Hellmuth Becker - World War II

World War II

With the beginning of World War II, the 1st SS Totenkopf Infantry Regiment was upgraded into the new motorized division the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf. After the Battle of France, Becker was promoted to Standartenführer (Regiment Leader/colonel) and given command of the 1st Battalion,1st Infantry Regiment Totenkopf. After the start of Operation Barbarossa, Becker assumed temporary command of the regiment. Even after being wounded, he remained in command and was officially appointed regimental commander in August 1941. In September 1941, his command included a motorcycle battalion in a kampfgruppe during the battle of the Demyansk Pocket. For his performance during the battle, he was awarded the German Cross in gold.

With the conversion of the division to an armoured division in the autumn of 1942, Becker was made commander of the 6th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, which after the death of Theodor Eicke adopted his name as an honour title. In August 1943, the regiment was ordered to capture the city of Nikotowka and heights 199 and 197. After heavy fighting, Becker decided to attack with his reserve battalion by advancing in front of a neighboring division which was not involved in the attack. He succeeded in seizing height 197 and rolling up the other two positions. Due to the success of the attack, the division advanced to Mertschik, destroying two Russian divisions, two armored brigades and one motorised brigade. For his actions in key situations, on 7 September 1943, he was awarded the Knight's Cross. In October, he was given command of the division, until in March 1944, he assumed command of the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS in Italy and was promoted to Oberführer (Senior Leader/brigadier general). After Hermann Prieß was given the task of forming the XIII. SS Army Corps, Becker was again in July 1944 given command of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf. In September 1944, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross for the division's actions in Romania and the fighting around Grodno. He was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer (brigadier general) und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS (equivalent to an American brigadier general). Becker was twice mentioned in the daily Wehrmachtbericht (radio report), on 1 and 2 January 1945.

In the next few weeks, the division was involved in fighting to the east of Warsaw and Modlin. In December, it was moved to Hungary for the battles around Budapest.

The division crossed the Danube River to Vienna, shortly before the surrender of German forces. The unit then attempted to surrender to the Americans, but the local U.S. commanders refused to accept the surrender and handed the men over to the Russians.