1944 Defence of the East: 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf : SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment 5 "Thule" #1 (Bolt Action)

 

Hallo und herzlich willkommen!

It's true that I haven't finished the veteran winter grenadier unit yet, but I decided to focus on another part of my German battalion for some time - a select SS unit.

Infamous - fanatically militant, but also cruel and criminal... Totenkopf!

The first two today!
Metal miniatures from Warlord Games SS set

The 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (German: 3. SS-Panzerdivision "Totenkopf") was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the Standarten of the SS-TV. Its name, Totenkopf, is German for "death's head" – the skull and crossbones symbol – and it is thus sometimes referred to as the Death's Head Division.

       The division was formed through the expansion of Kampfgruppe Eicke, a battle group named – in keeping with German military practice – after its commander, Theodor Eicke.
       Most of the battle group's personnel had been transferred to the Waffen-SS from concentration camp guard units, which were known collectively as SS-Totenkopfverbände; others were former members of Selbstschutz: ethnic German militias that had committed war crimes in Poland.

       The division became notorious for its brutality, and committed numerous war crimes, including the Le Paradis and Chasselay massacres. The remnants of the division surrendered on 9 May 1945 to American forces in Czechoslovakia.

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