The XIV SS Corps (German: ''Generalkommando XIV. SS-Armeekorps'') was a short-lived SS

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 ...

-level headquarters formed to participate in Operation Nordwind on the

Upper Rhine The Upper Rhine (german: Oberrhein ; french: Rhin Supérieur) is the section of the Rhine between Basel in Switzerland and Bingen in Germany, surrounded by the Upper Rhine Plain. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometres 170 to 529 (the sc ...

in the winter of 1944-1945 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 ...

History

After his appointment as commander-in-chief of Army Group Upper Rhine, reichsführer Heinrich Himmler formed the headquarters of the XIV SS Army Corps in November 1944. Because there were not enough combat units available, the corps consisted of only one division, the 553rd Volksgrenadier Division. The force acted as a reserve for the army group. The Corps was given the task of attacking and pinning the American units at Gambsheim at the start of Operation Nordwind, so that they could not be used as reinforcements against the main attack, which would be deployed more to the north. In the night of 4 to 5 January 1945, the 553rd People's Grenadier Division crossed the Rhine near Gambsheim, where the Moder and Zorn rivers merge. Because most US units of the 6th Army Corps fought in the north and thanks to the help of the pro-German population, the Germans were able to quickly extend their bridgehead to

Kilstett Kilstett is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Kilstettois''. Geography Kilstett is positioned about fifteen kilometres (nine miles) to the north of Strasbourg. It has its ...

Herrlisheim Herrlisheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The town dates from the 8th century. Herrlisheim was the scene of very heavy fighting during ''Operation Nordwind'', an offensive launched by the German Ar ...

and Offendorf. General Alexander Patch, commander of the 7th US Army, ordered the newly arrived

12th Armored Division The 12th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army in World War II. It fought in the European Theater of Operations in France, Germany and Austria, between November 1944 and May 1945. The German Army called the 12th A ...

to destroy the bridgehead on 8 January. This attack and a second attack on 13 January failed with heavy losses. On 14 January 1945, the XIV SS Army Corps received the 3rd SS Panzer Battalion of the

10th SS Armored Division The 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" (german: 10. SS-Panzerdivision "Frundsberg") was a German Waffen-SS armoured division (military), division during World War II. The division's first battles were in Ukrainian SSR, Ukraine in April 1944. ...

, led by SS-Brigadeführer

Heinz Harmel __NOTOC__ Heinz Harmel (29 June 1906 – 2 September 2000) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. He commanded the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg during World War II. Harmel was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross wit ...

. The experienced Harmel ignored the orders of his corps commander and launched an attack on 16 January 1945. His heavy German tanks destroyed an American tank battalion and overran the accompanying armored infantry. Despite this victory, the German attack stalled. Canals and drainage canals cut through the landscape and many German tanks got stuck or had mechanical problems. On the southern edge, the 3rd French Infantry Division expelled the 553rd Volksgrenadiers Division from Kilstett and by 21 January, the German offensive came to an end. In the East, the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive had broken out and several German units were sent from the West to the endangered Eastern front. The headquarters of the XIV SS Army Corps were dissolved and the staff formed the

X SS Corps The X SS Corps (German: ''Generalkommando X. SS-Armeekorps'' or ''Gruppe Krappe'') was a short-lived SS corps-level headquarters employed on the Eastern Front in 1945 during World War II. History The X SS Corps headquarters was formed in Januar ...

that was sent to

Pommern Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

Commanders

* SS-Gruppenführer

Heinz Reinfarth Heinz Reinefarth (26 December 1903 – 7 May 1979) was a German SS commander during World War II and government official in West Germany after the war. During the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944 his troops committed numerous atrocities. After t ...

: November 1944 * SS-Obergruppenführer Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski: December 1944 – January 1945

Sources

Lexikon-der-wehrmacht

Axis History

{{DEFAULTSORT:14 Waffen-SS corps Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 1944 establishments in Germany 1945 disestablishments in Germany