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.[1] On 13 April 1934, by order of Himmler, the regiment became known as the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH).[1] In 1939 the LSSAH became a separate unit of the Waffen-SS aside the SS-TV and the SS-VT.[2]

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.[3]

SS-Stabswache Berlin February 1933

117 Men under Sepp Dietrich

Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler November 1933

  • 1st Battalion
    • 1st Company
    • 2nd Company
    • Machine Gun Company
  • 2nd Battalion
    • 1st Company
    • 2nd Company
    • Motor Company [4]

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
  • Panzerabwehrkanone Company (Kurt Meyer)
  • Reconnaissance Company
  • Motor Cycle Company
  • Engineer Company
  • Signals Company
  • Artillery Battalion
  • 4th Wach Battalion (Ceremonial and Guard Duties) [5]

Infantry Regiment (mot) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler—April 1941

(Brigade size formation)

  • Regimental Headquarters Staff (Josef Dietrich)
  • 1st SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Fritz Witt)
  • 2nd SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Theodor Wisch)
  • 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 Krause)
  • SS Assault gun (Sturmgeschütz) Battalion 1LSSAH: (Georg Schönberger)
  • SS Engineer Battalion 1 LSSAH (Christian Hansen)
  • SS Reconnaissance Battalion 1 LSSAH: (Kurt Meyer)

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - Normandy 1944

Panther tank as used by I /1st SS Panzer Battalion, LSSAH
Panzer IV as used by II /1st SS Panzer Battalion,LSSAH
Sturmgesschutz (Assault gun) as used by 1st SS Assault Gun Battalion, LSSAH
  • Divisional Headquarters Staff (Theodor Wisch)
  • 1st SS Panzer Regiment (Joachim Peiper)
  • 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (Albert Frey)
    • I/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
    • II/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
    • III/1st SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
  • 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (Rudolf Sandig)
    • I/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
    • II/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
    • III/2nd SS Panzergrenadier Battalion
  • 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion (Gustav Knittel)
  • 1st SS Sturmgeschütz Battalion (45x Sturmgeschütz III)(Heinrich Heimann)
  • 1st SS Artillery Regiment (Franz Steineck)
    • 1st SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Wespe Bty ,1x 150mm Hummel Bty)
    • 2nd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Bty [towed])
    • 3rd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 150mm Bty [towed], 1x 100mm Kanon Bty [towed])
  • 1st SS Werfer Regiment (Klaus Besch) (3x 150mm Bty [towed])
  • 1st SS Anti Aircraft Battalion (Hugo Ullerich) (3x 88 mm guns, 2x 37 mm guns)
  • 1st SS Panzer Pioneer Battalion (Gerd Steinert)
  • 1st SS Panzer Signal Battalion (Eugene Metz)
  • 1st SS Medical Battalion (Dr Liebrich)
  • 1st SS Admin Battalion (Obersturmbannführer Paul 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.[6]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Cook, Stan & Bender, R. James. Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, R. James Bender Publishing, 1994, pp. 17, 19.
  2. ↑ Reynolds p. 6.
  3. ↑ Reynolds
  4. ↑ Reynolds p. 2.
  5. ↑ Reynolds p. 4.
  6. ↑ Reynolds, pp. 288 - 291.

Bibliography

  • Cook, Stan and Bender, Roger James. (1994). Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler: Uniforms, Organization, & History, San Jose, CA: R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 978-0-912138-55-8.
  • Reynolds, Michael (1997). Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy, Spellmount. ISBN 1-873376-90-1.
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