2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich in Combat

The 2nd SS Das Reich Division- Der Fuhrer Germania Deutschland units in brutal fighting on the Eastern Front. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich was a Waffen-SS division during World War II. It is considered to be an elite formation amongst the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS. In August 1939 Adolf Hitler placed the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the SS-Verfügungstruppe under the operational command of the OKH. Thus, at the outbreak of hostilities, there were four SS military regiments: Leibstandarte, Deutschland, Germania, and the new regiment from Austria, Der Führer,although Der Führer was not yet combat-ready. In October 1939 the Deutschland, Germania and Der Führer regiments were organized into the SS-Verfügungs Division and took part in the Campaigns in the West against the Low Countries and France in 1940, first seeing action in the main drive for the Dutch central front and Rotterdam. After Rotterdam had been captured, the Division, along with other divisions, intercepted a French force and forced them back to the area of Zeeland and Antwerp. They were next used to mop up small pockets of resistance in the areas already captured by the German advance. The Division was then transferred to France and helped breach a stiffly defended canal line, and then participated in the drive on Paris. At the end of the campaign, it had advanced all the way to the Spanish frontier.

During the period after the fall of France, the Division was stationed in France preparing for the invasion of England. The Germania regiment was then sent to be the cadre in the formation of a new division, SS Division Germania (later Wiking), and a replacement third regiment was transferred from the Totenkopfverbände (SS Regiment 11); the reorganized unit was re-equipped as a motorized division and renamed the SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) Reich. During the invasion of the Soviet Union, Reich fought with Army Group Center, taking part in the Battle of Yelnya near Smolensk, and then in the spearhead to capture Moscow. The war in the Soviet Union was going well but the cost to the Waffen SS was extreme, Reich had lost 60 percent of its strength and was still to take part in the Battle of Moscow, and was decimated in the following Soviet offensive; the Der Führer Regiment was reduced to 35 men out of the 2,000 that had started the campaign in June. With the Soviet capital in sight of the division, weather, massive losses and a major Soviet Winter Counter-Offensive pushed the division back. After a period of very bloody losses for the Division, Reich was pulled out of the fighting and sent to France to refit as a Panzer-Grenadier Division. Part of the division was left in the east, and they were titled Kampfgruppe Ostendorf. Ostendorf was to rejoin the division in June 1942.

In November 1942, portions of the division took part in an attempt to prevent the scuttling of the French Fleet at Toulon. Soon after, the division was retitled again, this time to SS-Panzer Grenadier-Division Das Reich.

After helping to recapture Kharkov, Das Reich, along with many other divisions, was thrown into a massive assault into the Kursk Salient, a huge bulge in the German front line around the area of Kursk and Byelgorod. Das Reich pushed upwards of 40 miles (approximately 64 kilometers)[citation needed] into the southern sector of the bulge, but was pulled out of the battle along with the other SS division when the offensive was called off. It was soon sent back to try to halt the Soviet counterattack Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev. Along with the 3rd SS Totenkopf, Das Reich launched an counterattack against two Soviet tank armies, which had achieved a significant breakthrough. During the following battles the two SS divisions destroyed much of the Soviet armor, up to 800 tanks.
The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. was honored with 69 Knight's Crosses, 151 German Crosses in Gold and 29 Honor Roll Clasp recipients. It also boasted three Swords and 10 Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross holders.

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[specops24th]

19 Dislikes...Damn HATERS! I already know who put such dislikes...JUDE!

[Samseal16]

May I ask, how do you know this is Das reich footage? I mean i can tell their SS, but there was some 30 divisions. Das reich is one of my favorite divisions, but in all my searching ive hardly seen any footage.

[EdelweissRS]

Ruhm und Ehre der Waffen SS! *****5*****

[specops24th]

@1488NSP That would be a sight to see...More discipline, brotherhood, and the sound of the marching again, would cause the Earth to shake with it's goosestep...Yeah!

[specops24th]

@DesignerOfTheWar Yeah, most of the most contested and brutal fighting was tasked to the SS soldiers. And none was more brutal then the Eastern Front, the heart of Soviet land. The Russian winter was horrible, as low as 40C-46C below, literally freezing people to death. Horrific indeed. But, somehow they fought in such conditions.

[specops24th]

@DesignerOfTheWar The SS was political soldiers, and political Army of Adolf Hitler. They fought well, and had proven themselves loyal to thee end. And followed orders without question, and the result was catastrophe. Things happen in war, and there are things no one can do to change the events, and that goes for any of the world's wars, then& now. They were the best fighting formation during WWII, and were placed in some of the most brutal fighting of WWII,especially on the Eastern Front.