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|garrison=
|nickname=
|battles=[[Battle of France|France 1940]], [[Operation Barbarossa|Barbarossa 1941]], [[Operation Typhoon]], [[Battle of Kursk|Kursk 1943]], [[Battle of Normandy|Normandy 1944]],
|notable_commanders= Oberstgruppenführer [[Paul Hausser]] (10.19.39 - 10.14.41)
|associated units=
==History==
TheFor 2the 1939 [[Fall Weiss|invasion of Poland]], three SS [[regiment]]s ("Deutschland", "Der Führer", and "Germania") were grouped into a [[division (military)|division]], the ''[[SS-Verfügungstruppe]]'' ("Special-Purpose Troops"). After Poland, one regiment ("Germania") was sent to form another division (5.SS-Division ''Wiking''), and a new third regiment was created (SS Regiment 11); this became the 2nd SS Division ''[[Reich]]'' ("[[Reich|Empire]]"). ''Das Reich'' first took part in the [[Fall Gelb|Campaigns in the West against the Low Countries and France]] in [[1940]], and did so as the SS-V.T.-Division. It first saw action in the main drive for [[Rotterdam]]. After Rotterdam the Division, along with other Divisions, intercepted a [[France|French]] Force and pushed them back to the area of Zeeland. Next, it was used to mop-up small pockets of resistance in the areas already captured by the Germans. The Division was then transferred to France and helped breach a stiffly defended canal line, and then participated in the drive on [[Paris]]. At the end of the Campaign, it had advanced all the way to the [[Spain|Spanish]] Frontier.
Originally, the ''SS-V.T.-Division'' was composed of three of the original four SS-Standarten. [[1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler|LAH]] was the other SS-Standarten, and it was developed on its own. The other three SS-Standarten were Deutschland, Germania and Der Führer. After the Western Campaign was over, the SS-V.T.-Division was reorganized. The SS-Standarten ''Germania'' was transferred out of the Division and along with the SS-Standarten, ''Nordland'' and ''Westland'', formed the backbone of a different SS-Division, Germania, which was soon to become the Wiking Division. For the loss of Germania, the SS-V.T.-Division was given a SS-Totenkopfstandarte designated as SS-Infanterie Regiment 11. Soon after, the Division changed its title from V.T. to ''Deutschland'', and soon after that, to ''Das Reich''.
During the period after the fall of France, the Division was stationed in France preparing for the invasion of [[England]]. The Division, now called Reich, was moved to [[Romania]] to take part in the [[Invasion of Yugoslavia]] and Greece in March of [[1941]]. In April, 1941, Reich took part in the successful capture of [[Belgrade]], the Capital of [[Yugoslavia]]. After the capture of Belgrade, the Division was moved to [[Poland]] to take part in the upcoming [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion of the Soviet Union]].
During the invasion of the Soviet Union, ''Das Reich'' fought with [[Army Group Center]], taking part in the [[Yelnya offensive|Battle of Yelnya]] near [[Smolensk]], and then in the [[Operation Typhoon|spearhead]] to capture [[Moscow]]. Reich came within a few miles of the Soviet Capital in November, 1941, reaching a sort ofthe "High Water Mark" of the German advance in the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Capital within sight of the Division, weather, massive losses and a major Soviet [[Battle of Moscow|Winter Counter-Offensive]] pushed the Division back. After a period of very bloody losses for the Division, ''Das Reich'' was pulled out of the fighting and sent to France to refit as a Panzer-Grenadier Division. Part of the Division was left in the East, and they were titled Kampfgruppe Ostendorf. Ostendorf was sent to join Reich onin June, [[1942]].
In November, 1942, portions of the Division took part in an attempt to prevent the scuttling of the French Fleet at [[Toulon]]. Soon after, the Division was retitled again, this time to SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Das Reich".
Early in [[1943]], ''Das Reich'' was transferred back to the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] where it helped reclaim the crumbling central front around [[Kharkov]]. After helping recapture the city of Kharkov ([[[[Third Battle of Kharkov|recapturing Kharkov]]), ''Das Reich'', along with many other Divisions, was thrown into a massive assault into the [[Battle of Kursk|Kursk Salient]], a huge bulge in the SovietGerman Front line around the area of [[Kursk]] and [[Byelgorod]]. ''Das Reich'' pushed upwards of 40 miles into the southern sector of the bulge, but was pulled out of the battle along with the other SS-Division when the offensive was called off. After a period of brief encountersfighting, ''Das Reich'' was refit once again, this time as SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". In doing so, it left a portion the Division in the East titled Kampfgroup''Kampfgruppe Das Reich'', and officiallyalso known as Kampfgroup''Kampfgruppe Lammerding''. The rest of the Division was transferd to the West to refit, and while doing so, took part in anti-[[partisan]] operations in France.
In the Winter, of 1943/1944, another massive Soviet Winter Counter Offensive managed to encircle German units in the center of the front. The ''Kamfgruppe that Das Reich had left behind ''was one of the units encircled by the Soviet Offensive, and an assault by [[II. SS Panzer KorpsCorps|II. SS Panzerkorps]] managed to rescue the trapped elements of Das Reich. TheIn February 1944 the Kampfgruppe was then transferred to France to join the rest of the Division already stationed there. The remaining small portion of Das Reich left in the East waswere renamed ''Kampfgruppe Weidinger'' and was involved in the retreats through [[Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine|Proskurov]] and [[Ternopil|Tarnopol]]. Most of ''Das Reich'' was stationed in the southern French town of [[Montauban]] north of [[Toulouse]] gaining new equipment and freshly trained troops.
After the D-Day invasion in [[Normandy]], France, ''Das Reich'' was committed to stop the Allied advance, and took part in the attempts to stop the Allies near [[Caen]] and [[St. Lo]] alongside the [[12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend]] and the elite [[German Panzer Lehr Division]]. The Division recaptured Mortain, but was forced to retreat when it became apparent the Allies were going to encircle the Division along with a large number of other German units in the Falaise Pocket. Thanks to the efforts of Das Reich along with the [[9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen]], a large number of German forces were able to escape the pocket and retreat to the east.
Pulled back across the [[Seine River]] and then behind the [[West Wall]] fortifications in Germany, the 2nd SS Panzer Division took part in the operations to punch through the [[Battle of the Bulge|Ardennes Forest]] into reclaim the port of [[Antwerp]] on [[16 December,]] [[1944]]. Coming within 23 miles of the [[River Meuse]], the Division was halted at Manhay on [[25 December]], and then slowly smashed by fierce Allied counter-attacks. ''Das Reich'' panzer commander [[Ernst Barkmann]] became famous for the creation of Barkmann's Corner, where he destroyed numerous American tanks in small skirmishes.
Pulled out of the offensive, Das Reich was transferred into Germany to again refit, and to take part in the last German offenisve[[Operation Konrad|offensive]] of the war in [[Hungary]] in an attempt to break the siege around [[Budapest]]. This offensive also ground to a halt, and Das Reich spent the rest of the war more-or-less fightingperforming ina partsfighting retreat from [[Dresden]], to [[Prague]] and finally to [[Vienna]]. In the end, most of the Division managed to escape to the West to surrender to the Americans in May 1945.
==Combat Operations==
====Capture of Belgrade ==== ▼For the 1938 invasion of [[Poland]], three SS [[regiment]]s ("Deutschland", "Der Führer", and "Germania") were grouped into a [[division (military)|division]], the ''[[SS-Verfügungstruppe]]'' ("Special-Purpose Troops"). After Poland, one regiment ("Germania") was sent to form another division (5.SS-Division ''Wiking''), and a new third regiment was created (SS Regiment 11); this became the 2nd SS Division ''[[Reich]]'' ("[[Reich|Empire]]").
In November 1942, the division became a Panzergrenadier division and its name was changed to 2.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Das Reich''. In 1943 the division was reorganized as a Panzer division by adding the 2.SS Panzer Regiment, thus creating the 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich".
After fighting on the Eastern Front for a long time, the division was recalled from battle for refitting in February 1944. Most of Das Reich was stationed in the southern French town of [[Montauban]] north of [[Toulouse]] gaining new equipment and freshly trained SS men. The joint allied invasion of [[Normandy]] ([[Operation Overlord]]), meant that the division was in action again, and was pulled up to support the defence of France alongside the [[12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend]] and the elite [[German Panzer Lehr Division]] fighting north of [[Caen]].
Das Reich was trapped in the Falaise Pocket for some time, before escaping to the west. After the substantial losses in the [[Allied]] summer campaign, the [[Wermacht]] was pushed back almost to the borders of [[Germany]] in late [[1944]]. In the second week of December, [[1944]], the German army was ready to make it's counter-offensive to reclaim the port of [[Antwerp]], and regain the initiative in the west. The German [[Ardennes]] offensive opened a large break in the American lines. [[Das Reich]] played a role in the [[Battle of the Bulge]].
Major gains were made, but by [[December 25]], the German offensive was halted. The sieged town of [[Bastogne]] was never captured, even though numerous attempts were made to enter the city. [[Das Reich]]'s panzer commander [[Ernst Barkmann]] became famous for the creation of Barkmann's Corner, where he destroyed numerous American tanks in small skirmishes.
After the [[Ardennes]] debacle, [[SS]] division [[Das Reich]] was again pulled back, this time to Germany, for refitting. The crisis in the south-east saw [[Das Reich]] in the thick of it. The failed German counter-offensive around [[Budapest]] saw [[Das Reich]] pushed back into Germany, after fighting in [[Vienna]] and [[Prague]].
The remnants of the division in the south surrendered to the Americans in May 1945.
===1939-1941: Poland, France and Yugoslavia===
The 2. SS started their Polish, French and Yugoslovian operations in August of 1939 all the way to May of 1941.
▲====Capture of Belgrade====
[[Image:Klingenberg.gif|right|Haupsturmführer Fritz Klingenberg]]
|5.43 - 6.43 || Rest and refit || - || - || [[Charkov]]
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|7.43 || [[II SS Panzer Corps|II. SS Panzerkorps]] || - || [[Army Group South|Süd]] || [[BjelgorodByelgorod]]
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|8.43 || Reserve || [[German Fourth Panzer Army|4. Panzer Armee]] || [[Army Group South|Süd]] || [[Stalino]]
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