24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger |
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Slovenia provided 6,000 volunteers to the SS. They formed the 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjager
Order of Battle
Karstwehr-Kompanie late August 1942
Karstwehr Bataillon December 1943
On paper, the division's final order of battle was to consist of:
The division establishment also included supply units. However, only the 59th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment, one battalion of the 24th SS Mountain Artillery Regiment, one company of the 24th SS Pioneer Battalion and a half-company of the divisional panzer company were ever established.
In December 1944 renamed into Karstjäger Brigade (with a strenght of around 3000 men), but in February 1945 back into Division.
- Stab 4 men
- Lehr trupp 5 men
- Pionier zug 17 men
- jager zug 20 men
Karstwehr Bataillon December 1943
- Stab Kompanie SS-Staf Hans Brand
- SS-Stubaf Erich Wieland Ib
- 1 Kp SS-Hauptstuf Mehrwald
- 2 kp SS-Stubaf Kuhpantner
- 3 kp SS-Stubaf Berschneider
- Nachschub-kp SS-Ustuf Flake
- Ersatzkompanie in Dachau
On paper, the division's final order of battle was to consist of:
- 59th Waffen Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Infantry) Regiment of the SS (three battalions)
- 60th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment of the SS (three battalions)
- 24th SS Mountain Artillery Regiment (four battalions)
- 24th SS Reconnaissance Battalion
- 24th SS Panzerjäger (Anti-tank) Battalion
- 24th SS Pioneer Battalion
- 24th SS Mountain Signals Battalion
- 24th SS Replacement Battalion
The division establishment also included supply units. However, only the 59th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment, one battalion of the 24th SS Mountain Artillery Regiment, one company of the 24th SS Pioneer Battalion and a half-company of the divisional panzer company were ever established.
In December 1944 renamed into Karstjäger Brigade (with a strenght of around 3000 men), but in February 1945 back into Division.
Commanders
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Commanders
According to historian Gordon Williamson, three Waffen-SS officers commanded the division and subsequently the brigade:
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Sturmbahnfuhrer Werner Hahn
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Operations
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Operations:
1943 August – Tarvisio - IT September-November-upper Isonzo (Soca) valley - SI; November-December-Operation Treufe (Baca valley) - SI; December- Operation Blumendraht (Gorica (Görz)-Trieste area) - SI-IT; 1944 January-Gradisca-actions against the IX. partisan Corps - SI-IT; February-Operation Ratte (Komen-Rihemberk) - SI; March-Operations Zypresse, Märzveilchen, Maulwurf, Hellblau, Dachstein, (all in Gorica area) - SI; April-Operation Osterglocke (Istria) - SI-CRO; April-May-Operation Braunschweig (around Lipo)??; May-July-Operations Liane and Annemarie (around Idrija) - SI; September-December-reorganization (Malborghetto-Tolmezzo area) - IT; December 1944-February 1945-coastal defense (Lignano-Cervignano) - IT; 1945 March-April 1945 -big antipartisan offensive against the IX.Corps (Trnovo forest) - SI; April-May 1945-some elements with KG Harmel (Brigf. Heinz Harmel) - IT,AUT -some elements fighting against IX.Corps - SI, IT SI-Slovenia IT-Italy AUT-Austria CRO-Croatia |
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Equipment
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Fourteen Italian Carro Armato P 40 tanks were supplied to the newly formed division in July 1944.
The 24th Waffen SS division was the biggest single user of the Italian manufactured P-40 tank. They recieved 20 - 22 of these in October 1944. They were used by the panzer company to effect in their anti partisan operations. The Panzer company was a self supporting unit which had its own mobile repair workshops section. They lost 2 of these tanks in action against british forces neat Tarvisio in very early May 1945 and when the news of the surrender came through they abandoned the vehicles on the road near Villach. Technically it was comparable to the Pzkfw IV but without a commanders cupola. The tanks allotted to the division were not captured Italian vehicles but were manufactured after the germans took over the factory following the armistice of 1943 in Italy. Only 1 tank had previously been delivered to the Italian forces. Incidentally some were also provided to the 15th Polizei Panzer Kompanie also operating in Italy. 6 mountain guns (75 mm) 4 infantry guns (45 mm) 24 mortars (81 mm) |
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Uniforms
A collar insignia was manufactured, but it is believed that these were never issued or worn, and the members of the division wore the standard SS Sig runes.
