5th SS Wiking Division
Ian Baxter takes a look at the formation and actions of the Waffen-SS division with Dutch and Scandinavian volunteers
Following the invasion of Poland and France, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, commander of the SS, was eager to expand the Waffen-SS for what he termed a the crusade against Bolshevism. Consequently, a new Nordic formation was constructed, originally organised as the Nordische Division (Nr.5), and its core of men composed of eager Nordic volunteers and ethnic German Waffen-SS personnel. In late 1940 the SS Infantry Regiment Germania of the SSVerfügungs-Division, which had drafted mainly ethnic Germans into its units, were incorporated into its formation to bolster the newly recreated division. In December 1940, the new SS division was to be designated as SS-Division Germania. However, in early 1941, its name was changed to SS-Division Wiking. The Wiking division comprised of three motorised infantry regiments, Nordland, Westland, and Germania. In addition to its infantry regiments, an artillery regiment was added, SS Artillery Regiment 5. Chosen to command was Brigadeführer Felix Steiner. The bulk of the division were mainly non-German volunteers, mostly Dutch, Flemish, Finns and Scandinavians including the Danish regiment Frikorps Danmark.
Baptism of fire in the East
After the 5th SS Division Wiking was sent to Heuberg in Germany for training duties it was deemed ready for combat by April 1941. A few weeks later in May it was given orders to be transported through Poland to prepare for action against the Soviet Union.
On the morning of 22 June 1941 the German Army comprising of some three million troops attacked a bewildered Russian force along an 1,800 mile front. In Army Group South the main thrust was directed between the southern edge of the Pripet Marshes and the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. It was here where Wiking was held in reserve during the initial stages of the Soviet invasion and was not released until 29 June when it was ordered through Galicia near Tarnapol. Wiking fought towards the Dnieper River. Again and again the Russians were overwhelmed by Wiking’s onslaught where continued its advance across the river. The division then advanced towards Rostov-onDon where it took part in the battle for Rostov, which raged for weeks into the first Russian winter. In the deep snow the Wiking division was compelled to field battered, frost-bitten units as the Soviets counter-attacked. The division was subsequently forced to withdraw under heavy Russian fire power but fortunately for the Germans, the Soviet push finally halted, overstretching its lines in the snow. Although this saved Army Group
South from serious loss, Wiking had been damaged and was forced to recoup its units behind the Mius.
Battles in Southern Russia
After enduring the first Russian winter of 1941-42 and holding the line behind the Mius, the division was ordered to retake Rostov-on-Don, thrust into the Caucasus securing the regions vital oilfields. The offensive was an ambitious plan that involved the seizure of Stalingrad, and the isthmus between the Don and the Volga. However, within six weeks of the operation Rostov and the entire Don region had been captured leaving Wiking to advance deep into the Caucasus.
In late September 1942, Wiking participated in the operation to capture the city of Grozny. Initially, the attack went well with the division capturing the town of Malgobek on 6 October but, due to the encirclement of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, all attempts by Wiking to reach Grozny with Panzer support were repelled. Further advances into the Caucasus were also blunted.
By late November 1942, the Red Army had completed Operation Uranus, the plan of encircling some 300,000 Axis personnel in the ruins of Stalingrad. The forces trapped inside the city were too weak to breakout and this led to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein undertaking a relief operation called Winter Storm to relieve the trapped troops. In mid December Wiking, now re-designated as the 5th SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking, was ordered to support the relief operation. However, by the time the division arrived at the end of December to join the operation, its units were forced to cover the withdrawal of Army Group A, which had been severely mauled by strong Soviet forces. Over the coming days and weeks the Division, with Army Group A, moved towards Rostov, and escaped through what was known as the Rostov gap on 4 February 1943.
During this period Wiking was once again thrown into fierce fighting, this time to help in the recapture of Kharkov with other premier Waffen-SS divisions. Wiking was immediately entrained towards the city with the 11th Panzer Division, but ran into strong Russian forces. However, in spite its weakened condition, Wiking fought to protect the vital rail line and helped bring about the destruction of enemy forces.
Following heavy fighting in the Kharkov area Wiking underwent a major transformation. Herbert Otto Gille was appointed commander of the division. The SS Regiment Nordland, along with its commander Fritz von Scholz were removed from the division and used to command the new 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland.
The Finnish Volunteer Battalion was also disbanded and was replaced by the Estonian Infantry battalion, Narwa. In March 1943 the 11th SS-FreiwilligenPanzgrenadier-Division Nordland was created by merging the four Germanic legions, units from the 5th SS-Division Wiking, and a large group of new west European recruits.
Kursk and beyond
In early July 1943, the Waffen-SS were yet again put to the test in what was known as Operation Zitadelle in the Kursk salient. Wiking, however, along with the 23rd Panzer Division, formed the reserve force for Manstein’s Army Group for the operation. Within two weeks of the Kursk offensive the Red Army had caused such massive losses to the German mobile units that they were compelled to finally withdraw from the Kursk salient to avoid complete annihilation.
By mid-August 1943, the Russians had forced open a huge gap in the German lines west of Kursk, once again threatening to re-take the important
industrial city of Kharkov. Das Reich, Totenkopf and Wiking divisions were immediately thrown into battle to prevent the loss of the city.
During the battle Wiking continued to score some outstanding successes against Russian armoured units. However, with acute shortages in men and equipment the situation deteriorated day-by-day. By early September troops pulled out of the doomed city. The evacuation of Kharkov was undertaken by a spirited withdrawal of the Waffen-SS towards the River Dnieper. Here along the riverside, Wiking units were battered by Soviet forces, with great loss to both men and armour.
Throughout the weeks that followed the German front lines were pulled farther westwards with both the WaffenSS and its Wehrmacht counterparts defending, attacking and counterattacking as the situation demanded. Although the Waffen-SS Divisions were faced with a dangerous and worsening situation, they still proved to be first class formations. As a result of their exemplary role on the battlefield, the SS were given what was termed a fire brigade role, often being shuttled from one danger spot to another to blunt heavy Russian attacks. In October 1943 Wiking was re-designated as a fully fledged SS Panzer division.
It was during this period that the military situation in southern Russia had worsened. Although Wiking and its new Wallonia recruited units had shown much skill and tenacity in the face of overwhelming forces, it was still being pushed back, along with Army Group South, towards the city of Cherkasy. Within days the Soviets had formed two armoured rings of encirclement. What followed were trapped Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe formations and soldiers of Wiking fighting for their lives in what became known as the battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket.
The fighting for survival
Wiking was the only armoured unit in the Korsun-Cherkassy pocket and was ordered to drive the Soviets back, break out of the encirclement and destroy the enemy. In typical Waffen-SS style, the Wiking division’s only remaining tanks turned back and fought to the grim death. In spite of the huge losses in men and equipment, some 33,000 German troops managed to escape the pocket, averting another major disaster. Wiking had shown its worth again on the battlefield and it’s commander Herbert Otto Gille and SS-Hauptsturmführer Leon Degrelle, commander of the Walloons, were summoned to Hitler’s East Prussian headquarters and decorated. Gille received the Oakleaves and swords, and Degrelle the Knights Cross.
However, in spite of Gille and
Degrelle’s brave attempts to divert a major military catastrophe, the situation on the Eastern Front continued to worsen. During July 1944 the Soviets pushed forward across the ravaged countryside of Poland through the shattered German front. It was along the River Vistula in early August that the Germans managed to regain strength and reorganise defensive positions.
The SS Totenkopf and the Wiking divisions formed the 4th Panzer-Corps commanded by SS-Gruppenführer Herbert Gille. This corps was placed 30 miles northeast of Warsaw.
On 14 August northwest of the city and, for several bloody days, the well dug in Waffen-SS divisions of Wiking and Totenkopf held out, repulsing a number of vicous attacks. By 10 September heavy fighting engulfed the suburbs of the capital with SS successfully defending its positions for 10 days.
Elsewhere on the Eastern Front the situation was equally dire. In early September the Red Army reached the Bulgarian border. Within a week, Russian troops arrived at the Yugoslav frontier, and on 8 September, Bulgaria and Romania declared war on Germany. By 23 September, Soviet forces massed along the Hungarian border raced through the
country for the Danube, finally reaching the river to the south of Budapest.
It was here in Hungary that Hitler placed the utmost importance of defending what he called the last bastion of defence in the East. On 26 December, the 6th Panzer-Corps, comprising of Totenkopf and Wiking, were transferred from the Warsaw area and ordered to relieve Budapest. Fighting around the Hungarian capital was fierce and unrelenting, the sheer weight of Soviet formations forcing Wiking and
Totenkopf onto the defensive. Soldiers of the Wiking Division fought on in atrocious conditions but were slowly bled to death by relentless Red Army attacks.
The end approaches
By the end of January both Wiking and Totenkopf had suffered almost 8,000 casualties including over 200 officers injured or killed. On 13 February, the badly mauled Wiking was ordered away from Budapest, which had fallen into Russian hands the day before, and moved west to Lake Balaton to take up another defensive position. It was here where the 6th SS Panzer Army was ordered hold positions to the death in what was known as Operation Spring Awakening. However, yet again, in spite a number of premier Waffen-SS divisions fighting fiercely to hold the front, the Red Army had smashed its way through the German defences and ripped open a gap more than 60 miles wide. Within 10 days the Red Army had pushed its way through the Vertes mountains, across three major rivers and had crushed the opposing German formations. Although Wiking retreated into Czechoslovakia, Gille’s units still remained as a support to the 6th SS Panzer Army. In the face of strong, persistent attacks, Wiking performed a holding operation on the left flank of the 6th Panzer Army in the area between Lake VelenceSzekesfehervar. However, the Red Army was too powerful and forced back the German front causing immeasurable German casualties. Wiking did what it could to protect withdrawing German Panzer and infantry forces as it fell back under a storm of fire.
Remnants of the division withdrew towards Vienna in Austria, where it fought to the bitter end to defend the city. It was here that the Wiking Division, with its predominantly western European troops, was annihilated whilst fighting outside Austrian capital. The few troops that escaped the slaughter surrendered to American forces near Furstenfeld on 9 May 1945.