5th SS Panzer Division Wiking The 5th SS Panzer Division " Wiking " was one of the elite Panzer divisions of the thirty eight " Waffen SS " divisions . It was recruited from foreign volunteers in Denmark , Norway , Sweden , Finland , Estonia , the Netherlands and Belgium under the command of German officers . During the course of World War II , the division progressed from a motorised infantry formation to a " Panzer division " and served on the Eastern Front during World War II . It surrendered in May 1945 to the advancing American forces in Austria . Formation and training . After the success of the " Infanterie - Regiment ( mot . ) " Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler " " , " SS - Verfügungstruppen - Division " " Das Reich " " and the " SS - Division " Totenkopf " " during the early war campaigns in Poland and the West , it was decided to expand the number of " Waffen SS " divisions . Due to the influx of foreign volunteers , particularly from Denmark , Norway , Sweden , the Netherlands and Belgium , a decision was made to form a volunteer division of the " Waffen SS " under the command of German officers . This formation , originally organised as the " Nordische Division " ( " Nr . 5 " ) , was to be made up of Nordic volunteers mixed with ethnic German " Waffen SS " veterans . To this end , the " SS " Infantry Regiment " Germania " in the " SS Verfügungstruppe Division " was transferred in late 1940 and used as the nucleus of a new division . In December 1940 , the new " SS " motorised formation , was to be designated SS - Division ( mot . ) " Germania " , but after its formative period , the name was changed , to SS - Division ( mot . ) " Wiking " . in January 1941 . The division was formed around three motorised infantry regiments : " Germania " ; formed mostly from ethnic Germans ; " Westland " , consisting mainly of Dutch and Flemish volunteers ; and " Nordland " , composed mostly of Danes , Norwegians and Swedes . Command of the newly formed division was given to " Brigadeführer " Felix Steiner , the former commander of the " Verfügungstruppe SS Regiment " Deutschland " " . After formation the division was sent to Heuberg in Germany for training and by April 1941 , " SS Division " Wiking " " was deemed ready for combat . It was ordered east in June 1941 , to take part with Army Group South ' s advance into the Ukraine during Operation " Barbarossa " , ( the invasion of the Soviet Union ) . In June 1941 the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the " Waffen - SS " was formed from volunteers from that country . After training , this unit was attached to the " SS Regiment " Nordland " " in January 1942 . About 430 Finns who were veterans of the Winter War served within the " SS Division " Wiking " " division since the beginning of Operation " Barbarossa " . In spring 1943 , the Finnish battalion was withdrawn and replaced by the Estonian infantry battalion " Narwa " . Operation " Barbarossa " . The division was not ready for combat until 29 June 1941 , one week after the launch of the operation . During its first action , near Tarnopol in Galicia , Ukraine , the division acquitted itself well . In August , " SS Division " Wiking " " was ordered to establish a defensive perimeter around a bridgehead across the Dniepr River . Despite determined attacks by the Red Army , the division held the line . Against stiffening resistance , the division continued its advance towards Rostov - on - Don . It took part in the heavy fighting for Rostov before being ordered back to the Mius River line in November . During 1941 , the " Heer " officers in charge of the deployment of the " SS Division " Wiking " " were sceptical of its fighting abilities and so were hesitant to commit it to any major actions . As the division proved itself again and again in combat , it began to earn the grudging respect of the " Heer " commanders . After successfully holding the line over the winter of 1941 – 42 , " SS Division " Wiking " " was ordered to retake Rostov - on - Don and advance into the Caucasus , securing the region ' s vital oilfields . This attack was known as Operation " Maus " , and formed a part of Army Group South ' s offensive Case Blue , aimed at capturing Stalingrad and the Baku oilfields . Launched at the height of summer , the offensive was unexpectedly successful . Within six weeks , Rostov and the entire Don region had been captured , and " SS Division " Wiking " " was advancing deep into the Caucasus . The Caucasus . By late September 1942 , " SS Division " Wiking " " was in a position to launch an assault to capture the vital city of Grozny . Working in cooperation with " General der Panzertruppen " Traugott Herr ' s 13th Panzer Division , a plan was arranged to capture the city . As they reached the Terek River , the Soviet defences solidified . Several obstacle belts had to be breached before the Georgian Road ( along which American supplies were transported ) , could be reached . Realising the difficult situation , Felix Steiner divided his division into four columns , each with separate objectives , but all aimed at breaching the Soviet defences and opening a road to the Caspian Sea . The " SS Regiment " Nordland " " was to attack along the Kurp River to Malgobek . The " SS Panzer battalion " Wiking " " " , with elements of the " SS Regiment " Germania " " , was to breach the main line of defence and establish a bridgehead . The " SS Regiment " Westland " " was to capture the town of Sagopshin , and the division ' s engineer component , along with the rest of " " Germania " " , was to advance along the Kurp . The attack got underway on the night of 25 – 26 September 1942 . " " Nordland " ' s " assault soon bogged down , as the soldiers realised that not only were they outnumbered by the Red Army , but the latter were also well entrenched in prepared positions . Within thirty minutes , almost half of the men of the regiment had fallen . Despite this , they still captured the hill ; its commander , Fritz von Scholz , was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions during the battle . The division finally captured Malgobek on 6 October ; however , the objective of seizing the capital and opening a road to the Caspian Sea was not achieved . The closest point to Grozny , Hill 701 , was captured by the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the " Waffen - SS " Nordland " " . During this operation , " " Wiking " " lost over 1 , 500 men . Several combat units were reduced to only dozens of men , and as a veteran later wrote , " Casualties weren ' t counted any more , just men left alive . " In the first week of November 1942 , the division was transferred from the Terek bend to the Urukh - Alagir sector to participate in the renewed attack eastwards , which was attempted in the direction of Ordzhonikidze rather than via Grozny . It ended up arriving just in time to extricate the 13th Panzer Division from encirclement at Gisel , after which it took up defensive positions behind the Fiagdon river . The encirclement of the 6th Army at Stalingrad brought a halt to all further notions of advance in the Caucasus , and " Wiking " was obliged to take over the positions of the 23rd Panzer Division , allowing the latter to be transferred by rail to Kotelnikovo to participate in the relief of Stalingrad . When that operation faltered in turn in the face of further Soviet advances against the Italian 8th Army on the middle Don , the Caucasian position itself began to come under threat . One notion proposed by Erich von Manstein , the commander of Army Group South , was to release the 16th Motorised Infantry Division from the Elista sector to add strength to another attempt towards Stalingrad , " " Wiking " " entrained on 24 December , its front being shortened to make this possible ; however , by the time it arrived on 31 December , it was forced to plug the gap made by the destruction of the Romanian corps on " LVII Panzer Korps " ’ right flank on the 26th , and assist in a fighting retreat towards Rostov to cover the inevitable ( but much - resisted by Adolf Hitler ) withdrawal of Army Group A from the Caucasus . The division fell back through Zimovniki , the Kuberle , Proletarskaya ( holding open the bridge over the Manych ) , Zelina and Yegorlykskaya towards Bataisk and Rostov , finally escaping through the Rostov gap on 4 February . Battles for Kharkov - " Panzergrenadier Division " . In late - November 1942 the division was redesignated the 5th SS Panzergrenadier Division " Wiking " . By now the division had gained a reputation as an elite formation . In early 1943 , it was ordered to fall back to the Ukraine south of Kharkov , recently abandoned by " Obergruppenführer " Paul Hausser ' s II SS Panzer Corps , and now the scene of fierce fighting for its recapture . Erich von Manstein , the new commander of Army Group South , threw 5 SS " " Wiking " " and the 11th Panzer - Division into action against the Soviet Mobile Group Popov , which was threatening to break through to the vital rail line . 5 SS " " Wiking " " had great difficulty dealing with the armour - heavy Soviet formation . The Panzergrenadier regiments of 5 SS " " Wiking " " were exhausted and understrength from the fighting in the Caucasus ; in addition , the Panzer Battalion lacked sufficient armour to counter the Soviet force . Despite this , the division held off the Soviet assault , protecting the vital rail line and helping bring about the destruction of Mobile Group " Popov " . After the recapture of Kharkov , 5 SS " " Wiking " " was pulled out of combat to be refitted as a " Panzergrenadier division " . Thanks to " Reichführer - SS " Heinrich Himmler ' s and Paul Hausser ' s efforts , it had been decided that all " Waffen SS Panzergrenadier " divisions were to have a regiment of Panzers , rather than only a battalion . This meant that the " SS Panzergrenadier " formations were full sized Panzer divisions in all but name . With the upgrade came SdKfz 251 halftracks for one battalion of infantry and an additional panzer Battalion began forming on 28 February 1943 . It would be over a year before the new battalion would receive its baptism of fire at Kovel . During mid - 1943 , 5 SS " " Wiking " " underwent a major transformation . Steiner , now a " Gruppenführer " , was transferred to command the III ( Germanic ) SS Panzer Corps , currently forming in Croatia . His replacement was Herbert Otto Gille , who was to prove himself Steiner ' s equal . The remnants of the veteran " SS Regiment " Nordland " " , along with its commander Fritz von Scholz , were removed from the division and used as the nucleus of the new 11th SS Volunteer " Panzergrenadier Division " Nordland " " . Also , the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the " Waffen - SS " was disbanded , as the agreed two years ' service of the Finnish volunteers had ended . In an attempt to offset the loss of the Finns and the " Nordland " regiment , the newly formed Estonian volunteer unit Estonian Volunteer " Panzergrenadier Bataillon " Narwa " " was attached to the division . Kursk : battles on the Mius . While the division was refitting , it was involved in minor skirmishes with partisans . The reorganization was completed by late June , and the division was moved to Izyum where it , along with the " 23 . Panzer - Division " was to form the reserve force for Manstein ' s Army Group during the approaching Operation " Citadel " . While the operation was in effect , several Soviet formations attacked towards Orel and Kharkov simultaneously . The 5 SS " " Wiking " " was engaged against the forces near Kharkov , with the Estonians acquitting themselves well , destroying around 100 Red Army tanks over several days . When " Citadel " was cancelled , the division was still involved in halting Soviet attacks . Further to the south , on the Mius - Front , a major Red Army offensive , Operation " Rumyantsev " , threatened to break the German lines . 5 SS " " Wiking " " was joined by the 3rd " SS " Totenkopf " Panzer Division " and the 2nd " SS Panzergrenadier Division " Das Reich " " and sent to the Mius - Bogodukhov sector to halt the Soviet attacks . In subsequent fighting , the " SS " divisions defeated two Soviet tank armies ( totaling over 1 , 000 tanks ) , destroying over 800 of them . At no time did the " SS " divisions have any more than 50 panzers in working order . Despite horrific losses , the Soviets were able to take Kharkov on 23 August and began advancing towards the Dnieper . In October , the division was again pulled back out of the line , this time to be restructured as a panzer division , the 5th SS Panzer Division " Wiking " " . Korsun Pocket . To bolster the strength of the division , the Walloon volunteer unit 5th " SS - Sturmbrigade " Wallonien " " was attached to the division , under the command of Leon Degrelle . It was the subject of ridicule by many " " Wiking " " veterans until they proved their worth in the fighting for a forest near Teklino , at the head of a salient into the Soviet lines . A second panzer Battalion was also ordered to begin forming in Germany . While the 5 SS " " Wiking " " was engaged near Teklino , several Red Army tank formations had advanced along the side of the salient and succeeded in encircling the German forces of XLII and XI Army Corps near Korsun . During the battle of the Korsun - Cherkassy Pocket , 5 SS " " Wiking " " defended against Soviet attacks on the eastern side of the pocket . While " General der Artillerie " Wilhelm Stemmermann , the overall commander of the ' pocket ' , moved his forces to the west in readiness for an attempt to breakout , 5 SS " " Wiking " " , along with the 5th " SS Sturmbrigade " were ordered to act as the rearguard . After repulsing all Soviet attempts to break through near the town of Novaya - Buda , the 5 " SS " Wiking " " rearguard split up and began withdrawing under cover of darkness , one platoon at a time . Advancing through " Hell ' s Gate " , the " " Wiking " " came under heavy fire . The division suffered heavy losses in men and materials during the carnage of the Korsun Pocket . Gille , the Divisional commander , had proven his loyalty to his men , fighting alongside them and remaining in action until all survivors had escaped . He was one of the last to cross the Gniloy Tikich River to safety . After the end of this battle , the 5th " SS Sturmbrigade " Wallonien " " brigade was withdrawn from the division . Kovel encirclement . After a brief period of rest and refit , the " 5 SS " Wiking " " was sent to assist in the defence of Kovel , which was under threat from a strong Soviet force . Gille led his men towards the town and began setting up a defensive perimeter , which was soon encircled by the Red Army . The 2nd Battalion , " SS Panzer Regiment 5 " Wiking " " , equipped with newly arrived Panther tank s , along with the 3rd Battalion , " SS Panzergrenadier Regiment " Germania " " , well equipped and up to strength , arrived at the front from Germany and began to form a relief formation . The unit was under the command of " Obersturmführer " Karl Nicolussi Leck , commander of the 8th Company , 2nd Battalion , " SS Panzer Regiment 5 " Wiking " " . Nicolussi Leck immediately launched an attack with five tanks . Soon after beginning the assault , he received a radio message from the besieged commander to halt his attack and withdraw . Leck ordered his radio operator to ignore the call , and continue with the attack . Risking court - martial , Nicolussi - Leck proceeded to fight his way through the Red Army encirclement , destroying several tanks in the process . His Panther was the first vehicle to break the encirclement ; for his actions he was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . After the relief force had established a corridor to the trapped forces , the withdrawal began . Unlike the previous encirclement at Korsun , the " " Wiking " " managed to escape with most of its equipment intact . Warsaw battles . In late - August 1944 , the division was ordered back to Modlin Fortress on the Vistula River line near Warsaw where it was to join the newly formed Army Group Vistula . Fighting alongside the Luftwaffe ' s " " Hermann Göring " Panzer Division " , the division annihilated the Red Army ' s 3rd Tank Corps . The advent of the Warsaw Uprising brought the Soviet offensive to a halt , and relative peace fell on the front line as in Warsaw Higher SS and Police Leader Erich von dem Bach Zelewski destroyed Warsaw with its civilians and the Home Army . The division remained in the Modlin area for the rest of the year , grouped with the 3 " SS " Totenkopf " " and the IV SS Panzer Corps . Gille was promoted to the command of the new " SS Panzer " Corps , and after a brief period with " Oberführer " Dr . Eduard Deisenhofer in command , " Standartenführer " Johannes Mühlenkamp , commander of the SS Panzer Regiment 5 " " Wiking " " , took command . Heavy defensive battles around Modlin followed for the rest of the year , and in October , Mühlenkamp was replaced by " Oberführer " Karl Ullrich . Ullrich would lead the division for the rest of the war . In late - December 1944 , the German forces , including IX SS Mountain Corps , defending Budapest were encircled and the IV SS Panzer Corps was ordered south to join Hermann Balck ' s 6th Army ( Army Group " Balck " ) , which was mustering for a relief effort , codenamed Operation " Konrad " . Budapest relief efforts . As a part of Operation " Konrad I " , the 5th SS Panzer Division " Wiking " was committed to action on 1 January 1945 , fighting alongside the 3rd SS Panzer Division " " Totenkopf " " . Near Tata , the advance columns of the " " Wiking " " attacked the 4th Guards Army . A heavy battle ensued , with the " " Wiking " " and the " " Totenkopf " " seeing many of the Red Army tanks destroyed . In three days , the two formations had driven 45 kilometres over rugged terrain , over half the distance from their start point to Budapest . The Soviets manoeuvred forces to block the advance , and they barely managed to halt the Germans at Bicske , only 28 kilometres from Budapest . Gille pulled the " " Wiking " " out of the line and moved it to the south of Esztergom , near the Danube bend . The second relief attempt , to be known as Operation " Konrad II " , got under way on 7 January . In atrocious conditions , the " " Wiking " " advanced south towards Budapest . By 12 January , the " SS Panzergrenadier Regiment " Westland " " had reached Pilisszentkereszt , barely 20 kilometres from Buda . That morning the " panzergrenadier " s spotted the church spires and turrets of the distinctive Budapest skyline poking through the morning fog . Despite the operation ' s success , it had been overextended and were vulnerable to attack , unable to exploit its breakthrough and eventually ordered to pull back and regroup . Hitler was furious at the lack of progress , and called the operation ' utterly pointless ' . A third attempt , Operation " Konrad III " , launched in cooperation with the veteran III Panzer Corps , took place some 100 kilometres to the south . Launched on 20 January , this attack resulted in a 15 - mile wide gap in the Soviet lines and the destruction of the 135th Rifle Corps . Despite initial success , the quick redeployment of more troops by the Soviets prevented a German breakthrough , turning back the operation by 28 January . By the end of January , the 5 SS " " Wiking " " and the 3 " SS " Totenkopf " " had suffered almost 8 , 000 casualties , including over 200 officers . On 13 February , the besieged forces capitulated , and the badly mauled " " Wiking " " was ordered west to Lake Balaton , where " Oberstgruppenführer " ' Sepp ' Dietrich ' s 6th SS Panzer Army was preparing for another offensive . Final battles . After the failure of " Konrad III " , the " 5 SS Division " Wiking " " began defensive operations , falling back west of Budapest and moving into Czechoslovakia . Gille ' s corps was too depleted to take part in Operation " Frulingserwachen " near Lake Balaton , and instead remained as a support to the 6th SS Panzer Army during the beginning of the operation . " 5 SS Division " Wiking " " performed a holding operation on the left flank of the offensive , in the area between Velenczesee - Székesfehérvár . As " Frühlingserwachen " progressed , the division was heavily engaged in preventing Soviet efforts at outflanking the advancing German forces . However , as the offensive stalled , the Red Army launched a major offensive , the Vienna Operation , on 15 March . Attacking the lines between the " 3 SS " Totenkopf " " , stationed to the north of the " " Wiking " " , and the Hungarian 2nd Armoured Division , contact was soon lost between these formations . Acting quickly , Balck recommended moving the I SS Panzer Corps north to plug the gap and prevent the encirclement of the IV SS Panzer Corps . Despite this quick thinking , a " Führer Order " authorising this move was slow in coming , and when the divisions finally began moving , it was too late . On 22 March , the Soviet encirclement of the " " Totenkopf " " and " " Wiking " " was almost complete . Desperate , Balck threw the veteran 9th " SS Panzer Division " Hohenstaufen " " into the area to hold open the small exit . In the battle to hold open the " Berhida Corridor " , the " " Hohenstaufen " " bled itself white , but Gille ' s corps managed to escape . On 24 March , another Soviet attack threw the exhausted IV SS Panzer Corps back towards Vienna ; all contact was lost with the neighbouring I SS Panzer Corps , and any resemblance of an organised line of defence was gone . The " " Wiking " " executed a fighting withdrawal further into Czechoslovakia . By early May , it was within reach of the American forces , to whom the division officially surrendered near Fürstenfeld , Austria on 9 May . War crimes . Members of the division ' s bakery column , led by " Obersturmführer " Braunnagel and " Untersturmführer " Kochalty , assisted " Einsatzgruppe A " in rounding up Ukrainian Jews . Witnesses report that the Jewish victims were forced to run a gauntlet formed by soldiers who would beat them as they passed , and when they reached the end of the gauntlet , " Einsatzgruppen " officers murdered them and their bodies were pushed into a bomb crater . The German 1st Mountain Division is also suspected of being involved . Between 50 and 60 Jews were killed in this manner , as a part of the larger " Einsatzgruppe " operation which resulted in over 700 murders . In addition historian Eleonore Lappin from the Institute for the History of Jews in Austria , has documented several cases of war crimes committed by members of the " 5 SS Division " Wiking " " in her work " The Death Marches of Hungarian Jews Through Austria in the Spring of 1945 " . On 28 March 1945 , 80 Jews from an evacuation column , although fit for the journey , were shot by three members of the " Waffen SS division " Wiking " " and five military policemen . On 4 April , 20 members of another column that left Graz tried to escape near Eggenfeld , not far from Gratkorn . Soldiers from the " 5 SS Division " Wiking " " that were temporarily stationed there apprehended them in the forest near Mt . Eggenfeld and then herded them into a gully , where they were shot . On 7 – 11 April 1945 , members of the division executed another eighteen escaped prisoners . Josef Mengele . The notorious Dr . Josef Mengele , served with the " SS Division " Wiking " " during its early campaigns . According to all accounts , he performed the normal duties of a combat medic , even being awarded the Iron Cross for saving two wounded men from a tank . After being wounded himself , Mengele was deemed unfit for combat and was absorbed into the " SS " Nazi concentration camp system , where he gained his infamous reputation . Mengele was very proud of his " Waffen SS " service and his front - line decorations . As the true horrors of the concentration camp system came to light , his former comrades attempted to have his name removed from the division ' s roll of veterans .