Condition of LSSAH during its 1943/44 winter campaign in the East

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2KILFA
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 22 Jul 2021 11:33
Location: Europe

Condition of LSSAH during its 1943/44 winter campaign in the East

Post by 2KILFA » 22 Feb 2023 01:45

I'm looking for information about the personnel condition of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division LSSAH during its 1943/44 campaign on the Eastern Front. So from the moment it arrived as a fresh formation from Italy to Army Group South in late October 1943, to April 1944, when the worn-out LSSAH was withdrawn from the Ostfront and sent to Beverloo training area in Belgium (OB West) for rebuilding.
I do have its monthly status reports (monatliche zustandberichte), which show personnel Sollstärke, Fehlstellen and Iststärke. While to some extent it is useful in showing the state of its personnel, the term Iststärke is quite useless when describing 'the actual strength' of its combat and combat support units. This term is used for organizational calculations and planning, showing how many personnel in total were part of unit's composition and establishment, but they can be physically not present on the reporting date (on leave), not physically fit for action or absent for other reasons.
So I would be interested to know are there other LSSAH personnel strength reports, aside from monthly Iststärke, which describe the division's personel situation between November 1943 to April 1944? So reports of Grabenstärke, Kampfstärke, Gefechtsstärke, Tagesstärke and so on. Even Verpflegungsstärke report would be good.
Ever since it returned back to the East, LSSAH has been involved in near-continuous heavy combat, waged in adverse weather conditions (frost, then atrocious mud). Here's a breakdown:
November 1943- as part of Balck's XXXXVIII. PzK, LSSAH participated in Kiev counterattack;
First half of December 1943- renewed attacks against Soviet Kiev bridgehead;
Last decade of December 1943 to early January 1944- retreat from Kiev region, due to the start of the Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive (Zhitomir-Berdichev Operation);
Second half of January 1944- counterattacks to destroy Soviet spearheads and penetrations, restore cohesion of the front;
February 1944 (most)- attempts to relieve the trapped forces in the Korsun Pocket;
March 1944- once again embroiled in heavy combat and retreats as a result of the Soviet Proskurov-Chernovtsy Offensive in rasputitsa conditions. At the end of the month, parts of LSSAH found themselves encircled in the Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket as part of Gruppe Maus (7. PD, 68. ID, LSSAH) of the 1. Panzerarmee, named after the commander of the 7. PD.
Early April 1944- breakout from the pocket. Afterwards, the badly worn elements of LSSAH, left with little equipment, were sent to OB West for rebuilding.
So all this put together certainly put a tremendous strain on LSSAH's actual combat elements. Any strength report for this period would be good.

2KILFA
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 22 Jul 2021 11:33
Location: Europe

Re: Condition of LSSAH during its 1943/44 winter campaign in the East

Post by 2KILFA » 27 Feb 2023 21:57

Wow, it seems that reports pertaining to LSSAH's condition during this period are a mystery.

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