| 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS |
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| Active | 1943 - 1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | Adolf Hitler |
| Branch | Waffen SS |
| Type | Panzergrenadier |
| Size | Division |
The 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS was a Panzergrenadier formation of the Waffen-SS during World War II.
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Formed in November 1943 when Volksdeutsche recruits were added to the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS, which was used as the cadre in the formation of the new division. The majority of the recruits were from Norway.
A Kampfgruppe ("combat group") from the division fought at the Anzio beachhead, while the rest of the division took part in the occupation of Hungary. It fought in Italy as a division from May 1944, until being transferred to Hungary in February 1945. In late summer 1944, while retreating towards the Gothic Line positions in the Appennini mountains, some units of this division committed atrocities against civilians in Sant'Anna di Stazzema and Marzabotto. A Kampfgruppe of the 16th Training and Replacement Battalion was based in Arnhem and took part in Operation Market Garden.
The division surrendered to British forces near Klagenfurt, Austria at the end of the war.[1]