ϟϟ-Division „Wiking“ from Caucasian Forests to Northeast Caucasus

Young SS-Scharführer of the Wiking with his men in the Caucasus

Award Ceremony of the Germania

The SS-Division Wiking was soon far ahead of the other mechanized formations that had remained in the south of Maykop. The Wiking was all by itself in the Caucasus forest and had to secure the Maykop oilfields until the expected arrival of the mountain forces, the 97.Jäger-Divison. Naturally, only strongpoints could be held. Ambushes and attacks by enemy formations were the order of the day. Orders from the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) for Wiking's redeployment to the Chechen-Ingush region were instigated on Sept. 16 1942. The Wiking was needed badly in the Northeast Caucasus where the offensive of Generaloberst Ewald von Kleist's 1.Panzer-Armee in the direction of Grozny, the capital city of the Chechen Republic, was bogged down in the Terek Valley around Mozdok. The transfer to the Chechen-Ingush region took four days. The Soviet accounts of war concerning the transfer are quite laconic: Despite their losses of the past three weeks, the Fascists had achieved no decisive success and saw themselves forced to pull one of their best divisions, SS-Division Wiking, out of the Tuapse sector and direct it to the Mozdok area of operations. Top image: Wikingers during a brief lull in the fighting in the North Caucasus. Photo by SS-KB Willi Altstadt who commanded SS-KB-Zug 5 with the Wiking during the advance into the Caucasus 1942. Credit: Karl Mensburg. U.S. NARA. Bottom image: an SS-Untersturmführer awarding Iron Crosses Second Class and Merit Crosses to Regiment Germania of the Wiking. Photo by acclaimed lensman SS-Uscha Ernst Baumann. Credit: Jakob Lagerweij. c. Bundesarchiv.