The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (SS-LAH') founded in September 1933 was Adolf Hitler's personal Bodyguard Regiment. In 1939 the SS-LAH became a separate unit of the Waffen-SS aside the SS-TV and the SS-VT.

The SS-LAH independently participated in combat during the Invasion of Poland . Elements of the SS-LAH later joined the SS-VT prior to Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and by the end of World War II they had been increased in size from a Regiment to a Panzer Division.

SS-Stabswache Berlin February 1933

117 Men under Sepp Dietrich

Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler November 1933

• 1st Battalion
  • 1st Company
  • 2nd Company
  • Machine Gun Company
• 2nd Battalion
  • 1st Company
  • 2nd Company
  • Motor Company

Infantry Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler September 1939

• Regimental Headquarters (Josef Dietrich)
• 1st Infantry Battalion
  • 1st Company
  • 2nd Company
  • 3rd Company
  • 4th (MG) Company
• 2nd Infantry Battalion
  • 5th Company
  • 6th Company
  • 7th Company
  • 8th (MG) Company
• 3rd Infantry Battalion
  • 9th Company
  • 10th Company
  • 11th Company
  • 12th (MG) Company

• Panzerabwehrkanone Company (Kurt Meyer)
• Reconnaissance Company
• Motor Cycle Company
• Engineer Company
• Signals Company
• Artillery Battalion

• 4th Wach Battalion (Ceremonial and Guard Duties)

Infantry Regiment (mot) Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler—April 1941

(Brigade size formation)

• Regimental Headquarters Staff (Josef Dietrich)
• 1st SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Fritz Witt)
• 2nd SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (Theodor Wisch)
• 3rd SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Weidenhaupt))
• 4th SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Jahnke)
• 5th SS Infantry Battalion (mot): (SS-Sturmbannführer Van Bibber)
• SS Heavy Infantry Battalion (mot) LSSAH: (SS-Sturmbannführer Steineck)
• SS Anti-aircraft Battalion 1 LSSAH': (Bernhard Krause)
• SS Assault gun (Sturmgeschütz) Battalion 1LSSAH: (Georg Schönberger)
• SS Engineer Battalion 1 LSSAH (Christian Hansen)
• SS Reconnaissance Battalion 1 LSSAH: (Kurt Meyer)

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler - Normandy 1944

• Divisional Headquarters Staff (Wilhelm Mohnke)
• 1st SS Panzer Regiment (Joachim Peiper)
  • I/1st Panzer Battalion (67 Panther tank)
  • II/1st Panzer Battalion (103 Panzer IV)

• 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment (Albert Frey)
  • I/1st SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion
  • II/1st SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion
  • III/1st SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion

• 2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment (Rudolf Sandig)
  • I/2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion
  • II/2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion
  • III/2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Battalion

• 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion (Gustav Knittel)

• 1st SS Assault gun (45 Sturmgeschütz) Battalion (Heinrich Heimann)

• 1st SS Artillery Regiment (Franz Steineck)
  • 1st SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Wespe Bty,1x 150mm Hummel Bty)
  • 2nd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 105mm Bty [towed])
  • 3rd SS Artillery Battalion (2x 150mm Bty [towed] ,1x 100mm Kanon Bty [towed])

• 1st SS Werfer Regiment (Klaus Besch) (3x 150mm Bty [towed])

• 1st SS Anti Aircraft Battalion (Hugo Ullerich) (3x 88mm Bty ,2x 37mm Bty)

• 1st SS Panzer Pioneer Battalion (Gerd Steinert)

• 1st SS Panzer Signal Battalion (Eugene Metz)

• 1st SS Medical Battalion (Dr Liebrich)

• 1st SS Admin Battalion (Ostubannfuhrer Tauber)

• 1st SS Repair Battalion (Alfred Gilles)

• 1st SS Supply Battalion (Klaus Stamp)

Note a SS Panzer Regiment had two Panzer Battalions and a SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment had three Pz-Gren Battalions

See also

• 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
• List of Knight's Cross holders 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
• Waffen-SS
• SS

References

1. Waffen-SS at Encyclopædia Britannica
2. Reynolds
3. Reynolds p.2
4. Reynolds p.4
5. Reynolds, pp 288 - 291

• Reynolds Michael (1997), Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy. Spellmount. ISBN 1-873376-90-1).

External links

• 1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler at Feldgrau.com.
• 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler at Axis History Factbook.
• Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" - Waffen SS, miscellaneous photos and Information.
• 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte the premier LAH reenacting unit.