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The 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (German: 3. SS-Panzerdivision "Totenkopf") [1] was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the Standarten of the SS-TV. Its name, Totenkopf, is German for "death's head" – the skull and crossbones symbol – and it is thus sometimes referred to as the Death's ...
Eicke's men were fanatically loyal to him and to Germany. The men of Totenkopf fought fiercely throughout the campaign, suffering higher death rates than other German forces. [6] The Battle of France was SS Division Totenkopf ' s first major engagement of the Second World War. The division, part of the reserves of Army Group A, was called to ...
SS-Totenkopf-Infanterie-Regiment, [56] and assigned to the Totenkopf Division 10/39. 2nd TK-Standarte 'Brandenburg'. Formed 1937 at Oranienburg. During the Polish invasion conducted so-called "security operations" behind the lines, which were operations of terrorizing and murdering the Polish civilian population. [26] Redesignated 2.
The eponymous Dirlewanger Brigade was led by World War I veteran and habitual offender, Oskar Dirlewanger, [12] considered an amoral violent alcoholic who was claimed to have possessed a sadistic sexual fetish and a barbaric nature; [14] he has been described as "the most evil man" in the SS and possibly the most sadistic commander of the Second World War.
The SS Wachsturmbann "Eimann" was set up in early June 1939 in Danzig by then SS-Sturmbannführer Kurt Eimann and was considered as an armed reserve of the Danzig SS-Standarte 36. It was used also in the Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) areas of the pre-war Polish Pomeranian Voivodeship , in order to induce ethnic Germans to join the SS ...
The SS Cavalry Brigade was based on the SS Totenkopf Horse Regiment, which was raised in September 1939, for police and security duties in Poland, under the command of Hermann Fegelein. [1] By April 1940, it consisted of 8 Saber Squadrons, 9th Replacement, 10th Heavy and 11th Technical Squadrons and a 12th Horse Battery of four 80mm guns.
The 2nd SS Infantry Brigade (mot.) (German: 2.SS-Infanterie-Brigade) was formed on the 15 May 1941, under the command of Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld with the 4th and 5th SS Infantry (formerly Totenkopf) Regiments and began its operational service in September in the Army Group North Rear Area, under which command it would spend its entire existence.
This unit grew into the Schutzstaffel (SS), which continued to use the Totenkopf as insignia throughout its history. According to a writing by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the Totenkopf had the following meaning: The Skull is the reminder that you shall always be willing to put your self at stake for the life of the whole community. [10]