Kurt Meyer: Difference between revisions

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By Meyer's return, the LSSAH had been transformed into [[Leibstandarte|SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler']].
After the [[II SS-Korps]] had withdrawn from [[Kharkov]], General [[Paul Hausser]], ordered its recapture. Eager to reclaim their damaged prestige, the SS men launched into the assault. Meyer's reformed SS-Aufklärungs Abteilung 1 was constantly in the forefront of the fighting.
During the [[Third Battle of Kharkov]], Meyer's Abteilung frequently co-operated with Wünsche's SS-Panzer Regiment 1, [[Theodor ‘Teddy’ Wisch]]’s SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 2 and [[Joachim Peiper]]'s III./SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 2. These ad-hoc [[Kampfgruppe]]s acted like fire brigades, rushing from one crisis point to another, slicing in and out of Soviet lines rescuing trapped German troops and capturing soviet officers. Meyer’s Abteilung captured the entire command staff of a sovietSoviet division near Jeremejewka and Aleksandrowka.
 
In the final phase of the capture of Kharkov, the Leibstandarte's role was to capture the city’s huge central plaza, called Red Square. Meyer, Wünsche and Peiper all led Kampfgruppes which were to take the responsibility of capturing the city. Meyer led his Abteilung in a high speed charge to the Square, capturing part of it before being cut off by the Soviet defenders. Meyer and his grenadiers held their ground against vastly larger Soviet forces until they were relieved by Peiper’s Kampfgruppe on 13th March. Together with Peiper’s Kampfgruppe and the rest of Teddy Wisch’s Regiment, Meyer’s Abteilung finally cleared the city centre after a desperate and bloody fight. In honour of this action, Red Square was renamed ''Platz der Leibstandarte''.