37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Lützow

Second World War
- Eastern Front

CommandersNotable
commandersSS-Standartenführer Waldemar Fegelein (February 26th, 1945 - March 1945)^[1]
SS-Standartenführer Karl Gesele (March 1945 - May 1945)^[2]

Military unit

37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division "Lützow" (German: 37. SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division "Lützow")^[3] was a German Cavalry division of the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. It was formed in February 1945 from the personnel and equipment of the 8th SS Cavalry Division and the 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division.^[1] In addition to this, many under-age German, Hungarian and 'Volksdeutsche' helped make up the division. The division was intended to have three cavalry regiments comprising two battalions each, however, due to the inadequate amount of men and equipment it could only field two understrength regiments as its main combat units. The division was initially commanded by SS-Oberführer Waldemar Fegelein until March when he was replaced by SS-Standartenführer Karl Gesele. The unit saw action against the Soviets as a part of the 6th Panzer Army during the final weeks of the war, before surrendering to Americans in Austria in May 1945. It was named after the Prussian general Adolf von Lützow.

Organization

SS Cavalry Regiment 92
SS Cavalry Regiment 93
SS Cavalry Regiment 94
SS Artillery Battalion 37 (Two batteries with 10.5 cm leFH 18)
SS Reconnaissance Battalion 37
SS Panzerjäger Battalion 37 (One company equipped with a Hetzer)
SS Pionier Battalion 37
SS Signals Company 37
SS Medical Battalion 37
SS Nachschub Troop 37
Feldersatz Battalion 37

References

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b Mitcham 2007.
^ Bishop, Chris. The Essential Vehicle Identification Guide - Waffen-SS Divisions 1939-1945, Amber Books Ltd. 2007, p 184.
^ Official designation in German language as to „Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv“ in Freiburg im Breisgau, stores of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

Bibliography

Fowler, Jeffrey T. (25 November 2001). Axis Cavalry in World War II. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 1-84176-323-3.
Trang, Charles (2000). Division Florian Geyer. Heimdal. ISBN 2-84048-141-3.
Mitcham, S.W. (2007). German Order of Battle: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS divisions in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3438-7. Retrieved June 23, 2023.