Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Order of Battle
Encyclopedia
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) was founded in September 1933 as Adolf Hitler
's personal Bodyguard
formation. It was given the title Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) in November, 1933. On 13 April 1934, by order of Himmler, the regiment
became known as the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). In 1939 the LSSAH became a separate unit of the Waffen-SS
aside the SS-TV
and the SS-VT
.
The LSSAH independently participated in combat during the Invasion of Poland (1939)
. Elements of the LSSAH later joined the SS-VT
prior to Operation Barbarossa
in 1941 and by the end of World War II
they had been increased in size from a Regiment to a Panzer Division.
Note a SS Panzer Regiment had two Panzer Battalions and a SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment had three Pz-Gren Battalions
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...
's personal Bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
formation. It was given the title Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) in November, 1933. On 13 April 1934, by order of Himmler, the 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...
became known as the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). In 1939 the LSSAH became a separate unit of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
aside the SS-TV
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
and the SS-VT
SS-Verfügungstruppe
The SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP. By 1940 these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS....
.
The LSSAH independently participated in combat during the Invasion of Poland (1939)
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. Elements of the LSSAH later joined the SS-VT
SS-Verfügungstruppe
The SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP. By 1940 these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS....
prior to 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...
in 1941 and by the end of 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...
they had been increased in size from a Regiment to a Panzer Division.
Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler November 1933
- 1st Battalion
- 1st Company
- 2nd Company
- Machine Gun Company
- 2nd Battalion
- 1st Company
- 2nd Company
- Motor Company
Infantry Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler September 1939
- Regimental Headquarters (Josef Dietrich)
- 1st Infantry Battalion
- 1st Company
- 2nd Company
- 3rd Company
- 4th (MG) Company
- 2nd Infantry Battalion
- 5th Company
- 6th Company
- 7th Company
- 8th (MG) Company
- 3rd Infantry Battalion
- 9th Company
- 10th Company
- 11th Company
- 12th (MG) Company
- PanzerabwehrkanonePanzerabwehrkanonePanzerabwehrkanone:* 3.7 cm PaK 36* 7.62 cm PaK 36* 5 cm PaK 38* 7.5 cm PaK 97/38* 7.5 cm PaK 40* 4.2 cm PaK 41* 7.5 cm PaK 41* 8.8 cm PaK 43* 12.8 cm PaK 44...
Company (Kurt MeyerKurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)Kurt Meyer, nicknamed "Panzermeyer", served as an officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. He saw action in many major battles, including the Invasion of France, Operation Barbarossa, and the Battle of Normandy.Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and...
) - Reconnaissance Company
- Motor Cycle Company
- Engineer Company
- Signals Company
- Artillery Battalion
- 4th Wach Battalion (Ceremonial and Guard Duties)
Infantry Regiment (mot) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler—April 1941
(Brigade size formation)- Regimental Headquarters Staff (Josef Dietrich)
- 1st SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Fritz WittFritz WittFritz Witt was a German Waffen-SS officer who served with the 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler before taking command of the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend...
) - 2nd SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Theodor WischTheodor WischTheodor Peter Johann Wisch was a German Waffen-SS general and a commander of 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler during World War II. He held the rank of SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. He was also a winner of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub...
) - 3rd SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Weidenhaupt))
- 4th SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Jahnke)
- 5th SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Van Bibber)
- SS Heavy Infantry Battalion (mot) LSSAH: (SS-Sturmbannführer Steineck)
- SS Anti-aircraft Battalion 1 LSSAH': (Bernhard KrauseBernhard KrauseBernhard Krause was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. Who 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.-Early life:Bernhard Krause was...
) - SS Assault gun (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...
) Battalion 1LSSAH: (Georg SchönbergerGeorg SchönbergerGeorg Schönberger was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.During Operation Marita Schönberger was in command of the Sturmgeschütz Battalion LSSAH....
) - SS Engineer Battalion 1 LSSAH (Christian HansenChristian HansenChristian Marius Hansen was a Danish gymnast who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Danish team, which finished fourth in the gymnastics team event in 1908....
) - SS Reconnaissance Battalion 1 LSSAH: (Kurt MeyerKurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)Kurt Meyer, nicknamed "Panzermeyer", served as an officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. He saw action in many major battles, including the Invasion of France, Operation Barbarossa, and the Battle of Normandy.Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and...
)
1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - Normandy 1944
- Divisional Headquarters Staff (Wilhelm MohnkeWilhelm MohnkeSS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Staff Guard "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, Mohnke rose to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.Mohnke saw action with the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in France, Poland...
) - 1st SS Panzer Regiment (Joachim PeiperJoachim PeiperJoachim Peiper , more often known as Jochen Peiper, was a field officer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, convicted of war crimes in Belgium and accused of war crimes in Italy. He was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's personal adjutant . In 1945, he was an SS-Standartenführer, the Waffen-SS's...
)- I/1st Panzer Battalion (67x PanthersPanther tankPanther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
) - II/1st Panzer Battalion (103x Panzer IVsPanzer IVThe Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
)
- I/1st Panzer Battalion (67x Panthers
- 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (Albert FreyAlbert Frey (SS officer)Albert Frey was a Standartenführer in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. He was born on 16 February 1913 in Heidelberg, the son of a master baker...
)- I/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- II/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- III/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (Rudolf SandigRudolf SandigRudolf Sandig was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.He was born on the 11 September 1911 in Eppendorf, Saxony...
)- I/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- II/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- III/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
- 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion (Gustav KnittelGustav KnittelGustav Knittel was an SS-Sturmbannführer in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and a convicted war criminal.- Early life :...
)
- 1st SS Sturmgeschütz Battalion (45x Sturmgeschütz IIISturmgeschütz IIIThe Sturmgeschütz III assault gun was Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank...
)(Heinrich HeimannHeinrich HeimannIn the end Heinrich Heimann was a Sturmbannführer in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.He was the commander of Sturmgeschütz , Abteilung of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler when he was awarded the Knight's Cross on the 23 February 1944.In August 1944 he was killed...
)
- 1st SS Artillery Regiment (Franz Steineck)
- 1st SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Wespe BtyWespeThe SdKfz 124 Wespe , also known as Leichte Feldhaubitze 18 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II , was a German self-propelled artillery vehicle developed and used during the Second World War...
,1x 150mm Hummel BtyHummel (artillery)The Hummel was a self-propelled artillery gun based on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis, armed with a 15 cm howitzer. It was used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War from late 1942 until the end of the war....
) - 2nd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Bty [towed])
- 3rd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 150mm Bty [towed],1x 100mm Kanon Bty [towed])
- 1st SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Wespe Bty
- 1st SS Werfer RegimentNebelwerferThe Nebelwerfer was a World War II German series of weapons originally designed to deliver chemical weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called Chemical Troops ...
(Klaus Besch) (3x 150mm Bty [towed])
- 1st SS Anti Aircraft Battalion (Hugo Ullerich) (3x 88 mm guns, 2x 37 mm guns3.7 cm FlaK 43The 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43 were series of anti-aircraft cannon produced by Nazi Germany, which saw widespread service in the Second World War. The cannon was fully automatic and effective against aircraft flying at altitudes up to 4200 meters. The cannon was produced in both towed and...
)
- 1st SS Panzer Pioneer Battalion (Gerd Steinert)
- 1st SS Panzer Signal Battalion (Eugene Metz)
- 1st SS Medical Battalion (Dr Liebrich)
- 1st SS Admin Battalion (Ostubannfuhrer Tauber)
- 1st SS Repair Battalion (Alfred Gilles)
- 1st SS Supply Battalion (Klaus Stamp)
Note a SS Panzer Regiment had two Panzer Battalions and a SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment had three Pz-Gren Battalions
See also
- 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerThe Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
- List of Knight's Cross holders 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
- Waffen-SSWaffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
- SchutzstaffelSchutzstaffelThe Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
External links
- 1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler at Feldgrau.com.
- 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler at Axis History Factbook.
- Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" - Waffen SS, miscellaneous photos and Information.
- 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte the premier LAH reenacting unit.