5.ϟϟ-Panzerdivision „Wiking“ after Breaking the Kowel Encirclement

5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking west of the Polish city of Kowel

SS-Pz.Gren.Reg. 9 Germania of 5.SS-Pz.Div. Wiking

SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 Wiking and 151.Infanteriedivision

Panzer commander SS-Obersturmführer Karl Nicolussi-Leck of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 Wiking succeded in making a break through to the encircled town of Kowel on his own initiative and under severe conditions. Nicolussi-Leck's Panthers along with the III.Battalion/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 Germania greatly contributed to the occupying troops holding out. The Soviet Red Army lost 295 tanks in the battle of Kowel. After 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking had established a corridor to the trapped forces, the withdrawal began on April 10 1944. On May 8 1944, SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 was withdrawn from "Fortress Kovel" and moved to Maciejow. Wiking's panzer regiment had become the Wehrmacht General Friedrich Hoßbach's LVI.Panzerkorps fire-brigade. The Soviet offensive Bagration began early on the morning of June 22 1944. Soviet armies with approximately 2,500,000 men were attacking on a 700-kilometer front. According to military historian Karl-Heinz Frieser this huge army was spearheaded by 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns. At that point none of the men of the Wiking were aware of the catastrophe that was taking place to the north of them. All remained quiet in the Kowel area. Top image: with their mission complete, company commander SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans-Georg Jessen of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5, has time to confer with company commander SS-Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Hannes of 12th Company of Regiment Germania 9. Hans-Georg Jessen was one of the first officers assigned to the Wiking's tank battalion in 1942 and was hand-picked by commander Johannes Mühlenkamp in 1943. He was well know in the division as a steady hand in battle. Photo by SS-Unterscharführer Ernst Baumann of the Germania. Credit: Doug Banks. c. Bundesarchiv. Middle image: SS-Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Hannes place a stick grenade in the tube 76mm of the Russian SU-76M to neutralize it. To the left is the Commander of the 11th Company of the Germania SS-Untersturmführer Gerhard Mahn. Photo by Ernst Baumann. Credit: Ghermán Mihály. c. Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: men of the liberated Wehrmacht Gruppe Ritter of the 151.Infanteriedivision are pictured as they pass by SS-Standartenführer Johannes Mühlenkamp's Panther R02 near Brześć Litewski. Credit: Régis Klimenko. c. Bundesarchiv.