7SS Operation Weiss*
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Date:  March 6, 1943*                     
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Battle Type: Germany assault vs. Yugoslavia defend*
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Design: CB Blackard*
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Background:  Not all of the divisions of the Waffen SS were comprised of elite volunteers equipped with the best weapons and latest armored vehicles.  By the middle of the war, the Waffen SS had grown in quantity but few of its divisions could be given elite status.  One such division was the 7th SS Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen" which was formed in northern Serbia in the spring of 1942.  Its troops consisted of conscripted ethnic Germans from Hungary, Rumania, and Yugoslavia.  Its entire panzer element consisted of a single company of captured French tanks.  Nevertheless, such divisions proved effective when commanded by skilled leaders.  The "Prinz Eugen" was fortunate to have as its initial commander General Artur Phleps, a World War One veteran from Siebenburgen.  Before joining the "Prinz Eugen", Phleps commanded the "Westland" Regiment of the 5th SS Division "Wiking" in Russia.  Throughout 1942, he would mold the 7th SS into a capable fighting force.
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Description: In early 1943, the 7th SS Mountain Division was transferred to Bosnia and the Dalmatian coast to battle partisans.  In this scenario, Operation Weiss, the first major battle for General Phleps' new division, winds down with the capture of Medjugorje hill near Livno. *
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Sources: Kumm, "Prinz Eugen - The History of the 7 SS Mountain Division".
