf'Uhrer (Major)
Four pips on left patch; shoulderstraps ofplaited cords.
SS-Oberstunnbannf'hrer (Oberslulnanl)
One pip on shouldemraps, four pips plus two lines
piping 00 left patch. .
SS-Standartenf.hrer ( Obersl)
Single silver oakleaf on bolh patchcs; twO pips 011
shoulderstraps.
SS-Oberfiihrer (Genera/major)
As aboye, but two oakleaves 00 each patch.
SS-Brigadef"Uhrer (Gmeralleulnant)
From 1942, lhree oakleaves 00 palches, aod shoulder-
straps ofplaited gold aod silver cord.
SS-Gruppenihrer (GeneraL)
As aboye, plus ooe pip 00 each palch and shoulderstraps.
SS-Obergruppenf'hrer (Gmeraloberst)
As aboye, with two pips 00 patches aod straps.
SS-Oberstgruppenf'tihrer (Gmeralfe/dmarschaLL)
From 1942, as aboye Wilh lhree pips 00 palches aod
slraps.
Several examples of these insignia can be seen in
Lhe colour pi ates. Note that prior to winter 1941 ,
there was no Sturmscharruhrer rank, and pips on
officers' shoulderstraps were gold- they becamc
sil ver al lhat time.
In '939- 40 the regimcnts 'Deutschland', 'Ger-
mania' and 'Der Fhrer', which formed the nucl eus
of Lhe SS-VT Division (MoLorized), bore Lhe
Arabic numerals 1, '2 and 3 respectively on the
right-hand collar patches in the front bonom
corner ahead ohhe runes. They also wore distinc-
tive regimemal cufftitl es of black material, 28cm
wide, sewn I5cm up from lhe bonom of the left
sleeve. Embroidered with si l ver or sil ver-grey
thread according to rank, lhey had em broidcred
edge stripes and the regimcmaJ name in Gothic
lettering. AH other divisional personnel wore a
cufftitle lellered 'Das Reich', from , September
1942. The 4th SS Infantry Regiment, which
became SS Infamry Regiment ' Langemarck' in
April 1942, had its own interim cuffti tlc in block
lettering, and personncl are beJicvcd to have worn
lhe three-Iegged swasti ka- 'Tri fos' - in placc of
the SS runes on the righl patch. Men from lhe
3
former SS Totcnkopf Regimenl 11, disbanded in
Novcmber 1941 , were dispersed to the 'Dcutsch-
land' and 'Der Fhrer' regiments and may
have rctained their TolenkopJcollar patch device for
a time.
The 'Germania' regiment was transferred from
lhe SS-VT Division in November 1940 LO form the
nucleus of lhe new SS Division (Motorizcd)
'Germania', which was renamed 'Wiking' al the
end of that year and subsequently becamc the 5lh
SS Panzer Division 'Wiking' in February 1944. A
further distinction aUlhorized for the three original
!lamed regiments oflhe 'Das Reich' Division were
monograms worn on the shoulderstraps in the ronn
ofblock Jetters 'D', 'G' a nd 'DF' j these should have
been in WalJenJarbe Lhread, silver metal and gold
metal for enlisled men, NeOs and officers re-
spectively, but phoLOgraphic evidence for Lheir
wear in the ficld is scanty and they may have been
kepl for special occasions. Bender and TayJor state
lhat some Latvian recruits may have served in lhe
'Das Reich' Division, a nd Latvian armshiclds have
been observed wom in conjunction with lhe
divisional cufftitlej these were red, with or withoul
black border, bearing the white legend 'LATVIJA'
and a white diagonal.
SS grcatcoals wcre similar to Army models,
being long double-breaslcd garments wiLh two
rows of six and slantcd slash skirt pockets
with external flps with rounded corners. The large
fall collar was dark green initially j from Lhe mid-
war period on, it was made in plain field grey like
lhe rest of the coaL Coll ar patches, shoulderstraps,
sleeve eagles, cufftitles and rank chevrons were all
worn on the coat, though not universally. Many
officcrs affected clegant black or dark green leather
greatcoats purchased privatcly; insignia on these
werc limited 10 shoulderslraps. In winter a variet)'
of fur coats and hats were LO be observed.
Winter clothing for Waffen-SS personnel fol-
lowed normal Army practicc and was issued
initi all y from exactly lhe same slocks. They
improvised light snow-camouflage smocks,
ponchos and hclmeL covers in '941- 42, and
received the whitefmouse grey reversible padded
wi nter suit Wi Lh hood and mittens in '941- 43.
Subsequently this was produced in white reverscd
with SS-pattern moale camouflage (see Plate E). A
pan, at least, of the front line strength of lhe
Waffen-SS in Russia received in the winter of 1942
a grey lhigh-Iength fur-lined parka with a large
hood, bUl production was discontinued the follow-
ing year, presumably so as nOl lO duplicate
wastefully the Army's winter clothing programmc.
For summcr wea!' in lhe fr0l11 lines, SS troops
rclied on lhe simple expedient oflaking their tunics
off and fighting in shirtsleeves, or wearing the
camouHage smock (see below) without lunic or
shirt benealh it. Officers were permiltcd lO discard
tunics in very hOl weather; normally the shoulder-
straps werc fixed lO the shirt, bUl it was unusual
lO see other insignia applied, such as sleeve eagles.
Knight's Cross holdcrs would normall y wear thc
shirt butloned to the ncck, with their. prizcd
decoration wom on the ribbon passing under the
shin collar. For surnmer weal' there was a whi te
version of lhe scrvice tunic, on which lhe normal
rank and unit distinctions were worn. h seems to
have had a limited popularity with officers and-
occasionally- senior NeOs behind lhe lines, bUl
was in no sense a frollt-line ilcm. Waffen-SS unils
' Das Rci ch' infantl)' during street fghting in Kharkov, March
1943. The soldier firingon the right wears a sheepskin vest over
his tunc, and the reversible white/mouse grey winter combat
trousers. The cent re figure, in snow camouAage smock and
greatcoat, is an MG42 team mcmbcr ; he has a sparc barrcl
slung in its canistcr on his bad, alld an ammunition bclt box.
(Bundesarchiv 73/84/51 )
serving in semi -tropical environments, such as
southern Russia and Italy in the summenime, were
issued tropical uniforms from Anny and LuftwalTe
slOcks; the smart sand-drill Luftwaffe clothing
seems to have been favourcd over the olive-drab
Army issue. A version of lhe SS sleeve eagle in a
I'usty ochre on black was issued for use with tropical
clothing.
11 was in the field ofcamouHage clothing that the
Walren-SS played a panicularl y important role in
t.he evolution of military dress. Today, practically
every nalional army clothes al leasl a proportion of
iLS combat infantry in SuiLS of camouHage-printed
material. (Indeed, since lhe early 1 960s
camouHage clothing has bccome such a symbol of
3
1
military 'machismo' that terrorist and irregular
groups tend to favour its dashing appearance even
when there is no practical reason for wearing it. )
There are two basic types: one, which we may term
the 'charneJeon', designed to blend the wearer
invisibly with his surroundings, and another, of
more dramatic angular shapes, designed rather
with an eye to disrupting the wearer's image and
breaking up his silhouette than to hide his presence
completeJy. The SS, whose paneros were in-
variably printed in sequences of spots and leaf-
shapes, pioneered the forrner approach, while the
Arrny favoured a more angular, disruptive pattern.
It was the Waffen-SS which pioneered the issue
of carnouflage dothing, and srnocks and
covers were worn from the beginning of the war,
becoming general issue by the 1940 campaigns.
The loose-fitting collarless smocks had a pullover
neck dosed by laced drawslrings. They had
elasticated or drawstring waists, and elasticated or
buttoned cuffs; vertical slashes in lhe chest gave
access to tunic pockets. These slashes were often
concealed by Aaps with a central button. Later
rnodels had pockets in the smock itself, dosed by
plastic bunons. Small loops of material were
somelimes sewn to (he front and back of the
shoulders and to the upper back, for the attachment
of local foliage. The smocks were reversible, and
each side was printed in a contrasting camouAage
mottle for spring, summer or autumn use, or while
for winter. There were sorne half-a-dozen different
colour combinations and patlerns designed 10
blend in with ight spring greens, richer greens or
dusty shades for summer, and autumnal mauve-
brown and russets*. This complex system un-
doubtedly broke down in practice, as prompt
seasonal replacement of all smocks in lhe course of
heavy fighting over lhe huge dislances of the
Russian Front was dearly impossible.
CamouAage trousers of generous cut, draw-
stringed at the ankle, were also issued, but from
photographic evidence it seems lhal no real effort
was made to match lhe pattern of the smock and
trousers issued to any individual. Trousers in dassic
SS spoued pattern were observed, bUl trousers with
St"e thecolour plates; also Vanguard4, Fa/{.fChirmpon?;t rdivisitm'Hmnann
Goring' .. and he first \!olumc of Ikndcr and Taylor's cxccllent seri es,
quoted earlicr
a large angular or serpenline in
Army 'water-pattero' also to be
seen in many photos of Waffen-SS troops.
In 1944 photos begin to show a new, matched
camouflage suit in a markedly spotted pattero. This
had a four-pocket butloned tunic with con-
ventional collar, simil ar to the service tunic in
shape. Jacket and trousers were of thin, shoddy
material. It is noticeable that insignia such as sleeve
eagles, and even collar patches, shoulderstraps and
cufftitles were sometimes woro on this suit in
defiance of orders. Normall y insignia on
camouAage smocks, reversible jackets and so forth
were limited to a stylized rank patch system worn
on the upper left arm, from early 1943 onwards.
These took the form of black rectangular patches
with ranking in bright green, in a sequence of
horizontal bars and oakleaf shapes. An Un-
terscharfhrer wore one green bar, a Scharflihrer
two, an Oberscharfhrer three, a Haupt-
scharfUhrer four and a SturmscharfUhrer five.
Officers from Untersturmfhrer to Hauptsturm-
fhrer wore one, two and three . bars below a
single pair of oakleaves. Field officers from Sturm-
bannfhrer to Oberflihrer wore from one to four
bars below two pairs of oakl eaves. From Brigade-
fhrer LO Obergruppenfhrer the devices were in
one LO lhree bars surmounted by a
single pair of oakleaves. In theory an Oberstgrup-
penfUhrer in caQ}ouflage c10thing wore a pair of
yellow oakleaves over a single thick yeJlow bar
bearing three sil ver pips.
The mottled camouflage material was also used
for helmct covers and triangular shelter quarters.
The helmet covers fixed by means of a flap of dOlh
which slipped under the front ' brim' ofthe helmet,
and sprung steel hooks at the back and sides. The
shelter quarter or Zeltbahn was a triangle of
waterproof cloth which served as a poncho,
windbreak, to tenL
In 1943 a special moltle-camouflage one-piece
coverall was produced for AFV crews, with two
chesl and two trouser pockets. This could be worn
over or in place of black or grey vehide unifonns.
In 1944 photographs show a two-pi ece AFV crew
suit in motde camouAage, cut to resemble the black
or grey vehicl e uniform in that it had a short cross-
over jacket Wi lh large smaller than
on the black or grey versions. There was also, as
mentioned, a mottle-camouAage version of the
Einheitsmtze, which seems lO have been popular
with AFV crews and mountain troops.
Two points which may conclude this briefsurvey
ofWaffen-SS uniforms are the progressive replace-
ment of long marching boots by grey webbing
anklets and laced ankle boots, which began as early
as 1941 and was most marked by 1944; and the use
of trade and specialty badges on the forearms of the
service tunic. These latter were similar in design to
Army badges, bUl lhe motifs were silver-grey on a
This MG42 team, also photographed in Kharkov during the
fierce fighting of early 1943, has been luckier in its dothing
issuc; all thrcc wear the thigh-Iength grey parka and padded
trousers developcd specifically for the Waffen-SS and worn by
them for about ayear before duplication of eITort bctwecn
Army and SS was abandoned. Note SS-rune helmet decals still
in use and lhe fell /leather winter boots worn by the man on he
left. (Bundesarchiv 73{86{63)
black diamond backing, instead of in WajJenfarbe
0.0 a disc, as was Army practicc. These were \\10m
aboye the cufftitle when regulations specified wear
on lhe left slecve.
33
An UnterstUlmftihrer and his squad take:a cigarett e break in a
shallow trench somewhere on {he steppes, amid a litter of
weapons and equipment. (Bundesarchi v 73194116)
The PI ates
A Badges and insignia
A I SS officer' s collar pa/eh
Officer's panem right-hand collar palch with silver
cord edging and SS runes. The numeral ' l' denotes
the SS-VT Regimelll ' DeulSchland' prior LO mid-
1940. Personnel of lhe ' Germania' and ' Der
Fhrer' Regiments \Vore lhe numerals '2' and ']' .
After lhe French campaign, all reverted LO the plain
runes without numbers. Enlisted men's and NeOs'
palches were plain black, without edging.
A2 Untersturmfiihrers collar patch
As wom on the left-hand coll ar : for full details of
ranking, see body of texto The ' pips' were some-
34
limes sel Wilh lheir edges parallello the long edges
of the pat ch, and somelimes, as here, on lhe bias.
AJ O.fJicer's shoulderstrap
Shoulderstrap of an art illery UnterslurmfUhrer of
lhe ' Deutschl and' Regiment 's supporl el emento
Note red WaJJwfarbe, gilt offi cer's regimental
cypher, and black secondary underlay. This slrap is
painted as il would appear when removed from the
sewn seam al the shoulder.
A4 Rallk iusigniajor wear 011 camoujlage c!ollllg
An UntcrsturmrLihrer's insignia, wom on the upper
left slecvc- sec body of text for ranking details.
A5 ' Deutschlmu/' cufftitle
Early form of Gothi c script cufftitle as wom by
members of the ' Deutschl and', 'Germania' and
' Der Fhrer' Regiments.
A 6 Schaifuhrer' s collar patch
The system ofranking by 'pips' and bars oflace on
the left -hand collar patch of NCO ranks is shown
here.
A 7 'Der Fhrer' cuJflitle
Laler-pattern block-Iettered cufftitl e, as worn by
the named regiments.
A 8 Brigadeftihrer' s collar patch
The type of oakleaf insigni a worn on both collar
palches, in various combinations of eaves and
'pips', by ranks from Standartenrtihrer up.
A9 'Das Reich' cufftitle
Final version of the divisional titl e, worn by all
personne1 except those entitled to retain regimental
titles.
A 10 SS helmel decals
The rune shield was worn on the right side, the
' Ziladell e', lhe altack on lhe Kursk salien! inJuly 1943, saw Ihe
introducon or Ihe PzKw V 'Panlher' lank; il was nOI an
unqualified success, as it had been rushed 10 Ihe frOn! without

can beseen 10 be wearing a camouAage suit ortll e Iypc issued 10
annoured crcws, idenfi able by its breast pockels. His black
sidecap, of Army Panzer cut, hassi lver crown piping; and raok
bars in grecn 00 a black patch- apparently [hose or ao
Obcrslurmfhrcr- are jusI visible 00 the upper lerl slccve.
(Buodesarchi v 73/96/62)
swastika shield on the left. 80th were abandoned as
the war progressed, though the runes survived in
general use longer than the more visible swastika
shield.
AII SS national eagle
As worn in various qualities and sizes as the upper
cap insignia and on the upper left sleeve. Apart
from si lver and silver-grey versions, there was a dull
ochre-on-black version for use on tropi cal clothing.
AI2 SS belt buckle
The standard pattern worn by NCOs and enlisted
meno
35
A 3 f Das Reich' vehicle insignia
This device, in black, yeHow or while, appeared on
lhe majorily ofthe division's vehi cles from al leasl
1941. An altemative symbol, as ill us lraled on lhe
Tiger lank on the cover, has been variously
explained- as a deliberalcl y false insignia used for
securily purposes, as a later vari ant of the device
illustrated here, as lhe insignia of 11 SS Panzcr
Korps and, mOSl commonl y, as a special identifying
device for Operation ',?,itadeUe'. The laner assump-
lion is almosl certainly incorrect, since phOlO-
graphic cvidence which has come into the author's
possession sincc this book was first written c1early
shows the device on tanks in carl y spring 1943,
during lhe Kharkov operation.
PzKw VI 'Tiger l' heavy tanksofSS Panzer Abteilung 502,
servi ng with the ' Das Reich' Di vision, move up for the Kursk
offensive. Despite the fuzzy quali ty oflhc piclure, the dispulcd
insignia iIIuSlraled on our front cover is clearly marked on the
from plate ofthe nearesttank OUlboard oflhe MG mounting.
Thc crcwman riding outside wears the black sidecap and one-
pieee al"TTIoured crews' camouftage overall . PhotQs which havc
appearcd clscwhere show that tanks of this uni! bore turrct
numbers in lhe scq uence 'S03', 'S Il ', ctc. - Ihe 'S' indicaling
'Schwcre' or ' heavy'. (Bundesarchiv 73/80/46)
A 14 Totenkopf insignia
Worn on lhe lower fronl of lhe caps of aH SS
personncl , either in whitc metal, as here, or woven
in silver-grey on black.
B Reconnaissance unit, Russia, JuIy 1941
Men and vehicles or the ' Der Fhrer' Regimcnl
during lhe nitial slage orlhe advance on Smolensk,
on lhe road lhrough a wrecked Russian vill age.
Sorne wear the carnouflage smock and helmel covcr
which were issued to SS lroops as early as 1940, over
standard Army-style field grey uniforms with dark
green coll ars. SS coll ar, shoulder, and sleeve
insignia are worn on lhi s uniformo Thc pre-
domi nant weapon is the Mauser Kar 98k rifle, and
lhe Sturrnann on the right carries an MP40 sub-
machine gun. The infanl ry wear the normal lighl
combat equiprnenl - black leather beh and Y-
straps with amrnunition pouches, bayonet, en-
trenching tool , gasrnask cani ster, bread bag,
canteen, and, in sorne cases, lhe rolled smock. The
leading vehicl e is a Zndapp KS750 rnotorcycle
combination with mounted MG34 rnachinc gun,
and bcars the taclical device of a motorcycle recte
unit. Following it is an early StuG 1 I I assault gun,
with the short 7.5cm L/24 gun (SdKfz 142) ; note
lhe 'Reich' divisional device on bOlh vehicles, and
lhe white 'G' of Panzer Gruppe Guderian on the
StuG 1I1 - markings are taken from a contemp-
orary photograph which appears elsewhere in this
book, and which also confirms thaLat thisdate StuG
crews wore lhe black Panzer uniform with, pre-
sumably, red artillery WaiJenJarbe on lhe shoulder-
straps.
e Officers' conference before Kharkov,
February '943
Three officers of SS 'Das Reich' discuss Lhe
situaLion during lhe Soviel oJTensive of early 1943,
their deliberations recorded for lhe ' Home Front '
by a cameraman from lhe SS war correspondenls
unit- lhe ' KUrL Eggers' Regiment. In lhe back-
ground is a lroop of PzKw IV lanks in rough
whitewash camouflage, displaying lhe normal
company-troop-tank lurret cocle numbers, ancl the
Released by the .censor on 9 Scptcmber 1943, and therefore

disnUICd SS armoured formalion markiog on lhe rear hull 10
lhe righl ofthecross; il may we11 be a vchide ofthe 'Das Reich'
Division. A national Aag is drapcd over thestowage 00 lhe rear
deck as an aircran recognition signo
divisional sigo 00 a patch of the original grey
paintwork left unwhitened by lhe driver's visor.
The lefl-hand officer of lhe group wears Lhe
popular private-purchase leather greatcoal, his
shoulderstraps denoting lhe rank of OberfUhrer.
He also wears a fur cap complete with eagle and
TotenkopJ badges. Next LO him is an Obersturm-
fhrer wcaring the SS vcrsioo of lhe reversible
whilc/camouftage winter combat uniform, with a
whitewashed helmct and caplured Russian felt
bOO1S. His sleeve bears lhe rank patch officially
limitcd 10 patterned camouftage garments. On the
right ofthe group is a SturmbannfUhrer wearing a
sheepskin overcoat - either Russian, or privately
37
Batde fatigue shows in the faces of thesc 'Das Reich'
PanzcrGrenadiers at Kursk, who appcar to be mountcd in an
SdKfz '251 armoured half-track pcrsonnel carricr; a PzKw 111
is in the background. (Bundesarchiv 73/80/38)
purchased-and lhe 'oId slyIe officer's service cap',
with clothcovered peak and withoUl cords. It is
piped in white infantry WqffenJarbe. On lhe far lefl
a motorcycle despa tch rider approaches, wearing
the grey rubberized fabric coat issued to such
lroops; and on lhe far righllhe war correspondent
displays a common combi nalion of garments for
lhe Russian winter- a white camouRage smock
woro over the standard fieJdgrey grealcoat.
D Panzer-Grenadiers and Panther tank,
Nonnandy,July 1944
A group of infant!)' from one of the Panzer-
Grenadier regiments of lhe 'Das Reich' Division
rest briefly duri ng lhe bitler fighting around St Lo,
with a PzKw V Panlher Ausf. A lank for company.
T he infantrymen wear mis-matched combinations
of camouflage smocks and lrousers in (wo vari
alons of the SS summer camouflage patlern, 01' lhe
newly issued fo ur- pocket camouflage tunic and
lrousers in its distinctive pattern, with camoufl age
heJmet covers. \t\:sapons include lhe MG42 mach
ine gun, the MP40 sub-machine gun, lhe Kar 98k
rifle, and grenades. By this slage of the war il was
nOl unusual for the black SS and rank patches to be
removed from the collars of lhe lunic in the fronl
line- the lunic itselfwas now more often than not
the aH-grey 1943 economy version, Wilh unplcaled
pockets.
The Panthcr Ausf. A was lhe second production
version and the mOSl common in Normandy; it
featured a ball -mounted machine gun in thc glacis
pi ate, a nd a new commander's cupola wi lh
armoured periscopes. Spare track links were often
appli ed to upper rear hull sides and turret, for extra
protection. AH German lanks of th is period \vere
fi nished in a dull ochre yellow paint scheme, often
applied at factory slage ovcr Zimmerit anti -
magnetic mine plasler, with its characteristic
rippled finish. Dar k green and dark red-brown
camouflage paints were issued lO lhe unit, and
applied in slreaky panerns over lhe basic fini sh by
the crews themselves, The shade depended on the
degree of dilulion, and the paltern upon lasle,
junior commander's whim, and method of appli-
ealion, Markings were kept to a minimum; it is rare
to see a divisional sign on a Panther of lhis period,
and LUrrel numbers were often paimed in a smaJl
and subdued slyle, or left off altoget her.
On lhe LUrrel, using his comma nder's headscl
an'd throal-mike, is a crewman. He wears lhe
version of lhe Panzer uniform which was iss ucd in
SS paltern camoufl age c10lh and widcly worn by
vehicJe crews in '943- 45; il was simi lar in cut lO lhe
black uniform, lhough the coll a r was of less
generous cut. A camoufl age version of lhe M 1943
Einheitsfeldmlze was also iss ued, and seems from
photos lO have been particularly popular with lank
and mountain troops, Officially lhe camouflage
c10lhing was to be bare of insignia excepl for lhe
stylized left slccve patch, bUl lhis arder was widcly
ignored; shoulderslraps, sleeve eaglcs, even
cufflitles and coll ar patches wefe added to it,
depending on lhe toleran ce ofjunior commanders,
On the righl is lhe lank commander, an
Obersturmftihrer, wearing normal SS officer's
collar patches and shoulderslra ps wilh Panzer pink
Waffenfarbe on lhe SS version of lhe black Panzer
vehicJe uniform- it difTered from Army issue in
having a smaller a nd more rounded collar, piped in
si lver for officers, The single-bullon vcrsion of lhe
black MI 943 Panzcr lroops' Ei1/heitsfeldmtze is
\\Iorn with SS eagle and Tote1/kopf badges; an
offi cer's version piped in silver round lhe crown
seam was available, bUl photos show lhat the
di st.incLi on was nol rigidl y observed,
E The Ardennes, December 1944
During lheir advance in lhe area of Sl Vith, two
NeOs of lhe ' Das Reich' Di vision compare lheir
maps, On lhe left is a Hauptscharfti hrer serving
wilh a '5cm Nebelwerfer delachment. He wears a
An MC42 gunner leads a long ine or ' Das Reich' inrantry
across the cndlcss steppes during the summer 1943 batdes,
From this time onward, ' Das Rcich' would march in dogged
retreat rather than in hcady advance, (Bundesarchiv 73/80/54)
39
whitewashed hel met, and-a rare sight a t this stage
of the war-a full y badged greatcoat bearing coll ar
patches, shoulderstraps with the Bordeaux-red
WaiJenJarbe of lhe Nebelwerfer units, sleeve eagle
and cufftitle. In the background a Nebel werfer
crewman wears a whi te camouftage smock over his
greatcoat. From 1943 onwards there was a pro-
gressive replacemcnt of the long leathcr marching
boots with ankle boots and grey wcbbing ankl ets on
the British model. He carri es a n MP43/44. On
lhe right is a n Oberscharftihrer , perhaps the
commander of a j agdpanzer IV of the Di vision's
anti-tank battalion. He wears a ba ttered and
Notes sur les planches en couleur
ALo. ipes (l ) Insignedecold'unofficierdu Regimelll 'o.,urschland'avalll l' f:!
1940, port sur le ct droiL Insign", d'Un!",rs!unnHihrer, porlsur le ool

d"',camouflag"' , (5) Brassard du Iype port au dbut de la guerre,
I'mscnpuon "'Ialll en caractera gothiqua. (6) Insig,;e de Scharfuhrer. (7)

Brassard du tYJM; port a la fin d", gu",r:e par tout 1", penonn",1 divisionnaire
n'ayant pa.s drolt .brassard rg.mema,re. (lO) EcUlllOn de ca.oque des SS,
abandonn\",rsl",m,heudelaguerre. {l t ) l nsignereprsemallll'aigledaSS,

devhiculed",ladJVI"on 'Das R"';ch',quleta,t peint sur la pluparld avhicules
a partir de t941. L'aulr", d",vist:,. ill umc SU! le Tigre C\.ui sur la
oouverture, a t interprtc de dlvenes mameres, malS sa sigmficatlOn n'a pas
t tablie, (14) Tete d", mOrt porte CQmme insign", d", ca!lC]u"'tt'" inerieur, ",n
ti$$uOU en mtal,par tOutes les troux:s da Walf",n-SS

d'",ntreeux portent une bl0'."l'" de carnouflall'e et une eapuch", pour oouv!",r.ku r

d,visionnai re amsi qu'un insigne tactique md'quant 1", type d'umt; c",

Pan,t."'rgruppe Guderian. Certaines photographies ,,:,o.n.tr"'nt auc dat'" les
qu!paga des canons d'assaut aUlomoteurs dam la dlv,s,on portal",m l'unifonne
noirdesPanzers.
e Klaarkov, revrier '943 Trois (a gauch",), un
Oberstunnflihrer (antre) "'t un Slurmbannruhrer (a d.TOlte) posent pour un
camraman oorrespondant de guelT<:. lis port",m, r...speclLv",m",nt, une casquette
en lQurrure el un mamcau ",n cuir achet dans le oommer<;e; I'uniforme de
oomootd'hiverrversible,matelaSll,leoolblancal''''''trieur;'''tunmanleau
en mOUIon retourn, ach"'l dans le oommerce, av",c la 'casquen", d'ollici",r
aneienn",model",'.AI'extremegauchest:trouveune...stafettemolOcyclisteporlam
un manteau en loile caoutchoutc. Le camraman port'" un", blollst: blanche d",
camouflage par dessus 1", manteau gris des troux:s allemanda. Les chars PzKw
IVFal'arriere-plan portem I'insignedivisionnairequi est peim a I"avamdu
vhicule
D Norm.aJ>d.ie, 190M Un groupe d'infamerie, ponant le mlange typiqu'" de
diffi:rentes versions de tenue de camouflag'" des pholographi avec un
OberslUnnflihrer du reglm"'nI d", ehars d", la divislotl et un char Pamher",


drap noirnonnal,et la ca.oquett'" de t943.

l"insignedecol,lapaulettesganSotesd"'TOuge.bordeauxindiquamsabranch,
I"insigne d'un aigle sur la manch"" "'1 k brassard; on aurai l vu un
unifonn", oomplet a. ce slade de la guerreo L'autre sous-ollict",r est un
Obencharfuhr",r d'un", unn amichars, vlUd", laoombinaison ouated'assau I
pone en hiv",r, I",ct camoufl a l'extrieur,"'t la 'casquetted'ollieie ranei"'nne
modele'.
' operational' example of the NCO's Schirmmtze
service cap, with leather chinstrap and peak, and
the pink piping of tan k a nd a nti-tank lroops. His
hooded, padded, reversibl e winter combatj acket is
worn with the white side innermost ; apart from the
camouftage pa ttero this was identi cal to Army
issue. There seems to have been little matching of
pa tterns between camouftage smocks and jackets
and camouftage trousers in the Waffen-SS, with the
exception of the four-pocket uniformo On the left
sleeves is the stylized rank patch, the only insigni a
worn.
Farbtafeln
A. ( 1) "';nes Offiziers der 'lkurschlandSlandarle' bevor

Um",rstlLnnruh.r",rs der Arullene, 'o.,utSchland!tandarte'. (4) Linker Annel.
"'mes Unt",rstunnruhrcr, auf Tamkleidung verw",ndbar. (5)
Ar:melstreifen Must"'rs mit Buchstaben. (6) Linker

treif",n spateren Must"'rs von allen Divisionspersonal, di", zu keinem Re-
J:
Mtzenabzeichens und am li nken. Oberann .qrtelschnalle der
SS Mannschaften und Unt",rollizt",r. (t3) 'Das Relch' Di vlSlonsabzeich",n mr
Kraftfahrzeuge,ab 194' aufdenmeisten Fahrzeugenangesnichen. Dasandere ,
auf d",m Tiger(>anzer am Buchd",ckd geschilderte Sinnbild ist
v",rschilen",rwetst: ",rkannl worden, jloch ohne st:ine Bc:stimmte Bedeutung
feslSldkn zu kann",n, (14) TOlenkopfabzeichen als unterer Teil des Mutzen-
abzeich"'ns, aw Stoft' M"'lal1, von alkn Walfen SS Mannschaften
B Juli ,_MI Tru('pen d",r ?ringen auf
VQr. S'e trag",n Umfonn"'n mlhtarisch",r Art mlt SSAbzelehen und ethche smd
mit Tarnberkleidern und HeJmberzgen verseh",n, Das einer Aufldarungsein-
heit Motorrad und Beiwagen Iragt Divillionsabzeichen sowohl ab

st:lUiltfahrender Lafene Ausmhrung; SI'" tragl Abzelch",n, di", aufd,e
DivisionundaufdiePanzergruppeGud",riandeuten.Aus Photosvondieso::rit
si",hl man, dass Mannschaften der st:lbstfahrenden Slunngeschtze die
Schwarze Panzerumfonntrugen.
e Kbarkov, Februar '943 Drei Offiziere- Oberfuhrer (linl<s), Oberstunnmh
rer (mili"') und Stunnbannmhru (rechts) s!ellen sich mr die Aufnahme "';nes
Kriegs-berichterstallers in Pose. Sie lragen, beziehungsweise, PeI""'tze mil
privatg",kauften Lknnantd ; die wendbare, wattierle Winterfelduniform mil
d",r weissen nach auSst:n; privatgekauften &haff",llmantel mit
'Offizersfeldmillze alter Art'. Ganz hnl<s sl",ht man einen Motorraclmddefahrer,
einen mit Gumm! Anzu.g trap. o.,r tragt ber
emem feldgrau"'n Wmtermantel emen w""ssen rarnberkl",id. Die PzKw IVF
Panz",rim Hint"'rgrundzeigenvorneangestricheneDivisionsabzeichen.
D Nonnandie, 1944 Ein", Gruppe [nfanleristen, die eine typische Mischung
von venchi",ndenen Ausfuhrungengen der SS Tambekl",idung darstellen,
zusammen mil .dnen1 Pantherpanzer. o.,r
Panzerollizier tragt die $Chwarze Emhellsf",ldmutze (t943) in der Man-
o.,r auf dero Panzerst",h",nde
Iragtd,eau$ TarnSlof!l>ergeslellteAusruhrungderschwarzen Panzerumform und
die 1943 Mtze
E Die Ardennea, 19oM-4S Links ",in Hauptscharmhrer der DivisionsnebeJ",er
f",rabteilung trag! einen zllSammcn mil dunkdgrmen
Kragen, Kragenspit:ge1, mil Waft'enfarbe,
AdlerabzelChen auf dem Armel und Annclslr""f",n. Es kame st:hen \'or, da$$
solche voll.slandige Unifonn zu dieso::r ,Kriegsperioo;Je zu.st:hen war. D",r and",re
Unluolliz,,,,r iSI ei n Oberscharfuhr"'r emu Panzerjageremheit, der die wattierte
Win!erfelduniform mit Tarns...ile nach auSst:n tragt und die 'Ollizi",rsfeldm!ze
ah"'rAn'.
A,seties.or books describing the key uhits and weapons systems
oftheSe<:.ond 'H9r1d \'Va., pre)!)ared 'by1ea.:Jiqg military experts
f<lr
of """,,Uf
markings and weapons.
Avec annotations en sur les planches en couleur Mit Aufzeichnungen 8l1f deutsch ber die Frbtafeln