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SS Panzer Division
SS-Panzerdivision (1943) SS-PzDiv
Active	1943
Country	Germany
Branch	Waffen-SS
Type	Panzer
Role	Armoured warfare
Size	Division, up to 20,000 soldiers
Part of	Waffen-SS
Engagements	World War II

An SS Panzer Division (German: SS-Panzerdivision, short: SS-PzDiv) was a Waffen-SS formation during World War II. The table below shows the order of battle to which an SS panzer division aspired.

Unit		Designation in German
Division headquarters		Divisionsstab
Commander of the division General staff officer Cartographical unit Communications unit Division escort Military police		Divisionskommandeur (DivKdr) Generalstabsoffizier Kartographieeinheit Fernmeldeeinheit Divisionsbegleitschutz Militärpolizei
Quartermaster		Quartiermeister (Qu)
Weapon platoon Mechanical Captain Dr physician Captain Dr dentist		Waffenzug Mechaniker Stabsarzt Stabszahnarzt
Panzer regiment		Panzerregiment (PzRgt)
I Battalion	4 companies (1–4) Workshop company	I. Abteilung	4 Kompanien (1–4) Werkstattkompanie
II battalion	5 companies (5–9) Workshop platoon	II. Abteilung	5 Kompanien (5–9) Werkstattzug
Anti-tank battalion		Panzerjägerabteilung (PzJgAbt)
3 companies of assault guns (1–3)		3 Kompanien von Sturmgeschützen (1–3)
Panzergrenadier regiment		Panzergrenadierregiment (PzGrenRgt)
I battalion	4 companies (1–4)	I. Bataillon	4 Kompanien (1–4)
II battalion	4 companies (5–8)	II. Bataillon	4 Kompanien (5–8)
III battalion	4 companies (9–12) Heavy infantry gun company (13) Anti-aircraft company (14) Reconnaissance company (15) Engineer company (16)	III. Bataillon	4 Kompanien (9–12) Schwere Infanteriegeschützkompanie (13) Flakkompanie (14) Aufklärungskompanie (15) Pionierkompanie (16)
Panzergrenadier regiment (as above)		Panzergrenadierregiment
Armoured reconnaissance battalion		Panzeraufklärungsabteilung (PzAufklAbt)
2 Panzer scout companies 2 Panzer reconnaissance companies 1 heavy company		2 Panzerspähkompanien 2 Panzeraufklärungskompanien 1 schwere Kompanie
Panzer artillery regiment		Panzerartillerieregiment (PzArtRgt)
I battalion	3 batteries	I. Abteilung	3 Batterien
II battalion	3 batteries	II. Abteilung	3 Batterien
III battalion	4 batteries	III. Abteilung	4 Batterien
Rocket launcher battalion		Werferabteilung
4 batteries (1–4)		4 Batterien (1–4)
Anti-aircraft battalion		Flakabteilung (FlakAbt)
5 batteries (1–5)		5 Batterien (1–5)
Armoured engineer battalion		Panzerpionierabteilung (PzPiAbt)
1 (armoured) company (on IFV) 3 engineer companies Bridge convoy B		1 (gepanzerte) Kompanie (auf SPw) 3 Pionierkompanien Brückenkolonne B
Armoured signals battalion		Panzernachrichtenabteilung
1 communications company 1 radio company		1 Fernmeldekompanie 1 Funkkompanie
Divisional supply troops		Divisions-Nachschubtruppe
6 vehicle companies 1 supply company		6 Kraftfahrkompanien 1 Nachschubkompanie
Panzer maintenance battalion		Panzer-Instandsetzungsabteilung
3 workshop companies 1 (weapon) workshop company 1 spare and repair part company		3 Werkstattkompanien 1 (Waffen-) Werkstattkompanie 1 Ersatzteilkompanie
Provisioning battalion		Wirtschaftsbataillon
Bakery company Butcher company Divisional food services office Military post office		Bäckereikompanie Schlächtereikompanie Divisions-Verpflegungsamt Feldpostamt
Medical battalion		Sanitätsabteilung
2 medical companies 1 ambulance company 1 medical supply company		2 Sanitätskompanien 1 Krankenkraftwagekompanie 1 Versorgungskompanie
Replacement battalion		Feldersatzbataillon

The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was organized according to the above table, and served as a standard for all other SS panzer divisions during World War II. The average complement was approximately 19,000. However, only two out of seven SS panzer divisions contained that strength. In the second half of the war in Europe, in particular close to the end of war, some divisions achieved only the complement of regiment sized units.

See also

• German heavy tank battalion German: "schwere Panzerabteilung"
• Panzer division
• List of Waffen-SS divisions

References

1. Willamson, Gordon (1994). The SS Hitler´s Instrument of the Power; appendix, p. 249, "Organisation of a SS Panzer Division", Brown Packaging Books Ltd., London.
2. MILITÄRISCHES STUDIENGLOSAR ENGLISCH Teil II/ Teil III, Deutsch – Englisch, Abkürzung Begriff, Bundessprachenamt (Stand Januar 2001).
3. Official designation as to "Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv" in Freiburg im Breisgau, stores of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

v t e Schutzstaffel (SS)
Branches	Allgemeine SS SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) Waffen-SS
Leadership	Reichsführer-SS SS and police leader SS commands Allgemeine-SS regional commands
Leaders	Julius Schreck Joseph Berchtold Erhard Heiden Heinrich Himmler Karl Hanke
Main departments	Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS Command Staff Reichsführer-SS SS Main Office SS Medical Corps Head Operational Office Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) Economics and Administration Office Office of Race and Settlement (RuSHA) Main Office for Ethnic Germans (VOMI) Office of the Reich Commissioner for Germanic Resettlement (RKFDV) Courts Office Personnel Office Education Office
Ideological institutions	Ahnenerbe Das Schwarze Korps SS-Junker Schools Lebensborn
Police and security services	Uniformed police (Orpo) Schutzpolizei (Schupo) Criminal police (Kripo) Secret State Police (Gestapo) State Security Police (SiPo) SS Security Service (SD) Customs Border Guards (ZGS)
Führer protection	SS-Begleitkommando des Führers Reichssicherheitsdienst
Waffen-SS units	Paramilitary Einsatzgruppen Schutzmannschaft Byelorussian Latvian Lithuanian Ukrainian Estonian Rollkommando Hamann Arajs Kommando Selbstschutz Volksdeutscher Trawnikis Order Police battalions Hiwi Security Battalions (Greece) Waffen-SS divisions SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) Leibstandarte (LSSAH) SS Division Das Reich SS Division Totenkopf SS Polizei Division SS Division Wiking Foreign SS units Austrian SS Germanic-SS Germaansche SS in Nederland Germaansche SS in Vlaanderen Germanske SS Norge Schalburg Corps British Free Corps Kaminski Brigade Finnish Volunteer Battalion
SS-controlled enterprises	Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe German Earth and Stone Works (DEST) Ostindustrie German Equipment Works Klinker-Zement Allach porcelain Apollinaris Mattoni Sudetenquell Anton Loibl

• Panzer divisions of the Waffen-SS
• Tables of Organisation and Equipment