| Management number | 228377277 | Release Date | 2026/05/31 | List Price | $7.90 | Model Number | 228377277 | ||
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The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" was a German Waffen-SS division that operated on the Western Front during World War II from its formation in October 1943 to its surrender in May 1945. The division was raised near Poitiers, France, and was named after a 15th-century knight and mercenary, with its divisional symbol being an iron fist, a nod to his prosthetic iron hand. The division's early history was plagued by a severe lack of vehicles and equipment. In early 1944, it was so poorly equipped that it was ordered to requisition civilian French trucks to supplement its transport. While some units were eventually motorized, others, including two of its infantry battalions, were still on bicycles as late as March 1944. Its armored component, the SS-Panzer-Abteilung 17, was uniquely equipped for a Waffen-SS unit with Sturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV) assault guns instead of the more typical Panzer IV tanks. The StuG IV, with its low profile and robust armor, proved surprisingly effective in the dense hedgerow country of Normandy for ambush and defensive operations. The "Götz von Berlichingen" division saw its first major combat in Normandy following the D-Day landings in June 1944, where it was tasked with countering Allied advances. It was engaged in heavy fighting near Saint-Lô and Carentan, where it suffered immense losses. The division was decimated during Operation Cobra and the subsequent encirclement of the Roncey Pocket, where it lost most of its armored equipment. After a retreat and refit in eastern France, the division was rebuilt with new conscripts and remnants of other units. It then took part in the brutal fighting for Metz, followed by engagements in the Saar and Palatinate regions, and eventually the defense of the Westwall. Its final battles were fought in Germany, including bitter street-to-street combat in Nürnberg, before the exhausted and outnumbered remnants of the division surrendered to U.S. forces near Achen Lake in May 1945.
| ASIN | B07D2FWRVC |
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| Brand Name | warreplica |
| Manufacturer | warreplica |
| Material Type | Steel |
| Item Dimensions L x W | 8"L x 6.5"W |
| Manufacturer Part Number | AE-11076 AES-24 |
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