17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division " Götz von Berlichingen " was a German Waffen - SS panzergrenadier division that saw action on the Western Front during World War II . Formation and training . The division was raised near Poitiers , France as the " Panzer - Grenadier - Division " Götz von Berlichingen " " in October 1943 . It was formed from scratch , with the majority of its original cadre coming from replacement units and conscripts , many of whom were Romanian Germans and French volunteers . The division was granted the honour - title " Götz von Berlichingen " . " Obersturmbannführer " Otto Binge oversaw the formation of the division , with the newly promoted " Brigadeführer " Werner Ostendorff taking command in January 1944 . The " Götz von Berlichingen " was placed under the LXXX Army Corps , a part of " Generalfeldmarschall " Gerd von Rundstedt ' s " Heeresgruppe D " . As part of a plan to number all named SS divisions in early 1944 , the division was re - titled the " 17th SS - Panzer - Grenadier - Division " Götz von Berlichingen " " . In February 1944 , the division still lacked vehicles . During the same year , on the orders of LXXX Army Corps , the division began to round up French vehicles in an attempt to complete its mobilization . By March , most of the major combat formations were fully motorised , although two of the six infantry battalions were still on bicycles . On 1 June , the " Götz von Berlichingen " found itself at Thouars in France , with no tanks ( although the crews were fully equipped with 42 " Sturmgeschütz IV " ( assault guns ) , only a few months ' training , and below strength in officers and NCOs . Battles for Normandy . After the D - Day allied invasion , the " Götz von Berlichingen " was ordered to Normandy to take part in the efforts to reduce the Allied beachhead . On June 10 the Division made contact with 182 Paratroopers of the 3rd Battalion , 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment , 82nd Airborne Division , and B Company , 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment , 101st Airborne Division at the village of Graignes . This small group of Paratroopers had been mistakenly dropped by the US 9th Army Air Force Troop Carrier Command and had decided to try and hold their positions . The ensuing battle , and the criminal execution of wounded Paratroopers and French Civilians by the " Götz von Berlichingen " has since been known as the Battle of Graignes . On June 11 the reconnaissance battalion engaged in combat with the paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne Division near the town of Carentan . The Americans secured the town and were advancing south by the morning of June 13 . " SS - Panzergrenadier Regiment 37 " , supported by the assault guns of the division ' s Panzer battalion and " Oberst " ( colonel ) Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte ' s 6th " Fallschirmjäger " Regiment , attacked the advancing paratroopers . In what the Americans dubbed The Battle of Bloody Gulch , the Germans routed two paratroop companies before their attack was stopped by the arrival of Combat Command A of the U . S . 2nd Armored Division . For the rest of the month , the division was engaged in heavy fighting for the bocage country near Saint Lô and Coutances . During this period , the " Götz von Berlichingen " suffered heavy losses and by the beginning of July , its strength was reduced to 8 , 500 men . The division was in the line of advance for Operation " Cobra " , and suffered heavy losses attempting to halt the Allied offensive . It was then ordered to take part in the Mortain Offensive , codenamed Operation " Lüttich " . After the failure of this offensive , the division was split into four " Kampfgruppen " , ' Braune ' , ' Gunter ' , ' Fick ' and ' Wahl ' . These small units managed to escape encirclement in the Falaise Pocket , but suffered heavy losses and remained in almost constant combat with the advancing Americans until the end of the month , when the division was transferred to Metz for a much needed rest and refit . The Moselle , Metz , and withdrawal to Germany . In early September , the division absorbed what was left of the SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 49 and SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 51 , raising its infantry strength . However , replacements for missing tanks and assault guns arrived slowly . On September 8 , the division was put back into the line and was tasked with destroying the newly formed bridgehead over the Moselle River held by the US 5th and 80th Infantry Divisions . After heavy fighting for the American bridgeheads at Dornot and Arnaville , the division fell back and began to prepare to defend Metz itself . Over the next two months , the division saw heavy fighting to the south and east of Metz , suffering very heavy casualties . On November 8 , a USAAF air raid hit the divisional command post . With the " Götz von Berlichingen " ' s combat units in tatters ( the 38th SS Regiment had been reduced to a strength of about 800 men by November 15 , 1944 ) and with no command structure , Hitler authorized the division to withdraw from Metz . The 38th SS Regiment was largely destroyed at Metz and reformed in November with troops from the SS training regiment " Kurmark " . The remnants of the division pulled back to the Maginot Line , near Faulquemont to rest and refit . During this time , the " Götz von Berlichingen " was transferred to " SS - Gruppenführer " Max Simon ' s XIII SS Corps . US forces liberated Metz on November 22 , 1944 . Elements of the 38th SS Regiment defended Hilsprich against an advance of the American 35th Infantry Division on November 23 . In the same defensive maneuver , the 38th Regiment succeeded in cutting up two American rifle companies that made an ill - advised attack against stronger German forces . Hilsprich fell to another , better supported , American attack the following day . During November 28 / 29 , elements of the 17th SS Division successfully defended Farébersviller against an attack by the US 80th Infantry Division . By December 1 , the SS division was deployed along a line extending from the Rosselle River to just south of Puttelange . The " Götz von Berlichingen " was caught by surprise when US forces attacked again on December 4 , capturing both Farébersviller and Puttelange . Seriously weakened , the SS division fell back to Sarreguemines , which it defended for five days before the town ' s liberation by US forces on December 11 , 1944 . The 17th SS Division subsequently retreated across the German border and went into a defensive posture along the Blies River . Attacks by the US 35th Infantry Division against this line started December 12 , resulting in heavy fighting for the control of Habkirchen , ( southeast of Frauenberg ) and the high ground overlooking the valley of the Blies . The US 134th Infantry lost half its strength in this clash with the 17th SS Division , but captured Habkirchen by December 15 . Under serious pressure because of infantry losses , the SS division was granted a reprieve when the Americans moved into a defensive posture on December 18 . The Ardennes Offensive by Germany had begun to the north and US units from General George Patton ' s Third Army were ordered to either hold fast or move north to assist in the defense of the Ardennes . Refit and " Nordwind " . When the division pulled back to the Maginot Line in mid November , its strength had been reduced to around 4 , 000 men ( of which about 1 , 700 were infantry ) and 20 armored vehicles . Throughout the early days of December 1944 , the " Götz von Berlichingen " received resupply and reinforcement , although the armored strength was only 17 assault guns by December 10 , a further 17 were sent from Germany on December 28 . The " Panzergrenadier " regiments were brought up to full strength with the addition of " Volksdeutsche " replacements . The quality of these replacements was far below that of the division ' s original elements . Despite this , at least on paper , the division was back up to strength by the end of 1944 . As a part of Simon ' s XIII SS Corps , the division participated in Operation " Nordwind " , the ill - fated last German offensive in the West . The " Götz von Berlichingen " , together with 36th " Volksgrenadier Division " , attacked the US 44th and 100th Infantry Division s around the town of Rimling . For this attack , the division had been reinforced with a Panther tank company from the 21st Panzer - Division , the 352nd and 353rd flame - thrower tank companies ( equipped with Flammpanzer 38 ( t ) s ) , and the 653rd Heavy " Panzerjäger Batallion " ( equipped with Jagdtiger s ) . The German attacks did not gain much terrain , possibly because of the extreme weather conditions during the offensive . After engaging in heavy combat with the U . S . 7th Army , with little success and having the divisional commander replaced five times , the majority of the divisional staff was relieved on January 3 . Replacements , in the form of Army officers , were received the next day . On January 10 , the divisional commander , " Standartenführer " Hans Lingner , was captured by a patrol from the 114th Infantry Regiment , 44th Infantry Division , when his car overturned on the slippery roads . The driver was criminally shot on the spot and Lingner , his aide - de - camp , " Untersturmführer " Jund and another of his staff were brought to the US lines where they were interrogated . " Oberst " Gerhard Lindner , one of the Army officers recently transferred to the division , took command on January 15 . The division remained engaged with the divisions of the US XV Corps until Operation " Nordwind " ended on January 25 , 1945 . Defense of Germany . The " Götz von Berlichingen " took part in the defense of the ' West Wall ' until March 1945 , when on the 18th the Americans broke through . Armored vehicle strength was high , with 62 assault guns ( of which 47 were operational ) as well as two Mark IV medium tanks . On March 22 , division commander " SS - Oberführer " Fritz Klingenberg was killed in action . That day , the division abandoned all its vehicles and began to retreat , but only some 500 to 600 men escaped US encirclement in the Pfaelzer Forest and reached Wiesloch on the east bank of the Rhine . By April 1 , the division ' s strength was rebuilt to roughly 7 , 000 men . It then took part in the Battle of Heilbronn . Subsequently , the division defended the Jagst and Tauber River valleys , as well as Bad Mergentheim . Although greatly reduced in numbers , it took part in the defense of Nuremberg , where the 38th SS Regiment was destroyed by April 20 . The rest of the division continued fighting until the 24th , and then fell back to Donauwörth on the Danube . The last organized engagement fought by the division was on April 29 , 1945 at Moosburg , Germany . It was there that the division ' s commander attempted to use Stalag VII - A , the largest POW camp in Germany , as a sort of hostage to buy time to escape across the Isar River . Their effort was frustrated when the commander of the 14th Armored Division learned of the plan , and ordered his Combat Command A to take Moosburg , capture the bridge across the Isar River , and most importantly , secure and protect the Allied Prisoners of War . The American infantry and tank force advanced to Moosburg , and without delay attacked the defensive positions of the 17th " SS Panzergrenadier " Division in front of the town . It fell following a brief , but ferocious battle . That same day the 14th Armored Division took over 7 , 000 German POWs , mostly SS . On May 5 , five days after Hitler ' s suicide , and three days before Nazi Germany ' s surrender , elements of the division attacked the 13th - century castle Itter Castle ( which was administratively a part of the Dachau concentration camp complex ) in Tyrol , Austria , a prison camp housing high - ranking French VIPs such as the so - called " Ehrenhäflinge " ( honor prisoners ) which included the politicians Paul Reynaud , Édouard Daladier , the labor leader Léon Jouhaux , and the former commanders - in - chief Generals Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin in order to summarily execute them . The attack was defeated by the 23rd Tank Battalion of the US 12th Armored Division under the command of Captain John C . ‘ Jack ’ Lee , Jr . , the former prisoners themselves , and anti - Nazi elements of the " Wehrmacht " under the command of Major Josef ‘ Sepp ’ Gangl , who died in the battle . The remaining members of the division surrendered to the US 101st Airborne Division at Rottach - Egern , south of Kufstein on May 6 , 1945 . War crimes . " The following are individuals of the 17th " SS Panzergrenadier Division Gotz von Berlichingen " that were accused and convicted of war crimes " Erwin Schienkiewitz < br > Case Nr . : 11 - 18 ( U . S . vs . Erwin Wilhelm Konrad Schienkiewitz ) File Number : US0018 < br > Review Date : 470404 < br > Erwin Wilhelm Konrad Schienkiewitz , an SS officer of the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division 38th Regiment , was accused of participation in the execution of two American airmen out of a group of seventy . The airmen were being held as prisoners of war and were executed in retaliation for the death of German soldiers who had been killed a few days earlier . The event occurred within the boundaries of Montmartin - en - Graignes in France on June 17 , 1944 . Erwin Schienkiewitz was tried at The General Military Court at Dachau . It addition to the aforementioned war crimes the accused was also a member of an organization declared illegal by the International Military Tribunal . Schienkiewitz was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison . Case Nr . 111 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : Küster , Friedrich Erich 10 Years 3 Months < br > Court : LG Ellwangen 490120 < br > OLG Stuttgart 490527 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Ellwangen / Jagst < br > Crime Date : 4504 < br > Victims : Prisoners , Civilians < br > Nationality : unknown , German < br > Agency : " Waffen - SS SS - Bataillon ' Götz von Berlichingen " ' < br > Subject of the proceeding : Shooting of a number of foreign concentration camp prisoners , in part for trying to escape ; mishandling of civilians , who had made derogatory remarks about Hitler , and demolition of the ' Josefinum ' in Ellwangen Case Nr . 201 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : Ba . , Nikolaus Acquittal , Bu . , Heinz Acquittal < br > Court : LG Ellwangen 500316 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Dalkingen < br > Crime Date : 450407 < br > Victims : Prisoners < br > Nationality : unknown < br > Agency : " Waffen - SS SS - Ersatz - und Ausbildungsbataillon 5 ' Götz von Berlichingen " ' < br > Subject of the proceeding : Shooting of eight exhausted concentration camp prisoners , who , while being part of a prisoners ' transport , had stayed behind at the railway station grounds of Ellwangen Case Nr . 251 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : B . , Peter Acquittal , E . , Theodor Acquittal , H . , Heinz Acquittal < br > Court : LG Ellwangen 501025 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Dalkingen < br > Crime Date : 450407 < br > Victims : Prisoners < br > Nationality : German < br > Agency : " Waffen - SS SS - Ersatz - und Ausbildungsbataillon 5 ' Götz von Berlichingen " ' < br > Subject of the proceeding : Shooting of eight exhausted concentration camp prisoners , who , while being part of a prisoners ' transport , had stayed behind at the railway station grounds of Ellwangen Case Nr . 466 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : M . , Heinz Proceeding suspended < br > Court : LG Nürnberg - Fürth 581001 < br > BGH 571022 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Burgthann < br > Crime Date : 450417 < br > Victims : Civilians < br > Nationality : German < br > Agency : " Waffen - SS 17 . SS - Panzergrenadier - Division ' Götz von Berlichingen " ' < br > Subject of the proceeding : Shooting of the mayor of Burgthann , who , summoned by the Americans , had ordered white flags to be hoisted in the town Case Nr . 315 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : H . , Walter Acquittal < br > Court : LG Regensburg 520505 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Dietfurt ( Mittelfranken ) < br > Crime Date : 450425 < br > Victims : Jews < br > Nationality : German < br > Agency : " Waffen - SS SS - Division ' Götz von Berlichingen " ' < br > Subject of the proceeding : Shooting of a Jewish dentist during the final days of the war Case Nr . 243 < br > Crime Category : Final Phase Crimes < br > Accused : H . , Walter 5 Years , M . , Ludwig 3 Years < br > Court : LG Landshut 500924 < br > Country where the crime was committed : Germany < br > Crime Location : Ebrantshausen , Holz ( near Bad Wiessee ) < br > Crime Date : 450428 , 450502 < br > Victims : Civilians , Prisoners < br > Nationality : German , unknown < br > Agency : Waffen - SS SS - Division ' Götz von Berlichingen < br > Subject of the proceeding : Killing of a civilian , who had a white flag held available in order to hoist it at the church on the arrival of the Americans , as well as a summons to shoot concentration camp prisoners The " Götz von Berlichingen " has also been accused of killing wounded American paratroopers as well as French civilians during the summer of 1944 .