Hohenstaufen 9th Ss Panzer Division - Patrick Hook

Spearhead\nThe story so far\n\n21st PANZER DIVISION\nGRISBUSTCH\n77th FLIJGER DIVISION\nKSHD AIRBORNE DIVISION\nLEIBSTANDARTE\n\n1st INFANTRY DIVISION\n70th -BOAT FLOTILLA\n1st MARINE DIVISION\nDAS REICH\n2nd ARMORED DIVISION\n\nCOMMANDOS\nUS RANGERS\nBRAUNBERGER\n78th ARMORED DIVISION\nCONDOR LEGION\n\n13: Bandendprum - The Third Reich's Special Forces\n14: 7th Armoured Division - The Desert Rats\n15: Condor Legion - The Wehrmacht's Training Ground\n16: 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam - The 'First Team'\n17: 5th Gebirgsjäger Division - Hitler's Mountain Warfare Specialist\n18: P47 Boat Squadrons - US Navy Torpedo Boats\n\nAll titles in the 'Spearhead' series are: 248mm x 185mm 96pp inc colour PB £12.99\n\nORDER VIA POST, FAX OR E-MAIL:\nIan Allan Publishing Mail Order Dept\n4 Watling Drive,\nHinckley, Leics LE10 3EY\nTel: 01455 254450 Fax: 01455 237737\nE-mail: midlandbooks@compuserve.com\nOr order on-line from Ian Allan's new website:\nwww.ianallansuperstore.com\n\nFOR ORDERS FROM THE USA, CONTACT:\nCasemate Publishers and Distributors,\nLLC 2114 Derby Road, 2nd Floor,\nHavertown, PA 19083, USA\nTel:+1 610 853 9131\nFax:+1 610 853 9146 SPEARHEAD\n\nHOHENSTAUFEN\n9th SS Panzer Division SPEARHEAD\n\nHOHENSTAUFEN\n9th SS Panzer Division\n\nPatrick Hook TABLE OF COMPARATIVE WEHRMACHT RANKS\n\nArmy (Heer) Rank Air Force (Luftwaffe) Rank Waffen-SS Rank\n\nGrenadier Flieger SS-Schütze\nObergrenadier Grefi er SS-Oberstüze\nGefreiter Grefi er SS-Sturmmann\nObereigrei er Hauptgefreiter SS-Rottenführer\nStabsgefreiter Stabsgefreiter SS-Stabsgefreiter\n\nUnteroffizier Unteroffizier SS-Unterscharführer\nUnterfeldwebel Unterfeldwebel SS-Schaführer\n\nFeldwebel Feldwebel SS-Oberstuführer\nOberfeldwebel Oberfeldwebel SS-Hauptfeldführer\nHauptfeldwebel Hauptfeldwebel SS-Scharführer\n\nStabsfeldwebel Stabsfeldwebel SS-Sturmscharführer\n\nLeutnant Leutnant SS-Untersturmführer\nOberleutnant Oberleutnant SS-Obersturmführer\nHauptmann Hauptmann SS-Hauptsturmführer\nMajor Major SS-Sturmführer\nOberstleutnant Oberstleutnant SS-Obersturmführer\nOberst Oberst SS-Oberführer\nGeneralmajor Generalmajor SS-Brigadeführer\nGeneralleutnant Generalleutnant SS-Gruppenführer\nGeneral der General der SS-Obergruppenführer\n\nGeneraloberst Generaloberst SS-Obergruppenführer\nGeneralfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall SS-Reichsmarschall\n\nFirst published 2005\n\nISBN (10) 0 7110 3066 2\nISBN (13) 978 0 7110 3064 0\n\nAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.\n\n© Compendium Publishing, 2006\n\nPublished by Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG\nPrinted by Ian Allan Printing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG\n\nVisit the Ian Allan Publishing website at www.ianallanpublishing.com CONTENTS\n\nOrigins & History............................................................6\nReady for War...............................................................9\nIn Action.....................................................................14\nEquipment, Markings and Camouflage.........................64\nPeople.......................................................................82\nAssessment................................................................90\nReference................................................................92\nIndex.............................................................................96\n\nGlossary\nAbteilung\tdetachment\nANZAC\tAustralian and New\n\tZ ealand Army Corps\nArmeegruppe\tArmy Group\nAufklärung\treconnaissance\nFallschirmjäger\tparachute troops\nFlak\tAA guns (Fliegerabwehrkanone)\nHeer\tarmy (not SS units)\nHeeresgruppen\tindependent army units\nKampfgruppe\tbattle group (KG)\nlandser\tline infantryman\nLitzen\tcollar patch\nLSSAH\tLeibstandarte SS Adolf\n\tHitler (1st SS Panzer Division)\nNSDAP\tNationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei\n\t=Nazi Party\nOKH\tArmy High Command\n\t(Oberkommando des Heeres)\nOKW\tArmed Forces High\n\tCommand\n\t(Oberkommando der Wehrmacht)\nPak\tanti-tank gun (Panzer\n\tAbwehrkanone)\nPanzerjäger\tanti-tank units\nPIAT\tProjectiles, Infantry,\n\tAnti-Tank\nPzKpfw\tPanzerkampfwagen\n\ttank/AFV\nRAD\tReichsarbeitsdienst\n\t(National Labour Service)\nSchirmmütze\tpeaked cap\nSdKfz\tSonderfahrzeug\n\tspecial purpose vehicle)\nStahlhelm\tsteel helmet\nStug\tSturmgeschütz\n\t(assault gun)\nStuhl\tSturmhaubitze\n\t(assault howitzer)\nVGDt\tVolksgrenadier division\n\tcolour on collars, etc.\nWehrkreis\twar district ORIGINS & HISTORY\n\nOn New Year’s Eve 1942, Hitler agreed to the formation of two new divisions for the Waffen-SS. These were the 9th and 10th SS Panzergrenadier Divisions. The 9th was later given the name Hohenstaufen, and its sister, the 10th, became Frundsberg. Formed in 1943, Hohenstaufen was given the number 9 simply because it was the ninth division to be created in the Waffen-SS. The name Hohenstaufen was a homage to one of Germany’s ancient noble families, a dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire which provided several kings and emperors between the years 1138 and 1254. The earliest known head of the family was Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa, the Count of Buren, who died in 1094. His son, Friedrich II, built a castle at Staufen near Lorsch in Swabia which was called Hohenstaufen; he later changed his surname to that of his castle. Friedrich I was one of Hitler’s favourite historical personalities, and it is believed this was why the family name was used for the 9th Panzer Division. Both Friedrichs are of particular importance to German history but Barbarossa — as with Arthur in British myth and legend — is said to be sleeping in the mountains awaiting Germany’s direct need.\n\nThe 5S or Schutzstaffel was originally formed as Hitler’s personal protection unit in 1925. One of its main roles was to take care of internal German security, and in line with the Nazi political ideal, in the early days it only took true Aryan candidates. As time went on and manpower became shorter, however, this rule was relaxed. The Waffen-SS was formed by Heinrich Himmler in December 1940, when it was created out of the Leibstandarte, the SS-Verfügungsgruppe and the Totenkopfstandarte as a third branch of the SS. It represented the true military part of its large and politically complex organisation, and while it was initially intended to act as security for the homeland, it was not long before Hitler ordered his elite to the front line.\n\nThe other two parts of the SS were the Allgemeine-SS (General SS) which served a political and administrative role; and the SS-Totenkopfverband (SS Death’s Head Organisation). Hitler put his own men in to command the Waffen-SS as he had fallen out with many of the regular army’s high-class senior officers who saw him as an uncultured upstart. As a result he wanted his new SS army to become the military’s elite formation, and so he heavily favoured it with all the best troops and equipment. He also ensured that the Waffen-SS retained strategic control over its actions, although it did come under the day to day tactical control of the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht). In many of the biggest conflicts of the war the Waffen-SS played a major role — either leading the way into battle or, as the tide turned against the Nazis, holding furious rearguard actions to help other units get away to safety. By the end of the war the Waffen-SS numbered nearly 600,000 men, although at one time it reached a peak of 900,000 ranged over 41 divisions. Around half of these were non-Germans who had been recruited either as volunteers or by force. ORIGINS & HISTORY\n\nrecorded as ever having committed any such acts and, indeed, were commended for their good treatment of Allied prisoners at Arnhem.\n\nWhen the 9th and 10th divisions were first formed they were designated as mechanised infantry (Panzergrenadier) divisions rather than as full armoured (Panzer) divisions, although technically they had sufficient armour to qualify. At this early stage neither had been assigned their famous names — they were simply referred to by their divisional numbers. For the SS to decide to form new divisions was one thing, but finding sufficient recruits to man them was quite another. The German armed forces had been fighting in one form or another for seven years, and after the massive losses incurred on the Eastern Front, there were few men of the right age available. Due to the severe shortage of manpower, the SS forced large numbers of people to 'volunteer'. Somewhere in the region of 70 percent of them were 18-year old conscripts from the RAD — the Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labour Service). This had been formed by the NSDAP as the official national labour union since those in existence during World War I had been a hotbed of communism and other left-wing political activity. Hitler had wrought havoc in many places such as the dockyards of Hamburg and Kiel, and as they were considered to pose a threat to the country, they were declared illegal.\n\nMany who were compelled into the RAD had to do manual labour for at least three months, during which time they had to live in rudimentary conditions with harsh discipline. In some cases the men took this as virtual slave labour on farms, whereas others worked in more rewarding areas doing things like digging air raid shelters or helping with conduit production. Although the RAD was ostensibly a labour union, it was effectively a quasi-military organisation and men’s time was provided a valuable pre-military training for unsuspecting civilians — this undoubtedly helped speed up their conversion into. SPEARHEAD: HOHENSTAUFEN\n\nand 20th. The division also took delivery of a consignment of new PzKpfw V Panther tanks, and its order of battle was reorganised. The changes included the addition of a battery of artillery (although this did not arrive for some time).\n\nOn 12 November the division's 15th Motorcycle Company and 2nd Infantry Regiment were detached and assigned to the Reconnaissance Unit (Aufklärungs-Abteilung) of the new 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichführer-SS. At the same time the anti-aircraft company (Flak-Kompanie) and a survey troop (Messabteilung) were also moved elsewhere. The division spent December 1943 as a reserve for the Fifteenth Armeee, Armeeggruppe D, and then was put under 1 SS-Panzerkorps in January 1944.\n\nIn mid-February Hohenstaufen was moved south to the Nîmes/Avignon area, not far north of the Mediterranean coast. It took over from the Panzer Lehr Division (Tank Demonstration Division), and underwent the last two weeks of its training before becoming a front-line combat unit. When this ended, together with sister division Frundsberg, Hohenstaufen was put under 1 SS-Panzerkorps, headed by Paul Hauser, as part of the OKW reserve.\n\nThe 11 SS-Panzerkorps had been formed in June 1942 before it was transferred to France to take over the Waffen-SS divisions being refitted there. In January 1943 it moved to the southern part of the Eastern Front, where it fought at Kharkov and Belgorod and then became part of the summer offensive. It looked as though Mosulini was going to be the good, the Panzerkorps was moved to Italy. It was moved to France in December 1943, and then back to France to help the Allies after the invasion of Normandy. After this it took part in the Ardennes offensive, and finally fell back to the Eastern Front once again. The unit ended its war in Austria.\n\nBelow: Waffen-SS troops in house-to-house fighting on the Eastern Front, by the end of the war there would be 38 Waffen-SS divisions (although some were divisions only in name and never had the requisite strength or weapons), a number of them — such as Winterg, and Nordland — using foreign recruits. In 1945 it was predicted there would contain a quarter of the lands available to the German ground forces.