The III (Germanic) SS Armored Corps formed in April, 1943 as a headquarters for the multinational Wiking and Nordland Divisions under the former Wiking commander, Felix Steiner. After training and antipartisan operations in the Balkans, the corps took over a quiet sector in Army Group North, employing the Nordland Divisions and Nederland Brigade, but never taking control of the Wiking Divison. Forced back by the Russian winter 1944 offensive, the corps took a leading role in the defense of the Narva salient in the summer of 1944. It then withdrew with the rest of the army group across Estonia and into the Courland (Kurland) Peninsula, fighting several actions there until the end of January. Brought back to Germany for the final battles of the III Reich, the corps participated in the final actions east and north of Berlin.
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