5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
German armored division / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking (German: 5. SS-Panzerdivision Wiking) or SS Division Wiking was an infantry and later an armoured division among the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions of Nazi Germany. During World War II, the division served on the Eastern Front. It surrendered on 9 May 1945 to the American forces in Austria.
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5th SS Panzer Division Wiking | |
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5. SS-Panzerdivision Wiking | |
Active | 1941–45 |
Country | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Waffen-SS |
Type | Infantry Panzer |
Role | Armoured warfare |
Size | Division |
Engagements | Eastern Front |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
The division contained small contingents of foreign volunteers from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, the Netherlands and Belgium. These contingents were elevated in wartime propaganda and postwar mythology, including from the former German officers of the division, to give the Wiking Division the reputation of a pan-European force. In truth, the division was at all times equipped with a vast majority of German personnel.