The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, abbreviated as LSSAH and formally known as the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, was an elite Waffen-SS armored formation that originated as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard and evolved into one of the most combat-effective yet notoriously brutal units of Nazi Germany during World War II. Its modern incarnation began on 17 March 1933 when Josef "Sepp" Dietrich formed the SS-Stabswache Berlin with 117 hand-picked men to guard the Reich Chancellery; the unit underwent several name changes in 1933, becoming the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) in November and the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler on 13 April 1934. It gained prestige by participating in the Night of the Long Knives purge of SA leaders in June-July 1934. By the outbreak of war it had grown into a motorized infantry regiment that fought in the 1939 invasion of Poland (committing early atrocities including civilian and Jewish massacres), led advances in the 1940 campaigns in the Netherlands and France (including the Wormhoudt massacre of British and French POWs), and took part in the 1941 Balkans campaign before joining Operation Barbarossa. Upgraded to SS Panzergrenadier Division status in mid-1942 and a full panzer division by late 1943, the LSSAH fought in the Third Battle of Kharkov (March 1943), where it recaptured the city amid house-to-house combat and further atrocities such as the Yefremovka and Semyonovka massacres, and in the Battle of Kursk (July 1943) as part of II SS Panzer Corps, suffering heavy casualties while destroying many Soviet tanks. In 1944 it defended Normandy (notably around Caen), participated in the failed Operation Lüttich at Mortain, and was encircled in the Falaise pocket before spearheading the Ardennes Offensive, during which Kampfgruppe Peiper committed the Malmedy massacre of 84 American prisoners on 17 December 1944. Commanded primarily by Sepp Dietrich until August 1944 and later by Theodor Wisch, Wilhelm Mohnke, and Otto Kumm, the Leibstandarte received preferential equipment and recruits, swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler, and maintained a reputation for fanatical combat effectiveness across multiple rebuilds despite enormous losses. It was also responsible for thousands of murders of POWs and civilians in Poland, France, the Soviet Union, Italy, and Belgium. In its final phase the division fought in the failed Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary (March 1945), retreated through Austria, and saw remnants defend Berlin in April-May 1945 before the surviving force of fewer than 1,600 men surrendered to U.S. troops near Steyr on 8 May 1945. Many of its personnel were later tried and convicted for war crimes in postwar proceedings, leaving the LSSAH as a stark symbol of both the military elite and the criminal nature of the Waffen-SS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCHWERTERTRÄGER
SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (1892-1966) was born on 28 May 1892 in Hawangen near Memmingen in Bavaria and began his military service in the Bavarian Army with the 4. Bayerische Feldartillerie-Regiment "König" before serving as a gunner in the First World War, where he rose to Unteroffizier and received the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse in 1917 and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse in 1918. After the war he worked in various civilian roles and joined the NSDAP in 1928 (membership number 89015) and the SS the same year (SS number 1117), soon becoming Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard and chauffeur. In 1933 he formed and commanded the SS-Sonderkommando Berlin, which was renamed Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and grew under his leadership from a small guard unit into a full division of the Waffen-SS. Dietrich led the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler through the Polish campaign of 1939 and the Western campaign of 1940. On 4 July 1940, as SS-Obergruppenführer and Kommandeur of the Infanterie-Regiment (motorisiert) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for decisive independent initiative in securing a bridgehead over the Aa Canal at Watten on 26 May 1940, which enabled the rapid continuation of operations toward Wormhout, as well as for his personal bravery and close cooperation with Heer armoured and motorized formations, the same qualities he had already shown in Poland. On the Eastern Front he commanded the expanded SS-Division (motorisiert) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" during the advance of Heeresgruppe Süd. On 31 December 1941 he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz (41st award) as SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS for outstanding offensive achievements in the battles around the Sea of Azov and the capture of Rostov. In early 1943 the unit, now the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", took a leading part in the counter-offensive that recaptured Charkow; for this success Dietrich was awarded the Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz (26th award) on 14 March 1943 while still holding the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS. He later formed and commanded the I. SS-Panzer-Korps "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". During the fighting in Normandy in the summer of 1944, particularly in the hard defensive battles around Caen where the corps repeatedly halted Anglo-Canadian breakthrough attempts under the heaviest pressure, Dietrich was promoted to SS-Oberstgruppenführer und Panzer-Generaloberst der Waffen-SS and on 6 August 1944 received the Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz (16th award) as Kommandierender General of the I. SS-Panzer-Korps "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". He subsequently commanded the 6. Panzerarmee in the Ardennes offensive and later operations in Hungary before surrendering to American forces in May 1945. After imprisonment he was released in the 1950s and died in Ludwigsburg on 21 April 1966.
SS-Brigadeführer Theodor “Teddi” Wisch (1907-1995) was born on 13 December 1907 in Wesselburenerkoog, Holstein, the son of a farmer who later trained as a Diplom-Landwirt before joining the NSDAP and SS in 1930 with membership numbers 369.050 and 4.759 respectively; after early service in the 1. Sturm of the 53. SS-Standarte “Dithmarschen” he transferred in March 1933 to the SS-Sonderkommando Berlin that became the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, rising steadily through the ranks as SS-Sturmführer in July 1933, SS-Sturmhauptführer later that year, SS-Sturmbannführer on 30 January 1940, SS-Obersturmbannführer on 27 September 1941, SS-Standartenführer on 30 January 1943, SS-Oberführer on 1 July 1943 and finally SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS on 30 January 1944. As Kommandeur of the II. Bataillon of the SS-Infanterie-Regiment “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” during the early phase of the campaign in Russia he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 September 1941 for the stubborn defence of Sokolow near Zhitomir between 11 and 14 July 1941, when his Bataillon beat back thirty-six successive Soviet attacks from elements of three divisions, holding the vital road and preventing a southern breakthrough until relieved on the 17th. Later, as Kommandeur of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 “LSSAH” and then of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” itself from July 1943, he received the Eichenlaub (393rd award) on 12 February 1944 for outstanding leadership in the winter battles around Schitomir, Korosten and Berditschew as well as earlier actions at Kharkov and during Operation Citadel, where his personal presence in the foremost line repeatedly restored critical situations and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. Finally, for the defensive fighting between Caen and Falaise in Normandy, where he halted breakthrough attempts, launched a successful counter-attack on his own initiative and personally led the infantry during the breakout from the Falaise Pocket before being severely wounded in both legs on 20 August 1944, he was awarded the Schwerter (94th award) on 30 August 1944; among his other decorations were the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (24 September 1939), Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (8 November 1939), Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (25 February 1943) and Verwundetenabzeichen in Gold. After prolonged hospitalisation and amputation of both legs he was released from Allied captivity in 1948 and died in Norderstedt on 11 January 1995.
SS-Standartenführer Joachim "Jochen" Peiper (1915-1976) was born on 30 January 1915 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf and died on 14 July 1976 in Traves. He joined the SS in 1933, attended the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig, and rose through the ranks from SS-Untersturmführer in 1936 to SS-Obersturmführer in 1939, SS-Hauptsturmführer in 1940, SS-Sturmbannführer in 1943 and SS-Obersturmbannführer in November 1943, ending the war as SS-Obersturmbannführer (with a reported late promotion to SS-Standartenführer). After service as adjutant to Heinrich Himmler he returned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, earning the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse and I. Klasse in the Western campaign of 1940. As Kommandeur of the III. (gepanzerte) Bataillon of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 during the recapture of Kharkov, on 6 March 1943 Peiper broke enemy resistance along the line south of Porssjandje–Ljaschowa Farm–Gawrilowka, advanced beyond the day’s objective on his own initiative, overran unfinished blocking positions at Peressel, pushed through enemy columns, and by 15:30 had driven the Soviets from prepared positions at Fedorowka–Bridok Farm, establishing and holding a bridgehead despite being cut off and under attack from all sides, knocking out three T-34s and paving the way for the subsequent attack on Walki. For these actions he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 March 1943. He later earned the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. In December 1943, as Kommandeur of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1, Peiper led Kampfgruppe Peiper in a night advance from northwest of Tschernjachoff across the line Mokrentschina–Pekartschina, thrusting into the flank of Soviet forces opposite the XIII. Armee-Korps, bypassing Tschernjachoff and securing ground toward Radomyschl, contributing decisively to the divisional success near Zhytomyr. For this leadership he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 27 January 1944 as the 377th recipient. During the Ardennes offensive of December 1944 Peiper commanded Kampfgruppe Peiper of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in the advance through the Amblève valley; for his overall distinguished service and leadership he received the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz on 11 January 1945 as the 119th recipient.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer (1910-1961) was born on 23 December 1910 in Jerxheim to a working-class family and joined the Hitlerjugend in 1925, the NSDAP in 1930 and the SS in 1931 before transferring to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in 1934 as SS-Untersturmführer. He commanded the 14. Panzerabwehr-Kompanie during the Polish campaign, receiving both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz, and later led the SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung of the Leibstandarte through the Western campaign and the Balkans. On 18 May 1941 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as SS-Sturmbannführer for the bold capture of the Klisura Pass and the subsequent cutting-off of Greek forces near Kastoria during the Greek campaign. On the Eastern Front his reconnaissance battalion fought in Operation Barbarossa and the Third Battle of Kharkov; for a series of aggressive thrusts that shattered Soviet cavalry formations and blocked enemy withdrawal routes east of Kharkov he received the Eichenlaub on 23 February 1943 as SS-Obersturmbannführer, the 195th award. In mid-1943 he became Kommandeur of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 in the newly formed 12. SS-Panzer-Division “Hitlerjugend”. After the death of SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Witt on 14 June 1944 he assumed command of the division itself, becoming one of the youngest divisional commanders in the German forces. For his determined leadership of the heavily outnumbered division in the bitter defensive battles around Caen and during the breakout from the Falaise pocket he was awarded the Schwerter on 27 August 1944 as SS-Standartenführer, the 91st award, and promoted to SS-Oberführer and later SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. Captured near Namur on 6 September 1944, he was later convicted of war crimes related to the shooting of Canadian prisoners, had his death sentence commuted, and was released in 1954; he died of a heart attack in Hagen on his fifty-first birthday, 23 December 1961.
SS-BrigadeführerFritz Witt (1908-1944) was born on 27 May 1908 in Hohenlimburg as the son of a textile salesman and worked in the textile trade until losing his position in 1931. He joined the NSDAP and the SS in December 1931, entering the SS-Stabswache Berlin in March 1933 as one of its earliest volunteers and later serving as Zugführer before becoming Kompaniechef of the 3. Kompanie in the SS-Standarte „Deutschland“. During the 1939 campaign in Poland he received both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz, and on 19 October 1939 he was appointed Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of the SS-Infanterie-Regiment „Deutschland“. In the Western campaign of 1940, while holding the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer, his battalion came under attack on the evening of 27 May near Estaires by approximately twenty British tanks advancing without supporting anti-tank weapons available to the defenders; through determined leadership from the front line using only infantry weapons the battalion immobilized nine tanks and repelled the assault, actions for which Witt was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 September 1940. Transferred to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, he commanded a battalion in the Balkan campaign of 1941, distinguishing himself at the Klidi-Pass and Kleisoura-Pass where his brother Franz was killed, then served on the Eastern Front and received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in February 1942. As SS-Standartenführer and Kommandeur of the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler he led his regiment with notable success during the defensive fighting east of Kharkov, the recapture of the city in March 1943, and engagements between the Donez and Dnjepr, earning the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz (Nr. 200) on 1 March 1943, which was presented personally by Adolf Hitler. In July 1943, promoted to SS-Oberführer, he assumed command of the newly formed 12. SS-Panzer-Division „Hitlerjugend“, rising to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS in 1944 and becoming one of the youngest officers of that rank. He led the division during the opening phase of the Normandy fighting in June 1944 until, on 14 June 1944, a heavy naval artillery barrage from British warships struck the divisional headquarters at Venoix near Caen and killed him at the age of thirty-six; he was later reinterred at the German war cemetery Champigny-Saint-André.
SS-Standartenführer Albert Frey (1913-2003) was born on 16 February 1913 in Heidelberg as the son of master baker Heinrich Frey and his wife Therese; he joined the SS on 15 June 1933 (SS-Nr. 111.913) and the NSDAP on 1 May 1937 (Nr. 4.137.086), entering the SS-Verfügungstruppe in December 1933 and attending the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig as SS-Oberscharführer before promotion to SS-Untersturmführer on 19 March 1938. He rose successively to SS-Obersturmführer (20 April 1939), SS-Hauptsturmführer (8 November 1940), SS-Sturmbannführer (20 April 1942), SS-Obersturmbannführer (5 July 1943) and finally SS-Standartenführer on 6 August 1944, his last rank. Early awards included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (25 September 1939), Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse (30 June 1940), Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Bronze, Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (17 November 1941 as Kommandeur of the III. Bataillon of the SS-Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”), SS-Ehrenring, Ostmedaille and foreign decorations. As Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 of the 1. SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,” Frey received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 3 March 1943 for earlier actions in creating and holding a bridgehead over the Mius north of Taganrog in October 1941, where after taking command of the III. Bataillon he destroyed three Soviet armoured trains despite heavy losses and secured the vital harbour of Taganrog, combined with repeated displays of personal bravery and outstanding leadership during the heavy defensive battles and counter-attacks on the southern sector of the Eastern Front in early 1943 between the Donetz and Dnieper. The Eichenlaub (awarded 29 December 1943) followed for his command of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1: during Operation Citadel on 5 July 1943 he personally rallied pioneers under heavy fire, blew a gap through a mined anti-tank ditch near Hill 220.5 and led the assault that prevented the entire divisional attack from stalling, enabling capture of successive fortified positions; later in mid-November 1943, leading a Kampfgruppe of his regiment, a Panther-Abteilung, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung and artillery, he thrust from Kornin through Lissowka and Ssolowjewka, seized key villages in night attacks and established a blocking position on the Kiev–Zhitomir road, disrupting the Soviet flank. In March 1944 he briefly commanded the 1. SS-Panzer-Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,” was severely wounded in Normandy in July 1944, served on the staff of the 6. Panzer-Armee and as liaison officer, then fled at war’s end; he died on 1 September 2003 in Heilbronn.
SS-Brigadeführer Hugo Kraas (1911-1980) was born on 25 January 1911 in Witten and died on 20 February 1980 in Selk. He joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1935, attending the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig and receiving successive promotions from SS-Untersturmführer in 1938 through SS-Obersturmführer, SS-Hauptsturmführer, SS-Sturmbannführer in April 1942, SS-Obersturmbannführer in June 1943, SS-Standartenführer in January 1944, SS-Oberführer in January 1945, and finally SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS on 20 April 1945. After early service in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, including awards of the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse in 1939, Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse in 1940, and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in December 1941 for leadership during the fighting around Rostov, he took command of the I. Bataillon of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2. During the Third Battle of Kharkov in early 1943, as SS-Sturmbannführer, Kraas directed his battalion in critical defensive actions along the Donez River south of Tschugujew from 6 to 9 February, personally organizing reserves to throw back penetrating Soviet forces and preventing a collapse of the regimental front, then led the breakthrough into the northern sector of Kharkov on 11–12 March by forcing a path through heavily defended positions at Alexejewka under intense fire, enabling the wider regimental advance into the city. For these actions he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 March 1943. Promoted and appointed commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2, he distinguished himself further during Unternehmen Zitadelle on 5 July 1943 near Bykowka, where, operating in the foremost anti-tank ditches amid heavy casualties, he personally organized remaining forces, blew a crossing for tanks and assault guns after the engineers had fallen, and led attack groups that captured key hills and the village itself. In late December 1943 near Starosselje and the Zhytomyr–Berditschew highway, under intense Soviet tank and infantry assaults, Kraas repeatedly led counterattacks with staff personnel, destroyed numerous T-34s in close combat, held critical positions to prevent encirclement, and ensured the orderly withdrawal of heavy weapons despite destroyed bridges and mounting pressure, with his regiment accounting for 91 enemy tanks, 63 anti-tank guns, thousands of enemy dead, and hundreds of prisoners. These achievements earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 24 January 1944 as the 375th recipient. He later commanded the 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend from November 1944 until the end of the war, surrendering near Linz in May 1945.
SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve Michael Wittmann (1914-1944) was born on 22 April 1914 in Vogelthal and killed in action on 8 August 1944 near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. He joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1936, serving with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, and rose from SS-Unterscharführer through SS-Oberscharführer to SS-Untersturmführer after attending the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz in 1942, then to SS-Obersturmführer on 30 January 1944 and SS-Hauptsturmführer on 21 June 1944. Early awards included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 12 July 1941 and Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 8 September 1941 while commanding a Sturmgeschütz. As Zugführer in the 13. (schwere) Kompanie of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 of the 1. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Wittmann achieved outstanding success with his Tiger I on the Eastern Front. By early January 1944 his personal tally stood at 56 tanks; on 8 and 9 January he halted a Soviet tank brigade penetration near Sherepki, destroying ten tanks himself and bringing his total to 66. For this he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 January 1944. Continuing to rack up victories, including 19 T-34s and three heavy assault guns on 13 January, he raised his score to 114 and was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 30 January 1944 as the 380th recipient. In Normandy, as Kompaniechef of the 2. Kompanie of schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101, on 13 June 1944 at Villers-Bocage Wittmann single-handedly ambushed elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, destroying in roughly fifteen minutes up to 14 tanks, numerous half-tracks, carriers and other vehicles, decisively disrupting the enemy advance toward Caen. For this action he received the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz on 22 June 1944 as the 71st recipient. Credited overall with 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns destroyed, Wittmann was killed when his Tiger was knocked out during Operation Totalize.
Source :
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Knight%27s_Cross_recipients_1st_SS_Division_Leibstandarte_SS_Adolf_Hitler
No comments:
Post a Comment