It is little wonder that one of the elite SS Panzer-Grenadier Divisions of World War II was named for Götz von Berlichingen. His reputation as a warrior and a defender of liberty made him a national folk hero. There was even a play about him by Göthe, the famous German playwright.

A Beginning

The order to create the 17. SS Panzer-Grenadier Division was issued in the middle of 1943. It was not formally activated until very early in 1944 in Thouars, France. It was to be one of the last significant ceremonies for the creation of such a division and many SS "luminaries" including both Sepp Dietrich and Heinrich Himmler were in attendance. Such was the timing of its creation that the "GvB" would be in battle with the Allies in just three short months when D-Day finally came.

A Hero

Götz von Berlichingen was born in the castle at Jagsthausen in Götzenburg in the year 1480, and began campaigning at an early age. During the siege of Landshut (Bavarian War of 1504) he lost his hand to a cannon ball in the fighting. Undismayed by the loss of his hand, Götz, designed what was, almost assuredly, one of the first prosthetics in use for the period, an iron hand, and the future symbol of the 17. SS.

Götz's fame comes from an incident that occured when Götz was being beseiged by an enemy. He was ordered to surrender in the name of the Emporor. Here is an account based on the actual incident: In Act 3, Scene 23 of the play Götz von Berlichingen by Göthe, the Hauptmann who is beseiging Götz sends a messenger who urges him to surrender. Götz's answer goes: "Who do you think you're talking to? Am I some robber? Tell your captain: I respect His Imperial Majesty as always, but as for your captain, tell him he can kiss my ass! (Er kann mich im Arsch lecken, which is a bit cruder than the English translation). It is said that Götz's reply always brings down the house.

Götz Died in 1563 and his grave at the Schoental Monastery is marked by a knight kneeling before a cross with the inscription, "Götz, the magnanimous hero, rests here in the depth of the grave. Among the honorable ones, his name was always mentioned. For with great valor, he fought bloody battles..."

Order of Battle

The order of battle for the 17. SS Division was for two regiments of Grenadiers, the 37. and 38., each composed of three motorized battalions, an Artillerie-Regiment, and the usual services. The growing shortages in manpower in Germany slowed the raising of the division, but as of 1 June 1944, its strength was 17,321 men of all ranks. Although deficient in weapons and equipment, the 17. was considered ready to undertake operations. In that respect the U.S. official history Cross-Channel Attack records that the division was so poorly outfitted that four of its six grenadier battalions had only improvised transport, some of which was Italian in origin, and that the other two Grenadier battalions were mounted on bicycles. The Panzer-Bataillon had no tanks, but there were 37 self-propelled guns on establishment.

Normandiefront

The "GvB" Division formed part of the high command reserve but once released began its move toward the beachhead led by the Aufklärungs-Bataillon (reconnaissance battalion), which reached the Tessy area during 8 June. Some of the bicycle-mounted Grenadier units took so long to reach the combat zone that they were effectively out of the battle until the second half of the month.

The Aufklärungs-Bataillon took up position in the sector held by the German 352. Division, in the Trévières-Littry area, and one of its patrols, sent out on 10 June, clashed with units of the British 7th Armoured Division. The main force of the 17. SS Division, suffering from the fuel shortages that bedevilled German operations on every front, was stranded in and around Vers with the result that by 11 June, only advance parties had reached the designated divisional assembly area to the southwest of Carentan.

Fuel supplies rushed to the division made some units mobile, and the advance continued to a point north of Périers, where the German 6. Fallschirmjäger (Parachute Infantry) Regiment was holding the line. On 11 June, the commander of the "GvB" Division, Werner Ostendorff, went forward to contact Oberst (Colonel) August von der Heydte, the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment's commander, in Carentan, where a fierce battle was raging. Allied superiority on the ground and in the air soon forced the 6. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment out of the town. That seriously depleted regiment was then placed under the command of the "GvB" Division. It is interesting to note that the veteran soldier v.der Heydte, had a low opinion of the 17. SS. In his memoir Muss ich sterben will ich fallen, he records how its Ia (chief assistant, operations) dismissed demands for closer liaison with the remark, "We don't do things that way!" and later, how SS officers gave conflicting orders. For their part, the senior commanders of the 17. SS tried in vain, to have v.der Heydte court-martialed for giving up Carentan.

It was very clear that the German forces in that sector would be unable to undertake a concerted attack to recapture the town, for even as late as 12 June, the 17. SS Division had control of only two-thirds of its effectives. A check showed that there was a serious shortage of ammunition for the heavy weapons whose fire was needed to support the Panzer-Grenadier and paratroop assaults. The attack set for 13 June, which was already encountering difficulties, had these compounded when the promised Luftwaffe support was cancelled without warning. Under a very meagre covering barrage of artillery, the men of the "GvB" opened their first attack against two American airborne divisions (82nd and 101st) as well as the 2nd Armoured Division.

The ground across which the German units advanced was swamp covered with bushes, and the whole area was defended tenaciously by the American troops. Fighting continued for weeks with few advances made by the Panzer-Grenadiers, who were then forced onto the defensive. On 16 June, Ostendorff was badly wounded. He was replaced by Standartenführer Otto Baum, who led the division from 16 June to 30 July. On 18 June, the 17. SS, holding the Périers-Neumesnil sector, was relieved from the line by the 353. Division. It should be noted that Wehrmacht communiques singled out the "GvB" for special praise for its role in the fighting around St. Lo.

Rest and Refit

The "GvB" was spared the destruction of the Falaise Gap that destroyed nineteen German divisions when it was sent to Paris and than on to Merzig in the Saarland. It was during this time that the division was hurriedly rebuilt from its own survivors and those survivors from other units.

Endkampf

Götz v.Berlichingen was to spend almost the entire remainder of the year 1944 defending Metz. It should be noted that it was tough German resistance around Metz that stopped the drive of the Americans across France, and the role played by the men of the "GvB" in the defense of Metz was significant indeed. Weakened by the repeated attacks over a two-month period with very few replacements, the "GvB" was sent on at the end of November 1944 to Saarbruecken at Ormesheim. Again, the division was removed from the line for a refit.

1945 began with the men of the 17. SS Panzer-Grenadier Division holding a line from Achen, Bettweder, Urbach and Nussweder, south of Zweibruecken. The American response to the Ardennes offensive left a vacancy in the lines of the American and French armies near Alsace-Lorraine. The "GvB" played a major role in the attack (Unternehmen Nordwind) before the Americans again attacked with their seemingly limitless supplies of men and materiel.

In March 1945, the "GvB" was fighting around Zweibruecken when they were the target of specially prepared leaflets dropped by the U.S. 7th Army. The leaflets stated that they should surrender and that the war was over for Hitler's Germany.

The remainder of the spring was for the men of the "GvB" one defeat after another as they sought to stein the tide of the allied assaults into the heart of Germany. On April 20, the men of the "GvB" were engaged in the defense of Nuremberg, scene of the incredible pre-war rallies for the Party. The division fought in and around Munich in the last days of April, then headed south. Significantly, the next town on the division's itinerary was to be Bad Tölz the home of the SS Junkerschule.

Surrender and Appraisals

"GvB" finally surrendered to the Americans on May 7, 1945 and was then sent into captivity Munich on May 21st.

The 17. SS Panzer-Grenadier Division "Götz v.Berlichingen" had existed for 17 months, and had fought without respite for 11 of them. It was the only SS division to have fought exclusively on the western front and its name and deservedly earned tough reputation do not appear to have been tarnished by any involvement in war crimes.

This cannot be said of some of GvB's enemies--the American Army, specifically the "Rainbow Division" on more than one occasion rounded up officers and men of the division and machine gunned them without mercy. Of course, to the Victor goes the spoils, and so there were never any follow-ups or investigations of these heinous acts and not one man of the aforementioned American Division was ever punished with so much as a day's restriction.

It is not known for certain whether the men of "GvB" adopted the motto of the man whom they were named for. But it is likely that there was a pervasive air of arrogance and the attitude of Götz for their enemies and the untenable situation they fought through. They will be forever remembered as the "Kiss my Ass" division.

17. SS Assignments