5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking”

The 5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking” was an elite Waffen-SS formation composed largely of foreign volunteers from Germanic and Nordic countries, including Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden, all fighting under German command. Originally formed in 1940, the division gained fame for its fierce combat performance on the Eastern Front, participating in key operations from Ukraine to the Caucasus and later in defensive battles in Hungary and Austria. Early in its formation, the division experimented with a unique prototype collar tab resembling a Viking ship prow, a nod to its "Wiking" namesake and Nordic identity, though this design was quickly abandoned in favor of the standard SS runes on the right collar tab, with the rank insignia or blank tab on the left. Soldiers typically wore the Waffen-SS field-grey uniform, adorned with the “Wiking” cuff title in Gothic script, and many foreign volunteers bore national shields on the left sleeve to denote their origin. The division’s most notable commanders were SS-Gruppenführer Felix Steiner, its founder, and Herbert Gille, a highly decorated officer who led it through its later campaigns. While famed for its battlefield effectiveness, “Wiking”—like all Waffen-SS divisions—remains historically linked to the ideology and crimes of the Nazi regime.