ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Meyer Crossing the Gulf of Patras

SS-Stubaf. Kurt Meyer; Schwere Artillerie nach vorn!

Original SS-Division Leibstandarte SS Cuff Title

SS-Sturmbannführer Kurt Meyer's detachment was tasked with clearing resistance from the Kleisoura Pass south-west of Vevi and driving through to the Kastoria area to cut off retreating Greek and British Commonwealth forces. The Greek 20th Division was well entrenched in the heights bordering the pass itself. Meyer organised his battalion into three assault groups, led by himself, company commander Hugo Kraas and platoon commander Max Wünsche. On the morning of April 12 1941 the Leibstandarte SS launched a frontal assault, and by late afternoon the pass was cleared. According to some accounts, the Waffen-SS were inspired to capture the Kleisoura Pass only after Meyer threw a live grenade at the feet of some of his Grenadiers. By midafternoon the heights had been cleared and the road to Kastoria was open. On April 16 1941, Meyer's battalion penetrated behind the Greek lines and assaulted Kastoria from the south, capturing a further 1,100 prisoners. Meyer ordered his men to cross the Gulf and secure the town of Patras in the Peloponnesos. Since no transport vessels were available, the Waffen-SS commandeered fishing boats and successfully completed the crossing. By April 30 1941 the last British Commonwealth troops had either been captured or escaped. Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross on May 18 1941. He was a notable representative of the type of commander who rose from within the Waffen-SS itself: aggressive and charismatic in equal measure. Known for his bold leadership, Meyer was one of the most highly decorated German soldiers of World War II. He saw intense combat across Europe: the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the sweep through the Balkans and Greece, the bitter fighting on the Eastern Front and the 1944 campaign for Normandy. Over the course of his career, Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. Upon promotion he became the youngest divisional commander during World War II in 1944. Source: Grenadiers. Top image: an original Nazi era postcard of Kurt Meyer in Greece. This photo by SS-KB Franz Roth, appeared on the cover of the Magazine Illustrierter Beobachter on May 8 1941 with the heading Schwere Artillerie nach vorn! and must be considered one of the most famous photos from the Balkans Campaign, a perfect shot of the elite Esprit de Corps so commonly found in the Waffen-SS. Credit: Mike Gepp. c. Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: Officer's, machine woven, black rayon Leibstandarte SS cufftitle with hand embroidered Sütterlin style script, in bright silver/aluminum threads. Fair use.