8th SS CAVALRY DIVISION FLORIAN GEYER: Images of War series

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Another in the photo-heavy series covers the formation and deployment of the 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer. On the Eastern Front, the Division was responsible for razing towns and villages, poisoning wells, and general genocide often against unarmed civilians. This scorched earth policy was aimed at hindering the Red Army's advance. After moving South, the Division took part in the retreat from the Dnieper River before operating in Hungary and Croatia. The end came when trapped in Budapest by Soviet and Romanian forces, the Division was destroyed in December 1944. By the end of the siege only 800 of the 30,000 men in the SS Corps reached German lines.