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1943 - The Mius Front 1943 - The Mius Front

The Totenkopf Division lost 1500 dead and wounded. This was three times the number of its casualties during Operation Citadel. Crucially, most of the losses were among the division's combat regiments, particularly the panzer regiment and panzergrenadiers. The losses in junior officers and company level commanders were grievous indeed. The Waffen-SS ethos of leadership from the front was proving to be very costly. Das Reich's losses were nearly as bad, bringing its total dead and wounded during the previous month up to 2811.

The two divisions' tank losses were horrendous, with the Totenkopf only being able to muster 23 tanks fit for action on 2 August 1943. Das Reich, likewise, could only field 22 tanks. Prior to the Mius operation, the combined II SS Panzer Corps armoured strength had been some 190 tanks and assault guns. While many of the damaged Waffen-SS tanks and assault guns were repaired, the scale of the slaughter inflicted by the Russian defences along the Mius was unprecedented.

 

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