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2nd SS 'Das Reich' Division

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The divisions emblem was based on the "wolfshook" or "wolfsangel". A Nordic rune which was said to posses magical powers that could ward off wolves, it became a heraldic symbol representing a wolf-trap.

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Divisional History:

The Das Reich division had a most fearsome combat reputation, seeing action in nearly all the major engagements of WWII. It performed extremely well under some of the most capable and energetic commanders Germany has ever produced. Men like Paul Hausser, who was instrumental in the formation of the Waffen SS and commanded the division through the early campaigns. Fritz Klingenberg, Werner Ostendorff and Otto Weidinger were most capable commanders who were instrumental in the successes of this division.

On the Eastern Front it gained a fearsome reputation and Red Army commanders could not help but be impressed by the division's performance, taking part in the advance onto Moscow and the ensuing defensive battles, the recapture of Kharkov and the monumental clash at Kursk. It also fought in the West where it clashed with Allied forces and later fought in the unsuccessful offensives in the Ardennes and Budapest. Logically, this division should have been numbered 1, because it was the first SS division to be created. But when the Leibstandarte SS "Adolf Hitler" regiment became a division, that bodyguard formation took the premier number.

The genesis of the 2nd SS Division was the Nazi party's need to have absolutely loyal political formations available to support the national police forces in the event of a revolution against Hitler's government. It's origins are based on a the formation of the SS Standarte "Deutschland" which was created from a Bavarian Allgemine SS police unit. The second Standarte "Germania" was formed in August the following year under the command of Wilhelm Bittrich and a third-the "Der Führer" was formed in Vienna in March 1938. "Deutschland" and "Germania" were eventually expanded into regimental size with three battalions apiece after service with the SS-VT. The SS-VT had it's own General staff under the overall command of Paul Hausser. Thus was created in October 1939 the motorized SS Verfügungs Division, concentrating paramilitary police units of the SS. Even before this small units of all three Standarten took place in the invasion of Poland with Deutschland as part of Kampfgruppe Kempf, Germania as part of 14th Army and the rest as part of 3rd Army.

During the period after the fall of France, the division was stationed in France preparing for the invasion of England. The division, now called Reich, was moved to Romania to take part in the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece in March of 1941. In April of 1941, Reich took part in the successful capture of Belgrade, the Capital of Yugoslavia. After the capture of Belgrade, the division was transfered into Poland to take part in the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union, "Operation Barbarossa".

During the invasion of the Soviet Union, Reich fought with Army Group Center, taking part in the Battle of Yalnya near Smolensk, and then in the spearhead to capture Moscow. The Reich came within a few miles of the Soviet Capital in November of 1941, reaching a sort of "High Water Mark" of the German advance in the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Capital within sight of the division, weather, massive losses and a major Soviet winter counter-offensive pushed the division back. After a period of very bloody losses for the division, Reich was pulled out of the fighting and sent to France to refit as a Panzer-Grenadier Division. Part of the division was left in the East, and they were titled Kampfgroup Ostendorf. Ostendork was sent to join Reich in June of 1942.

In November of 1942, portions of the Division took part in an attempt to prevent the scuttling of the French Fleet at Toulon. Soon after, the Division was retitled again, this time to SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Das Reich".

Early in 1943, Das Reich was transferd back to the Eastern Front where it helped reclaim the crumbling central front around Kharkov. After helping recapture the city of Kharkov, Das Reich along with many other divisions was thrown into a massive assault into the Kursk Salient, a huge bulge in the Soviet Front line around the area of Kursk. Das Reich pushed upwards of 40 miles into the southern sector of the bulge, but was pulled out of the battle along with the other SS-Division when the offensive was called off. After a period of brief encounters, Das Reich was refit once again, this time as SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". In doing so, it left a portion the division in the East titled Kampfgroup Das Reich, and officially know as Kampfgroup Lammerding. The rest of the division was transferd to the West to refit, and while doing so also took part in anti-partisan operations in France.

In the Winter of 1943-44, another massive Soviet Winter counter-offensive managed to encircle German units in the center of the front. The Kamfgroup that Das Reich left behind was one of the units encircled by the Soviet Offensive, and an assault by II. SS Panzer Korps managed to rescue the trapped elements of Das Reich. The Kampfgroup was then transfered to France to join the rest of the division already station there. The remaining small portion of Das Reich left in the East was renamed Kampfgroup Weidinger and was envolved in the retreats through Proskurow and Tarnopol.

After the D-Day invasion in Normany, France, Das Reich was comitted to stop the Allied advance, and took part in the many attempts to stop the Allies near Caen and St. Lo. The division recaptured Mortain, but was forced to retreat when it became apparent the Allies were going to encircle the division along with a large number of other German units in the Falises Pocket. Thanks to the efforts of Das Reich along with the 9th SS-Panzer Division, a large number of Germans were able to escape the pocket and retreat to the east.

Pulled back across the Seine River and then to behind the West Wall fortifications in France, the 2nd SS Panzer Division then took part in the operations to punch through the Ardennes Forest in December of 1944. Coming within sight of the River Meus, the Division was halted, and then slowly smashed by fierce Allied counter-attacks. Pulled out of the offensive, Das Reich was transfered into Germany to again refit, and then to take part in the last German offenisve of the war in Hungary to attempt to break the seige around Budapest. This offensive also ground to a halt, and Das Reich spent the rest of the war more or less fighting in parts from Dresden, to Prague to Vienna. In the end, most of the Division managed to escape to the West to surrender to the Americans.

Primary Theater of Operations:

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