Marcus Wendel
Airman
Not correct, General der Artillerie Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach did not command any fighting force against the regular German forces, his organization was just a propaganda unit.
/Marcus
'Allies' fighting for Axis
- Thread starter plan_D
- Start date
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Not correct, General der Artillerie Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach did not command any fighting force against the regular German forces, his organization was just a propaganda unit.
/Marcus
RAGMAN
Airman
REALLY? i read it in my book WW2 4139 strange and facinating facts by don mc combs and fred l worth....if it is wrong i apologize...
mosquitoman
Master Sergeant
Really! You got any info or pics of them?
David Jones
Recruit
- 8
- Dec 17, 2016
Much surprised by the lack of mention to the 5th SS "Wiking" Division, which enjoyed a large number of Nordic troops, i.e. Norwegian, Danes, volunteer Swede and Finns. The Blues from Spain in the Eastern Front, as well
parsifal
Colonel
Foreign Waffen-SS units recruited by Nazi Germany
(note: many of the recruits into the SS, particularly those from the east were not volunteers. They were often forcibly and brutally conscripted
Albania
Total: 6,500 to 7,000
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg
Belgium
Total: 40,000 (about "evenly divided between Flemings and Walloons")
SS-Freiwilligen Legion Flandern (1941)
Bulgaria]
Croatia
Denmark
Total: 6,000
Estonia
Total: 20,000
Finland
Total: 1,180 to 3,000
France
Total: 20,000
Hungary
Total: 20,000
India
Total: 2,000
Total: 15,000
Latvia
Total: 80,000
Netherlands
Total: 50,000 to 55,000
Norway
Total: 6,000
Romania
Total: 50,000
Spain
Soviet Union]
United Kingdom
Total: 54
Yugoslavia
Fates
During the Nuremberg Trials, the Waffen-SS was declared a criminal organization for its major involvement in war crimes and for being an "integral part" of the SS. Conscript units, however, were not deemed to be criminal as these individuals had no choice in becoming members. A number of volunteers were executed, while others were tried and imprisoned by their countries. Still others either lived in exile or returned to their homeland. The majority escaped any punishment from the Nuremberg trials.
However after the German Instrument of Surrender, many volunteers were tried and imprisoned by their countries. In several cases, volunteers were executed. Henri Joseph Fenet, one of the last recipients of the Knight's Cross was sentenced to 20 years of forced labour and released from prison in 1959. Some were far less lucky and were shot upon capture by the French authorities. General Leclerc was famously presented with a defiant group of 11 or 12 captured 33rd SS Charlemagne men. The Free French General immediately asked them why they wore a German uniform, to which one of them replied by asking the General why he wore an American one; the Free French wore modified US Army uniforms. The group of French Waffen-SS men was then promptly executed without any form of military tribunal procedure.
Walloon leader Leon Degrelle escaped to Spain, where, despite being sentenced to death in absentia by the Belgian authorities, he lived in exile until his death in 1994.
Some 146 Baltic soldiers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who fought against Soviets and escaped to Sweden were extradited to Soviet Union in 1946.
The men of the XV SS Cossack Corps found themselves in Austria at the end of the war and surrendered to Britishtroops. Even though they were given assurances that they would not be turned over to the Soviets, they nevertheless were forcibly removed from the compound and transferred to the USSR. This event became known as the Betrayal of the Cossacks. Most of the Cossacks were executed for treason. Stalin it should be noted ordered the execution of all Red army PoWs because they were deemed traitors to the USSR.
After the war members of Baltic Waffen-Grenadier Units were considered separate and distinct in purpose, ideology and activities from the German SS by the Western Allies. Subsequently in the spring of 1946, out of the ranks of Baltic conscripts who had surrendered to the Western allies in the previous year, a total of nine companies were formed with a mission to guard the external perimeter of the Nuremberg International Tribunal courthouse and the various depots and residences of US officers and prosecutors connected with the trial. The men were also entrusted with guarding the accused Nazi war criminals held in prison during the trial up until the day of execution.
Of the 54 known members of the British Free Corps, I am aware of only one that was actually executed during his post war trial and only 15 or 16 sent to trial at all. John Amery had mounted an initial defence of insanity but on the very first day of the trial abandoned this defence to plead guilty. In making that change of plea, Justice Humphreys made certain that Amery be made aware that he would be executed as with no mitigation the law prescribed this penalty. Amery did not deviate, I suspect he felt enormous personal guilt for his actions though this is not evident from the trial transcripts.
Justice Humphreys was true to his word, delivering the following comments in his judgement
John Amery ... I am satisfied that you knew what you did and that you did it intentionally and deliberately after you had received warning from ... your fellow countrymen that the course you were pursuing amounted to high treason. They called you a traitor and you heard them; but in spite of that you continued in that course. You now stand a self-confessed traitor to your King and country, and you have forfeited your right to live
Other members of the corps were spared the death penalty but of the 15 sent to trial, all were found guilty and received lengthy gaol terms
(note: many of the recruits into the SS, particularly those from the east were not volunteers. They were often forcibly and brutally conscripted
Albania
Total: 6,500 to 7,000
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg
Belgium
Total: 40,000 (about "evenly divided between Flemings and Walloons")
SS-Freiwilligen Legion Flandern (1941)
- SS-Freiwilligen-Standarte Nordwest
- 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck
- 6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck
- 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
- 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien
- 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
Bulgaria]
Croatia
- 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)
- 23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama (2nd Croatian)
Denmark
Total: 6,000
- Free Corps Denmark (1941): 1,164
- Danish volunteers in Waffen-SS, the majority of them in the SS Division Wiking and the SS Division Nordland
Estonia
Total: 20,000
Finland
Total: 1,180 to 3,000
France
Total: 20,000
- Französisch SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade[40] a/k/a 8th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France
- 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
- 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
- Bretonische Waffenverband der SS
Hungary
Total: 20,000
- 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Maria Theresia
- 25th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Hunyadi (1st Hungarian)]
- 26th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Hungarian)
- 33rd Waffen Cavalry Division of the SS (3rd Hungarian)
India
Total: 2,000
- Indisches Freiwilligen Legion der Waffen-SS (Tiger Legion)
Total: 15,000
- Italienische Freiwilligen Legion (1943): 6,000
- 1st Sturmbrigade, Italienische Freiwilligen Legion
- 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS
- 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian)
Latvia
Total: 80,000
Netherlands
Total: 50,000 to 55,000
- SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande (1941): 2,559
- SS Volunteer Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland
- 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland
- 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
- SS-Freiwilligen-Standarte Nordwest
- 34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland
Norway
Total: 6,000
- SS Freiwilligen Legion Norwegen (1941): 1,218
- SS-Schijager-Batalljon Norwegen
Romania
Total: 50,000
- Romanian volunteers in the Waffen-SS
- Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (1st Romanian)
- Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (2nd Romanian)
Spain
- Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 101
- Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 102
Soviet Union]
- 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)
- 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)
- 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Belarussian)
- Kaukasische Waffen-Verbände der SS
- Osttürkische Waffen-Verbände der SS
- Tataren-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment der SS
- Waffen-Sturm-Brigade Kaminski
- Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA
United Kingdom
Total: 54
Yugoslavia
Fates
During the Nuremberg Trials, the Waffen-SS was declared a criminal organization for its major involvement in war crimes and for being an "integral part" of the SS. Conscript units, however, were not deemed to be criminal as these individuals had no choice in becoming members. A number of volunteers were executed, while others were tried and imprisoned by their countries. Still others either lived in exile or returned to their homeland. The majority escaped any punishment from the Nuremberg trials.
However after the German Instrument of Surrender, many volunteers were tried and imprisoned by their countries. In several cases, volunteers were executed. Henri Joseph Fenet, one of the last recipients of the Knight's Cross was sentenced to 20 years of forced labour and released from prison in 1959. Some were far less lucky and were shot upon capture by the French authorities. General Leclerc was famously presented with a defiant group of 11 or 12 captured 33rd SS Charlemagne men. The Free French General immediately asked them why they wore a German uniform, to which one of them replied by asking the General why he wore an American one; the Free French wore modified US Army uniforms. The group of French Waffen-SS men was then promptly executed without any form of military tribunal procedure.
Walloon leader Leon Degrelle escaped to Spain, where, despite being sentenced to death in absentia by the Belgian authorities, he lived in exile until his death in 1994.
Some 146 Baltic soldiers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who fought against Soviets and escaped to Sweden were extradited to Soviet Union in 1946.
The men of the XV SS Cossack Corps found themselves in Austria at the end of the war and surrendered to Britishtroops. Even though they were given assurances that they would not be turned over to the Soviets, they nevertheless were forcibly removed from the compound and transferred to the USSR. This event became known as the Betrayal of the Cossacks. Most of the Cossacks were executed for treason. Stalin it should be noted ordered the execution of all Red army PoWs because they were deemed traitors to the USSR.
After the war members of Baltic Waffen-Grenadier Units were considered separate and distinct in purpose, ideology and activities from the German SS by the Western Allies. Subsequently in the spring of 1946, out of the ranks of Baltic conscripts who had surrendered to the Western allies in the previous year, a total of nine companies were formed with a mission to guard the external perimeter of the Nuremberg International Tribunal courthouse and the various depots and residences of US officers and prosecutors connected with the trial. The men were also entrusted with guarding the accused Nazi war criminals held in prison during the trial up until the day of execution.
Of the 54 known members of the British Free Corps, I am aware of only one that was actually executed during his post war trial and only 15 or 16 sent to trial at all. John Amery had mounted an initial defence of insanity but on the very first day of the trial abandoned this defence to plead guilty. In making that change of plea, Justice Humphreys made certain that Amery be made aware that he would be executed as with no mitigation the law prescribed this penalty. Amery did not deviate, I suspect he felt enormous personal guilt for his actions though this is not evident from the trial transcripts.
Justice Humphreys was true to his word, delivering the following comments in his judgement
John Amery ... I am satisfied that you knew what you did and that you did it intentionally and deliberately after you had received warning from ... your fellow countrymen that the course you were pursuing amounted to high treason. They called you a traitor and you heard them; but in spite of that you continued in that course. You now stand a self-confessed traitor to your King and country, and you have forfeited your right to live
Other members of the corps were spared the death penalty but of the 15 sent to trial, all were found guilty and received lengthy gaol terms
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 4,022
- Jun 25, 2013
One thing which should give people pause: in all these countries, the resistance required the sorts of skills law-abiding citizens don't normally have, such as hiding from police, evading capture, functioning in an underground economy, and forging papers,
I'm also going to hunt up some population statistics for those countries.
I'm also going to hunt up some population statistics for those countries.
