IV SS Panzer Corps
Encyclopedia
The IV.SS-Panzerkorps was a German
Waffen-SS
armoured corps
which saw action on the Eastern Front
and in the Balkans
during World War II
.
The Panzerkorps was formed in August, 1943 in Poitiers
, France
. The formation was originally to be a skeleton formation to supervise those SS divisions that were being reformed as SS Panzer divisions.
On 30 June 1944, the formation absorbed the VII.SS-Panzerkorps and was reformed as a headquarters for the 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf and 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking. The Corps was placed under the control of former Wiking commander SS-Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille
.
The corps was placed into the line around Warsaw
, Poland
, where it saw action against the Red Army
as a part of the 9.Army
. In August, 1944, elements of the corps took part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising
. After holding the line near Warsaw
, the corps was pushed back to the area near Modlin
, where it saw heavy fighting until December.
When SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch's IX.SS-Gebirgskorps and large numbers of Hungarian troops were encircled in Budapest
in December 1944, the corps was shifted south to join 6. Armee
and to take part in the relief efforts. The operations were named Konrad
.
After the failure of Operation Konrad III, the corps was moved west to the area around Lake Balaton
, where it was responsible for defending the left flank of Operation Frühlingserwachen
(Spring Awakening
), near Stuhlweissenberg. After the failure of this offensive, the Soviet Vienna Operation
tore a gap between the IV.SS-Panzerkorps and the neighboring 3.Hungarian Army
. After escaping an encirclement thanks to the efforts of the 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen
, the corps executed a fighting withdrawal towards Vienna
. The remnants of the corps surrendered to the Americans on 9 May 1945.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
armoured corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
which saw action on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
and in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Panzerkorps was formed in August, 1943 in Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The formation was originally to be a skeleton formation to supervise those SS divisions that were being reformed as SS Panzer divisions.
On 30 June 1944, the formation absorbed the VII.SS-Panzerkorps and was reformed as a headquarters for the 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf and 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking. The Corps was placed under the control of former Wiking commander SS-Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille
Herbert Otto Gille
Herbert Otto Gille was a German general, and as a winner of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds and of the German Cross in Gold, the most highly decorated member of the Waffen SS during World War II...
.
The corps was placed into the line around Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, where it saw action against the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
as a part of the 9.Army
German Ninth Army
The 9th Army was a World War II field army.The 9th Army was activated on May 15, 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command.-1940:The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line when it was involved in the invasion of France...
. In August, 1944, elements of the corps took part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. After holding the line near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, the corps was pushed back to the area near Modlin
Modlin Fortress
Modlin Fortress is one of the biggest 19th century fortresses in Poland. It is located the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, some 50 kilometres north of Warsaw...
, where it saw heavy fighting until December.
When SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch's IX.SS-Gebirgskorps and large numbers of Hungarian troops were encircled in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in December 1944, the corps was shifted south to join 6. Armee
German Sixth Army
The 6th Army was a designation for German field armies which saw action in World War I and World War II. The 6th Army is best known for fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad, during which it became the first entire German field army to be completely destroyed...
and to take part in the relief efforts. The operations were named Konrad
Operation Konrad
Operation Konrad was the German-Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest during the Battle of Budapest in January 1945. The operation was divided into three parts:...
.
After the failure of Operation Konrad III, the corps was moved west to the area around Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
, where it was responsible for defending the left flank of Operation Frühlingserwachen
Operation Frühlingserwachen
Operation Frühlingserwachen was the last major German offensive launched during World War II. The offensive was launched in Hungary on the Eastern Front...
(Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
), near Stuhlweissenberg. After the failure of this offensive, the Soviet Vienna Operation
Vienna Offensive
The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. The offensive lasted from 2–13 April 1945...
tore a gap between the IV.SS-Panzerkorps and the neighboring 3.Hungarian Army
Hungarian Third Army
The Hungarian Third Army was a Hungarian field army which saw action during World War II.-Commanders:* Lieutenant General Elemér Gorondy-Novák from 1 March 1940 to 1 November 1941* Lieutenant General Zoltán Decleva from 1 November 1941 to 1 December 1942...
. After escaping an encirclement thanks to the efforts of the 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen
9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen", also known as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9 Hohenstaufen or 9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen, was a German Waffen-SS Armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. The...
, the corps executed a fighting withdrawal towards Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The remnants of the corps surrendered to the Americans on 9 May 1945.
Commanders
- SS-Obergruppenführer Alfred WünnenbergAlfred WünnenbergAlfred Bernhard Julius Ernst Wünnenberg was SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen SS and the commander of the 4th SS Polizei Panzer Grenadier Division during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves.-World War I:Alfred Wünnenberg was born on 20 July 1891 at Sarrebourg,...
(5 Aug 1943 - 23 Oct 1943) - SS-Obergruppenführer Walter Krüger (23 Oct 1943 - 1 Jul 1944)
- SS-Obergruppenführer Matthias KleinheisterkampMatthias KleinheisterkampMatthias Kleinheisterkamp was an SS Obergruppenführer and a Heer officer who served in both World War I and World War II. During World War II, Kleinheisterkamp commanded the 3. SS-Division Totenkopf, 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord, 2. SS-Division Das Reich, III. SS-Panzerkorps, VII. SS-Panzerkops,...
(1 Jul 1944 - 20 Jul 1944) - SS-Brigadeführer Nikolaus Heilmann (20 Jul 1944 - 6 Aug 1944)
- SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Herbert Otto GilleHerbert Otto GilleHerbert Otto Gille was a German general, and as a winner of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds and of the German Cross in Gold, the most highly decorated member of the Waffen SS during World War II...
(6 Aug 1944 - 8 May 1945)
September 16, 1944 - Defence of Modlin
- Korps Stab
- Gruppe von dem Bach
- 19.Panzer-Division
- 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
- 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking
- 73.Infanterie-DivisionGerman 73rd Infantry DivisionThe German 73rd Infantry Division was a German military unit which served during World War II. The division consisted of more than 10,000 soldiers, primarily of the infantry branch, with supporting artillery. The division was not motorized, but instead relied on marching for the infantry units...
- 1.ungarische Kavallerie-Division
- Werfer-Abteilung 104 / 504
- Schwere SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 504
- SS-Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 104
- SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 104
- Feld-Ausbildungs-Battalion IV.SS-Panzer-Korps
- Kraftfahrzeug-Kompanie 504
- Bekleidung-Instandsetzungs-Zug 504
- SS-Feldpostamt 104
Jan 17, 1945 - Operation Konrad III (Budapest)
- Korps Stab
- 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
- 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking
- 1.Panzer-DivisionGerman 1st Panzer DivisionThe German 1st Panzer Division was an elite armoured division in the German Army during World War II. Its divisional insignia was a white oakleaf emblem.-History:...
- 3.Panzer-DivisionGerman 3rd Panzer DivisionThe German 3rd Panzer Division was established in 1935 under the command of Generalleutnant Ernst Feßmann. It later participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland , the 1940 invasion of France, and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union...
- Schwere Panzer Abteilung 509German 509th Heavy Panzer DetachmentThe 509th Heavy Tank Battalion was a German heavy panzer abteilung equipped with Tiger I and later Tiger II Königstiger tanks. The 509th saw action on the Eastern Front during the Second World War...
- I./24.Panzer-Abteilung
- 1335.Stug-Abteilung
- 219.Sturmpanzer-Abteilung
- Volks-Werfer-Brigade 17
- Werfer-Abteilung 104 / 504
- Schwere SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 504
- SS-Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 104
- SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 104
- Feld-Ausbildungs-Battalion IV.SS-Panzer-Korps
- Kraftfahrzeug-Kompanie 504
- Bekleidung-Instandsetzungs-Zug 504
- SS-Feldpostamt 104
March 1, 1945 - Operation Frühlingserwachen
- Korps Stab
- 3.SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
- 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking
- 356.Infanterie-Division
- Werfer-Abteilung 104 / 504
- Schwere SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 504
- SS-Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 104
- SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 104
- Feld-Ausbildungs-Battalion IV.SS-Panzer-Korps
- Kraftfahrzeug-Kompanie 504
- Bekleidung-Instandsetzungs-Zug 504
- SS-Feldpostamt 104