The 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division (German: 31. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division)[12] (Hungarian: 31. SS-önkéntes-gránátoshadosztály) (Romanian: Divizia 31 de voluntari SS) (Serbo-Croatian: 31. SS dobrovoljačka grenadirska divizija) was a German infantrydivision of the Waffen-SS during the Second World War, commanded by SS-Brigadeführer, Gustav Lombard.[3] The division was formed of German, Hungarian, Serbian and other Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans), mostly from the Batschka region as well as the personnel and equipment from the 23rd Waffen Mountain Division SS 'Kama'.[13][14] By 26 October 1944, Army Group South deployed the division to the frontlines to assist in securing the Danube, despite its complete lack of heavy weapons, inadequate training and weaponry.[15][16][17] During the division’s stay in Lower Styria, an order from 16 January 1945 reorganised the division from a Type 1944 division into a Type 1945 division.[18] A month later on 17 February 1945, orders were given for the immediate transfer of the division to Silesia in the Görlitz area in preparation for an upcoming offensive operation.[19] Portions of the division were still under the 17th Army's command in the Hirschberg region, incorporated into their order of battle as army reservists.[20]
By May 1945, the escalating pressure from the advancing Red Army led to the division being encircled, lacking support and being outnumbered causing the remaining components to retreat to try and escape. The division's main body elements from the 78th, 79th and 80th Grenadier Regiments, along with the Pioneer and Nachrichten Battalions, and more headed South from Josefstadt to the general direction of Königgrätz, however, due to a shortage of fuel they were prevented from moving any further in that direction.[21] In accordance with orders, the unit formally dissolved and most small groups or individuals would eventually be forced by the Czechs to surrender.[22] The Czechs instituted a formal hunt for German soldiers, especially for members of the Waffen-SS. The vengeful actions of the Czech insurgents seeking retribution, coupled with Soviet captivity, inflicted even greater casualties with the division suffering around 4,000 casualties being killed in action, missing or murdered during the last two days of the war and the first few days after the war had officially ended on Czech territory.[23]
The division was created by combining the 23rd Waffen Mountain Division SS 'Kama' and the conscription of Volksdeutsche in the Batschka region, primarily in Hungary after the third drive of recruitment in 1944 which saw the Hungarian government withdraw their control over its German minorities.[3][28][29][30] The formation order issued on the 4 October 1944 shows that the order of battle was a typical German-horse-drawn division, taking the form of what the Germans designated as a "Type 1944 Infantry Division" which was partially motorised but still mostly horse-drawn, possessing three infantry regiments comprising three battalions each and about 100 artillery pieces.[3] The order decreed that the division was to be organised as follows:[31][32]
^Official designation in the German language according to the『Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv』in Freiburg im Breisgau, the archives of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.
Nazi Germany
Waffen-SS
