22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Maria Theresia The 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division was a German Waffen SS cavalry division which saw action on the Eastern Front during the Second World War . The division was composed primarily of Hungarian Army Volksdeutsche conscripts , transferred to the Waffen - SS following an agreement between Germany and Hungary . The division is commonly known under " Maria Theresia " name in publications , although there are no documents found to confirm this name so far . History . Formation and Training . In December 1943 , " 17th SS - Cavalry Regiment " from the 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was ordered to become the cadre for a new SS cavalry division . On 29 April 1944 , the SS - Führungshauptamt authorised the division to be raised , and " 17th SS - Cavalry Regiment " was pulled out of the line and sent to Kisbér in Hungary to rest , refit and to begin forming the new division . While veterans from the " Florian Geyer " formed the nucleus of the division , the bulk of the soldiers were Hungarian Army volksdeutsche conscripts , transferred to the Waffen - SS following an agreement between Germany and Hungary . The division was organized in absolute secrecy ; this led many of the new recruits to incorrectly assume that they were part of Adolf Hitler ' s much vaunted Wunderwaffe program . The division was designated 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division " Maria Theresia " . The title referred to Maria Theresa from the House of Habsburg , who had ruled Austria , Hungary and Bohemia in the 18th century . The symbol of the division , a cornflower , is emblazoned on the divisional shield . It was adopted as it was the favourite flower of Empress Maria Theresa . Some authors claim however , that the division was always referred in official documents as the 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division , and there are no documents , that would officially confirm it being named " Maria Theresia " . Over the next few months , the division continued its organization and training in Kisber , Gyor and Budapest , equipped with mostly Hungarian weapons , vehicles and equipment . By June 1944 , the divisional strength had reached 4 , 900 . On the 22nd of that month the Soviets launched Operation Bagration . In early August OKH ordered all divisions forming up in Hungary to send kampfgruppe n to the combat zone . " 52nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Regiment " , along with elements of the divisional artillery , were ordered to entrain for the front in Romania , while the " 17th SS Volunteer Cavalry Regiment " remained in Hungary to train the rest of the division . Romania . " Kampfgruppe Wiedemann " consisted of " SS Volunteer Cavalry Regiment 52 " with attached artillery , FlaK and reconnaissance elements . The Kampfgruppe was transported from Gyula - Szolonta , Hungary to Arad , Romania , where it was attached to " General der Panzertruppen " Hermann Breith ' s III Panzer Corps , stationed in the area around Debrecen . " SS - Hauptsturmführer " Wiedemann ' s force went into the line on 30 September , forming a defensive ring around the city of Arad along with the Hungarian 9th Infantry Division . That same day , Wiedemann himself was killed in action . " SS - Hauptsturmführer " Anton ' Toni ' Ameiser took command , and the kampfgruppe was redesignated " Kampfgruppe Ameiser " . On 2 October , the Soviet spearheads of Marshall R . Y . Malinovsky ' s 2nd Ukrainian Front began probing towards Arad . " Kampfgruppe Ameiser " held its ground , rebuffing several Soviet attacks . On 6 October , Malinovsky launched a major offensive , thus beginning the Battle of Debrecen . Hugely outnumbered , " Kampfgruppe Ameiser " was quickly outflanked and encircled . Secondary Soviet forces began attempts to destroy the encircled force . On 8 October , an assault by a large Soviet armoured force managed to split the pocket in two . Ameiser was in command of one pocket , and " SS - Hauptsturmführer " Anton Vandieken in command of the other . Vandieken ' s force launched an attack towards friendly lines . On the following day , the survivors swam across the Harmas river , joining German forces on the other side . Ameiser ' s group found it impossible to break out to friendly lines . Ameiser ordered his men to leave behind their heavy equipment and try to break out . Over the next three weeks , Ameiser led his men on a 200 mile trek behind enemy lines . On 30 October the 48 survivors , including Ameiser himself , linked up with German forces at the town of Dunaföldvár , south of Budapest . For his actions , Ameiser was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 November 1944 . Operation Panzerfaust - Budapest . In mid - October 1944 , pro - German Honvédség officers had revealed that the Hungarian Regent , Admiral Miklós Horthy , was negotiating a secret surrender to the Soviets . Hitler sent " SS - Obersturmbannfüher " Otto Skorzeny to deal with the problem . Skorzeny commandeered all available elements of the " Maria Theresia " to take part in Operation Panzerfaust , which began at 0600 on 15 October . In little over half an hour a German column led by four Tiger II s , and including a number of " Maria Theresia " men , stormed Buda Castle and forced Horthy to abdicate . Simultaneously , Operation Panzerfaust resulted in the forced detainment of Horthy ' s youngest son , the pro - peace Nicholas Horthy . Pro - German Arrow Cross leader Ferenc Szálasi replaced Horthy , negotiations were broken off and crisis was averted . The battle ready units of the division , which had been completing their final training near Kisber , were assigned to the IX SS Mountain Corps , which was deployed in the defense of Budapest . The division arrived in early November 1944 and took up defensive positions . There it was encircled along with the rest of the Axis troops in the Hungarian capital and destroyed . Only some 170 men made it out of the encirclement . The survivors , along with those who had not been sent to defend Budapest , were used to form 37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division " Lützow " , with the remnants of the Flak units being transferred to 32nd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division " 30 Januar " .