Herbert Vahl was one of the most important Waffen-SS armoured commanders and was very important in the development of the armored formations in Das Reich. Originally an Army officer, he was transferred to the Waffen SS in 1942 and was assigned to the SS-Generalkommando. When SS-Panzer Abteilung 2 was expanded to SS-Panzer Regiment 2, Vahl was made commander because of his experience in the Army with Panzer Regiment 29 in 12. Panzer Division. Vahl commanded Das Reich when George Keppler fell ill in February 1943. His brief command of Das Reich included the decisive battles of Kharkov and the following counterattacks near Byelgorod, during which, Vahl was awarded the KC. He was wounded and forced to give up command of the division to Kurt Brasack. After his recovery he was assigned to the SS-Fuhrungshauptamt as Inspekteur der SS Panzer Truppen (Inspector of Armored Troops). In July 1944 he was given command of the 4th SS-Polizei-Grenadier-Division and was killed in a automobile accident while traveling in Greece.