Some of the SS divisional, regimental, and battalion names are known to me, but a lot of them refer to people and things I don't know about. I'm going to provide here a list of them, and perhaps someone with greater knowledge of German history can fill me in as to who or what they refer to.
SS-Panzergrenadier Rgt. 5 "Thule" -- what does "Thule" refer to?
SS-Gebirgsjaeger Rgt. 12 "Michael Gaissmair" -- who was Michael Gaissmair?
8th SS-Kavallerie Division "Florian Geyer" -- who was Florian Geyer?
10th SS-Panzer Division "Frundsberg" -- who was Frundsberg?
SS Panzer Abteilung 11 "Hermann von Salza" -- who was he?
Waffen-Grenadier Rgt. der SS 42 "Voldemars Veiss" -- who was he? A local Latvian hero?
Waffen-Grenadier Rgt. der SS 43 "Hinrich Schuldt" -- another local Latvian hero?
26th Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS "Gömbös" -- a Hungarian hero?
37th SS-Kavallerie Division "Lützow" -- a famous German cavalryman, perhaps from the Napoleonic Wars?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Yours,
Paul
SS unit names and their meanings...
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Marc Rikmenspoel
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Note that what the article doesn't state is that Michael Gaissmair was selected as the namesake for SS-GR 12 both because he was a mountaineer and contemporary of Florian Geyer, and because many Tyroleans served in the regiment.
There's more to the story of Langemarck & Thule. As the article mentions, Langemarck was the scene of bloody fighting in Flanders during WW1. But in particular, it symbolized that German students, who had volunteered at the start of the war, were killed in huge numbers there. So the name came to represent sacrifice. SS-Infanterie Regiment 4 fought as an independent regiment (not part of any SS division) west of Moscow during the winter of 1941-42 and was reduced from 3000 men to 180 effectives. So it was given the honor title Langemarck to recognize its sacrifices. The regimental remnants were then, in the summer of 1942, combined with the SS-Kradschuetzen (Motorcycle) Bataillon Reich to form the Kradschuetzen Reg. Langemarck in the reforming PGD Das Reich. But in October 1942, the II. Bataillon of the regiment was converted into the new II. Abteilung for SS-Panzer Regiment 2 (a Bataillon is an infantry-type battalion, an Abteilung is an armored or artillery battalion), so the remaining I. Bataillon fought in the Kharkov campaign as an independent battalion, known as Kradschuetzen Bataillon Langemarck. In the late spring of 1943 the battalion was disbanded to reinforce SS-Panzer Aufklaerungs Abteilung 2 (Das Reich's recon battalion).
Some Flemish volunteers had been assigned to Reg/Bat Langemarck during 1942, perhaps to symbolize a new era of Flemish-German cooperation. The honor title became available after May 1943, so that autumn it was assigned to the Flemish 6. SS-Sturmbrigade, formed around the former Freiwilligen Legion Flandern. Now it was definitely intended to represent Flemish-German comradery, but the Flemings themselves didn't understand why they were supposed to represent the losses suffered by German students trying to take over their country in 1914! they were quite jealous that the Walloons got to be known by their home region in the 5. SS-Sturmbrigade Wallonien (even if, in transferring from the Heer to the Waffen-SS and idenitfying themselves now as Germanics, the Walloons went from being the Legion Wallonie (in French) to being the Brigade Wallonien (in German)). So the name wasn't really successful in its latter usage.
As to Thule, as the article shows, it represents a northern region with sacred German history attached. SS-Infanterie Regiment 9 fought in arctic Finland during 1941 as an independent regiment. It then fought on the Volkhov River in northern Russia, and suffered very heavy losses. As with SS-IR 4, it was withdrawn to rebuild, and rewarded with an honor title. It became known as SS-Kradschuetzen (or sometimes Schnell)Regiment Thule, to represent its distinguished service in very northern latitudes. It was assigned to SS-PGD Totenkopf, in the same manner that Langemark went to Das Reich, but it kept its full strength of 2 battalions all through the Kharkov campaign, after which it too was disbanded to reinforce the rest of the division.
The SS-FHA then planned to transfer the Thule title to SS-PGR 5 in the Totenkopf Division, but the regiment itself resisted this. So some SS-FHA (high command of the Waffen-SS) documents from the autumn of 1943 show a "SS-PGR 5 Thule," but the regiment itself used the title "Totenkopf." This was because it evolved from SS-Totenkopf Infanterie Regiment 1, which in 1936 had been the very first SS-Totenkopf Standarte. So it was the original Totenkopf unit, and by early 1944, even the SS-FHA was referring to the unit as SS-PGR 5 Totenkopf (and yes, this did cause occasional confusion, since Reg. Totenkopf served in the Totenkopf Division).
There's more to the story of Langemarck & Thule. As the article mentions, Langemarck was the scene of bloody fighting in Flanders during WW1. But in particular, it symbolized that German students, who had volunteered at the start of the war, were killed in huge numbers there. So the name came to represent sacrifice. SS-Infanterie Regiment 4 fought as an independent regiment (not part of any SS division) west of Moscow during the winter of 1941-42 and was reduced from 3000 men to 180 effectives. So it was given the honor title Langemarck to recognize its sacrifices. The regimental remnants were then, in the summer of 1942, combined with the SS-Kradschuetzen (Motorcycle) Bataillon Reich to form the Kradschuetzen Reg. Langemarck in the reforming PGD Das Reich. But in October 1942, the II. Bataillon of the regiment was converted into the new II. Abteilung for SS-Panzer Regiment 2 (a Bataillon is an infantry-type battalion, an Abteilung is an armored or artillery battalion), so the remaining I. Bataillon fought in the Kharkov campaign as an independent battalion, known as Kradschuetzen Bataillon Langemarck. In the late spring of 1943 the battalion was disbanded to reinforce SS-Panzer Aufklaerungs Abteilung 2 (Das Reich's recon battalion).
Some Flemish volunteers had been assigned to Reg/Bat Langemarck during 1942, perhaps to symbolize a new era of Flemish-German cooperation. The honor title became available after May 1943, so that autumn it was assigned to the Flemish 6. SS-Sturmbrigade, formed around the former Freiwilligen Legion Flandern. Now it was definitely intended to represent Flemish-German comradery, but the Flemings themselves didn't understand why they were supposed to represent the losses suffered by German students trying to take over their country in 1914! they were quite jealous that the Walloons got to be known by their home region in the 5. SS-Sturmbrigade Wallonien (even if, in transferring from the Heer to the Waffen-SS and idenitfying themselves now as Germanics, the Walloons went from being the Legion Wallonie (in French) to being the Brigade Wallonien (in German)). So the name wasn't really successful in its latter usage.
As to Thule, as the article shows, it represents a northern region with sacred German history attached. SS-Infanterie Regiment 9 fought in arctic Finland during 1941 as an independent regiment. It then fought on the Volkhov River in northern Russia, and suffered very heavy losses. As with SS-IR 4, it was withdrawn to rebuild, and rewarded with an honor title. It became known as SS-Kradschuetzen (or sometimes Schnell)Regiment Thule, to represent its distinguished service in very northern latitudes. It was assigned to SS-PGD Totenkopf, in the same manner that Langemark went to Das Reich, but it kept its full strength of 2 battalions all through the Kharkov campaign, after which it too was disbanded to reinforce the rest of the division.
The SS-FHA then planned to transfer the Thule title to SS-PGR 5 in the Totenkopf Division, but the regiment itself resisted this. So some SS-FHA (high command of the Waffen-SS) documents from the autumn of 1943 show a "SS-PGR 5 Thule," but the regiment itself used the title "Totenkopf." This was because it evolved from SS-Totenkopf Infanterie Regiment 1, which in 1936 had been the very first SS-Totenkopf Standarte. So it was the original Totenkopf unit, and by early 1944, even the SS-FHA was referring to the unit as SS-PGR 5 Totenkopf (and yes, this did cause occasional confusion, since Reg. Totenkopf served in the Totenkopf Division).
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sid guttridge
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Hi Marc,
The psychology behind adopting the "Lamgemarck" name is fascinating.
The slaughter of the German student divisions at Ypres in 1914 was perhaps the best day's work done by the British Army in WWI. All these students had the educational potential to become junior leaders later in WWI. Yet tens of thousands were rushed en masse into action with minimum training and mown down without achieving a thing. It was one of the most concentrated disasters suffered by the Germans in WWI.
In Britain this would probably be condemned as a classic example of the pointless casualties caused by Lions-led-by-Donkeys-type military incompetence. Yet in Nazi Germany it became an inspiring example of sacrifice. Perhaps it was a pointed Waffen-SS dig at the competence of the regular army?
Cheers,
Sid.
The psychology behind adopting the "Lamgemarck" name is fascinating.
The slaughter of the German student divisions at Ypres in 1914 was perhaps the best day's work done by the British Army in WWI. All these students had the educational potential to become junior leaders later in WWI. Yet tens of thousands were rushed en masse into action with minimum training and mown down without achieving a thing. It was one of the most concentrated disasters suffered by the Germans in WWI.
In Britain this would probably be condemned as a classic example of the pointless casualties caused by Lions-led-by-Donkeys-type military incompetence. Yet in Nazi Germany it became an inspiring example of sacrifice. Perhaps it was a pointed Waffen-SS dig at the competence of the regular army?
Cheers,
Sid.