SS Brigade Westfalen

The brigade was formed on 29 March 1945 from training staff and other personnel at Sennelager Training Grounds north of Paderborn.^[2][3] The unit consisted of two improvised infantry regiments that were named after their commanders.^[3] Regiment "Meyer" consisted of three battalions: SS Panzer Reconnaissance Training and Replacement Battalion 1, SS Panzer Reconnaissance Training and Replacement Battalion 2, and an SS Panzer Reconnaissance NCO Training Battalion.^[4] Regiment "Holzer" was named after its commander Obersturmbannführer Friedrich Holzer and consisted of the SS Panzer Training and Replacement Regiment in Augustdorf, which consists of three battalions.^[4] The 507th Heavy Panzer Battalion was the brigade's main armor component.^[5]

The brigade had about 60 Tiger and Panther tanks as of 30 March 1945 according to Charles B. MacDonald.^[1] However, according to Steven Zaloga, the brigade instead had 15 old training tanks such as Panzer III, 21 Tiger II and three Jagdpanthers available by the end of March.^[6]

The brigade was first engaged on 30 March against elements of US 3rd Armored Division, trying to defend the way to Paderborn,^[1] until forced to relinquish the town by 1 April, falling back with possibly as many as forty tanks and assault guns still fit for action.^[7] The remnants of the brigade then engaged the US 3rd Armored Division on the way to the Weser.^[8]

• MacDonald, Charles B. (1973). The Last Offensive (Publication 7-9). The U.S. Army in World War II: The European Theater of Operations. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011.
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2011). Remagen 1945: Endgame against the Third Reich. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781846038235.