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M en -at- Arms OSPREY PUBLISHING The Waffen-SS (1) 1. to 5. Divisions Gordon Williamson Illustrated by Stephen Andrew 4 CONTENTS THE WAFFEN-SS STRUCTURE 3 • Historical background • Ranks and insignia THE DIVISIONS: 1. SS-PANZER DIVISION 7 GORDON WILLIAMSON was LEIBSTANDARTE SS ADOLF HITLER born in 1951 and currently • Designations works for the Scottish Land • Commanders Register. He spent seven • Principal elements years with the Military Police TA and has published a • Campaigns number of books and • Spec ial insignia: coltar patch - shoulder straps - articles on the decorations cuifband - helmet insignia of the Third Reich and their recipients. He is the author 2. SS-PANZER DIVISION DAS REICH 1 of a number of World War II titles for Osprey. • Designations • Commanders • Principal elements • Campaigns • Special insignia 3. SS-PANZER DIVISION TOTENKOPF 22 • Designations • Commanders • Principal elements • Campaigns j • Special insignia STEPHEN ANDREW was born 4. SS-POLIZEI PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION 37 in 1961 in Glasgow, where he still lives and works. An • Designauons entirely self-taught artist, • Commanders he worked in advertising • Principal elements and design agencies before • Campaigns going freelance in 1993. • Military history is his passion, Special insignia and in the past few years he has established himself 5. SS-PANZER DIVISION WIKING 40 as a respected artist In this • field. Since 1997 he has Designations illustrated several Men-at- • Commanders Arms titles including Men-at- • Principal elements Arms 306: Chinese Civil War • Campaigns Armies 191 1-49, and series • Special insignia on the German and Italian armies of World War II. THE PLATES 44 INDEX 48 Firs? published in Great Brtain m 2003 by Osprey Pubishmg Artist's Note Em? Court, Cnapei Way, Boliey, Oxford OX2 9LP. United Kingdom THE WAFFEN-SS (1) Email: [email protected] Readers may care to note that the original paintings 1rom which the colour plates in this book were prepared are available for private 1. to 5. Divisions Osprey Publishing 9 2003 Ltd. sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the Publishers. All enquiries should be addressed to: All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing tor the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright. Designs and Stephen Andrew Patents Act. 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a 37 Ellisland. Kirkintilloch, Glasgow G66 2UA, Scotland retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, otherwise, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optica!, photocopying, recording or The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence should without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Enquines upon this matter. be addressed to the Publishers. THE WAFFEN-SS STRUCTURE A CIP catalogue record (or this book is available tram the British Library, THERE is no spa (if in ihese pages for even a simplified summary of ISBN 1 84176 589 9 the complex early history of the German NSDAP (National Socialist) in the 1920s 1930s. For the purposes of Editor Martin Windrow movement and Design: Alan Hflmp this text it is sufficient to say that the combat units which had emerged Index by Alan Rime' by the outbreak of World War 11 from die overall SS political security Onginated by Electronic Page Company, Cwmbran, UK organisation (the Schuiz Stuffdn or 'protection squads') traced dieir Printed in China through World Print Ltd. origins to the early 1920s, when a small bodyguard unit for Adolf Hitler 03 CM 05 06 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 was formed within the Nazi Party's mass uniformed organisation, the SA 1 In less FOR A CATALOGUE OF ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY (Stutmokteilungen or 'Brownshirts'). 1929 the whole SS numbered OSPREY MILITARY AND AVIATION PLEASE CONTAC": Li GilARIES dian 300 men; by 1933 this figure had increased to some 30,000. Under Tho Marketing Manager, Osprey Direct UK the national command of Heinrich Himmler the SS, with three PO Box 140, Wellingborough. Northants battalions of armed gendarmerie, provided the key personnel for die NN8 2FA, United Kingdom Email: [email protected] internal coup against the SA leadership carried out on 30 June 1934, Thereafter the growth in the size and influence of the SS in most The Marketing Manager, Osprey Direct USA SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Herbert areas of public life was massive, complicated, virtually c/o MBI Publishing, 729 Prospect Avenue German and Osceola, Wl 54020. USA Schulze, commander of ll/SS- unchallenged, Nevertheless, at the outbreak of war in 1939 the armed Email: int080spreydirectusa.com Panzergrenadler Regiment 4 units of what were mostiy then termed the SS-Verfugung5(rnppe were still Der FQhrer. In this photograph, few and militarily insignificant. They were regarded by the armed forces www.ospieypublibhinu.Cftm taken in late 1943 or early 1944, Schulze still wears the pre-war witii some suspicion, as a political gendarmerie with no true role to play Gothic script version of the on the batdefield. Early combat experience in the West, and particularly regimental cuffband. in the first year of the Russian campaign, changed that perception, (Josef Charita) leading to a number of different cycles of expansion ofwhat was now the Wfi/fm-SS. By late 1943 this battle-proven organisation was fielding several complete armoured and mechanised divisions and was enjoying priority for Lhe best-quality manpower and equipment, SS formations became the trusted spearhead of Germany's armies on the Eastern Front, and served on every other major front except North Afiica. Between early 1943 and spring 1945 the ostensible order of battle of the Waffen-SS grew from eight to no less than 38 divisions 'on paper' — though many of the higher numbered (mostly foreign) formations fell far below the standards set by the early divisions. A number of corps- level formations, and even one or two nominal 'SS armies' containing both SS and .Army units, would see action in 1943—45. The Waffen-SS as a whole earned a dual reputation: for remarkable aggression and stamina in combat, and for murderous atrocity against civilians and prisoners. This series of Men-at-Arms rides will concern itself solely with brief organisation and campaign histories of the separate divisions, and the evolving uniforms, insignia and personal equipment of their officers and men. 1 See MAA 220, The SA J927-45: Hitler* Stormtroopors; and MAA 266, The Allgem^ine-SS. 3 , Where regulation Waffen-SS Although its divisions came under the tactical command of die insignia were replaced or aug- Oberkommando der Wehrmacht in the field, the Waffen-SS had its mented by insignia unique to a own unique internal command structure, at the pinnacle of particular unit or formation, these which sat the Retchsfuhrer-SS, Heinrich Himrnler. Opt'raii'ina are reflected command of die entire SS came under the auspices of die in the text that, follows; but in general, the rank structure SS-Fuhnuigshauptamt, a new main office created in the summer J I listed on the panel below was of 1940 around the rime that the Waffen-SS itself emerged A flHW M\ common throughout die Waffen-SS. from its forerunner, the SS-Verfugungstruppe. J;j^4 It should also be noted thai within Rank structure the later-raised 'non-Nordic' vol- unteer formations, the rank prefix The rank structure and rank tides of the- Waffen-SS were was replaced bv 'VVaffen-'. Thus directly adapted from those of the political Allgemeine-SS. 'SS-' Although the Allgemeine-SS method of displaying rank a French SS volunteer with the equivalent rank 10 captain should handing bv single straps on the right shoulder only was technically referred to eventualh replaced by matched pairs of straps in the Army have been not as an SS-Hauptstui mluhrer but as a fashion; the old Allgemeine-SS style of left-hand collar collar and left sleeve rank In the case of the various foreign volunteer patches showing specific rank was retained, with only Left WaffejhHrnipLstfmnJukm. Insignia for enlisted men and minor changes, unul May 1945. national Legions, the prefix 'Legions-' was used, thus Legions- NCOs, the former in pressed as shoulder straps, a Hauptsturwfiihvr. Most of this nonsensical and unnecessary complication As well the adoption of Army-style white metal and aluminium lace. ' was due to Himmler's bizarre racial beliefs and the insistence that diose further move to emphasise the 'military* rather than political" (Top row, left to right:) volunteers were not considered racially 'Aryan' should not be nature of the Waffen-SS was marked when the original Sen atze/Oberschutze SS who Sturmmann, Rottenfuhrer, permitted to use the 'SS' prefix. It was also primarily for this reason diat SS ranks equivalent to Army generals were given a suffix Unterscharfuhrer. volunteer units forced special unit collar indicating die equivalent generals rank of the Waffen-SS. Thus, many foreign were to adopt (Second row:) Scharfuhrer, patches in place of die SS runes. German cadre staff in these units were the original rank oi\SS-Brigadefuhrer became in the Waffen-SS Oberscharfuhrer, Hauptschar- entided to wear the runes on the left breast pocket to indicate their SS-Brijfach'fuhri'y une! Ctenemhnajmdn Waffen-SS. fuhrer, SturmscharfOhrer status as members of die SS. Generally speaking, in the Army and Waffen-SS similar positions 1942-45. (Bottom row:) true Oberschutze pip, Sturmmann were held by soldiers with equivalent ranks. Tims a Haupimann chevron, Rottenfuhrer chevrons, (Captain) commanding a company-sized unit in the Army would have Rank insignia Junior NCO ranks, up to SS-Rottenfuhrei, wore on the upper left sleeve as his equivalent in a Waffen-SS unit an offici i with the rank of SS- chevrons or grey silk braid HaupLsturmfuhrer; and an Oberst (colonel) in the Army, manufacntred with aluminium subdued 1 -> wj on a black wool triangular base.

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