X SS Corps (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The X SS Corps was a short-lived SS corps-level headquarters employed on the Eastern Front
in 1945 during World War II
.
The X SS Corps headquarters was formed in January 1945 with the use of men and equipment provided by the disbanded XIV SS Corps headquarters (a temporary HQ unit employed during Operation Nordwind
).
X SS Corps was subordinated to the 11th SS Panzer Army in February 1945, and then to the 3rd Panzer Army in March. The corps was deployed in the vicinity of Dramburg, Pomerania
during its existence.
In February 1945, the X SS Corps controlled the 5th Jäger Division and the 402nd Division. Generalleutnant
Günther Krappe
took command of the corps on February 10, 1945. In March 1945, the corps also had the 163rd Infantry Division under its control.
In March 1945, the X SS Corps (and Korpsgruppe Tettau) were encircled by elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army
, 3rd Shock Army
, and the Polish 1st Army
in an area approximately 20 kilometers north of Dramburg. The two Soviet armies pushed against the pocket from the west and northwest while the Polish 1st Army drove from the south, east, and northeast, resulting in the destruction of the encircled German troops by March 7, 1945. On March 8, 1945 the Soviets announced the capture of General Krappe and 8,000 men of the X SS Corps.
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...
in 1945 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 X SS Corps headquarters was formed in January 1945 with the use of men and equipment provided by the disbanded XIV SS Corps headquarters (a temporary HQ unit employed during Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind
Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
).
X SS Corps was subordinated to the 11th SS Panzer Army in February 1945, and then to the 3rd Panzer Army in March. The corps was deployed in the vicinity of Dramburg, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
during its existence.
In February 1945, the X SS Corps controlled the 5th Jäger Division and the 402nd Division. Generalleutnant
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Günther Krappe
Günther Krappe
Günther Krappe was a German officer in the Second World War. He commanded the 61st Infantry Division.- Promotions :*Leutnant *Oberleutnant *Hauptmann...
took command of the corps on February 10, 1945. In March 1945, the corps also had the 163rd Infantry Division under its control.
In March 1945, the X SS Corps (and Korpsgruppe Tettau) were encircled by elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army
Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Tank Army was a Soviet armoured formation that fought as part of the Red Army on the Eastern Front during World War II. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov...
, 3rd Shock Army
3rd Shock Army (Soviet Union)
The 3rd Shock Army was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The 'Shock' armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and artillery assets than other combined arms armies...
, and the Polish 1st Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
in an area approximately 20 kilometers north of Dramburg. The two Soviet armies pushed against the pocket from the west and northwest while the Polish 1st Army drove from the south, east, and northeast, resulting in the destruction of the encircled German troops by March 7, 1945. On March 8, 1945 the Soviets announced the capture of General Krappe and 8,000 men of the X SS Corps.