| 4th SS Polizei Division | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the 4th SS Polizei Division |
|
| Active | 1939–1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | Adolf Hitler |
| Branch | Waffen SS |
| Type | Police Panzergrenadier |
| Role | Police anti-partisan |
| Size | Division |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch Alfred Wünnenberg |
The SS Polizei Division was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II.
The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei (uniformed national police). While all German police organizations were controlled by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chief of German Police in the Interior Ministry, they were not at this time considered part of the SS, nor was the Polizei-Division on a par with the true Waffen-SS Divisions. This status was reflected in the quality of the equipment they were issued[1] and their retention of police insignia and rank structure. The Division was transferred to the Waffen-SS in 1942, and after a variety of splits and reunions it was eventually upgraded to a Panzergrenadier division, the 4th SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier Division. It fought in France, Russia, Greece and Pomerania and finally surrendered to the Americans in May 1945.
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The Polizei Division was formed in October 1939, when 15,000 members of the Ordnungspolizei were drafted and placed together with artillery and signals units transferred from the Army. These men were not enrolled in the SS and remained policemen, retaining their Orpo rank structure and insignia. Himmler's purpose in forming the Division was twofold: in a period of heated bureaucratic infighting and competition for manpower, it permitted him to get around the recruitment caps the Wehrmacht had succeeded in placing on the SS, it also provided a means for his policemen to satisfy their military obligation and avoid Army conscription.[2]
The first commander was Generalleutnant der Polizei (Major-General) Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch, a career police commander who had been a General Staff officer during World War I; simultaneous with his appointment he was also commissioned as an SS-Gruppenführer. The Division was equipped largely with captured Czech materiel and underwent military training in the Black Forest combined with spells on internal security duties in Poland.[1]
The Division, at this time a straight 'leg' (infantry) formation with horse-drawn transport, was initially held in reserve with Army Group C in the Rhineland during the Battle of France until 9 June when it first saw combat during the crossing of the Aisne river and the Ardennes Canal.[1] The Division was engaged in heavy fighting and after securing its objectives, moved to the Argonne Forest, where it came into contact with the French and fought a number of actions with their rear guard.[1] In late June 1940, the Division was pulled out of combat and transferred to the reserve of Army Group North in East Prussia. [3]
In January 1941, administrative responsibility for the division passed from the police to the SS-Führungshauptamt, the materiel and training headquarters of the Waffen-SS;[1] its personnel however, remained policemen, not members of the SS.
During the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), the Polizei Division was initially part of the reserve with Army Group North.[1] In August 1941, the Division saw action near Luga. It was during heavy fighting for the Luga bridgehead (held by seven Soviet Divisions[4] ), that the Polizei Division lost over 2,000 soldiers including the commander, Arthur Mülverstadt, in bloody frontal assaults.[1] The fighting across swamp and forest caused a number of problems and after a series of failed attacks the Polizei Division, along with the help of Army formations, managed to fight into the northern part of Luga, encircling and destroying the Soviet defenders in the process.[1]
In January 1942, the division was moved to the Volkhov River sector, and on 24 February it was transferred to the Waffen-SS; its personnel changing their Police insignia to that of the SS. [1]
The new Waffen-SS formation was involved in some heavy fighting between January and March which resulted in the destruction of the Soviet 2nd Shock Army.[1] The remainder of the year was spent on the Leningrad front.[1]
In February, 1943, the Division saw action south of Lake Ladoga and was involved in a number of Soviet offensives when it was forced to withdraw to a new defensive line at Kolpino where it was successful in holding the Red Army, despite suffering heavy casualties.[1]
It was at this point that units of the Division were transferred to the west to retrain and upgrade to a Panzergrenadier Division; leaving a small Kampfgruppe (battlegroup) in the east and a Dutch Volunteer Legion, the Niederland, to make up the numbers.[5] The Kampfgruppe was disbanded in May 1943, when the SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier Division was ready for action.[5]
The SS-Polizei Division did not return to the Soviet Union but was sent to the Balkans, where it undertook anti-partisan operations in northern Greece.[5] The Gestapo recorded that the Division was involved in war crimes during this time and involved in atrocities against the civilian population of Klissura.[5] and at the village of Distomo in what became known as the Distomo massacre.[6]
The SS-Polizei remained in Greece until August 1944 before being recalled to face the advancing Red Army at Belgrade.[5] It was again involved in heavy fighting and suffered many losses. By September 1944, the Division was reduced to about half its strength and forced back into Slovenia[5]
The much reduced SS-Polizei Division was moved north to Pomerania where it saw more action attempting to hold the Soviets back. Moved to Danzig, it was trapped by the Red Army and after a dire battle it was shipped across the Hela Peninsula to Swinemünde.[5]
After a brief rest, what remained of the SS-Polizei Division fought its way across the Elbe river, surrendering to the Americans near Wittenberge-Lenzen.[5]
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