9.SS-Panzer-Division : Combat History Timeline

[Josef Weiss]

This Timeline outlines the 9.SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen'' throughout the war, from the inception of the Division, to its formal surrender. It is a Work in Progress and will be continuously updated until I feel it is exhaustive and complete.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 1942: Dec 21-31: Division raised in France from German conscripts and cadre from 'LSSAH'

January 1943: Training in Maille le Camp, France.

February 1943: AdditionalTraining

October 1943: Oct 22: Re-designated as a full Panzer-Division, 1.SS and 2.SS Panzergrenadier-Regiments renamed as the 19th SS and 20th SS Panzergrenadier-Regiments

December 1943: Division strength: 19,611

March 1944: Transferred to Poland and then Russia

April 1944: First combat in Tarnopol

April 5: Division punches hole in First Soviet Tank Army

April 9: ''Hohenstaufen'' links up with encircled German I Panzer Army

June 1944: June 6th, Allied invasion of Normandy

June 12: Division transferred to France; harrased by US fighter bombers en route to Normandy

June 25: Div. Reaches Normandy, France

June 26: ''Hohenstaufen'' defends Caen along with 12.SS-Pz.Div. "HJ" against British Offensive; heavy combat ensues - 1,200 casualties

June 30: Divisional status report; Unit strength: 15,898

July 1944: July 8-12: Heavy combat in Caen: Specifically Eterville, Maltot, Hill 112

July 15: Withdrawn for new attack; SS-Pz. Div. 'Frundsberg' relieves division's positions

July 16: Heavy combat at Hill 113; III.Bataillon/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 19 disbanded & assimilated into other divisional units

July 18: Allies breach German defenses in Caen

July 20: Assassination attempt against Hitler by conspiracy of Heer officers fails. (Made famous by mainstream movie 'Operation Valkyrie')

July 23: SS-Pz-Grenadier-Rgts 19 & 20 combined as Panzergrenadier Regt. "H" due to heavy casualties

July 25: Division transferred south of Caen; heavy combat in Vimoutiers

July 29: 21 Tank destroyers sent to "Hohenstaufen" Anti-Tank Battalion, SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 9

August 1944: Aug 1, transfers to Beny-Bocage under the II.SS Panzer Korps.

August 13-16: Withdraws to Putanges; heavy combat Falaise pocket

August 21: Unit strength includes 20 tanks & 20 artillery pieces but only 460 grenadiers !

August 25: Retreats to Vitmoutiers; estimate of divisional casualties for Normandy campaign, circa 5,000 !

September 1944: Sept 1: unit strength - 25 tanks; 6-7,000 men. retreats through Rouen & Brussels

September 9: Arrival of the remnants of the Division in Arnhem;

September 10-17: Parts of the Unit stationed in Arnhem and Nijmegen area, preparing to return for Germany for refitting. The division is expected to turn over its remaining vehicles to its Sister Division 10.SS-Pz.Div. "Frundsberg' by Sept 17.

September 17: Operation Market-Garden, the Allied assault on a series of Dutch bridges, begins. British General Bernard Montgomery envisions the attack as a way to secure a route into Germany and end the war in 1944. Responding to the airborne assault, the division's engineers frantically unload the armored vehicles from the train, which was scheduled to depart within hours of the attack. The SS reaction to the British paratroopers is incredibly swift and increasingly effective. The Allies ignore frantic warnings from the Dutch underground that Arnhem is filled with crack SS Panzer troops. Divisional units organized into multiple Kampfgruppen.

September 18: SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 9 attempts to cross Arnhem bridge, but is repulsed with heavy losses; CO SS-Hauptsturmführer Viktor Gräbner KIA. (Scene immortalized by the movie A Bridge Too Far)

September 21: British troops surrender at Arnhem; the exhausted paratroopers are treated well by the SS troops of the Kampfgruppe.

September 26: British troops withdraw from the right bank of the Rhine; Operation Market-Garden ends in failure.

September 27: Germans force the evacuation of all civillians from the Arnhem area, possibly in reprisal for their aiding British paratroops.

October 1944: Division resting & refitting - They move amongst the following areas : Siegen, Paderborn-Muenster, Blankenheim, Stadtkyll-Juenkerath-Blankenheim

November 1944: Continued refitting, preparation for Ardennes offensive

December 1944: Dec 12, Division to Muenstereifel as reserve for Ardennes offensive; unit strength: 19,000. Division part of II SS-Panzerkorps under SS-Obergruppenführer Willi Bittrich.

December 16: Germans launch Operation Wacht am Rhein

December 18: Division transferred to I SS-Panzerkorps; Combat in Vielsalm.

December 21: Heavy combat Ardennes

December 31: Heavy combat Bastogne

January 1945: Jan 1-3, Heavy combat Bastogne

January 7: Retreats to Dochamps-Lon; German counteroffensive fails.

January 17-18: Rearguard actions Salmchateau; then rest & refitting in Kaufenheim-Mayen

February 1945: Transferred to Falubattyan, Hungary

February 27: Heavy combat west of Budapest

March 1945: Continued heavy combat, then withdraw to Austria

March 5: Operation "Spring Awakening" launched. ''Hohenstaufen'' takes part as with the rest of II.SS-Panzerkorps

March 13: German offensive blunted by Soviets & mud

March 14: Hitler, enraged at the failure of the Platensee attack, orders the SS divisions ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'', ''Das Reich'', ''Totenkopf'' and "Hohenstaufen" to remove the honor cuff titles from their uniforms. 6 SS-Panzer Army commander Oberstgruppenfüuhrer Joseph (Sepp) Dietrich refuses to pass the order down the ranks.

March 16: Soviet counterattack; Unit retreats to Mencseli; heavy combat rear-guard actions

April 1945: April 6, heavy combat Austria

April 13: Russians capture Vienna

April 26: Remnants of division move to Amstetten as small Kampfgruppe

May 1945: May 1: Unit moves to Enns-Steyr-Amstetten; surrenders to Americans at Steyr


References:


"LA HOHENSTAUFEN: 9. SS Panzer Division 1944 Normandy, Tarnapol, Arnhem"

"In the Firestorm of the Last Years of the War, II. SS-Panzerkorps with the 9. and 10. SS-Divisions "Hohenstaufen" and "Frundsberg"

"Hohenstaufen: 9th SS Panzer Division"