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DID SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs Division “Prinz Eugen” SS-Obersturmführer - Herbert Zeller (1:6)The Division was formed in March 1942 by volunteers but this later changed when conscription was introduced. The unit itself was formed by a SS Selbstschutz (SS Protection Force) and the Einsatz-Staffel (ES) (Also called Prinz Eugen) from Croatia and named SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen. The Gebirgs Division was formed in autumn 1942 when it gathered some 21,500 soldiers. Its weaponry was mainly composed of captured equipment such as Czech machine guns and French light tanks It was designated to the Balkans as an anti-partisan mountain division – the fist such division in Yugoslavia since 1941. The first actions Prinz Eugen participated near the Serbian-Montenegro border in the mountains east of the Ibar River. Prinz Eugen advanced alongside the 1. Gebirgs-Division, elements of the “Brandenburg” Regiment, 369. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division, 118. Jäger-Division and 104. The Division was reorganized on 22 October 1943 and was renamed to 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen. The next big offensive, in which Prinz Eugen participated, was the assault on Drvar, codenamed Rosselsprung, which began on 25 May 1944. The goals of this operation were to kill or capture Tito on the Drvar island with the SS-Fallshirmjäger-Bataillon 500, the 1. Brandenburg Regiment of the Division Brandenberg and other units with a massive support of the Luftwaffe. On 21 September l944, it was at that time that the division saw action in one of the most crucial operations in the Balkans so far. Linking up with 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1) the remnants of the 23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Kama (kroatische Nr. 2) and 21. SS Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg (albanische Nr. 1), Prinz Eugen created the Vardar corridor in Macedonia allowing the retreat north of 350,000 German soldiers from occupation duties in the Aegean and Greek regions. In the beginning of November the "SS Skanderberg" Division was disbanded and its remnants incorporated into the 14. Regiment of Prinz Eugen, which received its honour title "Skanderbeg". The fighting around Nisch in October caused the unit some heavy casualties and the 7th SS was sent for refreshing. In January 1945 the Division once again fought the Red Army and and Tito’s partisans around Otok and Vukovar. The retreat from Bosnia continued and Prinz Eugen soon retreated to Croatia in April, where it was to hold its positions south of Karlovac on 2 May 1945. On 10 May 1945 the Division retreated towards Celje in Slovenia where it surrendered on 11 May 1945 to Yugoslav forces. |
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