The I SS Panzer Corps () was a German 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 formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

of the ''

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

''. It saw action on both the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and Eastern Fronts during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Formation and training

The Corps was raised on 26 July 1943 in Berlin-Lichterfeld, with initial mustering taking place on the ''Truppenübungsplatz'' at Beverloo, in occupied

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. SS-''

Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...

Sepp Dietrich Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German politician, general and war criminal in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) during the Nazi era. Despite having no formal staff officer training, Dietrich was, along with Paul Hausser, t ...

, previously the commander of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH), became the Corps' first commander. In August 1943, the Corps was transferred to

Merano Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its Spa town, spa resorts, it is located within a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to Height above mean sea ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where it took part in operations to disarm Italian troops. After this, the Corps continued its training, being sporadically engaged in anti-partisan operations in northern Italy. By December 1943, the Corps was fully formed and deemed ready for action, with its HQ being set up in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

in early 1944.

Operational history

Western Front: Normandy

In April 1944, the corps was moved to

Septeuil Septeuil () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. River Septeuil is traversed by a small river, ''la Flexanville''. This waterway flows through eight other communes for a total distance o ...

, to the west of Paris, where it was assigned the LSSAH Division, the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend", the

Panzer Lehr Division The Panzer-Lehr-Division (tank teaching division) was an elite German armoured division during World War II. It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops (''Lehr'' = "teach") stationed in Germany, to provide additional a ...

, and the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen". The corps was attached to the

5th Panzer Army 5th Panzer Army () was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The army was re-formed in F ...

, the Western theatre's armoured reserve. With the launch of

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

, the Allied invasion of France on 6 June 1944, the corps was ordered to

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, commune in France * Falaise, Calvados, commune in France ** The Falaise pocket, site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, commune in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise ...

. The Hitlerjugend Division engaged British and Canadian troops to the north of

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

on 8 June. The corps was tasked with holding the area of Caen and saw heavy fighting around the villages of Authie,

Buron Buron is a village in France about 6 kilometres north-west of Caen, in the communes of Cairon Cairon () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Geography The commune of Cairon is situated in ...

, and the airport at

Carpiquet Carpiquet () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Caen – Carpiquet Airport is located in Carpiquet. Geography Carpiquet is on the western side of the Caen metropolitan area. The town is div ...

. After the launch of

Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...

, which destroyed the remnants of the Panzer Lehr Division, the corps was ordered to take part in

Operation Lüttich Operation Lüttich (7–13 August 1944) was the codename of the Nazi German counter-attack during the Operation Overlord, which occurred near U.S. positions near Mortain, in northwestern France. ''Lüttich'' is the German name for the city of Li� ...

, the abortive counter-offensive towards

Avranches Avranches (; ) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History Middle Ages By the end of the Roman period, th ...

. The corps was caught in the

Falaise pocket The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...

, where it fought to maintain a corridor for the trapped German forces, losing all its armour and equipment in the process. After the collapse of the front, the corps retreated to the Franco-German border.

Battle of the Bulge

In early October 1944, the corps was pulled back from the front line for rest and refit in

Westfalen Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. Refitting was complete by early December, and it was ordered to the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

region to join Dietrich's

6th Panzer Army The 6th Panzer Army () was a formation of the German Army, formed in the autumn of 1944. The 6th Panzer Army was first used as an offensive force during the Battle of the Bulge, in which it operated as the northernmost element of the German offens ...

, in preparation for an offensive codenamed ''Wacht Am Rhein'', and the ensuing

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

. The corps played a major role in the battle with ''Kampfgruppe Peiper'' of the LSSAH Division forming a mobile spearhead. After several weeks of heavy fighting with severely limited fuel supplies, and heavy Allied air attacks, the corps was exhausted. The offensive had to be called off. ''Kampfgruppe Peiper'' became infamous during the battle for the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in what became known as the Malmedy massacre. In the wake of the defeat, the corps along with the remainder of Dietrich's army, was moved to

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Hungary and Austria

The corps, composed of the LSSAH and Hitlerjugend divisions, was instrumental in one of the last successful German offensives,

Operation Southwind Operation Southwind () was a German offensive operation on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in Hungary, from 17–24 February 1945. The Germans succeeded in eliminating the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron in pr ...

, eliminating the Soviet bridgehead west of the Garam in February 1945. The Germans then launched a pincer movement north and south of

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...

as part of

Operation Spring Awakening Operation Spring Awakening () was the last major German offensive of World War II. The operation was referred to in Germany as the Plattensee Offensive and in the Soviet Union as the Balaton Defensive Operation. It took place in Western Hungary ...

on 6 March 1945. This area included some of the last oil reserves still available to the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

. The attack was spearheaded by the 6th Panzer Army and included the corps, made up of elite units such as the LSSAH and Hitlerjugend divisions. Dietrich's army made "good progress" at first, but as they drew near the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, the combination of the muddy terrain and strong Soviet resistance ground them to a halt. On 16 March, the Soviet forces counterattacked in strength, which forced the entire southern front to retreat towards

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. The German forces, including the LSSAH and Hitlerjugend divisions, could not hold Vienna, which fell to Soviet forces on 13 April. The Germans units then retreated into Hungary. Thereafter, the bulk of the LSSAH Division surrendered to U.S. forces near

Steyr Steyr (; ) is a statutory city (Austria), statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd lar ...

and the Hitlerjugend Division surrendered to U.S. troops near the town of Enns, Austria on 8 May 1945.

Commanders

* ''

SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer ''SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer'' () was (from 1942 to 1945) the highest commissioned rank in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), with the exception of ''Reichsführer-SS'', which became a commissioned rank when held by SS commander Heinrich Himmler. The ...

(4 July 1943 – 9 August 1944) * SS-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

'' Fritz Kraemer (9 – 16 August 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. Career ...

(16 August 1944 – 30 October 1944) * SS-''

Gruppenführer __NOTOC__ ''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire d ...

Hermann Priess Hermann August Fredrich Priess (24 May 1901 – 2 February 1985) was a German general in the Waffen-SS and a war criminal during World War II. He commanded the SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head") following the death of Theodor Eicke in Febru ...

(30 October 1944 – 8 May 1945)

Orders of battle

6 June 1944 (Invasion of Normandy) * S SS-Pz Abt 101

101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion *

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" * 12SSHJinsig

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" * 17th SS Division Logo

17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" * SS Pz Lehr divisional insignia

7 August 1944 (Operation Lüttich) *

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (elements) * SS-Panzer-Division symbol

2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" 16 December 1944 (Operation ''Wacht Am Rhein'') * S SS-Pz Abt 101

501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion *

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" * 12SSHJinsig

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" * 3rd Parachute Division * 12th Infanterie Division Logo

12th Volksgrenadier Division * 277

277th Infantry Division 8 January 1945 (Battle of the Bulge) * Kampfgruppe Peiper (remnants) * S SS-Pz Abt 101

501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion *

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (remnants) * 12SSHJinsig

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" (remnants) * 3rd Parachute Division 3 March 1945 (build-up for Operation Spring Awakening) *

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" ** 1st SS Panzer Regiment *** 501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (2nd battalion of the 1st SS Panzer Regiment) ** 1st SS Panzerjäger Battalion ** 1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion ** 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion * 12SSHJinsig

12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" ** 12th SS Panzer Regiment ** 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment ** 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment ** 12th SS Panzerjäger Battalion *** 560th Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:01 Waffen-SS corps German units in Normandy Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945