Nov 30 2009

Fritz Witt

Fritz Witt (1908 – 1944) was a German Waffen-SS officer who fought in the Second World War and served with the 1rst SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. He was also commander of the 12th SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youths). Witt was killed in action by an allied barrage in 1944.

Fritz Witt was born on May 27, 1908, in Hohenlimburg, Germany. Witt’s father was a textiles salesman. After graduating from high school Witt also worked as a textiles salesman from 1925 until 1931. During this period of time, he became a strong supporter of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and Adolf Hitler. Witt saw the Nazis as the answer to the chaos and poverty of the Weimar Republic. On March 17, 1933, Witt joined the SS, serving in the SS-Stabswache Berlin, an élite guard formation of only 117 men, receiving his commission as an SS-Untersturmführer on October 1, 1933.

In 1938, as commander of the 3rd SS-Standarte Deutschland, Fritz Witt took part in the annexation of Austria, marching into that country with his unit. After this, it was motorized. Then the Deutschland participated in the occupation of the Sudetenland. In March 1939, Witt served with the Standarte during the bloodless annexation of Bohemia and Moravia. Hitler ordered the formation of an SS-Verfügungs-Division, comprising all three SS-VT Standartes (The Leibstandarte was to form its own unit). During the Polish campaign, Fall Weiss, Witt’s SS-Standarte Deutschland was subordinated to Panzer-Verband Kempf, based in East Prussia. Witt’s company saw some heavy fighting and he served well during this campaign. For personal bravery in combat, Witt was awarded both the first and second classes of the Iron Cross within.

In October 1939, with the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer, Witt was appointed commander of the 1rst Battalion of the Deutschland. In the same month, the SS-Verfügungs-Division was formed and placed under the command of SS-Gruppenführer Paul Hausser.

Fritz Witt fought with bravery during the Invasion of France, again showing skill commanding his unit. On May 27 1940, 20 British Matilda tanks attacked Witt’s battalion. Despite the fact that Witt’s unit had no anti-tank weapons, Witt rallied his battalion and they held, destroying nine of the British tanks with grenades and other improvised methods. Witt was the model of the young leader, never retreating in the face of anything.

On October 16, 1940, Witt was transferred to the motorized Infantery Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, taking command first of the 3rd Battalion, then, in March 1941, of the 1rst Battalion. In April, 1941, Witt participated with his unit in Operation Marita, which was the invasion of the Greece. His unit saw ferocious fighting, playing an important role. The 1rst Battalion had been tasked with clearing resistance from the Klidi Pass, just south of Vevi and opening the way to the heart of Greece. Clashing with a hastily-assembled Australian-British-New Zealand-Greek force, under an Australian, Maj. Gen. Iven Mackay, Witt and his men were engaged in heavy fighting for three days before the pass fell. Witt’s brother, Franz Witt, was killed in action. Witt’s battalion had wreaked havoc on their enemy, causing a high number of casualties and capturing over 520 prisoners for the loss of only 37 dead and 95 wounded.

After the conclusion of the Balkan campaign Witt remained in command of 1rst Battalion. The Leibstandarte, now upgraded to a division, was to take part in the advance into Russia as a part of Army Group South.

From June 22, 1941, Fritz Witt and his unit fought in Operation Barbarossa, participating in the encirclement of 600,000 men near Kiev. Then Witt’s unit now moved south, to join the German 14th Army Corps. Witt’s battalion fought fiercely for the town of Perekop, later advancing across the Perekop Isthmus and launching the assaults on the Soviet defensive positions near the Tarter Ditch.

In February 1943, after being engaged in heavy fighting on the Eastern Front, Witt, along with Max Wünsche and Kurt Meyer, was transferred to the newly created Waffen-SS unit the 12th SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend. On 20 April 1944, Witt was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und General Mayor of the SS. Witt continued training exercises for his division, allowing his troops to familiarise themselves with the terrain around Caen. This training would later prove vital.

On 6 June 1944, the Western Allies landed on the Normandy beaches. Witt ordered his division to form up north of Caen, defending the city and the Carpiquet Aerodrome. On June 7, SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer’s SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25, along with the 2nd Battalion from SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche’s SS-Panzer-Regiment 12, attacked the advancing 3rd Canadian Division and destroyed 28 Canadian tanks, annihilating a company of The North Nova Scotia Highlanders for the loss of only six tanks.

On June 8, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 under command of SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Wilhelm Mohnke arrived and took up positions to the west of Meyer. Having arrived there, the regiment launched an attack towards Norrey-en-Bessin, capturing the vital village. Over the next week, Witt’s division managed to hold the line above Caen despite incessant Allied attacks and constant air, artillery and naval bombardments. The Hitler Jugend inflicted devastating losses on the British and Canadian forces, the training which Witt had developed maintaining his unit’s morale and fighting ability. On June 14, 1944, a British naval bombardment hit the divisional command post in Venoix. Witt was hit in the face by shrapnel, and killed instantly. The Hitler Jungend SS Division, along with his LSSAH comrades, mourned his loss. The 33 year old Meyer was ordered to take command of the division.

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Nov 29 2009

Hugo Kraas

Hugo Kraas (1911 – 1980) was a German Waffen-SS officer (SS-Brigadeführer) who fought during World War II, serving with the 1rst SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and was the last commander of the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend.

Hugo Kraas was born in Witten, Westphalia, Germany, on January 25, 1911. In 1934 he enrolled at the Nazi Party and became an SA member the same year. In July 1935, Krass enlisted in the German Army with the 6th Infantry Regiment, known as the Ratzeburger Jäger. His stay in the Reichswehr was not long and after only 3 months he was placed into reserves. In October 1935 Kraas joined a Waffen SS unit, the Germania Standarte with the rank of SS-Rottenführer. In 1937, Kraas was selected to attend the SS Jukerschule in Braunschweig. He was commissioned on March 12, 1938 as an SS-Untersturmführer and assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 14 Panzerjägerkompanie under the command of Kurt Meyer.

Kraas participated in the invasion of Poland with the Leibstandarte where he was awarded the Iron Cross second class. He also became the first officer in the entire division to be awarded the Iron Cross first class for repeated personal bravery during the invasion of Holland. As a Kompanie commander in the Meyer’s LSSAH’s Aufklärungsabteilung (Reconnaissance Detachment), Kraas fought in the Balkans and Russia. On Christmas Day in 1941, he was again decorated, this time with the German Cross in Gold for his exemplary leadership during the first battle of Rostov. In June 1942, Kraas was given command of the 1rst/SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt 2 (1st Battalion) leading it throughout the Third Battle of Kharkov. For his role in this operation he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on March 28, 1943. During the ensuing summer Kraas then succeeded Theodor Wisch as a commander of SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt 2 and short time later was also promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer.

Hugo Kraas died in Selk, Schlewig-Holstein, Germany, on February 20, 1980.

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Nov 27 2009

Operation Winter Storm

Operation Winter Storm, or Unternehmen Wintergewitter, was the German 4th Panzer Army’s operation to relieve the encircled 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad, in the Second World War. It took place from December 12 to December 23, 1942, in the area near Stalingrad. In late November, the Red Army completed Operation Uranus, through which the German 6th Army got encircled in and around the city of Stalingrad. German forces within the Stalingrad pocket and directly outside were reorganized under Army Group Don, under the command of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. As the Red Army continued to build strength, in an effort to allocate as many resources as possible to the eventual launch of the planned Operation Saturn, which aimed to isolate Army Group A from the rest of the German Army, the Luftwaffe had begun an attempt to supply German forces in Stalingrad through an air bridge. Nevertheless, because the Luftwaffe proved incapable to conduct a winter airlift, Manstein decided to plan and launch a dedicated relief effort.

Originally Manstein had been promised four panzer divisions. Due to German reluctance to weaken certain sectors of the front line in order to redeploy a number of panzer divisions to Army Group Don and because several formations had been tied down by continued Soviet pressure, the task of opening a corridor to the German 6th Army fell on the shoulders of the 4th Panzer Army, under the command of Hermann Hoth. This small German force was pitted against several Soviet armies, which were busy with the destruction of the encircled German forces and the progress of their offensive around the lower Chir River.

The German Operation Winter Storm caught the Red Army by surprise, making large gains on the first day. The spearhead forces enjoyed air support and were able to defeat continued counterattacks by defending Soviet troops. By December 13 the Soviet resistance to the German effort slowed the advance considerably. Although ultimately German forces took the area surrounding Verkhne-Kumskiy, the Red Army launched Operation Little Saturn on December 16. Operation Little Saturn succeeded in defeating the Italian 8th Army on Army Group Don’s left flank, thereby threatening the survival of Manstein’s entire group of forces. As resistance and casualties increased, Manstein tried to convince Hitler to authorize the commander of the German 6th Army, General Friedrich Paulus, to initiate the 6th Army’s counter attack to break out of the Soviet encirclement, but the Führer refused. Nevertheless, the 4th Panzer Army under Hermann Hoth, tenaciously kept hammering in in a desperate attempt to open up a corridor to the 6th Army between December 18 and December 19, but heavily outnumbered by the Soviet forces, the Germans efforts finally ground to a halt. As a result, Manstein was forced to call off the assault on December 23, and by Christmas Eve the 4th Panzer Army began to withdraw to its starting position. Due to the failure of the 6th Army to break out of the Soviet encirclement, the Red Army was then able to continue the destruction of German forces in Stalingrad.


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Nov 26 2009

Third Battle of Kharkov

The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front during World War II, carried out by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov, from February 19 until March 15 1943. Known to the Germans as the Donets Campaign, and to the Soviets as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike led to the destruction of approximately 52 Soviet divisions and the recapture of the cities of Kharkov and Belgorod.
As the German Sixth Army was encircled in Stalingrad, the Red Army conducted a series of wider offensives against the rest of Army Group South. These culminated on 2 January 1943, when the Soviets launched Operation Star, which between January and early February broke German defenses and led to the Soviet recapture of Kharkov, Belgorod and Kursk. The Soviet offensive was successful, but it caused participating Soviet units to over-stretch themselves. Freed on 2 February by the surrender of the German Sixth Army, the Red Army’s Central Front turned its attention west and on 25 February expanded its offensive against both Army Group South and Army Group Center. However, months of continuous operations had taken a heavy toll on the Soviets and some divisions were reduced to 1,000–2,000 combat effective soldiers. On 19 February, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein took the opportunity to launch his Kharkov counterstrike, using the fresh SS Panzer Corps and two panzer armies.

Although the Germans were outnumbered, the Wehrmacht successfully flanked, encircled and defeated the Red Army’s armored spearheads south of Kharkov. This enabled von Manstein to renew his offensive against the city of Kharkov proper, which began on 7 March. Despite orders to encircle Kharkov from the north, the SS Panzer Corps instead decided to directly engage Kharkov on 11 March. This led to four days of house-to-house fighting before Kharkov was finally recaptured by the 1st SS Panzer ("Leibstandarte") Division on 15 March. Two days later, the Germans also recaptured Belgorod, creating the salient which in July 1943 would lead to the Battle of Kursk. The German offensive cost the Red Army an estimated 70,000 casualties but the house-to-house fighting in Kharkov was also particularly bloody for the German SS Panzer Corps, which had lost approximately 44% of its strength by the time the Third Battle of Kharkov ended in mid March.

Third Battle of Kharkov

Third Battle of Kharkov (SS Panzergranadier Leibstandarte Division)

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Nov 26 2009

Battle of Rzhev

The Battle of Rzhev was a series of World War II Soviet offensives launched between January 8, 1942 and March 22, 1943 in the general directions of Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma against a German salient that stuck out in the vicinity of Moscow; this bulge was known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" for the huge Russian losses. Battle of Rzhev of 1941-1943 was one of the most ferocious battles in the history of World War II, but also the one whose figures and facts were the most censored and denied by Stalinist official historians.

By December 1941, the German armies had gotten to the gates of Moscow, but in that month, the Soviet forces launched a winter counter-offensive, initiating on January 8, 1942, the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation which pushed the German forces back from Moscow about a 100 miles. As a result, a salient was formed along the front line in the direction of the capital, which became known as the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient. It was strategically important for the German Army Group Center due to the threat it posed to Moscow, and was therefore heavily fortified and strongly defended.

Soviet forces along the Kalinin Front and Western Front broke through the German lines west of Rzhev in January, but because of the stiff and fierce German resistance the troops of the Soviet 22nd, 29th Army and 39th Armies became encircled. To eliminate this threat to the rear of the German 9th Army, the Germans had started Operation Seydlitz by July 2. This German operation resulted in the complete elimination of the trapped Soviet forces on July 12. The Wehrmacht pushed the front line around the salient closer to the city of Rzhev.

On November 25, 1942, the Red Army began the Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive, which was codenamed Operation Mars. It consisted of several incremental offensive phases, which was nearly as heavy in losses for the Soviet forces as the first offensive, and also failed to achieve their objectives. Nevertheless, due to the general course of the war, specially the German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad, Hitler ordered German forces to withdraw from the salient in March, 1943, which they carried out through operation ‘Büffel’. The Stavka used this as an opportunity to pursue the retreating Wehrmacht troops.

The numbers of Soviet soldiers killed or wounded during the Battle of Rzhev are not yet clear, but it is estimated that the total Soviet losses are between 500,000 and 1,000,000 men. On the other hand, the German suffered around 200,000 casualties.

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