The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (''III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps'') was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

armoured

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

which saw action on the Eastern Front during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The ''(germanische)'' (lit. Germanic) part of its designation was granted as it was composed primarily of foreign volunteer formations.

History

The corps was formed in April, 1943 as a headquarters for the

SS Division Wiking The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking (german: 5. SS-Panzerdivision Wiking) or SS Division Wiking was an infantry and later an armoured division among the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions of Nazi Germany. It was recruited from foreign volunteers ...

and

SS Division Nordland The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland (german: 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland") was a Waffen-SS division recruited from foreign volunteers and conscripts. It saw action, as part of Army Group North, i ...

. The corps was placed under the control of former Wiking commander SS-Obergruppenführer

Felix Steiner Felix Martin Julius Steiner (23 May 1896 – 12 May 1966) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was awarded t ...

. After training, the corps took part in operations against

Yugoslav partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...

. The corps was then sent to a quiet sector in

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comma ...

, now made up of the Nordland Division and the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Netherlands. By this stage, Wiking had been sent south and came under the control of

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...

's Eighth Army. Forced back by the 1944 Soviet winter offensive, the corps participated in the Battle for the Narva Bridgehead in the summer of 1944. It then retreated with the rest of the army group across

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and into the

Courland Peninsula The Courland Peninsula (, German: ''Kurland'') is a historical and cultural region in western Latvia in the north-western part of Courland. Fourteen coastal villages on the peninsula make of the Livonian core area. It is bordered by the Baltic S ...

. Transferred to the Oder Front and placed under Steiner's 11th SS Panzer Army, the corps participated in

Operation Solstice Operation Solstice (german: Unternehmen Sonnenwende), also known as ''Unternehmen Husarenritt'' or the Stargard tank battle, was one of the last German armoured offensive operations on the Eastern Front in World War II. It was originally plann ...

before being assigned as the reserve corps to 3rd Panzer Army.

Commanders

* SS-Obergruppenführer

(1 May 1943 – 30 October 1944) * SS-Obergruppenführer

Georg Keppler Georg Keppler (7 May 1894 – 16 June 1966) was a high-ranking Waffen-SS commander during World War II. He commanded the SS Division Das Reich, SS Division Totenkopf, I SS Panzer Corps, III SS Panzer Corps and the XVIII SS Army Corps. Care ...

(30 October 1944 – 4 February 1945) * SS-Obergruppenführer

Matthias Kleinheisterkamp Matthias Kleinheisterkamp (22 June 1893 – 29 April 1945) was an SS-''Obergruppenführer'' during World War II. He commanded the SS Division Totenkopf, SS Division Nord, SS Division Das Reich, III SS Panzer Corps, VII SS Panzer Corps, IV S ...

(4 February 1945 – 11 February 1945) * Generalleutnant

Martin Unrein __NOTOC__ Martin Unrein (1 January 1901 – 22 January 1972) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. Career Unrein enlisted the German army in the final stages of World War I and then joined the re-established Re ...

(11 February 1945 – 5 March 1945) * SS-Obergruppenführer

(5 March 1945 – 8 May 1945)

Order of battle

15 June 1944 — Narva Front *

103rd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 103rd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (german: "schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 103) was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. Operational history The unit was originally formed on 1 July 1943 as the II Battalion, 11th SS P ...

* 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) * 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Netherlands 16 September 1944 *

103 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 103rd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (german: "schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 103) was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. Operational history The unit was originally formed on 1 July 1943 as the II Battalion, 11th SS P ...

* 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland * 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) * 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland *

27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck The Flemish Legion ( nl, Vlaams Legioen) was a collaborationist military formation recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium, notably from Flanders, during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German ...

* 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien (Only the Battle Group) * 11th Infantry Division * 300th Special Infantry Division

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:03 Waffen-SS corps Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945