SS Panzer Brigade Gross SS Panzer Brigade " Gross " was a formation of the Waffen SS during World War II . It was formed in 1944 , from the SS Training and Reserve Regiments based in Latvia , to keep the road to Riga open and to counter the Red Army s summer offensive , which had captured Mitau and Tukums and putting the whole of Courland in danger . The Brigade was disbanded in November 1944 , and the survivors assigned to the SS Panzer Division ' s . Formation . The SS Panzer Brigade " Gross " was formed from the SS Panzer Training and Replacement Regiment based in Dundaga , Latvia and the SS Panzer Troop Training Regiment " Seelager " based at the training grounds at Ventspils together with the SS Reconnaissance Training Battalion formed the Brigade . The Brigade began forming on 8 August 1944 , under the command of Sturmbannführer Martin Gross . The eventual Brigade consisted of two infantry battalion s , a panzer battalion of two companies with Panzer III and Panzer IV , a reconnaissance battalion , a StuG battalion , a pioneer company and a Flak company . Counterattack . The Brigade was immediately sent into action , launching a counterattack towards Libau in Latvia and was involved in some heavy fighting with a Red Army Cavalry Corps and the attempt to recapture Tukums failed . The Brigade was reinforced on the 15 August , when a Tiger tank company was attached from the 103 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion and two batteries of artillery from the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of SS ( 2nd Latvian ) and by the 19 August the Brigade strength stood at 2 , 500 men . The Brigade was also assigned to the Panzer Division Strachwitz and on the 20 August attacked the Soviet 51st Army and recaptured Mitau and Reval , now that the Baltic coast was cleared of the Red Army the evacuation of the German forces continued across the Baltic sea . On 28 August the Brigade was moved to Estonia and remained in the area of Lake Peipus until early September By 12 September the Brigade ' s panzer battalion now counted eight Panzer III , one Panzer IV , one Panzer IV , three Panther tank s , one StuG and 17 Sd . Kfz . 251 . It no longer had the SS Infantry Battalion 2 and its Reconnaissance Battalion had only eight Panzerspähwagen . They were dispatched back to Durbe in Latvia in mid - September and were in constant contact with the Soviet forces . The Brigade had reported strength on the 20 September of only 300 men , two StuG , one T - 34 , three Panzer III , two Panzer IV and four Sd . Kfz . 251 . Disbandment . Forced back to Lithuania the Brigade became a part of the 3rd Panzer Army . It reached Memel in October and were ordered to pull out due to their heavy losses on 16 November . The survivors were sent to the training area at Windau in Prussia and then onto Sennelager . The Brigade was dismantled and its men sent as replacements to the 1 SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler " , 2nd SS Panzer Division " Das Reich " , 9th SS Panzer Division " Hohenstaufen " and the 12th SS Panzer Division " Hitlerjugend " , which were all part of the 6th SS Panzer Army . The disbanding of the Brigade was disguised as the forming of a new panzer regiment , SS Panzer Regiment 26 " Reichsmarschall " .