Destroyed mechanized convoy from the 1st Panzer Division of the SS Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In the foreground is the Sd Kfz 251/8 armored personnel carrier. Western Front, Second World War.
The convoy of the 1st Panzer Division was destroyed by direct fire from a 57-mm anti-tank gun of Sergeant Miller Rhyne from the 120th regiment of the American 30th Division of the US Army. The scene of action is the station of the French town of Néfubr.
The 1st Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” (abbreviated as LSSAH) was a tactical formation of the SS troops of Nazi Germany. The elite formation was created on the basis of the personal guard of Adolf Hitler. During the period of its existence, it was deployed to the 1st SS Panzer Corps. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, it was personally subordinate to A. Hitler. Along with some formations of the Wehrmacht and SS troops, the Leibstandarte SS was one of the most effective military formations of Nazi Germany. Starting in 1943, the formation operated in the most difficult areas and was transferred seven times between the eastern and western fronts. In terms of the number of holders of the Knight’s Cross, the division was one of the leaders among the military formations of the Third Reich.
During the Second World War, military personnel of the compound committed massive war crimes and crimes against humanity. A number of them were convicted by tribunals and courts at the end of hostilities. On the basis of the materials of the Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of the Atrocities of the Nazi Invaders, the 1st Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” is included in the list of formations and units of the Wehrmacht and the SS that committed war crimes on the territory of the USSR. At the Nuremberg trials, the entire organization of the SS troops, including the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, was declared criminal.
Location: Néfubre, France
Time of shoot: August 12, 1944