Felix Steiner

German SS commander ; affiant in Pohl Trial (NMT 4)

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Momentum1.3
Germany rank#214

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Fame58.0
Momentum1.3
Germany rank#214
Writers rank#196
Wikipedia39.2K

Lived 1896–1966, aged 70Germany

Germany WritersWriter / Author

Wikipedia
36 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Germany
#214
Writers
Era
1896–1966
Aged 70
Awards
4
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

An SS corps commander who built volunteer divisions from across occupied Europe, then watched Hitler's final battle plan collapse in the rubble of Berlin when his outnumbered detachment couldn't execute the impossible pincer order that might have saved the Reich.

Biography

About

Felix Steiner joined the SS and by 1940 was handpicked by Himmler to create and lead the SS Division Wiking, helping transform the Waffen-SS into a force drawing volunteers and conscripts from occupied and unoccupied territories alike. By 1943 he commanded the III SS Panzer Corps, and in January 1945 took charge of the 11th SS Panzer Army as part of the hastily assembled Army Group Vistula meant to shield Berlin from Soviet advance. On 21 April, with the capital under siege, Hitler placed him at the head of Army Detachment Steiner and ordered a pincer counterattack from the north—but Steiner's…

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