Senior commanders

After his success commanding one of Hitlerjugend's panzergrenadier regiments in Normandy, Wilhelm Mohnke, now an SS-Oberführer, was given the honour of commanding the Leibstandarte. Although Mohnke had fought well in Normandy, he was far from popular with his comrades. He lost a foot in the Yugoslav campaign, so missed fighting with Hausser's SS Panzer Corps in Russia, and he was still considered an "outsider" by many of the Waffen-SS officers who were now regimental and divisional commanders in Dietrich's army. Taking the place of Kurt Meyer, who had been captured in early September, was SS-Standartenführer Hugo Kraas, a highly decorated Leibstandarte Division veteran.

The victor of Arnhem, Willi Bittrich, remained in command of his beloved II SS Panzer Corps, and he had Walther Harzer at his side as chief of staff. He still had the Hohenstaufen Division, under the capable Sylvester Stadler, but the Frundsberg Division had been replaced by the Das Reich Division. Bittrich's corps, however, was now very strong and considered the most militarily professional in the Waffen-SS.

As befitted its status as one of the premier units of the Waffen-SS, the Leibstandarte boasted a formidable complement of tanks and armoured vehicles. Its panzer regiment was again commanded by Joachim Peiper, who had now recovered from wounds received in Normandy, and fielded 38 Panthers and 34 Panzer IVs in a single battalion. To beef up its firepower, the 501st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion - formed from the old 101st SS Battalion - was attached with 30 of the monster 70-tonne (69-ton) King Tiger tanks. The division's anti-tank battalion boasted 21 Panzerjöger IVs. The division had the pick of Germany's manpower, and veteran officers considered it to be on a par with previous intakes.

The Hitlerjugend Division

The Hitlerjugend Division was equally powerful, with 38 Panthers and 37 Panzer IVs in its panzer regiment, which were grouped in one battalion. It had a strong contingent of self-propelled anti-tank guns, including 22 Panzerjöger IVs, in its own anti-tank battalion. To add to its firepower, the army's 560th Anti-tank Battalion was attached to the panzer regiment, with 28 Panzerjöger IVs and 14 of the 88mm-armed Jagdpanthers. It continued to draw its recruits from the ranks of the Nazi Youth organization, which gave it its distinctive character. I SS Panzer Corps had four army Nebelwerfer and two army artillery regiments attached for fire support.

Bittrich's II SS Panzer Corps was next in line to receive men and equipment, and was not as strong as its sister formation. He only had two army corps-level artillery regiments attached.

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