apologia of the division under the auspices of HIAG, the historical negationist organization and a lobby group of former Waffen-SS members. The unit narrative was extensive and strived for a so-called official representation of their history, backed by maps and operational orders. "No less than 5 volumes and well over 2,000 pages were devoted to the doings of the 2nd Panzer Division Das Reich", points out the military historian S.P. MacKenzie. The Das Reich divisional history was published by HIAG's publishing house Munin Verlag. Its express aim was to publish the "war narratives" of former Waffen-SS members, and the titles did not go through the rigorous processes of historical research or assessment common in the traditional historical works; they were negationist accounts unedited by professional historians and presented the former Waffen-SS members' version of events. The divisional history, like other HIAG publications, focused on the positive, "heroic" side of National Socialism. The French author Jean-Paul Picaper, who studied the Oradour massacre, notes the tendentious nature of Weidinger's narrative: it provided a sanitized version of history without any references to war crimes. Commanders Organisation Structure of the division in 1943: Headquarters 2nd SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Regiment 3rd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment "Deutschland" 4th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment "Der Fuhrer" 2nd SS Panzer Field Replacement Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Engineer Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Artillery Regiment 2nd SS Panzer Tank Destroyer Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Anti-Aircraft Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Rocket Launcher Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Signal Battalion 2nd SS Panzer Divisional Supply Group See also List of Waffen-SS divisions SS Panzer Division order of battle References Citations Bibliography MacDonald, Charles B. The Siegfried Line Campaign (Publication 7-7). Retrieved July 24, 2016. 02 Panzer divisions of the Waffen-SS Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 German units in Normandy 1939 establishments in Germany Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II 1945 disestablishments in Germany