The 18th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division "Horst Wessel" (german: 18. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division "Horst Wessel")
[Official designation in German language as to „Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv“ in ]Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
, stores of the Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
and Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
. was formed in 1944 around a
cadre
Cadre may refer to:
*Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff
*Cadre (politics)
In political contexts a cadre (, , ) consists of a person recognized as a capable militant within a political ...
from the
1st SS Infantry Brigade
The 1st SS Infantry Brigade was a unit of the German Waffen SS formed from former concentration camp guards for service in the Soviet Union behind the main front line during the Second World War. They conducted Nazi security warfare in the rear ...
and included mainly ethnic Germans (''
Volksdeutsche
In Nazi German terminology, ''Volksdeutsche'' () were "people whose language and culture had German origins but who did not hold German citizenship". The term is the nominalised plural of ''volksdeutsch'', with ''Volksdeutsche'' denoting a sing ...
'') from Hungary. The 1st battalion of about 1000 men was attached to SS Division Horst Wessel and sent to Galicia.
It was used for "rear-security" duties until it was sent to the
Eastern front, with the exception of one regiment that fought the
Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising ( sk, Slovenské národné povstanie, abbreviated SNP) was a military uprising organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. This resistance movement was represented mainly by the members of the ...
in August 1944. It later fought as a single unit in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
and in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
where it was destroyed.
The Division was named after
SA member
Horst Wessel
Horst Ludwig Georg Erich Wessel (9 October 1907 – 23 February 1930) was a Berlin ''Sturmführer'' ("Assault Leader", the lowest commissioned officer rank) of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the Nazi Party's stormtroopers. After his killing in 1 ...
, known for being the author of the lyrics to the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
anthem, the ''
Horst-Wessel-Lied
The "" ("Horst Wessel Song"; ), also known by its opening words "" ("Raise the Flag", ), was the anthem of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 1930 to 1945. From 1933 to 1945, the Nazis made it the co-national anthem of Germany, along with the first sta ...
'', and glorified by the Nazi regime as a martyr of the party's early years.
Commanders
*''Brigadeführer''
Wilhelm Trabandt
August Wilhelm Trabandt (21 July 1891 – 19 May 1968) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He commanded the 1st SS Infantry Brigade and the SS Division Horst Wessel during World War II.
SS career
Trabandt was born in Berlin, G ...
(25 January 1944 – 3 January 1945)
*''Gruppenführer''
Josef Fitzthum (3 January 1945 – 10 January 1945)
*''Standartenführer''
Georg Bochmann (10 January 1945 – March 1945)
*''Standartenführer''
Heinrich Petersen (March 1945 – 8 May 1945)
Battles
*Hungary (January 1944 – July 1944)
*Eastern front, central sector (July 1944 – October 1944)
*Poland & Czechoslovakia (October 1944 – May 1945)
See also
*
List of Waffen-SS units
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel
#18
Military units and formations established in 1944
Panzergrenadier divisions of the Waffen-SS
Horst Wessel
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945