37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division "Lützow" (german: 37. SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division "Lützow") was a unit in the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
unit of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It was formed in February 1945, consisting of remnants of
SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer and
SS Cavalry Division Maria Theresia
The 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division (german: 22. SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division)Official designation in German language as to „Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv“ in Freiburg im Breisgau, stores of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. was a Germ ...
, in addition to mostly under-age German, Hungarian Volkdeutsche, and ethnic Hungarian recruits. The division was intended to have three cavalry regiments of two battalions each, but due to lack of men and equipment it could only field two understrength regiments as its main combat units.
Initially the division was commanded by SS-Oberführer
Waldemar Fegelein
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded ...
, but in March he was replaced by SS-Standartenführer
Karl Gesele. The unit saw action against Soviets as a part of the
6th Panzer Army
The 6th Panzer Army (german: 6. Panzerarmee) was a formation of the German Army, formed in the autumn of 1944. The 6th Panzer Army was first used as an offensive force during the Battle of the Bulge, in which it operated as the northernmost element ...
during the final weeks of war, before surrendering to Americans in Austria in May. It was named after the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n general
Adolf von Lützow.
Commanders
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SS-Standartenführer Waldemar Fegelein
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded ...
(February 1945 - March 1945)
*
SS-Standartenführer Karl Gesele (March 1945 - May 1945)
[Bishop, Chris. ''The Essential Vehicle Identification Guide - Waffen-SS Divisions 1939-1945'', Amber Books Ltd. 2007, p 184.]
See also
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List of German divisions in World War II
This article lists divisions of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) and Waffen-SS active during World War II, including divisions of the Heer (army), Luftwaffe (air force), and the Kriegsmarine (navy).
Upgrades and reorganizations are shown only ...
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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
Between 1925 and 1945, the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) grew from eight members to over a quarter of a million ''Waffen-SS'' and over a million ''Allgemeine-SS'' members. Other members included the ''SS-Totenkopfverbände'' (SS-TV), which ran t ...
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
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Military units and formations established in 1945
Cavalry divisions of the Waffen-SS
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945