10.SS-Panzer-Division “Frundsburg”

Emblem

Lineage

• SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 10
• 10.SS-Division “Karl der Grosse”
• 10.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Frundsberg”
• 10.SS-Panzer-Division “Frundesberg”

Traditions

Campaigns

• Eastern Front 1944
• Western Front 1944-1945
• Eastern Front 1945

Chronology

1 February, 1943: SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 formed, intially issuedPanzerIVs, and given the honor title, “Langemarck”.

6 June, 1943: Division receives honor title, “Karl der Grosse”.

3 October, 1943: Designated SS-Panzer-Division “Frundsberg”.

22 October, 1943: Re-designated 10.SS-Panzer-Division”Frundsberg”, and SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 “Langemarck” re-organized withone PanzerV (Panther) battalion, and one Panzer IV battalion.

November, 1943: II Battalion, SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 “Langemarck”re-organized with two Panzer IV companies and two StuG III companies.

25 March, 1944: Generalfeldmarschal Erich Manstein decides to commit thedivision to an operation for relief of the 1.Armee, located just east of the ZbruzRiver, 35 miles east of Tarnopol.

1 April, 1944: Division arrives at the front and is attached to 4.Panzer-Armee,Armeegruppe “North Ukraine” (formerly Armeegruppe “South”); I Battalion,SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 “Langemarck” remains in France.

5 April, 1944: 4.Panzer-Armee begins its thrust east, its division beginattacks against Soviet positions across the Seret River.

6 April, 1944: Fighting at Buchach starts opening the “Corridor”.

7 April, 1944: Division makes first contact with elements of 1.Armee.

9 April, 1944: Elements of the 1.Armee withdraw to reinforce the Seretbridgehead, 600 tons of supplies are shipped through the “Corridor”. Divisionbegins northward movement towards Kowel.

14 April, 1944: Soviet First Ukrainian Front captures Tarnopol.

17 April, 1944: Division still engaged west of the Bug River.

11 June, 1944: Hitler orders cancellation of a planned offensivenear Kowel, division ordered to France.

16 June, 1944: From his Rastenburg headquarters, Hitler orders thedivision to reinforce the disintigrating defence ofNormandy.

23 June, 1944: Paul Hausser, II.SS-Panzerkorps commander, reportsto Generalfeldmarschal Erwin Rommel that the division hasarrived in France.

25 June, 1944: Division arrives in Normandy, and proceeds topositions between Caen and Villers-Bocage. Commencementof Operation EPSOM.

27 June, 1944: Counterattacks against British VIII Corps. British11th Armored Division halts counterattacks.

28 June, 1944: British 11th Armored Division crosses the OdonRiver.

29 June, 1944: Division, assigned to II.SS-Panzerkorps, moves intoposition between the XLVII.Panzerkorps and I.SS-Panzerkorps, facing Hill 112along the Odon River. Hill 112 falls to British 11th Armored Division, whichwithdraws back across the Odon River, and Hill 112 is retaken by Germanforces. Operation EPSOM fails.

1 July, 1944: Division badly mauled by aerial bombardment, location 5kilometers south of Villers-Bocage.

15 July, 1944: Operation GREENLINE traps the division west of Caen.

18 July, 1944: Caen falls to the Allies.

30 July, 1944: US 4th Armored Division seizes Avranches.

31 July, 1944: British VIII Corps begins Operation BLUECOAT, an assaulttowards Vire.

2 August, 1944: Redeployed against the British VIII Corps, halting theiradvance 3 kilometers from Vire.

13 August, 1944: Division holding off US XV Corps at Domfront.

16 August, 1944: Division 1 kilometer north of Briouze, in the FalaisePocket. Withdrawal across the Orne River begins.

22 August, 1944: All resistance in the Falaise Pocket ceases; Remnants of thedivision sent to Holland for rest and refit. Army Group B reports that thedivision has no tanks left and only four battalions of infantry.

12 September, 1944: Kampfgruppe “Frundsberg” formed underBrigadeführer Heinz Harmel, slated for redeployment to Aachen for restand refit.

17 September, 1944: Commencement of Operation MARKET GARDEN.Division begins redeployment across the Arnhem Bridge to Nijmegen. Thereconaissance battalion from the 9th SS Panzerdivision “Hohenstaufen”,temporarily assigned to Kampfgruppe “Frundsberg”, attempt to cross thebridge at between 1930 and 2000. Kampfgruppe “Frundsberg” is assigned toArmy Group B.

18 September, 1944: Kampfgruppe “Frundsberg” is blocked from crossingthe Arnhem Bridge and begins to ferry personnel and equipment across thePannerdern Canal. Components of Kampfrguppe “Frundsberg” include 4Panzer Mk Ivs, Kampfrgruppe “Reinhold”, Kampfgruppe “Euling”, andKampfgruppe “Henke”.

19 September, 1944: British XXX Corps reaches Nijmegen.

20 September, 1944: Division defending positions along the Waal River,Nijmegen; Kampfrguppe “Hanke” captures Fort Hof Van Holland. At 1500,2nd battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (US 82nd Airborne Division)begins amphibious assault crossing of the Waal River, and their attack onHunner Park is repulsed by Kampfgruppe “Euling”. British Grenadier Guardsclear Fort Valkhof of elements of Kampfgruppe “Euling” and cross the WaalRiver between 1800 and 1900 as elements of Kampfgruppe “Frundsberg”withdraw from Nijmegen and ready for the defense of Arnhem.

21 September, 1944: British Guards Armored Division crosses theNijmegen Bridge.

24 September, 1944: Two Königstiger companies from the 506thSchwere Panzer Abteilung are sent to reinforce the division near Elst,Holland.

26 September, 1944: Operation MARKET GARDEN fails.

1 October, 1944: Counteroffensive against the British XXX Corps.

5 October, 1944: Final German counterattacks against the “ArnhemCorridor”.

27 October, 1944: Remaining elements of the First Allied Airborne Armyevacuate the “Arnhem Corridor.” Division sent to Geilenkirchen, Germany tocontinue rest and refit.

December, 1944: 10. SS-Panzer-Regminet “Langemarck” reduced to onebattalion, with two PanzerV (Panther) companies and two PanzerIVcompanies.

27-31 December, 1944: Division in reserve, OB West begins preparations forassembling the division to stage for Operation ZAHNARZT behind First Armylines.

3 January, 1945: 10. SS-Panzer-Regiment “Langemarck” expands to twobattalions, including one PanzerV (Panther) battalion with four companies andone Panzer IV battalion with three companies.

7 January, 1945: Division in reserve, staging for OperationZAHNARZT.

January, 1945: Division slated for deployment east of the HaguenauForest along the Rhine River to link up with Army Group Oberrhein’s forces inthe Gambsheim bridgehead.

10/11 January, 1945: General Blaskowitz beings assembling the divisionat Lauterbourg.

16 January, 1945: Division spearheads the final German drive southfrom Lauterbourg through Seltz, 2 miles west of the Rhine River, in an attemptto seize the Gambsheim bridgehead held by Task Force Linden (US).

24 January, 1945: Division 4 miles west of Souffelnheim, in the HagenauForest.

16 February, 1945: Division attacks to the southwest, from Berlin, aspart of SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner’s 11. SS Panzer-Armee,against Marshal Zhukov’s First Byelorussian Front.

March, 1945: Defense of Stettin Harbor, battles against the RedArmy for the AltdammBridge across the Oder River.

22 March, 1945: Begin rest and refit at Stettin, Poland.

27 March, 1945: Rest and refit completed; Division entrains at GrambowStation.

28 March, 1945: Reconaissance battalion entrains at Grambow Station.

31 March, 1945: Division arrives at Briesen, Germany and division HQ isestablished at Wilmersdorf, Germany (Sachsen).

2 April, 1945: Division Staff reaches Lichtenau.

8 April, 1945: Division sent to rest and refit south of Lauban, east of G-rlitz,division staff moves to Heidersdorf.

16 April, 1945: Hitler directs the division to relocate to Cottbus-Spremberg, assigns it to reserve of Armeegruppe Center. Soviet drive onBerlin begins.

17 April, 1945: Reconaissance battalion reaches Cottbus, remainder ofdivision arrives at Spremberg. Part of the division attacked at Gross Osning; SSPzRgt 10 and I/SS PzGrRgt 21 attempt unsuccessful counterattack.

18 April, 1945: Division HQ re-established at Roitz. Division split intothreegroups; 1) 10.SS.PzAfkl.Abt., located south of Cottbus, 2) logistical and out offuel elements of the division, located at Bautzen, and 3) the bulk of the division,including SS.PzGr.Rgts.21 and 22, located northwest of Spremberg.IV/SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves from Madzow to Slamen, south of Spremberg, andagain moves to Heinrichsdorf. The remainder of SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves toKochsdorf.

19 April, 1945: Division encircled at Spremberg with the 344.Volksgrenadier-Division and the Führer-Begleit-Division.

21 April, 1945: Breakout from the Spremberg Pocket begins along the Jessen-Stradow road; Bulk of the division is surrounded at Kausche within hours.SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves to Gosda.

22 April, 1945: Remainder of the division passes through Wiesenthal andGeisendorf as breakout from Kausche is effected. Survivors bypass Petershain,proceeding northwest in an effort to reach the Elbe River.

23 April, 1945: Remainder of the division travels along Autobahn 3 to theforest between Wormlage and Saalhausen.

25 April, 1945: Remnants of the division pass Düllingen.

26 April, 1945: Remnants of the division arrive at Baerwalde betweenDresden and Grossenhain.

3 May, 1945: Remnants of the division move to Moritzburg to avoidencirclement.

5 May, 1945: Remnants of the division ordered to reassemble west ofDresden.

6 May, 1945: A column of the division is attacked by Soviet armor nearGampitz.

7 May, 1945: Remnants of the division destroy 5 Soviet T-34 tanks enroute toSudetenland.

9 May, 1945: Remnants of the division attacked by Soviet armor nearBrüx (Most), Czechoslovakia as they proceed to Klingenthal.

10 to 12 May, 1945: Division’s remnants attempt unsuccessful reassembly,and disband on their own in an effort to make their way west individually. Anumber of survivors, who are not captured by either Soviet or Czech forcesenroute, surrendur to the US 102nd Infantry Division at Tangermünde, onthe Elbe River.

Organization

In October, 1943, this division was given the number 10 and bestowed with theoffical title of Frundsberg, while the 1st and 2nd SS-Panzergrenadier-Regimentswere renumber as the 21st and 22nd Panzergrenadier-Regiments.

Commanders

War Service