History
6.SS-Gebirgs Division NORD 6th SS-Mountain Division NORD
Kampfgruppe Nord was formed officially on 24 February, 1941. The primary units that made up the KG were SS-Infanterie Regimenten 6 & 7, or the 6th and 7th SS-Infantry Regiments. Both of these regiments had been in Norway since April 1940. Commanded by SS-Brigadeführer Richard Hermann, KG NORD also had attached a staff, a cartography section, two combat engineer companies, a reconnaissance battalion, and the required service and support elements. There was another SS-Infantry Regiment, the 9th, that was also assigned to KG NORD, at least administratively. This regiment, however, spent most of its combat time alongside the Army’s 2nd Mountain Division until it was disbanded in August 1942. Totenkopfstandarten K had been formed on 12 November for security in the Kirkenes area. When this unit was later disbanded, elements would be filtered into NORD as reinforcements.
By 6 June, the Kampfgruppe had completed the movement from southern Norway to the Kirkenes area. The following day, they were ordered to Rovaniemi, Finland. Here they were to be expanded to brigade size and prepare for the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. Three days later, they had completed the march, and were bivouacked outside Rovaniemi. On 17 June, the Kampfgruppe was officially upgraded to a motorized infantry division, designated SS-Division NORD. At the same time, they were ordered to the vicinity of Salla, near the Finnish/Russian border. Originally, they were not to be a part of the operation, but this decision was changed when the planners realized that NORD was the only motorized unit in the area.
Although the invasion of Russia was launched on 22 June, operations in Finland did not. NORD'S attack on Salla did not commence until 1 July. This battle was a disaster for NORD, and for Himmler. Battalions got lost, and missed rally points. The preparatory artillery and air bombardment started fires that filled the area with dense smoke. Russian emplacements and defensive positions, previously undetected, held up advances. At one point, a rumor flew that Soviet tanks had broken through SS-I.R. 7’s lines. This led to literally a rout, with almost the entire regiment leaving the line in retreat. Salla finally fell on 8 July. After this disastrous first engagement, NORD became the only SS unit ever to be commanded by non-German personnel. The division was split up, and the elements sent to various Finnish units.
While it was embarrassing to many, it proved to be highly beneficial. The Germans learned many lessons from their Finnish comrades, which would show in their later combat. The men would see further combat alongside the Finns, but the division was not reformed until September. In September and October, Nord fought in the area around Kiestinki. As it turned out, the division would spend the remainder of its combat time in this area. Although the positions were relatively static, it was not quiet.
The Germans conducted raids and patrols behind the Russian lines. The intent was still to disrupt the Murmansk railway, although this was never fully realized. There were also partisans to deal with. While they may not have been as troublesome as other areas of the Eastern Front, they still managed to cause problems. On 15 January 1942, the division was reconstituted. SS-Gebirgs Division Nord was now a full-fledged mountain division, the first in the Waffen-SS. This led to re-equipping the unit, providing equipment that was better suited to combat in northern Karelia. Towards the end of April, a major Russian offensive was stopped in NORD’S area. Two Russian divisions, and two Ski Brigades took part in the attacks. Although they met with some success, Nord and their Finnish comrades were able to stop the attack.
During October 1943, there was another reorganization of sorts. Until this point, none of the Waffen-SS divisions had been numbered. Now, both the divisions and the regiments were numbered according to forming dates. The division was now known as 6.SS-Gebirgs Division NORD, and the two regiment were renumbered the 11th and 12th. Additionally, the 11th Regiment also received the honorific of “Reinhard Heydrich,” in honor of SS-Gruppenführer Heydrich, who had been killed the previous year. The 12th Regiment would have to wait until June of 1944 to receive their honorific title, “Michael Gaissmair.”
Near the end of June 1944, the Soviets launched another major attack in NORD’S vicinity. It began with an assault on the Norwegian Schijagers position near Kaprolat Hill, near NORD’S northern flank. SS-Motorized Rifle Battalion 6 (Hstuf Gottlieb Renz) and Army Ski Battalion 82 (Hauptmann K.W. Lapp) were sent to reinforce the position, which was cleared up after several days of vicious fighting. Soon after that, the Motorized Rifle Battalion found itself encircled near Ssenozero. SS-Infanterie Regiment 11 began to send relief to the pocket. However, it would not be until the end of July that the 12th Regiment would breakthrough to the pocket, and the Russians ceased the attack.
On 7 September, NORD received their orders for Operation BIKE. This was to be the retreat from Finland. NORD ended up being the rear guard for almost the entire retrograde. During this retreat, the division would see combat against both the Soviet and the Finnish armies. It took until the night of 7/8 November before they crossed the border into Norway. By the time they reached the northern terminus of the railroad, at Mo-i-Rana, they had marched 1600 kilometers. There was a short stay in Denmark, where the men received new clothing and equipment. Their MG-34s were replaced with MG-42s. There was no Christmas leave for the men. They were entrained for their next battle, in Alsace.
The lead elements of the Division arrived in Pirmasens and Zweibrucken on the 29th, then made their way on foot to their billets, arriving on the 30th. This was just in time for Operation NORDWIND. This assault was intended to open away to the Alsace Plain, allowing Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions to break out from behind the mountains into better terrain. Had the operation succeeded, the war in Southern France would have gone much differently. Nord ended up having the only real success in this operation.
Their objective was the town of Wingen-sur-Moder, and establish a bridgehead over the Moder River. This they were to accomplish, though only for a short while. The assault group was made up of 1st and 3rd Battalions of SS-Infantry Regiment 12, SS-Panzer Grenadier Battalion 506, the third battalion of the Artillery Regiment, a Panzerjäger company, a Signals company, a combat engineer platoon, and a medical platoon. Since the senior officer was Standartenführer Schreiber, Regimental Commander of SS-Mountain Infantry Regiment 12, this battlegroup was designated Kampfgruppe Schreiber. KG Schreiber began moving towards their objective mid-morning on 1 January 1945. Their route took them through mountainous terrain, and they began the attack on Wingen on 4 January. They managed to take the town, capturing a number of Americans in the process. For a week, the battled American troops and tanks. The fighting was terrific, and caused considerable casualties on both sides. When higher command finally realized that the operation had failed, they ordered KG Schreiber to withdraw. They had held the town until 8 January, when they pulled out under cover of darkness.
Over the next few days, both sides launched small attacks. None of them made any major headway. However, the American attack towards Hill 420 on the 14th, this situation changed. The attack was composed of six companies from the 157th Infantry Regiment. Around noon on the 16th, the 11th SS-Mountain Infantry Regiment launched an attack against the 157th. This rapidly turned into a full-scale battle, including artillery and rockets being called in on the Americans, who had been encircled by late in the afternoon. Multiple attempts were made to relieve the pocket, but they were unsuccessful. On the evening of the 19th, the Americans finally surrendered, with 26 officers and 456 enlisted going into captivity. For a short time after this, the Americans were retreating. The men of Nord followed them, eagerly picking up food, clothing, and other supplies, even weapons, as they went. During the night of 23/24 January, the 11th SS-Mountain Regiment launched an attack on Rothbach. The following night, their sister regiment took Schillerdorf. However, they were thrown out by a tank/infantry task force, making it back to their own lines a day later.
These were NORD’S last major successes. February would find them holding defensive positions along the Moder River near Bitche. They would find themselves continually on the move, usually at night to avoid American aircraft. For the rest of the war, they would find themselves more reactive, and less proactive. They would participate mostly in fighting withdrawals. They fought in defensive battles in the Saarland, around Trier, and through the retreat along the Hunsrück Highroad. After heavy fighting around Boppard, the 12th SS-Mountain Infantry Regiment was ordered to the area of Trarbach. This was the last time they operated with the rest of the Division. The 2nd and 3rd Artillery Battalions also got left behind, when they ran out of fuel. They assisted a local unit, and were destroyed in defensive fighting. By this time, the American advance was unstoppable. All NORD was capable of was delaying actions, and fighting withdrawals. On 2 April, SS-Gruppenführer Brenner, and an estimated 800 survivors of the Division finally surrendered to the Americans near Wittgenborn. NORD ceased to exist. "
Order of Battle
SS-Gebirgsjager Regiment 11 Reinhard Heydrich
SS-Gebirgsjager Regiment 12 Michael Gaissmair
SS-Polizei-Grenadier-Batallion (mot) 506
(formed from the SS Skijegerbataljon Norge after the arrival in Oslo)
SS-Gebirgs Artillerie Regiment 6
SS-Sturmgeschatz Batterie 6
SS-Infanterie-Regiment (mot) 5
SS-Infanterie-Regiment 9 (until 1943)
SS-Schutzen-Abteilung (mot) 6
SS-Gebirgs-Panzerjager-Abteilung 6
SS-Flak-Abteilung 6
SS-Gebirgs-Nachrichten-Abteilung (mot) 6
SS-Gebirgs-Aufklarungs-Abteilung (mot) 6
SS-Gebirgs-Pionier-Abteilung 6
SS-Dina 6
SS-Bekleidungs-Instandsetzungs-Kompanie 6
SS-Sanitats-Kompanie 6
SS-Veterinar-Kompanie 6
SS-Kriegsberichter-Zug 6
SS-Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 6
SS- og Politikompani (consisted of Norwegian volunteers) (2. and 3. SS- og Politikompani were attatched to AA 6) Stab der Division
Operations
LINEAGE
SS-Kampfgruppe Nord (Feb 1941 - Sep 1941)
SS-Division Nord (Sep 1941 - Sep 1942)
SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord (Sep 1942 - Oct 1943)
6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord (Oct 1943 - May 1945)
AREA OF OPERATIONS
Germany (Feb 1941 - June 1941)
Finland & northern Russia (June 1941 - Nov 1944)
Norway & Denmark (Nov 1944 - Jan 1945)
Western Germany (Jan 1945 - Apr 1945)
Austria (Apr 1945 - May 1945)
MANPOWER STRENGTH
June 1941 10,373
Dec 1942 21,247
Dec 1943 20,129
June 1944 19,355
Dec 1944 15,000
High Award Recipients
KNIGHT’S CROSS HOLDERS OF 6.SS-GEBIRGS-DIVISION NORD
SS-Obersturmführer Hans Bauer (5 Apr 45)
SS-Gruppenführer Karl-Heinrich Brenner (31 Dec 44)
SS-Hauptsturmführer Günther Degen (7 Oct 44)
SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger (30 Sep 44)
SS-Hauptsturmführer Gottlieb Renz (12 Aug 44)
SS-Standartenführer Franz Schreiber (26 Dec 44)
GERMAN CROSS HOLDERS OF 6.SS-GEBIRGS-DIVISION NORD
SS-Sturmbannführer Augsberger (30 May 42) Gold
SS-Hauptsturmführer Benner (2 Apr 44) Gold
SS-Hauptscharführer Bucher (30 Dec 44) Gold
SS-Hauptscharführer Brugstaller (10 Mar 45) Gold
SS-Hauptsturmführer Flegler (7 Aug 44) Gold
SS-Oberführer Goebel (19 Oct 43) Gold
SS-Sturmbannführer Hardieck (9 Jun 43) Gold
SS-Oberscharführer Heiser (15 Apr 44) Gold
SS-Obershcarführer Kaiser (15 Apr 45) Gold
SS-Standartenführer Kohlroser (2 Apr 42) Gold
SS-Hauptsturmführer Kurt Kreuzinger (10 Mar 45) Gold
SS-Hauptscharführer Mayer (16 Jun 44) Gold
SS-Obersturmführer Ottmann (30 Dec 44) Gold
SS-Hauptsturmführer Werner Sander (30 Dec 44) Silver
SS-Sturmbannführer Schreiber (19 Jan 42) Gold
SS-Hauptsturmführer Spanka (28 Feb 42) Gold
SS-Obersturmführer Ulrich (30 July 42) Gold
SS-Obersturmführer Zimmermann (30 Dec 44) Gold
HONOR ROLL CLASP HOLDERS OF 6.SS-GEBIRGS-DIVISION NORD
SS-Hauptscharführer Maximillian Bucher (15 Aug 44)
SS-Hauptsturmführer Günther Degen (25 Oct 44)
SS-Unterscharführer Walter Fröschle (5 Mar 45)
SS-Obersturmführer Willi Hasselmann (7 Jun 43)
SS-Hauptscharführer Hans Perpeet (5 Nov 44)
SS-Sturmbannführer Ernst Rädeke (7 Jan 45)
SS-Hauptscharführer Paul Schuhmann (17 Aug 44)
