SS Division Leibstandarte

The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH, (german: 1. SS-Panzerdivision "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler") began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division-sized unit during World War II.

The LSSAH participated in combat during the invasion of Poland, and was amalgamated into the Waffen-SS together with the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT) and the combat units of the ''SS-Totenkopfverbände'' (SS-TV) prior to Operation Barbarossa in 1941. By mid-1942 it had been increased in size from a regiment to a Panzergrenadier division and was designated SS Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". It received its final form as a Panzer division in October 1943.

Members of the LSSAH perpetrated numerous atrocities and war crimes, including the Malmedy massacre. They killed an estimated 5,000 prisoners of war in the period 1940–1945, mostly on the Eastern Front.

Early history (1923–1933)

In the early days of the Nazi Party, the leadership realized that a bodyguard unit composed of reliable men was needed. Ernst Röhm formed a guard formation from the ''19.Granatwerfer-Kompanie''; from this formation the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) soon evolved. Adolf Hitler in early 1923, ordered the formation of a small separate bodyguard dedicated to his service rather than "a suspect mass", such as the SA. Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded by Julius Schreck and Joseph Berchtold. It was designated the ''Stabswache'' (staff guard). The ''Stabswache'' were issued unique badges, but at this point was still under SA control. Schreck resurrected the use of the ''Totenkopf'' ("death's head") as the unit's insignia, a symbol various elite forces had used in the past, including specialized assault troops of Imperial Germany in World War I who used '' Hutier'' infiltration tactics.

In May 1923, the unit was renamed ''Stoßtrupp'' (Shock Troop)–Hitler. The unit numbered no more than 20 members at that time. On 9 November 1923, the ''Stoßtrupp'', along with the SA and several other Nazi paramilitary units, took part in the abortive Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. In the aftermath, Hitler was imprisoned and his party and all associated formations, including the ''Stoßtrupp'', were disbanded.

In the mid-1920s, violence remained a large part of Bavarian politics. Hitler was a potential target. In 1925, Hitler ordered the formation of a new bodyguard unit, the ''Schutzkommando'' (protection command). The unit was renamed the ''Sturmstaffel'' (assault squadron) and in November was renamed the ''Schutzstaffel'', abbreviated to SS. By 1933 the SS had grown from a small bodyguard unit to a formation of over 50,000 men. The decision was made to form a new bodyguard unit, again called the ''Stabswache'', which was mostly made up of men from the 1st SS-Standarte. By 1933 this unit was placed under the command of Sepp Dietrich, who selected 117 men to form the ''SS-Stabswache'' Berlin on 17 March 1933. The unit replaced the army guards at the Reich Chancellery. Out of this initial group, three eventually became divisional commanders, at least eight would become regimental commanders, fifteen became battalion commanders, and over thirty became company commanders in the Waffen-SS. Eleven men from the first company of 117 went on to win the Knights Cross, and forty of them were awarded the German Cross in gold for bravery. Later in 1933, two further training units were formed: ''SS-Sonderkommando Zossen'' on 10 May, and a second unit, designated ''SS-Sonderkommando Jüterbog'' on 8 July. These were the only SS units to receive military training at that time. Most of the training staff came from the ranks of the army. On 3 September 1933 the two ''Sonderkommando'' merged into the ''SS-Sonderkommando Berlin'' under Dietrich's command. Most of their duties involved providing outer security for Hitler at his residences, public appearances and guard duty at the Reich Chancellery.

In November 1933, on the 10th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, the ''Sonderkommando'' took part in the rally and memorial service for the Nazi Party members who had been killed during the putsch. During the ceremony, the members of the ''Sonderkommando'' swore personal allegiance to Hitler. At the conclusion the unit received the new title, "''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler''" (LAH). The term ''Leibstandarte'' was derived partly from '' Leibgarde'' – a somewhat archaic German translation of "Guard of Corps" or personal bodyguard of a military leader ("Leib" = lit. "body, torso") – and ''Standarte'': the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) or ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) term for a regiment-sized unit, also the German word for a specific type of heraldic flag (Standard).

Expansion

On 13 April 1934, Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, ordered the ''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler'' (LAH) to be renamed "''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler''" (LSSAH). Himmler inserted the SS initials into the name to make it clear that the unit was independent from the SA or the army. The LSSAH was designated a "National Socialist" unit, which eventually grew into an elite Panzer division of the Waffen-SS. Although nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.

During 1934, '' Stabschef-SA'' Ernst Röhm continued to push for greater political influence for his already powerful SA. Hitler decided that the SA had to be eliminated as an independent political force and ordered the LSSAH to prepare for the action. The LSSAH formed two companies under the control of Jürgen Wagner and Otto Reich, these formations were moved to Munich on 30 June.

Hitler ordered all SA leaders to attend a meeting at the Hanselbauer Hotel in Bad Wiessee, near Munich. Hitler along with Sepp Dietrich and a unit from the LSSAH travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally oversee Röhm's arrest on 30 June. Later at around 17:00 hours, Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the LSSAH to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim prison where certain SA leaders were being held. There in the prison courtyard, the LSSAH firing squad shot five SA generals and an SA colonel. Additional alleged "traitors" were shot in Berlin by a unit of the ''Leibstandarte''. On 1 July Hitler finally agreed with Göring and Himmler that Röhm should be executed. In what the Nazis called the Röhm Putsch, but otherwise came to be known as the Night of the Long Knives, companies of the LSSAH, together with the Gestapo and Göring's ''Landespolizeigruppe'', performed Death Squad actions. At least 85, but most likely no less than twice that number of people, were executed without trial over the next few days.

This action succeeded in effectively decapitating the SA and removing Röhm's threat to Hitler's leadership. In recognition of their actions, both the LSSAH and the ''Landespolizeigruppe'' ''General Göring'' were expanded to regimental size and motorized. In addition, the SS became an independent organization, no longer part of the SA.

The LSSAH provided the honor guard at many of the Nuremberg Rallies, and in 1935 took part in the reoccupation of the Saarland. On 6 June 1935, the LSSAH officially adopted a field-grey uniform to identify itself more with the army, which wore a similar uniform. The LSSAH was later in the vanguard of the march into Austria as part of the Anschluss, and in 1938 the unit took part in the occupation of the Sudetenland. By 1939, the LSSAH was a full infantry regiment with three infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and anti-tank, reconnaissance and engineer sub-units. Soon after its involvement in the annexation of Bohemia and Moravia, the LSSAH was redesignated ''"Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (mot.)"''. When Hitler ordered the formation of an SS division in mid-1939, the ''Leibstandarte'' was designated to form its own unit, unlike the other '' Standarten'' of the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT) (''SS-Standarte Deutschland'', ''SS-Standarte Germania'', and ''SS-Standarte Der Führer''). The Polish crisis of August 1939 put these plans on hold, and the LSSAH was ordered to join XIII. ''Armeekorps'', a part of Army Group South, which was preparing for the attack on Poland.

The ''Leibstandarte'' division's symbol was a skeleton key, in honor of its first commander, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (''Dietrich'' is German for skeleton key or lock pick); it was retained and modified to later serve as the symbol for I SS Panzer Corps.

Invasion of Poland

During the initial stages of the invasion of Poland, the LSSAH was attached to the ''17.Infanterie-Division'' and tasked with providing flank protection for the southern pincer. The regiment was involved in several battles against Polish cavalry brigades attempting to hit the flanks of the German advance. At Pabianice, a town near Łódź, the LSSAH fought elements of the Polish 28th Infantry Division and the Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade in close combat. Throughout the campaign, the unit was notorious for burning villages. In addition, members of the LSSAH committed atrocities in numerous Polish towns, including the murder of 50 Jews in Błonie and the massacre of 200 civilians, including children, who were machine gunned in Złoczew. Shootings also took place in Bolesławiec, Torzeniec, Goworowo, Mława, and Włocławek.

After the success at Pabianice, the LSSAH was sent to the area near Warsaw and attached to the ''4.Panzer-Division'' under then ''Generalmajor'' (brigadier general) Georg-Hans Reinhardt. The unit saw action preventing encircled Polish units from escaping, and repelling several attempts by other Polish troops to break through. In spite of the swift military victory over Poland, the regular army had reservations about the performance of the LSSAH and SS-VT units due to their higher casualty rate than the army units.

Invasion of France

In early 1940 the LSSAH was expanded into a full independent motorized infantry regiment and a ''Sturmgeschütz'' (Assault Gun) battery was added to their establishment. The regiment was shifted to the Dutch border for the launch of Fall Gelb. It was to form the vanguard of the ground advance into the Netherlands, tasked with capturing a vital bridge over the IJssel, attacking the main line of defense at the ''Grebbeberg'' (the Grebbeline), and linking up with the ''Fallschirmjäger'' of ''Generaloberst'' Kurt Student's airborne forces, the ''7.Flieger-Division'' and the ''22.Luftlande-Infanterie-Division''.

''Fall Gelb''—the invasion of France and the Low Countries—was launched on 10 May 1940. On that day, the LSSAH crossed the Dutch border, covered over , and secured a crossing over the IJssel near Zutphen after discovering that their target bridge had been destroyed. Over the next four days, the LSSAH covered over , and upon entering Rotterdam, several of its soldiers accidentally shot at and seriously wounded General Student. After the surrender of Rotterdam, the LSSAH left for The Hague, which they reached on 15 May, after capturing 3,500 Dutch soldiers as prisoners of war. After the surrender of the Netherlands on 15 May, the regiment was then moved south to France.

After the British counterattack at Arras, the LSSAH, along with the ''SS-Verfügungs-Division'', were moved to hold the perimeter around Dunkirk