9th SS Panzer Division
The 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, or SS-Panzergrenadierdivision 9., was a World War II Waffen-SS German armored division which fought both on the Eastern and Western Fronts. It was formed on December 31, 1942, and first saw combat action in March 1944, on the Eastern Front, when it was sent into the attack near the town of Tarnopol to attempt to link up with the 1st Panzer Army, which had been trapped near Kamenets Podolsky in Ukraine, by the Soviet forces.
In March and April, 1944, the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen fought under horrible conditions caused by the mud season. However, the division managed to punch a hole in the Soviet line and they were able to link up with the 1st Panzer Army near the town of Buczacz, securing a breakthrough, by which the Panzer Army of General Hans-Valentin Hube saved most of the manpower. The Hohenstaufen suffered heavy casualties during these clashes, and in late April it was temporarily pulled out of the front for refitting and reinforcement.
In June 1944, the SS Hohenstaufen would be transferred to Normandy to fight against the Allied forces. Being part of the II SS Panzer Corps, their men were involved in fierce fighting against British forces in the area around Caen in July 1944. Then it was sent to Arnhem in September 1944, to be refitted. As part of the 6th SS Panzer Army, the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen also took part in the Ardennes counteroffensive between December 1944 and January 1945. In February, 1945, it was transferred to Hungary, participating in the fighting to the west of Budapest in February and March. On May 5 the SS Hohenstaufen Division surrendered to the advancing United States Army at Steyr, Austria, after participating in Operation Frühlingserwachen, which was the last major German offensive launched on the Eastern Front.
Below, a company of the 9th SS Hohenstaufen in France, July 1944, armed with a StuG III assault gun.
