Waffen-SS Order of Battle
There were many units making up the Waffen-SS Order of Battle. The first few were:
1st Division: Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler ("Hitler's Bodyguard"): the original SS unit. Eventually expanded into a field regiment and a separate guard unit around Hitler. The field unit was a regiment at the time of the invasion of Poland, and was then expanded into an entire division. This eventually became a Panzergrenadier (mechanized) Division and finally a Panzer Division. It was given top-notch equipment.
2nd Division: For the invasion of Poland, three SS regiments were grouped into a division, the Verfügungstruppe ("Special-purpose Troops"). After Poland, one regiment was sent to form another division, and a new third regiment was created; this became the 2nd SS Division Das Reich ("The Empire"). Like the 1st SS LAH, this was an elite unit, eventually becoming a Panzergrenadier Division and then a Panzer Division.
3rd Division: Formed from concentration camp guards, the 3rd SS Totenkopf Division ("Dead-man's-head", or "Skull-and-crossbones") was regarded as a bunch of thugs. It was elite, and given the best equipment, would reach Panzergrenadier and Panzer status with the 1st and 2nd.
4th Division: The SS wanted more troops (so it would be more important) and formed this infantry division of non-SS policemen. Regarded as the poor relation of the first three, it eventually was motorized but was never elite.
The following is a list of the Waffen-SS that were divisions at least in name, it should be noted that several of the later ones were nowhere near division size.
1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
2. SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich
3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division
5. SS-Panzer-Division Wiking
6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord
7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen
8. SS-Kavallerie-Division Florian Geyer
9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen
10. SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg
11. SS Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland
12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1)
14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (ukrainische Nr. 1)
15. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 1)
16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Reichsführer-SS
17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen
18. SS Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Horst Wessel
19. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettisches Nr. 2)
20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr. 1)
21. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg (albanische Nr. 1)
22. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division Maria Theresa
23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Kama (kroatische Nr. 2)
23. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nederland (niederlandische Nr. 1)
24. Waffen-Gebirgs-(Karstjäger-)Division der SS
25. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Hunyadi (ungarische Nr. 1)
26. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Hungaria (ungarische Nr. 2)
27. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Langemarck (flämische Nr. 1)
28. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Wallonien
29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (russische Nr. 1)
29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (italienische Nr. 1)
30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (russische Nr. 2)
30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (weissruthenische Nr. 1)
31. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division
32. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division 30 Januar
33. Waffen-Kavallerie-Division der SS (ungarnische Nr. 3)
33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Charlemagne (französische Nr. 1)
34. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Landstorm Nederland
35. SS- und Polizei-Grenadier-Division
36. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS
37. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division Lützow
38. SS-Grenadier-Division Nibelungen
