9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen The 9th SS Panzer Division " Hohenstaufen " , also known as SS - Panzergrenadier - Division 9 , SS - Panzergrenadier - Division 9 " Hohenstaufen or 9 . SS - Panzer - Division " Hohenstaufen , was a German Waffen - SS Armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Front s during World War II . The division was activated on the 31 December 1942 . The men of the division were German conscripts aged 18 , with a cadre of experienced staff from the " Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler " . Their first action was in March 1944 in Poland ; they were then moved to Normandy in June that year . After the retreat from France , they were moved to Arnhem in September 1944 , to rest and refit and became involved in the Allied parachute landings . Their next action was the German advance in the Ardennes in the winter of 1944 – 1945 . After defeat in the Ardennes , the division was moved to Hungary , where it took part in the fighting to the west of Budapest in February and March . Falling back into Austria , the division surrendered to the advancing United States Army on 5 May 1945 , at Steyr . Formation . The 9th SS Panzer Division " Hohenstaufen " was formed , along with its sister formation 10th SS Panzer Division " Frundsberg " , in France in February 1943 . The division was mainly formed from " Reichsarbeitdienst " ( RAD ) conscripts . Originally , " Hohenstaufen " was designated as a " Panzergrenadier " division , but in October 1943 it was promoted to full Panzer Division status . At its formation , " Hohenstaufen " was commanded by " SS - Obergruppenführer " Wilhelm Bittrich . The title " Hohenstaufen " came from the Hohenstaufen dynasty , a Germanic noble family who produced a number of kings and emperors in the 12th and 13th centuries AD . It is believed that the division was named specifically after Friedrich II , who lived from 1194 - 1250 . Eastern Front . After the encirclement of " Generaloberst " Hans - Valentin Hube ' s 1st Panzer Army near Kamenets Podolsky in Ukraine , " Generalfeldmarschall " Erich von Manstein requested that the " Hohenstaufen " and " Frundsberg " divisions be sent to attempt to link up with the trapped force . Arriving in the east in late March 1944 , the divisions were formed into the II SS - Panzer Corps and were sent into the attack near the town of Tarnopol . After heavy fighting in the horrible conditions caused by the " rasputitsa " ( " mud season " ) , the division effected a link - up with Hube ' s forces near the town of Buczacz . During these battles , " Hohenstaufen " had suffered heavy casualties , and in late April was pulled out of the line to refit . The II SS Panzer Corps was to act as reserve for Army Group North Ukraine , performing " fire brigade " duties for the Army Group . After the Allied invasion of northern France on 6 June 1944 , the II SS Panzer Corps , including the " Hohenstaufen " , was sent west on 12 June to defend Caen in Normandy . Western Front . Normandy . " Hohenstaufen " suffered losses from Allied fighter bomber s during its move to Normandy , delaying its arrival until 26 June 1944 . The original plan for " Hohenstaufen " to attack towards the Allied beachhead was made impossible by a British offensive to take Caen . The II SS Panzer Corps was instead put into the line to support the weakened forces defending Caen . " Hohenstaufen " was involved in ferocious fighting until early July , suffering 1 , 200 casualties . On 10 July , the division was pulled back into reserve , to be replaced by the 277th Infantry Division . After the launching of another British offensive aimed at taking Caen , " Hohenstaufen " was again put back into the line , this time defending Hill 112 , taking over the positions of the battered " Frundsberg " . After more heavy fighting , " Hohenstaufen " was again pulled out of the line on 15 July . The division ' s depleted Panzergrenadier regiments were merged to form Panzergrenadier Regiment " Hohenstaufen " . The division saw much action defending against British armor during Operation Goodwood , suffering heavy losses , but succeeded in holding the line . < br > After the launch of the Canadian Operation " Totalize " , " Hohenstaufen " performed a fighting withdrawal , avoiding encirclement in the Falaise pocket , and fighting to keep the narrow escape route from this pocket open . By 21 August , the battle of Normandy was over , and the German forces were in full retreat . " Obersturmbannführer " Walter Harzer was now placed in command of the division . It fought several rearguard actions during the retreat through France and Belgium , and in early September 1944 , the exhausted formation was pulled out of the line for rest and refit near the Dutch city of Arnhem . By this time " Hohenstaufen " was down to approximately 7 , 000 men , from 15 , 900 at the end of June . Arnhem . Upon arriving in the Arnhem area , the division began the task of refitting . The majority of the remaining armored vehicles were loaded onto trains in preparation for transport to repair depots in Germany . On Sunday , 17 September 1944 , the Allies launched Operation Market - Garden , and the division would become heavily involved in the subsequent Battle of Arnhem . The British 1st Airborne Division was dropped in Oosterbeek , to the west of Arnhem . Realizing the threat , Bittrich ( now commander of the II SS Panzer Corps ) ordered " Hohenstaufen " and " Frundsberg " to ready themselves for combat . The division ' s armor was unloaded from the trains and workshop units worked frantically to replace the tanks tracks , which had been removed for transportation . Of the division ' s armored units , only the division ' s reconnaissance battalion ; equipped mostly with wheeled and half tracked vehicles , was ready for immediate action . Bittrich ordered " Hohenstaufen " to occupy Arnhem and secure the vital bridge . Harzer sent the division to the city , encountering stiff resistance from the " Roten Teufel " ( Red Devils ) , as the Germans came to call the British paratoopers . The Reconnaissance Battalion , a 40 - vehicle unit commanded by " Hauptsturmführer " Viktor Eberhard Gräbner , was sent south over the bridge to scout the area around Nijmegen . Gräbner had that day received the Knight ' s Cross for his actions in Normandy . While the Reconnaissance Battalion was scouting to the south of Arnhem , Colonel John Frost ' s 2nd Battalion of the British 1st Airborne Division had advanced into Arnhem and prepared defensive positions at the northern end of the bridge . Gräbner returned from his scouting mission to the south on the morning of 18 September , and ordered about half of his reconnaissance unit , numbering about 22 armored cars , half - tracks , and a few trucks , to attack north across the bridge . Gräbner ' s exact intentions remain a mystery , but he apparently either hoped to recapture the bridge or to race through the British positions to assist the rest of the division in its defense of Arnhem . Either way , the attack was a complete disaster . The Paras were ready , and after allowing the first four vehicles to pass , they opened up with PIAT anti - tank weapons , flamethrower s and small arms fire . In two hours of fighting , the Reconnaissance Battalion was virtually annihilated , losing 12 vehicles out of 22 in the assault and around 70 men killed , including Gräbner . This action is depicted in the film " A Bridge Too Far " . Throughout the eight - day battle , the division operated mostly in and to the west of Arnhem , fighting with Frost ' s battalion and reducing the pocket containing the remainder of the 1st Airborne , which had become encircled near Oosterbeek . The battle of Arnhem was a victory for " Hohenstaufen " . With the assistance of other German formations , the division had destroyed an elite British airborne outfit , which was badly outnumbered and only lightly armed . Despite the intensity of the fighting , the soldiers of " Hohenstaufen " and " Frundsberg " treated the captured paratroopers courteously , although there are reports of cold - blooded executions by some SS members , and Bittrich remarked that the tenacity and fighting prowess of the Red Devils was not to be matched , even by the Soviets . Refitting and the Ardennes Offensive . After the battle of Arnhem , " Hohenstaufen " moved to Paderborn for a much - needed rest and refit . On 12 December 1944 , the division moved south to the Munstereifel . It was to act as a reserve for Sepp Dietrich ' s 6th SS Panzer Army , a part of the Ardennes offensive ( " " ) . The 6th Panzer Army was tasked with attacking in the north , along the line St . Vith - Vielsalm . Initially , only the divisional reconnaissance and artillery units were involved in the fighting , but on the 21 December the entire division was committed . When the attack in the north stalled , the division was sent south to assist in the attacks on Bastogne . " Hohenstaufen " was involved in the fighting around Bastogne , taking heavy casualties from the American defenders , and losing much equipment to the incessant attacks of Allied ground attack aircraft . On 7 January 1945 , Hitler called off the operation and ordered all forces to concentrate around Longchamps ; the division was involved in holding this area , as well as keeping lines of communication open with the 5th Panzer Army to the south . Hungary . Operation " Frühlingserwachen " . Throughout the rest of January 1945 , " Hohenstaufen " was involved in a fighting withdrawal to the German border . At the end of the month , the division was transferred to the Kaifenheim - Mayen area to be refitted . < br > At the end of February , the division was sent east to Hungary as a part of the reformed 6th SS Panzer Army under Sepp Dietrich . The division , along with the majority of the SS Panzer units available , was to take part in Operation " Frülingserwachen " ( " Spring Awakening " ) , the offensive near Lake Balaton , which was aimed at securing the Hungarian oilfields and relieving the forces trapped in Budapest by the Soviets . The attack got under way on 6 March 1945 , despite the terrible ground conditions . Due to the condition of the roads , the division had not reached its jump - off position when the attack began . A combination of mud and stiff Soviet resistance brought the offensive to a halt , and on 16 March a Soviet counter - offensive threatened to cut off the 6th SS Panzer Army . " Hohenstaufen " was involved in the ferocious fighting to escape the Soviet encirclement , and on 6 April , the tattered remnants of the division emerged from the trap . Surrender . On 1 May , the greatly depleted division was moved west to the Steyr - Amstetten area . It was ordered to stop the American advance without using force , and not to endanger the ongoing negotiations between the Germans and the Western Allies . On 5 May 1945 , the survivors of " Hohenstaufen " surrendered to the Americans .