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The 32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "30th January" (german: 32. SS-Freiwilligen Grenadier-Division „30. Januar“) was formed in December 1944 from what remained of other units and staff and pupils from SS schools and various other troops. A significant cadre came from Hungarian and Romanian fascists who had joined the SS, but their numbers are unknown. The division fought as part of the
V SS Mountain Corps, on the
Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
front, just north of
Fürstenberg Fürstenberg (also Fuerstenberg and Furstenberg) may refer to:
Historical states
* Fürstenberg-Baar, county (1441–1559)
* Fürstenberg-Blumberg, county (1559–1614)
* Fürstenberg-Donaueschingen, county (1617–1698)
* Fürstenberg-Fürsten ...
(now part of
Eisenhüttenstadt) and in the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula– ...
. The division was destroyed in the
Halbe pocket
The Battle of Halbe (german: Kesselschlacht von Halbe, russian: Хальбский котёл, Halbe pocket) was a battle lasting from April 24 – May 1, 1945 in which the German Ninth Army—under the command of General Theodor Busse—was dest ...
, but parts of the unit surrendered to the Americans at
Tangermünde.
The division's name referred to 30 January 1933, the date that
Adolf Hitler was sworn in as
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
.
[Rikmenspoel, M. (1999:197). ''Soldiers of the Waffen-SS: many nations, one motto''. Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz.]
Commanders
*
Johannes Mühlenkamp
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Y ...
(30 January 1945 – 5 February 1945)
*
Joachim Richter
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military of the Third Reich during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of ...
(5 February 1945 – 17 February 1945)
*
Adolf Ax (17 February 1945 – 15 March 1945)
*
Hans Kempin
SS- Standartenführer (Colonel) Hans Wilhelm Kempin (7 June 1913 – 30 November 1992) was a German Waffen-SS combat and training officer who served in the SS-Standarte ''Deutschland'', SS-Regiment ''Der Führer'' and later commanded the 547. ...
(15 March 1945 – 8 May 1945)
See also
*
List of German divisions in World War II
*
List of Waffen-SS divisions
This is a list of divisions in the Waffen-SS. All Waffen-SS divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type. Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the hig ...
*
List of SS personnel
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division 30 Januar
Infantry divisions of the Waffen-SS
Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945