The XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps was a

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 ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

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 ...

, the armed wing of the German

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, primarily recruited from

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

. It was originally known as the XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps from September 1944, after

Helmuth von Pannwitz Helmuth von Pannwitz (14 October 1898 – 16 January 1947) was a German general who was a cavalry officer during the First and the Second World Wars. Later he became a Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht, a SS-Gruppenführer of the Waffen-SS, a ...

1st Cossack Cavalry Division The 1st Cossack Cavalry Division () was a Cossack division of the German Army that served during World War II. It was created on the Eastern Front mostly with Don Cossacks already serving in the Wehrmacht, those who escaped from the advancing Re ...

of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

was transferred to the SS, before being renumbered as XV in February 1945. The two brigades of the division were expanded when the corps was formed, so they became the new 1st and 2nd Cossack Cavalry Divisions. A third division was also planned on but never officially activated, with only one separate brigade being established. Although the corps was officially part of the Waffen-SS, its members never wore any SS insignia and its officers remained the same as before. In late April 1945, shortly before the end of the war, the corps was transferred from the SS to the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

of the

Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (, ', abbreviated as , ') was composed of military and civilian Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborators with Nazi Germany from territories of the Soviet Union, mo ...

, becoming the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps of the VS KONR. Ivan Kononov was appointed the corps commander with the title

Ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...

of All Cossack Forces, but this change was not implemented before the

end of World War II in Europe The end of World War II in Europe occurred in May 1945. Following the Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide of Adolf Hitler on 30 April, leadership of Nazi Germany passed to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and the Flensburg Government. Soviet Union, Soviet t ...

. The Cossack Corps, led by Pannwitz, retreated from occupied Yugoslavia with the rest of the Wehrmacht's

Army Group F Army Group F () was a strategic command formation of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. The commander of Army Group F served also as the ''OB South East, Oberbefehlshaber Südost'' (Commander-in-Chief in the Southeast). Created 12 Augus ...

and surrendered to the

Western Allies Western Allies was a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It primarily refers to the leading Anglo-American Allied powers, namely the United States and the United Kingdom, although the term has also be ...

in Austria in May 1945.

Background

During the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

(1917–1923), Cossack leaders and their governments generally sided with the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

. After the Soviets emerged victorious in the civil war, a policy of de-Cossackisation was instituted between 1919 and 1933, aimed at the elimination of the Cossacks as a separate cultural and political group. Cossacks in exile joined other Russian émigré groups in Central and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

, while those in Russia endured continual repression. In October 1942, the Germans established a semi-autonomous Cossack District in the

Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...

. This put them in a position to recruit Cossacks from these areas and mobilise them against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. This was in contrast to soldiers of the ROA, who had been recruited from POW camps and Red Army defectors, most soldiers of the German Cossack units had never been citizens of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

History

In the summer of 1944,

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

and the SS became interested in gaining control of the 1st Cossack Division under

. In July 1944 Himmler discussed the organisation of a Cossack fighting unit in the

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

region and requested from

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, that the Cossack Division would be placed in the organisational structure of the SS. On 26 August 1944 he met with Pannwitz and his chief of staff. Himmler planned to gather all Cossack units to form a second Cossack division and proposed the transfer of the 1st Cossack Division to the SS. All units were to be placed under Pannwitz's command. Though initially reluctant, Pannwitz eventually agreed to place his division under SS administration. Both German cadre and Cossack troops would retain their traditional uniforms and their

or Cossack rank. Pannwitz hoped to raise his unit's low morale and to receive more supplies and better equipment. The Cossacks did not wear the SS runes or receive any ideological indoctrination. In September 1944, the XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps was established on the basis of the 1st Cossack Division. The Cossacks fought an engagement against the Red Army on 25 December 1944 near

Pitomača Pitomača is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Virovitica–Podravina County. In the 2011 census, it had a total population of 10,059, in the following settlements: * Dinjevac, population 458 * Grabrovnica, population 405 * Klad ...

to prevent them from crossing the

Drava River The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

. The commander of the 5th Don Cossack Cavalry Regiment, Ivan Kononov, was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, first class, after the battle. In November 1944 the 1st Cossack Division was taken over by the ''Waffen-SS''. The ''

SS Führungshauptamt The ''SS Führungshauptamt'' () () was the operational headquarters of the SS during the later years of the Nazi era in Germany. The office's tasks included the administration of the SS-Junker Schools, of medical services, of logistics, and o ...

'' reorganised the division and used further Cossack combat units from the army and the ''

Ordnungspolizei The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (''Orpo'', , meaning "Order Police") were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly of power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favour of t ...

'' to form a 2nd Cossack Cavalry Division. Both divisions were placed under the command of the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps on 1 February 1945. With the transfer of the 5th Volunteer Cossack Depot Regiment from the Volunteer Depot Division on the same day the takeover of the Cossack units by the ''Waffen-SS'' was complete. According to Samuel J. Newland, the corps, composed of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades and the 1st and 2nd Division, was actually formed on 25 February 1945, when it was officially created by the High Command. The corps was initially subordinated to

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, and since March 1945 to

Army Group E Army Group E () was a German Army Group active during World War II. Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army. Units from this Army Group were distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area, including Albania, Greece ...

in Croatia. During their time there, they were known by the locals as ''Čerkezi'' ("

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

"), despite the corps' Cossack ethnic makeup. The corps supported the German offensive

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 ...

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 ...

by launching an offensive against a Soviet bridgehead at

Valpovo Valpovo is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is close to the Drava river, northwest of Osijek. As of 2021, the population of Valpovo is 7,406, with a total of 11,563 in the municipality. Name In Hungarian the town is known as ''Valpó'' and in ...

on the Drava. During April the corps was engaged in minor actions and then began to withdraw from

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

on 3 May 1945. Senior officers had concluded that the corps should fight their way back to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

in order to be captured by the British. According to one source, Pannwitz felt that the West would have great use for the corps as an anti-Bolshevik formation. The 2nd Division covered the withdrawal of the 1st Division against partisan forces. Unaffected by the

German surrender German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

on 8 May and partisan demands to surrender, the Cossack units continued fighting on their way to the British zone. On 10 May Pannwitz surrendered to the British, while the last divisional elements reached the British zone on 13 May 1945.

Organisation

Structure

As of February 1945: *Corps troops *

1st SS Cossack Cavalry Division The 1st Cossack Cavalry Division () was a Cossack division of the German Army that served during World War II. It was created on the Eastern Front mostly with Don Cossacks already serving in the Wehrmacht, those who escaped from the advancing Re ...

1st Don Cossack Cavalry Regiment ** Siberian cossaks patch

2nd Siberian Cossack Regiment ** 4th Kuban Cossack Regiment **1st Cossack Horse Artillery Regiment * 2nd SS Cossack Cavalry Division ** 3rd Kuban Cossack Regiment ** 5th Don Cossack Regiment ** Terek cossacks patch

6th Terek Cossack Horse Regiment **2nd Cossack Horse Artillery Regiment *

Plastun A plastun or plastoon ( Ukrainian, ) was a Cossack foot scouting and sentry military unit. Originally, they were part of the Black Sea Cossack Host and then later in the 19th and 20th centuries Kuban Cossack Host. Early history The tradition of f ...

Brigade (basis for the unfinished 3rd SS Cossack Cavalry Division) **7th Plastun Regiment **8th Plastun Regiment **Reconnaissance Section * 11th Luftwaffe Field Division

Uniforms, ranks, and insignia

The regiments of the corps each had a patch with two main colors, a black border, and Cyrillic letters that represented each Cossack host. The latter included ВД (Don Host), ПСВ (Regiment of the Siberian Host), КВ (Kuban Host), or ТВ (Terek Host).

Repatriation

Though the division had fought westwards to surrender to the western Allies, the British later surrendered all Cossack units to the Red Army. Several thousand were killed in a mass execution near

Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of ''Pat ...

, Austria, while the commanding officers, including Pannwitz, were put on trial and executed in 1947. Gravestones near Lienz mark the location of the mass graves.

Notes

Citations

Books

* * * * * * * *

Background

History

Organisation

Structure

Uniforms, ranks, and insignia

Repatriation

See also

Notes

Citations

Books

Further reading