6th SS Mountain Division Nord
Encyclopedia
The 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" was a German
unit of the Waffen SS during World War II
, formed in February 1941 as SS Kampfgruppe Nord (SS Battle Group North).
The Division was the only Waffen SS unit to fight in the Arctic Circle
when it was stationed in Finland
and northern Russia
between June and November 1941. It fought in Karelia
until the Finnish armistice in September 1944 when it marched on foot 1,600 km through Finland
and Norway
. It arrived in Denmark
in December and then transferred to western Germany. It fought in the Nordwind
offensive in January 1945, where it suffered heavy losses and surrendered to the American forces in Austria
at the end of the war.
Their logo features the Hagal (Armanen rune)
.
and the surrender of Norway
, Adolf Hitler
did not want units of the Wehrmacht
(regular army) to guard the new border between occupied Norway and the Soviet Union
so he decided to send units of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
(SS-Death's Head Units) formed from concentration camp guards.
The first unit to assemble in Kirkenes
, was the SS Battalion Reitz, named after their commander Obersturmbannführer
Wilhelm Reitz. The SS 9th "Totenkopf" Regiment
, led by Obersturmbannführer Ernst Deutsch
soon followed.
They were joined in the Spring of 1941, by the SS 6th and 7th Regiments and moved into positions at Salla
in Northern Finland
. The formation was well equipped but barely trained, and the commanding General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
did not trust their fighting ability.
The formation was in position on the Norwegian–Finnish border by late June and as the invasion of the Soviet Union
(Operation Barbarossa
) started they were committed to the attack, in Operation Arctic Fox
.
Involved in the battle at Salla
, against strong Soviet forces they suffered 300 killed and 400 wounded in the first two days of the invasion.
The battle at Salla was a disaster: the thick forests and heavy smoke from forest fires disoriented the troops, and the units completely fell apart.
The Brigade got a new unit attached, SS Gebirgsjäger
(Mountain) Artillery Regiment 6, and was now designated as a Division, the SS Division "Nord". In September 1941 SS Division "Nord" was attached to the Finnish III Corps
under Finnish General Hjalmar Siilasvuo
(this was the only time that an SS Division was under the command of a non-German officer), and took up new positions at Louhi
, Kiestinki.
By the end of 1941, it had suffered severe casualties. Over the winter of 1941–42 it received replacements from the general pool of Waffen SS recruits, supposedly younger and better trained than the SS men of the original formation.
. In September 1942, the unit was remnamed the SS Gebirgs-Division "Nord" (SS Mountain Division "Nord") and in October 1943 became the 6th SS Gebirgs-Division "Nord".
, Norway, where it entrained for the southern end of the country. The Norwegian Skil-Battalion unit was then left behind, in accordance with their contracts. They were merged into "SS-und-Schi-Jäger-Polizei-Battalion 506 (mot.) with app. 50% men from different German Police units in South Norway.
The rest of the Division headed for Germany,
After crossing the Skagerrak
in a naval convoy, the division briefly refitted in Denmark. The Division's losses were replaced for the greater part of young Volksdeutsche
(ethnic Germans) who had received only a brief training and had not volunteered but been drafted to the Waffen SS in the normal conscription procedure. Their fighting value was therefore correspondingly lower than had been the case with the former personnel and naturally lowered the combat abilities of the entire division.
The division was slated for participation in the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge
, but did not assemble in Aarhus, Denmark, until 20 December, several days after the attack had already begun.
Instead, the division was allotted to Operation Nordwind
in the Low Vosges
mountains of southeastern France. Arriving at the front lines just before New Year’s Day. Nord was the largest German division involved in Nordwind, and it had young and fit personnel compared to regular Army outfits. By 2 January, part of the division (SS Gebirgs Regiment 12 and 506th Battalion) went into action against the U.S. 45th Infantry Division
, attached to 361st Volksgrenadier
Division. For six days the SS men fought in and around the town of Wingen
, finally being pushed back by the Americans with most of the battle group killed or captured.
On 16 January, the SS Gebirgs Regiment 11 surrounded six companies of the American 157th Infantry Regiment. The Americans were forced to surrender three days later, losing 482 men. The Nord advanced for four more days before being stopped by American counterattacks.
The Division remained on the western front after the Nordwind offensive, fighting the Americans around Trier
and Koblenz
on the Moselle River in March before going into 7th Army's reserve in April. By this point the division had lost most of its heavy weapons (officially to fuel shortages) and was grossly understrength. In May 1945, the unit's survivors surrendered to the Americans in Austria
.
Collar Patches:
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...
unit of the Waffen SS 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...
, formed in February 1941 as SS Kampfgruppe Nord (SS Battle Group North).
The Division was the only Waffen SS unit to fight in the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
when it was stationed in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and northern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
between June and November 1941. It fought in Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
until the Finnish armistice in September 1944 when it marched on foot 1,600 km through Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It arrived in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in December and then transferred to western Germany. It fought in the 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:...
offensive in January 1945, where it suffered heavy losses and surrendered to the American forces in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
at the end of the war.
Their logo features the Hagal (Armanen rune)
Hagal (Armanen rune)
Hagal is the 7th rune of Armanen Futharkh of Guido von List, derived from the Younger Futhark Hagal rune .Hagal is the "mother rune" of the Armanen system and also seen as such by List's contemporaries Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels, Adolf Schleipfer, Peryt Shou, Siegfried Adolf Kummer, Rudolf John...
.
Formation
After the Norwegian CampaignNorwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
and the surrender of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
did not want units of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(regular army) to guard the new border between occupied Norway and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
so he decided to send units of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
(SS-Death's Head Units) formed from concentration camp guards.
The first unit to assemble in Kirkenes
Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
, was the SS Battalion Reitz, named after their commander Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
Wilhelm Reitz. The SS 9th "Totenkopf" Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, led by Obersturmbannführer Ernst Deutsch
Ernst Deutsch
Ernst Deutsch aka Ernest Dorian was an Austrian actor. In 1916 he played the protagonist in the world première of Walter Hasenclever's Expressionist play The Son in Dresden to great acclaim...
soon followed.
They were joined in the Spring of 1941, by the SS 6th and 7th Regiments and moved into positions at Salla
Salla
Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
in Northern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The formation was well equipped but barely trained, and the commanding General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was a German General who planned Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940...
did not trust their fighting ability.
Operation Barbarossa
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
) started they were committed to the attack, in Operation Arctic Fox
Operation Arctic Fox
Operation Arctic Fox was the codename given to a campaign by German and Finnish forces during World War II against Soviet Northern Front defences at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The Operation was part of a larger Operation called Operation Silver Fox which aimed in capturing the vital port of...
.
Involved in the battle at Salla
Salla
Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, against strong Soviet forces they suffered 300 killed and 400 wounded in the first two days of the invasion.
The battle at Salla was a disaster: the thick forests and heavy smoke from forest fires disoriented the troops, and the units completely fell apart.
The Brigade got a new unit attached, SS Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
(Mountain) Artillery Regiment 6, and was now designated as a Division, the SS Division "Nord". In September 1941 SS Division "Nord" was attached to the Finnish III Corps
Finnish III Corps (Continuation War)
The III Corps was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War.The III Corps was responsible for the area stretching from the German XXXVI Corps in Lapland to the 14th Division near Rukajärvi....
under Finnish General Hjalmar Siilasvuo
Hjalmar Siilasvuo
Hjalmar Fridolf Siilasvuo was a Finnish general who led troops in the Winter War, Continuation War and Lapland War...
(this was the only time that an SS Division was under the command of a non-German officer), and took up new positions at Louhi
Louhi
Louhi is a queen of the land known as Pohjola in Finnish mythology and the mythology of Lapland.-In mythology:Louhi is described as a powerful witch with the ability to change shape and weave mighty enchantments. She is also the main opponent of Väinämöinen and his group in the battle for the...
, Kiestinki.
By the end of 1941, it had suffered severe casualties. Over the winter of 1941–42 it received replacements from the general pool of Waffen SS recruits, supposedly younger and better trained than the SS men of the original formation.
1942/1943
The rebuilt Division was called into action against the Soviet spring offensive in 1942 and this time managed to hold its lines. Throughout the rest of 1942 and through 1943 it remained on the Kestenga front, which was quiet compared to other areas of the Eastern FrontEastern 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 September 1942, the unit was remnamed the SS Gebirgs-Division "Nord" (SS Mountain Division "Nord") and in October 1943 became the 6th SS Gebirgs-Division "Nord".
1944/1945
In the Soviet summer offensive the division held its lines in heavy fighting until it was ordered to withdraw from Finland, upon the conclusion of a separate armistice between the Finns and the Soviets in September 1944. The 6th SS Mountain Division then formed the rear guard for the three German corps withdrawing from Finland in Operation Birch and from September to November 1944 marched 1,600 kilometers to Mo i RanaMo i Rana
Mo i Rana is a town in the municipality of Rana, Nordland, Norway, located just south of the Arctic Circle and in the region Helgeland. The town is called "Mo i Rana" to distinquish it from other places named Mo - most notably the town of Mosjøen, also in Helgeland - though locally the town is...
, Norway, where it entrained for the southern end of the country. The Norwegian Skil-Battalion unit was then left behind, in accordance with their contracts. They were merged into "SS-und-Schi-Jäger-Polizei-Battalion 506 (mot.) with app. 50% men from different German Police units in South Norway.
The rest of the Division headed for Germany,
After crossing the Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
in a naval convoy, the division briefly refitted in Denmark. The Division's losses were replaced for the greater part of young Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
(ethnic Germans) who had received only a brief training and had not volunteered but been drafted to the Waffen SS in the normal conscription procedure. Their fighting value was therefore correspondingly lower than had been the case with the former personnel and naturally lowered the combat abilities of the entire division.
The division was slated for participation in the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, but did not assemble in Aarhus, Denmark, until 20 December, several days after the attack had already begun.
Instead, the division was allotted to 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:...
in the Low Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
mountains of southeastern France. Arriving at the front lines just before New Year’s Day. Nord was the largest German division involved in Nordwind, and it had young and fit personnel compared to regular Army outfits. By 2 January, part of the division (SS Gebirgs Regiment 12 and 506th Battalion) went into action against the U.S. 45th Infantry Division
U.S. 45th Infantry Division
The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. As a major formation of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, it was headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for most of its history...
, attached to 361st Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
Division. For six days the SS men fought in and around the town of Wingen
Wingen
Wingen may refer to:* Wingen, New South Wales in Australia* Wingen, Bas-Rhin, in the arrondissement of Wissembourg in the communes of the Bas-Rhin department in France* Wingen-sur-Moder, a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace...
, finally being pushed back by the Americans with most of the battle group killed or captured.
On 16 January, the SS Gebirgs Regiment 11 surrounded six companies of the American 157th Infantry Regiment. The Americans were forced to surrender three days later, losing 482 men. The Nord advanced for four more days before being stopped by American counterattacks.
The Division remained on the western front after the Nordwind offensive, fighting the Americans around Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
and Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
on the Moselle River in March before going into 7th Army's reserve in April. By this point the division had lost most of its heavy weapons (officially to fuel shortages) and was grossly understrength. In May 1945, the unit's survivors surrendered to the Americans in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Names used
- SS-Kampfgruppe Nord (February 1941 – September 1941)
- SS-Division Nord (September 1941 – September 1942)
- SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord (September 1942 – October 1943)
- 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord (October 1943 – May 1945)
Commanders
- BrigadeführerBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
Karl Herrmann, (28 February 1941 – 15 May 1941) - ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Karl-Maria DemelhuberKarl-Maria DemelhuberKarl-Maria Demelhuber was an Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS and a Heer officer who served in both World War I and II. During World War II, Demelhuber commanded the SS-Standarte Germania, 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord, XII. SS-Armeekorps and XVI. SS-Armeekorps...
, (15 May 1941 – 1 April 1942) - ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
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 April 1942 – 20 April 1942) - OberführerOberführerOberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
Hans Scheider, (20 April 1942 – 14 June 1942) - ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
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,...
(14 June 1942 – 15 January 1943) - GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Lothar DebesLothar DebesSS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Lothar Debes was German, Heer and Waffen-SS, officer who served in both World War I and World War II. In World War II, Debes commanded the 6...
, (15 January 1943 – 14 June 1944) - ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger, (14 June 1944 – 23 August 1944) - BrigadeführerBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
Gustav LombardGustav LombardGustav Lombard was an SS Brigadeführer who served in World War II. During World War II, Lombard commanded the 8. SS-Division Florian Geyer, 23. SS-Mountain Division Kama and the 31. SS-Volunteer Grenadier Division...
,(23 August 1944 – 1 September 1944) - GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Karl Brenner, (1 September 1944 – 3 April 1945) - StandartenführerStandartenführerStandartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
Franz SchreiberFranz SchreiberFranz Schreiber was a Standartenführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.Franz Schreiber was born in Dresden on...
, (3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945)
Area of operations
- Germany (February 1941 – June 1941)
- Finland & northern Russia (June 1941 – November 1944)
- Norway & Denmark (November 1944 – January 1945)
- Western Germany (January 1945 – April 1945)
- Austria (April 1945 – May 1945)
Manpower strength
- June 1941: 10.373
- December 1942: 21.247
- December 1943: 20.129
- June 1944: 19.355
- December 1944: 15.000
Order of battle
- Division staff
- SS GebirgsjägerGebirgsjägerGebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
(Mountain) Regiment 11 "Reinhard Heydrich" - SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment 12 "Michael Gaissmair"
- SS Gebirgs Artillery Regiment 6
- SS SturmgeschützSturmgeschützSturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
(Assault Gun) Battery 6 - SS Infanterie Regiment (mot) 5
- SS Infanterie Regiment 9 (until 1943)
- SS Schützen (Rifle) Battalion (mot) 6
- SS Gebirgs PanzerjägerPanzerjägerPanzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
(Tank Hunter) Battalion 6 - SS Skijäger-Batallon "Norwegen" (Succeeded the Skicompany from 1943. Mostly Norwegian volunteers)
- SS Flak Battalion 6
- SS Gebirgs Signals Battalion (mot) 6
- SS Gebirgs Reconnaissance Battalion (mot) 6
- SS Gebirgs Pionier Battalion 6
- SS Dina 6
- SS Bekleidungs-instandsetzung (clothing repair) Company 6
- SS Medical Company 6
- SS Veterinary Company 6
- SS War Reporter platoon 6
- SS FeldgendarmerieFeldgendarmerieThe Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
(Military Police) Troop 6 - 2 Political Company (consisted of Norwegian volunteers, subordinated to AA6 for short periods)
- 3 SS Police & SS Company (consisted of Norwegian volunteers, replaced the destroyed 3./Skijegerbataljon June 1944)
See also
- List of Knight's Cross Recipients 6th SS Gebirgs Division Nord
- Black EdelweissBlack EdelweissBlack Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS is a book by Johann Voss detailing the experiences of a soldier in the Waffen-SS....
Further reading
- Roger James Bender & Hugh Page Taylor - Uniforms, Organization and History of the Waffen-SS, vol 2
- Terry Goldsworthy - Valhalla's Warriors: A history of the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front 1941–1945
- James Lucas - Hitler's Mountain Troops: Fighting at the extremes
- Marc J. Rikmenspoel - Waffen-SS Encyclopedia
- George H. Stein - The Waffen-SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War 1939–1945
- Gordon Williamson - German Mountain & Ski Troops 1939-45
- Gordon Williamson - The Waffen-SS: 6. to 10. Divisions
- Massimiliano Afiero - Nord: La prima divisione da montagna delle Waffen SS
- Franz Schreiber - Kampf Unter Dem Nordlicht
- Alfred Steurich - Gebirgsjäger im Bild: 6.SS-Gebirgsdivision Nord 1940–1945
- Johann Voss - Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS
- Wolf. T. Zoepf - Seven Days in January: With the 6th SS-Mountain Division in Operation Nordwind
External links
- 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord" at Feldgrau.com.
- 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord at Axis History Factbook.
- Baptism in the Northwoods: SS-Kampfgruppe Nord at Salla, 1941 at Panzerkeil.orbat.com
- 12. SS-Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment re-enactors from Finland.
- 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord" re-enactors from US.
Insignia
Vehicle Insignia:- The "Hagelrune", literally, "HailHailHail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
Rune a stylized Life/Death rune, like a combined "x" and "i;"
Collar Patches:
- Standard Waffen-SS collar patches; possible use of "Hagelrune" collar patch.
- "Reinhard Heydrich" cuffband introduced 1943 for 11th Regiment
- "Michael Gaißmair" cuffband given to 12th Regiment, 1944