| 18th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Horst Wessel | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1944–1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | Adolf Hitler |
| Branch | Waffen SS |
| Type | Panzergrenadier |
| Size | Division |
The 18th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Horst Wessel was formed in 1944 around a cadre from the 1 SS Infantry Brigade and included mainly Hungarian ethnic Germans or Volksdeutsche (Volksdeutsche is a historical term which arose in the early 20th century to apply to Germans living outside of the German Empire). It was used for anti-partisan duties until it was sent to the Eastern front, with the exception of one regiment that fought the Slovak National Uprising in August 1944. It later fought as a single unit in Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia where it was destroyed.
The Division was named after the SA or (Sturmabteilung) hero Horst Wessel, a German Nazi known for being the author of lyrics to the song "Die Fahne hoch" (Horst Wessel Lied) and for being glorified by the Nazi regime as a martyr of the early years of the Nazi party.
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