SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Artur Phleps as commander of the SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen". On the left of him with binoculars is SS-Standartenführer August Schmidhuber (Kommandeur SS-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 2), the later SS-Brigadeführer and commander of the 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderberg (as well as the last commander of the Prinz Eugen). This picture was taken in the Yugoslavian front on 2 July 1943. From 15 May – 15 June, the Prinz Eugen took a part in the subsequent Fifth anti-Partisan Offensive (Operation Schwarz) aiming to pin Tito's main force of about 20,000 Partisans against the Zelengora mountain, in south-eastern Bosnia. During the battle, the division received a task to move through the Italian occupation zone in order to block the possible advance of Partisans towards the Adriatic Sea and the Italian-occupied Albania, to close the south-east part of the encirclement and then advance north over mountainous terrain to crush the Partisan forces. In eleven-day fightings from May 20, division captured Šavnik. For this success, Sturmbannführer Dietsche as well as commander Phleps both received first two Ritterkreuzes for the division. The medal for the Divisionskommandeur Phleps would be given two days after this picture was taken.
Source :
"Totenkopf und Edelweiß: General Artur Phleps und die südosteuropäischen Gebirgstruppen der Waffen-SS 1942-1945" by Roland Kaltenegger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_SS_Volunteer_Mountain_Division_Prinz_Eugen
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