First published in Great Britain in 2014 by PEN & SWORD MILITARY An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd 47 Church Street Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2AS Copyright © Ian Baxter, 2014 PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-1-78159-186-4 PDF ISBN: 978-1-47383-621-1 EPUB ISBN: 978-1-47383-445-3 PRC ISBN: 978-1-47383-533-7 The right of Ian Baxter to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing. Typeset by Concept, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD4 5JL. Printed and bound in England by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY. Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of Pen & Sword Archaeology, Atlas, Aviation, Archaeology, Atlas, Aviation, Battleground, Discovery, Family History, History, Maritime, Military, Naval, Politics, Railways, Select, Social History, Transport, True Crime, and Claymore Press, Frontline Books, Leo Cooper, Praetorian Press, Remember When, Seaforth Publishing and Wharncliffe. For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Contents Introduction Chapter One Poland and the Invasion of Russia, 1939–42 Chapter Two Battles, 1942–43 Chapter Three Last Years of the War Appendix I Waffen-SS Weapons and Equipment Appendix II Ranks Appendix III Waffen-SS: Kursk Order of Battle Appendix IV Waffen-SS Divisions: Order of Battle, 1943– 45 Appendix V Combat Uniforms of the Waffen-SS, 1943– 45 Introduction T his book in the popular Images of War series covers the deeds of the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front. From the outbreak of war in Poland to the invasion of the Soviet Union two years later, it provides a comprehensive record of the elite Waffen-SS units that fought in the East until 1945. Drawing on many rare and unpublished photographs, it presents a visual account of these formations that fought in many of the key battles including Kharkov, Kursk, Cherkassy, the defence of Poland and the Baltic states to Budapest, and finally the bitter and bloody battles that were fought through Germany and finally to the gates of the destroyed German capital. The book will appeal to any reader with an interest in the exploits of these hardened elite soldiers of the Reich. About the Author Ian Baxter is a military historian who specializes in German twentieth-century military history. He has written more than forty books including ‘Wolf’: Hitler’s Wartime Headquarters, Poland – The Eighteen-Day Victory March, Panzers in North Africa, The Ardennes Offensive, The Western Campaign, The 12th SS.Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend, The Waffen-SS on the Western Front, The Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front, The Red Army at Stalingrad, Elite German Forces of World War II, Armoured Warfare, German Tanks of War, Blitzkrieg, Panzer-Divisions at War, Hitler’s Panzers, Panzer Markings of World War Two, German Armoured Vehicles of World War Two, German Guns of the Third Reich and most recently The Last Two Years of the Waffen-SS At War, SS of Treblinka, Höss – creator of Auschwitz, Auschwitz Death Camp, Battle of the Baltics, Battle for the Reich, Last Years of the German Army and Concentration Camp Guards. He has also written over 100 articles including ‘Last Days of Hitler’, ‘Wolf’s Lair’, ‘Story of the V1 and V2 Rocket Programme’, ‘Secret Aircraft of World War Two’, ‘Rommel at Tobruk’, ‘Hitler’s War with his Generals’, ‘Secret British Plans to Assassinate Hitler’, ‘SS At Arnhem’, ‘Hitlerjugend’, ‘Battle Of Caen 1944’, ‘Gebirgsjäger at War’, ‘Panzer Crews’, ‘Hitlerjugend Guerrillas’, ‘Last Battles in the East’, ‘Battle of Berlin’, ‘Destruction of Busse’s Ninth Army’ and many more. He has reviewed numerous military studies for publication and supplied thousands of photographs and important documents to various publishers and film production companies worldwide. Chapter One Poland and the Invasion of Russia 1939–42 D uring the early hours of 1 September 1939 the German army attacked Poland. To carry out the invasion the force was divided into two Army Groups: Army Group North, consisting of the Third and Fourth armies under the command of General Fedor von Bock; and the Southern Army Group, consisting of the Eighth, Tenth and Fourteenth armies commanded by General Gerd von Rundstedt. From north to south, all five German Army Groups surged over the frontier and began to achieve their objectives almost immediately. For the invasion of Poland Hitler placed the Leibstandarte and the SS Verfügungs Truppen (SS Replacement Troops – later Waffen-SS) under the operational control of the army high command.