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The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich (German: 2. SS-Panzerdivision "Das Reich") or SS Division Das Reich was an armored division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II.
An SS Panzer Division (German: SS-Panzerdivision, short: SS-PzDiv) was a Waffen-SS formation during World War II. The table below shows the order of battle to which an SS panzer division aspired. [1]
All Waffen-SS divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type. [1] Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the higher-numbered units were divisions in name only, being in reality only small battlegroups ( Kampfgruppen ).
The 2nd SS Panzer Division ‘Das Reich’ was one of the most formidable units of the Waffen-SS, known for its combat prowess but also for its involvement in war crimes. Its history is a complex mix of military success and moral controversy.
SS (abbreviation of Schutzstaffel [German: ‘Protective Echelon’]), the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described ‘political soldiers’ of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in 1925 as a small personal bodyguard, the SS grew with the success of the Nazi movement and became virtually a state within a state.
The Leibstandarte or, to give its full name, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), was the first and is probably the most well-known of the seven premier Waffen-SS Panzer divisions.
The Das Reich SS Motorized Anti-Tank Battalion was stripped of all of its Marders and the command personnel and the organization were used to create a temporary panzer battalion for the leftover tanks.