operation was a military failure, but resulted in the killing of 170 civilians and the partial or complete destruction of dozens of villages and cities. 1945 The depleted division was moved to a front line north in Pomerania. Hitler assigned it to Army Detachment Steiner for the relief of Berlin. They were supposed to be part of the northern pincer that would meet the IV Panzer Army coming from the south and envelop the 1st Ukrainian Front before destroying it. Steiner explained to General Gotthard Heinrici that he did not have the divisions to perform this action and the troops lacked the heavy weapons needed, so the attack did not take place as Hitler had planned. Moved to Danzig, the SS-Polizei Division was encircled by the Red Army and was shipped across the Hela Peninsula to Swinemünde. After a brief rest, what remained of the division fought its way across the Elbe river, in order to surrender to the Americans near Wittenberge-Lenzen. Commanders Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch (15 November 1939 – 1 September 1940) Konrad Ritzer (1 September 1940 – 8 September 1940) Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch (8 September 1940 – 10 November 1940) Arthur Mülverstadt (10 November 1940 – 10 August 1941) Emil Höring (16 August 1941 – 18 August 1941) Walter Krüger (18 August 1941 – 15 December 1941) Alfred Wünnenberg (15 December 1941 – 14 May 1942) Alfred Borchert (15 May 1942 – 18 July 1942) - for Alfred Wünnenberg Alfred Wünnenberg (19 July 1942 – 10 June 1943) Fritz Schmedes (10 June 1943 – 5 July 1943) Otto Binge (5 July 1943 – 18 August 1943) Fritz Freitag (18 August 1943 – 20 October 1943) Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock (20 October 1943 – 19 April 1944) Jürgen Wagner (19 April 1944–? May 1944) Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock (? May 1944–7 May 1944) Hebert Ernst Vahl (7 May 1944 – 22 July 1944) Karl Schümers (22 July 1944 – 16 August 1944) Helmut Dörner (16 August 1944 – 22 August 1944) Fritz Schmedes (22 August 1944 – 27 November 1944) Walter Harzer (27 November 1944 – 1 March 1945) Fritz Göhler (1 March 1945–? March 1945) Walter Harzer (? March 1945–8 May 1945) Order of battle Area of operations Germany (September 1939–May 1940) Luxembourg, Belgium & France (May 1940 – June 1941) Eastern front, northern sector (June 1941–May 1943) Czechoslovakia and Poland (May 1943–January 1944) Greece (January 1944–September 1944) Yugoslavia and Romania (September 1944–October 1944)