Wachregiment Berlin
Kommando der Wachtruppe
Wachtruppe Berlin
Wach-Regiment Berlin
Infanterie-Regiment Großdeutschland (mot)
Infanterie-Division Großdeutschland (mot)
Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland
Panzer-Korps Großdeutschland
The Großdeutschland Division (lit. Greater Germany Division) was an élite Wehrmacht combat unit which saw action during World War II.
Großdeutschland is sometimes mistakenly perceived as being a part of the Waffen-SS, wheras it was actually a Heer unit. It was, along with the Panzer-Lehr division, the best equipped unit in the Wehrmacht, receiving equipment before all other units (including Waffen-SS units). The GD served in the campaigns in France and the Low Countries in 1940, then served exclusively on the Eastern Front. It was annihilated near Pillau in May 1945.
Creation and Early History - Wachregiment Berlin
After the Treaty of Versailles, Germany's armed forces (the Reichswehr), was limited to just 100,000 men.
The Weimar Republic was far from secure. Veterans were forming private groups with their own political agendas (see Freikorps for an example).
Communist and Fascist groups battled in the streets, and the threat of political overthrow was one to be taken seriously.
To offset the threat of revolution, the Wachregiment Berlin was founded in early 1921. Besides defending the fledgling republic, the Wachregiment was used for parades and guard duties in the capital.
The Wachregiment was short-lived, and was disbanded in June 1921. However, the unit was soon reformed as Kommando der Wachtruppe (lit. Headquarters Guard Troop), a unit with the same duties as the Wachregiment.
The Wachtruppe comprised seven companies, each drawn from one of the seven divisions permitted Germany by the treaty. Each company served for three months before returning to their parent division. In this way, the Wachtruppe represented the whole Reichswehr.
The Kommando was based at Moabit Barracks, and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the Kommando performed a changing of the guard ceremony for the public. This ceremony was quite modest, but on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays the entire Wachtruppe, accompanied by the regimental band, marched from the barracks through the Brandenburg Gate and to the War Memorial . This parade had all the pomp of the Buckingham Palace guard ceremonies.
The Wachtruppe was left in place by the NSDAP leadership after Adolf Hitler's election as Chancellor in 1933. In 1934, the unit was renamed Wachtruppe Berlin and in 1936 the addition of a headquarters and administration company raised the unit size was to eight companies.
In June 1937, the unit was again renamed, this time to Wach Regiment Berlin. The recruitment system was reworked, with postings no longer on divisional lines, but instead individual soldiers were posted to the unit for 6-month tours of duty. A supply company was also added to the Regiment's order of battle.
In World War One, Germany had been more of a political concept than a nation, and most divisions were still named for their region (e.g. Saxon, Prussian, Bavarian, Baden etc). Under the NSDAP, the country had been finally united as a true Deutschland, but this was only a part of the Party's plans for a Greater Germany, encompassing all Germanic peoples under one banner, and with its capital in Berlin, to be renamed [[Germania]] it was to become a Großdeutschland .
The Wach Regiment Berlin provided escorts and Guards of Honour for State Visits, Conferences and even the Olympic Games.
Despite the idea of Hitler's bodyguards being drawn from the SS, a small detachment was drawn from the Wach Regiment to become Hitler's private bodyguard. This unit was called the Führer Begleit (or Fuhrer Escort), and was to eventually be expanded to divisional size (see Fuhrer-Begleit Division ).
Großdeutschland - France and The Low Countries
In the months leading up to War, while the rest of the Wehrmacht marched into The Saarland, Austria and Czechoslovakia, the men of Wach Regiment Berlin marched up and down Unter der Linden Strasse every Sunday. However they were not to stay out of the front lines for long.
In the first week of 1939, Hitler ordered that the Wach Regiment be renamed Infanterie Regiment Großdeutschland. The unit was now to have a permanent cadre, and unlike other regiments of the Heer (which were raised from a particular region), the recruits of the Großdeutschland were to be drawn from across the nation. The unit was officially activated on 14 June 1939, and the occasion was marked by a parade through the streets of the capital.
The regiment was being reorganised in September 1939, so could not take part in Fall Weiss, a fact that dented the pride of the regiment which bore the name of the nation on their sleeves.
In May 1940, the Regiment was attached to Generalfeldmarschall Ewald von Kleist’s Panzergruppe Kleist.
The Regiment was in combat from the opening of Fall Gelb on 10 May 1940.
On the first day, the majority of the Großdeutschland regiment was attached to the 10th Panzer Division and engaged fighting its way through Luxembourg in an attempt to outflank southern Belgian fortifications. Meanwhile, III.Battalion was involved in an airborne attack further north in Belgium.
The regiment was then involved in the successful crossing of the Meuse river. Near the town of Stonne , the regiment was involved in heavy fighting with French armoured forces, and acquitted itself well.
The regiment then marched north towards Dunkirk, and was involved in defeating the British counterattack at Arras. Großdeutschland was then involved in holding the Dunkirk pocket, before being transferred south to join the attack across the Seine. The French surrender found the regiment in Lyon.
Naturally, the regiment returned to Paris to take part in the immense victory parade. The regiment was then sent north to Celsace in preparation for Operation Seelöwe.
After Seelöwe was called off, the regiment was moved to the South of France in preparation for Operation Feline , the planned invasion of Gibraltar.
Yugoslavia - Barbarossa
After the cancellation of Feline, the Großdeutschland was moved east to Romania to take part in the Yugoslav campaign then in progress. The regiment’s operations in this campaign were mostly pursuing the broken Yugoslav forces. I.Battalion was involved in the occupation of Belgrade, before the regiment was moved back north into Poland in preparation for Operation Barbarossa.
For the invasion of the Soviet Union, the regiment was attached to Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock’s Heeresgruppe Mitte. After crossing the border on 27 June 1941, the regiment was involved in the battles around Minsk and the creation of the Minsk pocket. Großdeutschland then crossed the Dnieper and advanced on Yelna , where it was involved in heavy fighting and suffered heavy losses. After the reduction of the Yelna salient, the regiment advanced again and took part in the Battle of Kiev. The end of the year saw Großdeutschland providing support to three Infantry divisions engaged holding the Oka river line near Orel.
The Soviet winter offensive cost the regiment dearly, and in early February the skeletal II.Battalion was dissolved and the survivors used to bolster the other battalions. Later in the month, the two Grenadier Battalions were reformed into a single under strength battalion. After over 9 months of heavy fighting, Großdeutschland was pulled out of the line and reinforced. The disbanded battalions were reinstated and the regiment was allowed a few weeks rest.
Großdeutschland Expands – 1942 – Fall of Kharkov
While resting and refitting near Orel, the Regiment received the news that it was to become Infanterie-Division Großdeutschland (mot). The existing Regiment was to be renamed Infanterie-Regiment Großdeutschland 1, to be joined in the Division with Infanterie-Regiment Großdeutschland 2, which had been formed in Berlin. Supporting units in the form of a Panzer battalion, an assault gun battalion and increased flak, artillery and engineers were added with the upgrade to divisional status.
Großdeutschland was assigned to XLVIII Panzerkorps during the opening phases of Fall Blau, the assault on Stalingrad. During the offensive, the division took part in the successful attacks to cross the upper Don river and to capture Voronezh. In August, the division was pulled back to the north bank of the Donets and held as a mobile reserve and fire-brigade counterattack force. After the Soviet Operation Uranus, the Division was involved in heavy winter fighting near Rzhev. The exhausted division then took part in Generaloberst Erich von Manstein’s abortive Winter Storm , the operation to relieve Stalingrad.
In January-February 1943, Großdeutschland and XLVIII Panzerkorps, along with II.SS Korps took part in the operations around Kharkov. The division fought alongside the 1.SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 2.SS Division Das Reich and 3.SS Division Totenkopf during these battles. After the fall of Kharkov, the Großdeutschland was pulled back and refitted. This included equipping the division with a company of Tiger 1s.
Kharkov – Kursk – Dnieper
The Großdeutschland took part in the 3rd Battle of Kharkov alongside II.SS Korps. The division captured the towns of Tomarovka and Bogodukhov before being pulled out of the campaign for rest and refit. In June, the division was redesignated as Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland and received a complement of SPWs for the grenadier regiments.
The division was attached to the IV.Panzer Armee of Generalmajor Hermann Hoth, and was to take a major role (again paired with the II.SS Korps) in Operation Citadel, the battles to sever the Kursk salient. During the buildup period, Großdeutschland was supplied with a battalion of new Panther ausf D tanks.
After the launch of Citadel, the division was heavily engaged in the fight to penetrate the southern flank of the salient. The new Panthers were a disaster, suffering from engine fires and many breaking down before reaching the battle. Despite this, the division fought on until it was pulled back to Tomarovka on 18 July 1943.
After the cancelled Kursk offensive, the division was transferred back to Heeresgruppe Mitte, and resumed its role as mobile reserve. It saw heavy fighting around Karachev before being transferred back to XLVIII Panzerkorps in late August. For the rest of the year, Großdeutschland was engaged in the fighting withdrawal from the eastern Ukraine, taking part in battles around Kharkov, Belgorod, and finally on the Dnieper. The division ended 1943 fighting strong enemy forces near Michurin-Rog , east of Krivoi-Rog .
East Prussia - Defeat
Großdeutschland continued fighting area of Krivoi-Rog early in January until it was transferred west for rest and reft. During this period, 1./Panzer Regiment 26 (Panther) was attached, again bolstering its strength.
Over the next months, the division continued moving from crisis-point to crisis-point across the front. The Großdeutschland Panzer Regiment saw action in the battles to releive the Cherkassy pocket. The rest of the the division was involved in heavy fighting from the Dniester to Northern Bessarabia. In May, the infantry and reconnaissance components of the division were equipped with SPWs and armoured vehicles. The Füsilier regiments were downsized from four battalions to three. The division was then sent back to the front, where it was involved in the fighting around Podul. After a brief rest in early July, the division was again committed to heavy fighting in northern Romania.
In late July, the division was transferred to East Prussia. Over the next months, Großdeutschland was involved in heavy fighting in both East Prussia and the Baltic States, suffering immense casualties in both men and materiel. The division was virtually anihilated during the battles in the Memel bridgehead. In November 1944, while the division retained its status as a Panzergrenadier division, several attached units were expanded to divisional status, and the Panzerkorps Großdeutschland was formed.
The Corps was made up primarily of two Divisions - Großdeutschland and the Brandenburg Division, which had a lineage which was strongly linked to the Großdeutschland.
By March 1945, Großdeutschland had been reduced to around 4,000 men. These escaped by ferry from the collapsing Memel bridgehead. They landed at Pillau and were put straight back into combat. By 25 April 1945, the division ceased to exist, having been completely destroyed in the battles around Pillau. The few survivors made their way to Schleswig-Holstein and surrendered to British forces.
Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark had been created out of Großdeutschland remnants in early 1945 and had fought throughout the last months of the war. Men of both the Brandenburg and Kurmark units were entitled to wear Großdeutschland insignia.
Großdeutschland Insignia
As a celebration of their elite status, the Großdeutschland was permitted to wear unique insignia. An intertwined GD was displayed on the shoulder straps, and a cuff title, of the type granted to Waffen-SS units, was also distributed. The original version, which was silver writing on a green background left the unit unimpressed. Silver on green was the same colour of the Postal Service’s cuff title. In 1940, a new cuff title, this one silver on black (like the SS) was greeted happily. The cuff titles may be one reason that the Großdeutschland is often mistakenly identified as Waffen-SS formation.
To distinguish between the two, the Großdeutschland was ordered to wear their cuff title on the right sleeve, while the SS wore theirs on the left.
References
The unit became known in the West through the book The Forgotten Soldier, by the Alsatian veteran Guy Sajer (a pseudonym), who served as a volunteer. The book was first published in 1967 in France as Le Soldat Oublié. While the historical accuracy of Sajer's autobiographical work has been questioned, it nevertheless offers a vivid and moving account of the horrors of war on the Eastern Front.
Orders of Battle
Infanterie Regiment Grossdeutschland - March 1942
Stab der Regiment
- First Battalion (I./Inf Rgt Grossdeutschland)
- 1.Kompanie
- 2.Kompanie
- 3.Kompanie
- 4.(MG) Kompanie
- Schwere Kompanie
- Second Battalion (II./Inf Rgt Grossdeutschland)
- 5.Kompanie
- 6.Kompanie
- 7.Kompanie
- 8.(MG) Kompanie
- Schwere Kompanie
- Third Battalion (III./Inf Rgt Grossdeutschland)
- 9.Kompanie
- 10.Kompanie
- 11.Kompanie
- 12.(MG) Kompanie
- Schwere Kompanie
- Fourth Battalion (IV./Inf Rgt Grossdeutschland)
- 13.(Light Infantry Gun) Kompanie
- 14.(Panzerjäger) Kompanie
- 15.(Heavy Infantry Gun) Kompanie
- 16.(Sturmgeschütz) Kompanie
- Fifth Battalion (V./Inf Rgt Grossdeutschland)
- 17.(Aufklärungs) Kompanie
- 18.(Pionier) Kompanie
- 19.(Nachrichten) Kompanie
- 20.(FlaK) Kompanie
- Artillery Battalion 400
- Supply Column 400
- Workshop Company
Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland October 1943
- Stab der Division
- Grenadier-Regiment Großdeutschland
- Füsilier-Regiment Großdeutschland
- Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment Großdeutschland
- Heeres-FlaKartillerie Abteilung Großdeutschland
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung Großdeutschland
- Panzer-Aufklärungs AbteilungGroßdeutschland
- Panzer-Regiment Großdeutschland
- Sturmpionier-Battalion Großdeutschland
- Sturmgeschütz-Battalion Großdeutschland
- Nachrichten-Battalion Großdeutschland
- Medical Battalion Großdeutschland
Bibliography
- Spaeter, Helmut (1990). Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland: A Pictorial History. USA : Schiffer Books. ISBN 0887402453.
- Jung, Hans Joachim (c1990s). The History of Panzerregiment "Grossdeutschland". Winnipeg, Canada : J.J. Fedorowicz. ISBN 0921991517.
