ϟϟ-Division „Totenkopf“ in the Battle of Psel Bridgehead

SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdress

Unidentified SS-Panzergrenadier

By July 10 1943, the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf was in a position to cross the River Psel in force, then all three SS-Panzergrenadier-Divisions could strike towards Prokhorovka. Elements of the Totenkopf's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Theodor Eicke had finally forced a crossing of the Psel and established a weak bridgehead. By July 11 1943, SS-Hauptsturmführer Hubert-Erwin Meierdress led his SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 across the Psel on hastily constructed pontoon bridges and reinforcing the tenuous position. The forces in the bridgehead were subjected to several furious attacks from Soviet Marshal Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Army, reinforced with 33rd Rifle Corps and 10th Tank Corps, but Meierdress' Panzers held their ground and slowly expanded the Psel bridgehead west of Prokhorovka. Left image: the winner of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdress during the Battle of Kursk. Erwin Meierdress had performed many fire brigade missions since the Demyansk Pocket in 1942 but was killed in action aged 28 on January 4 1945 as SS-Sturmbannführer when his Panther was hit in Hungary during Operation Konrad. Photo by SS-Kriegsberichter Tissen. Right image: an unidentified Waffen-SS volunteer moving forward across the hot and dusty Russian steppe in July 1943. His Karabiner 98 Kurz is equipped with a mounted Schießbecher (rifle grenade launcher). Commons: Bundesarchiv.