The 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (German: 3. SS-Panzerdivision "Totenkopf") [1] was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the Standarten of the SS-TV.

On 29 March 1936, concentration camp guards and administration units were officially designated as the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV). The SS-TV was an independent unit within the SS, with its own command structure. It ran the camps throughout Germany and later in occupied Europe.

Die SS-Totenkopf-Division wurde ursprünglich ab dem 16. Oktober 1939 unter dem Kommando von SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Eicke im Konzentrationslager Dachau aufgestellt, das für diesen Zweck zeitweise von Häftlingen geräumt wurde. Die Aufstellungsphase war am 1. November 1939 abgeschlossen. Divisionsstab SS-Totenkopf Division (aus )

The 3.SS Division “Totenkopf” was formed in October, 1939, following the invasion of Poland. The division was formed of new recruits, men from SS-Totenkopfstandarten 1, 2, and 3, as well as a cadre of officers and NCOs from the SSVT.

Jul 1, 2018 · Attack of troops from the three divisions of the Waffen SS Totenkopf, supported by a Panhard 178 armored captured on Bethune on May 24, 1940. On the morning of 19 May, SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Eicke received the division’s orders.

The SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) — the Death's Head Formations — were made up of Nazi Germany's concentration camp guards.

The 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf (skull), also known as the 3rd SS Panzergrenadier Division Totenkopf and 3rd SS Division Totenkopf during its existence, was one of 38 divisions of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party that served alongside but was never formally part of the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Dec 17, 2010 · SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf was formed October 1939 from concentration camp guards of the SS-Totenkopfverbände with the addition of officers from the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) and men from SS-Heimwehr Danzig.

Sep 28, 2021 · The Totenkopf was initially formed using concentration camp guards of the 1st “Oberbayern” and 2nd “Brandenburg” with the being the 3rd “Thüringen” Standarten (Regiments) of the SS-Totenkopfverbände and soldiers from the SS-Heimwehr Danzig.

Since mid-October 1939, the Totenkopf Division in Wehrkreis VII has been set up as a horse-drawn infantry division by Gruppenführer Eicke as ‘Inspector of the SS Totenkopf Units’ from the younger soldiers of the existing four SS Standarten.