Waffen Ss France Waffen Ss In The West 1940

In total some 500000 non germans and ethnic germans from outside germany mostly from german occupied europe were recruited between 1940 and 1945.

Division 2 hunter locations. During world war ii the waffen ss recruited significant numbers of non germans both as volunteers and conscripts. The entry of foreign citizens into the waffen ss began early in the war. The recruitment of volunteers for the waffen ss outside the borders of nazi germany was part of ss reichsfuehrer heinrich himmlers dream of a pan european army for the third reich.

Vafnss armed ss was the military branch of the nazi partys ss organisation. The waffen ss grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions during world war ii and served alongside the heer regular army ordnungspolizei. The 2nd ss panzer division das reich german.

33rd waffen grenadier division of the ss charlemagne the last waffen ss unit during battle of berlin to participate in the defence of central berlin and the area of the fuehrerbunker. On 10 june 1944 the village of oradour sur glane in haute vienne in nazi occupied france was destroyed when 642 of its inhabitants including non combatant women and children were massacred by a german waffen ss company. The elite ss panzer and panzer grenadier divisions from this and the following page represented germanys most effective troops in the last stages of the war setting a standard unsurpassed and seldom equaled among the forces of any other.

Those tagged with nationalities were at least nominally recruited from those nationalities. The le paradis massacre was a war crime committed by members of the 14th company ss division totenkopf under the command of hauptsturmfuehrer fritz knoechleinit took place on 27 may 1940 during the battle of france at a time when troops of the british expeditionary force bef were attempting to retreat through the pas de calais region during the battle of dunkirk. 34th ss volunteer grenadier division landstorm nederland.

Many of the higher numbered units were small battlegroups kampfgruppen ie divisions in name onlywaffen ss divisions by number. The waffen grenadier brigade of the ss charlemagne german. Between early 1943 and until the end of world war ii the order of battle of the waffen ss rose from 8 to 38 divisions with nearly one million men.

Das reich served during the invasion of france and took part in several major battles on the eastern front including in the battle of prokhorovka against the 5th guards tank army at the battle of kursk. Ss panzerdivision das reich was one of 38 divisions of the waffen ss of nazi germany during world war ii. Its formations included men from nazi germany along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

Of the 38 waffen ss divisions 21 were raised with non germans as their primary personnel. Waffen grenadier brigade der ss charlemagne was a unit of the waffen ss formed in september 1944 from french collaborationists many of whom were already serving in various other german units. Named after the 9th century frankish king it superseded the existing legion of french volunteers against bolshevism formed in 1941 within.