Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts - Revision history

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	**[[33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)]]		**[[33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)]]
	**[[38th SS Division Nibelungen]]		**[[38th SS Division Nibelungen]]
	**Der bretonische Waffenverband der Waffen-SS (''Bezen Perrot'')<ref>In the later stages of World War II Lainé decided to separate from Bagadou Stourm and integrate with the SS in the face of the assassination of several leading figures of the Breton cultural movement. One of those assassinated was priest and Breton language defender Abbé [[Jean-Marie Perrot]], murdered by the communist terrorists of the [[French Resistance]]. The militia had originally been named Bezen Kadoudal, after the anti-Jacobin Breton rebel [[Georges Cadoudal]]. The 1943 assassination of the priest prompted Lainé to change the organization's name in honor of Perrot during December of that year. It had already been envisaged by German strategists that in the event of Allied invasion the Breton ~~nationalists~~ would form a rearguard, and that further ~~nationalist~~ troops could be parachuted into [[Brittany]]. However, the rapid American advance from Normandy into Brittany forced the group to retreat along with the German army. In Tübingen many members were provided with false papers by Leo Weisgerber. Following the war many of the organization's members, including Lainé, Heusaff and the ~~nationalist~~ poet Fant Rozec fled to Ireland.</ref>		**Der bretonische Waffenverband der Waffen-SS (''Bezen Perrot'')<ref>In the later stages of World War II Lainé decided to separate from Bagadou Stourm and integrate with the SS in the face of the assassination of several leading figures of the Breton cultural movement. One of those assassinated was priest and Breton language defender Abbé [[Jean-Marie Perrot]], murdered by the communist terrorists of the [[French Resistance]]. The militia had originally been named Bezen Kadoudal, after the anti-Jacobin Breton rebel [[Georges Cadoudal]]. The 1943 assassination of the priest prompted Lainé to change the organization's name in honor of Perrot during December of that year. It had already been envisaged by German strategists that in the event of Allied invasion the Breton fascists would form a rearguard, and that further fascist troops could be parachuted into [[Brittany]]. However, the rapid American advance from Normandy into Brittany forced the group to retreat along with the German army. In Tübingen many members were provided with false papers by Leo Weisgerber. Following the war many of the organization's members, including Lainé, Heusaff and the fascist poet Fant Rozec fled to Ireland.</ref>
	*[[Georgia]]:<ref>At least 30,000 Georgians served in the German armed forces during World War II. The Georgians served in thirteen field battalions of up to 800 men, each made up of five companies. Georgians were also found in the [[Wehrmacht]]'s North Caucasian Legion and in other Caucasian ethnic legions. The Georgian military formations were commanded by Shalva Maglakelidze, Michel-Fridon Zulukidze, Col. Solomon Nicholas Zaldastani and other officers formerly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–21).</ref> 2,000 to 3,000 in the		*[[Georgia]]:<ref>At least 30,000 Georgians served in the German armed forces during World War II. The Georgians served in thirteen field battalions of up to 800 men, each made up of five companies. Georgians were also found in the [[Wehrmacht]]'s North Caucasian Legion and in other Caucasian ethnic legions. The Georgian military formations were commanded by Shalva Maglakelidze, Michel-Fridon Zulukidze, Col. Solomon Nicholas Zaldastani and other officers formerly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–21).</ref> 2,000 to 3,000 in the
	**SS-Waffengruppe Georgien<ref>SS-Waffengruppe "Georgien" was formed on December 11, 1944 and commanded by Waffen-Standartenfuhrer der SS Michail Pridon Tsulukidze.</ref>		**SS-Waffengruppe Georgien<ref>SS-Waffengruppe "Georgien" was formed on December 11, 1944 and commanded by Waffen-Standartenfuhrer der SS Michail Pridon Tsulukidze.</ref>

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en>Crusader at 01:21, 23 November 2023

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[[File:German Divisions of the Waffen-SS.jpg|thumb|260px|The [[Waffen-SS divisions|Waffen-SS consisted of 38/39 divisions]] of which 19 were mixed (German or ''[[Volksdeutsche]]'' and others) or composed exclusively of other nationalities under German command. These divisions were racially White and were recruited from European countries. About 25 different European nationalities were members of the Waffen-SS: [[Albanian]]s, [[Armenian]]s, [[Belgian]]s, [[Bulgarian]]s, [[Bosnian]]s, [[Croatian]]s, [[Czechoslovak]]s, [[Danish]], [[Estonian]]s, [[Finnish]], [[French]], [[Greek]], [[Hungarian]]s, [[Netherland]]s, [[English]], [[Estonian]]s, [[Italian]]s, [[Latvian]]s, [[Lithuanian]]s, [[Norwegian]]s, [[Romanian]]s, [[Russian]]s, [[Spanish]] ([[Blue Division]]), [[Swedish]] and [[Ukrainian]]s. Six out of ten members of the Waffen-SS were composed of foreigners.]]
The '''Waffen-SS''' ([[German language|German]] for "Armed SS", literally "Weapons SS") was the combat arm of the ''[[Schutzstaffel]]'' ("Security Escort Formation" or "Protective Squadron") or ''SS'', an organ of the German [[National Socialist German Workers' Party]].

==History==
The [[Waffen-SS]] saw action throughout [[World War II]] and grew from three regiments to a force of 38/39 divisions, which served alongside the regular army, but was never formally part of the [[Wehrmacht]]. Although operational control of the Waffen-SS units on the front line was given to the Army's High Command ({{lang-de|Oberkommando der Wehrmacht}}), in all other respects they remained under the auspices of [[Reichsführer-SS]] [[Heinrich Himmler]]'s SS, and behind the lines these units were an instrument of political policy enforcement. It was [[Adolf Hitler]]'s will that the Waffen-SS never be integrated into the Army, theoretically upholding an autarkic status.

In 1940, Hitler gave permission for the first non-German Waffen-SS formation (an idea by [[Gottlob Berger]]) and by the end of the war, twenty five of the thirty nine Waffen-SS division were formed from foreign volunteers or conscripts, or around 60 % of Waffen-SS members were non-German.
[[File:Ottomar Carl Joseph Anton, Werbung ausländischer Freiwilliger für die Waffen-SS.jpg|thumb|260px|Poster ([[Netherlands]])]]

==List by nation and unit==

[[File:Leon Degrelle from Belgium, SS-Standartenführer und Kommandant der SS-Division Wallonien.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Léon Degrelle]] from Belgium, SS-[[Standartenführer]] und Kommandant der [[28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien|SS-Division Wallonien]]]]
[[File:SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Artur Martin Phleps, a Austro-Hungarian, Romanian and German army officer.jpg|thumb|260px|SS-[[Obergruppenführer]] und General der Waffen-SS [[Artur Phleps|Artur Martin Phleps]]: Austro-Hungarian, Romanian and German army officer of (among others) the [[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)]]]]
[[File:SS-Unterscharführer Remy Schrijnen with Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Iron Cross I and II, Infantry Assault Badge and Wound Badge in Gold, the Last Knight of Flanders.jpg|thumb|260px|SS-Unterscharführer [[Remy Schrijnen]] with [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]], [[Iron Cross]] I and II, [[Infantry Assault Badge]] and [[Wound Badge]] in Gold, the "Last Knight of Flanders".]]
[[File:British Waffen-SS-Volunteer.png|thumb|260px|British SS-Volunteer during World War II]]
[[File:Finnish nurse from the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf, Soviet Russia, 1942..jpg|thumb|260px|Finnish nurse from the [[3rd SS Division Totenkopf]], Soviet Russia, 1942]]
[[File:Lucien Kemarat, Waffen-SS soldier from the Kingdom of Thailand, 1933.jpg|thumb|260px|Lucien Kemarat, "[[Legion de Volontaires Francaises]]" and Waffen-SS (Charlemagne) soldier from the [[Kingdom of Thailand]]]]
[[File:SS-Obersturmbannführer Dr. Franz Riedweg from Switzerland - intellectual protege of Heinrich Himmler!.jpg|thumb|260px|SS-[[Obersturmbannführer]] Dr. [[Franz Riedweg]] from [[Switzerland]] - intellectual protege of Heinrich Himmler. From the [[SS-Hauptamt]] to the [[3rd SS Division Totenkopf]] (as a military hospital doctor).<ref>Marco Wyss: ''Un Suisse au service de la SS : Franz Riedweg, 1907-2005'', ISBN 978-2940235599</ref>]]
[[File:Frontkjemper-Abzeichen.jpg|thumb|260px|''Frontkjempermerket'' is a Norwegian award instituted by Vidkun Quisling in 1943 as a reward for volunteer Norwegian frontkjempere during [[World War II]]]]
[[File:SS-Untersturmführer Johann Petter Balstad, norwegischer Freiwilliger des SS-Panzergrenadier-Regimentes 23 Norge der 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland.jpg|thumb|260px|The cool "''Panzervernichter''": Untersturmführer (2nd Lieutenant) Johan Petter Balstad, highly decorated<ref>Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, Wound Badge in silver, 3 tank destruction badges for single-handed tank kills in close combat.</ref> [[Norway|Norwegian]] volunteer of (7./SS-Pz.Gr.Rgt 23 “Norge”) SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 23 Norge ([[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]).]]
[[File:Finnischer Freiwilliger Mikko Korpijaakko.jpg|thumb|260px|Volunteer from [[Finland]] Mikko Korpijaakko, 9. Kompanie/SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 10 „Westland“/[[5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“]]]]
[[File:Voldemārs Veiss.jpg|thumb|260px|Voldemars Veiss from Latvia, one of the many foreign volunteers who earned the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]]]

'''An estimated 325,000 to 500,000<ref>Many joined the SS with a false name, others asked to be ''germanized'', still others destroyed all papers, therefore the true numbers of foreign volunteers could be substantially higher. In the last days of the war, the Waffen-SS burned division records and gave out workers' passports to volunteers who wanted them.</ref> non-ethnic German volunteers and conscripts served in the Waffen-SS:'''

*[[Albania]]: 9000+ in the
**[[7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen]]
***SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 14 „Skanderbeg“<ref>The name comes from an Albanian national hero and military leader [[Skanderbeg|Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg]] (born approximately 1405, died on January 17, 1468), who led the anti-Turkish freedom fight.</ref>
**[[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)]]
***1st Battalion of the 28th Waffen Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Infantry) Regiment of the SS (I/28)
**[[21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)]]
***50th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment of the SS
***51st Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment of the SS
*[[Armenia]]: 2000 to 4000 in the
**Kaukasische Waffen-Verband der SS
***Stab Kaukasischer Waffen-Verband der SS
***Stab Waffen-Gruppe Armenien
***Stab Waffen-Gruppe Nordkaukasus
***Stab Waffen-Gruppe Georgien
***Stab Waffen-Gruppe Aserbeidschan
*[[Belgium]]: 20,000 to 22,000 [[Flemish people|Flemish]] in the
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland]]
***4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
***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]]
**[[Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen]]
***General SS Flanders
***Germanic SS in Flanders
*[[Belgium]]: 20,000 to 22,000 [[Walloons]] in the
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien]]
*[[Bulgaria]]: 700 in the
**[[Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (1st Bulgarian)]]
*[[Croatia]] (includes [[Bosniaks|Bosnian Muslims]]): 20,000 in the
**[[V SS Mountain Corps]]
***[[7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen]]
****SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 13 „Artur Phleps“
**[[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)]]
**[[23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama (2nd Croatian)]]
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
*[[Czechoslovakia]] (the exact number of ethnic Slovaks and Czechs can not be determined) in the
**[[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)]]
*[[Denmark]]: 8,000 to 12,000 in the
**[[Free Corps Denmark]] (''The Danish Legion'')
***HIPO Corps
***Schalburg Corps
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Freikorps_%E2%80%9EDanmark%E2%80%9C Freikorps „Danmark“])
*[[Estonia]]: 70,000<ref>Romuald Misiunas (Author), Rein Taagepera (Author),'' The Baltic States: Years of Dependence, 1940-1990'', University of California Press (1993), ISBN 978-0520082281</ref> in the
**[[3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade]]
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
**[[20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)]]
**[[38th SS Division Nibelungen]]
**[[Estonian Legion]]
*[[Finland]]: 2,500 in the
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
***[[Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS]]<ref>The battalion was praised by many Waffen-SS commanders, even [[Heinrich Himmler]], for its combat performance. Himmler said "Where a Finnish SS-man stood, the enemy was always defeated." Neither the unit nor any of its members were ever accused of any "''war crimes''".</ref>
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]]
*[[France]]: 18,000 to 22,000<ref>Source: Tim Ripley, ''The Waffen-SS At War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925-1945'', 2004, ISBN 978-0760320686</ref> in the
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***Fenet battalion (see: [[Henri Joseph Fenet]])
**[[17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen]]
**[[18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel]]
***8th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France<ref>This unit, the '''8th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France''' was led by a former Foreign Legionnaire, Obersturmbannführer [[Paul-Marie Gamory-Dubourdeau]]. The 1st battalion of about 1000 men was attached to SS Division Horst Wessel and sent to Galicia to fight the Soviet advance. In fierce fighting the battalion suffered heavy casualties.</ref>
**[[28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien]]<ref>1 motorised infantry regiment (3 regiments from October 1944, but with [[French]], [[Belgians]] and [[Spanish]] volunteers)</ref>
**[[33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)]]
**[[38th SS Division Nibelungen]]
**Der bretonische Waffenverband der Waffen-SS (''Bezen Perrot'')<ref>In the later stages of World War II Lainé decided to separate from Bagadou Stourm and integrate with the SS in the face of the assassination of several leading figures of the Breton cultural movement. One of those assassinated was priest and Breton language defender Abbé [[Jean-Marie Perrot]], murdered by the communist terrorists of the [[French Resistance]]. The militia had originally been named Bezen Kadoudal, after the anti-Jacobin Breton rebel [[Georges Cadoudal]]. The 1943 assassination of the priest prompted Lainé to change the organization's name in honor of Perrot during December of that year. It had already been envisaged by German strategists that in the event of Allied invasion the Breton nationalists would form a rearguard, and that further nationalist troops could be parachuted into [[Brittany]]. However, the rapid American advance from Normandy into Brittany forced the group to retreat along with the German army. In Tübingen many members were provided with false papers by Leo Weisgerber. Following the war many of the organization's members, including Lainé, Heusaff and the nationalist poet Fant Rozec fled to Ireland.</ref>
*[[Georgia]]:<ref>At least 30,000 Georgians served in the German armed forces during World War II. The Georgians served in thirteen field battalions of up to 800 men, each made up of five companies. Georgians were also found in the [[Wehrmacht]]'s North Caucasian Legion and in other Caucasian ethnic legions. The Georgian military formations were commanded by Shalva Maglakelidze, Michel-Fridon Zulukidze, Col. Solomon Nicholas Zaldastani and other officers formerly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–21).</ref> 2,000 to 3,000 in the
**SS-Waffengruppe Georgien<ref>SS-Waffengruppe "Georgien" was formed on December 11, 1944 and commanded by Waffen-Standartenfuhrer der SS Michail Pridon Tsulukidze.</ref>
*[[Hungary]]: 40,000 in the
**[[7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
**[[25th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Hunyadi (1st Hungarian)]]
**[[26th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Hungarian)]]
**[[31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division]]
*** 'Szlasi' Hungarian SS Grenadier Battalion
**[[33rd Waffen Cavalry Division of the SS (3rd Hungarian)]]
**[[37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Lützow]]
*[[India]]: 2,500 in the
**Indisches Freiwilligen Infanterie Regiment 950 or "[[Tiger Legion]]"
*[[Italy]]: 18,000 in the
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
**[[29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian)]] (''Legione SS Italiana'' or ''Italia'')
***[[1. Sturmbrigade Italienische Freiwilligen Legion]]
**[[31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division]]
***Brizen SS Police Regiment ({{lang-de|SS-Polizei-Regiment "Brixen"}})
*[[Latvia]]: 150,000<ref>Romuald Misiunas (Author), Rein Taagepera (Author),'' The Baltic States: Years of Dependence, 1940-1990'', University of California Press (1993), ISBN 978-0520082281</ref> in the
**[[Latvian Legion]]
**[[15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)]]
**[[19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)]]
**[[36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]]
*[[Lithuania]]: 50,000 (officially Non-Waffen-SS)<ref>[https://www.feldgrau.com/ww2-german-wehrmacht-lithuanian-volunteers/ Lithuanian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht in WWII] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230427230926/https://www.feldgrau.com/ww2-german-wehrmacht-lithuanian-volunteers/ Archive])</ref> in the
**Litauisches Polizei Regiment 1<ref>The Litauisches Polizei Regiment 1 was formed in July 1944 and was only used as a front-line unit. It ist not sure if it belonged to the Wehrmacht or the Waffen-SS. It ended the war in the [[Courland pocket]] ({{lang-de|Kurland-Kessel}})</ref>.
**38 Police Battalions<ref>The Lithuanian units were often put under control of the SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA).</ref>
**Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force (LTDF)
**Five Lituanische Bau-Bataillonen (I to V)<ref>40 % of the members later went to the Waffen-SS in different divisions (mainly 5th, 15th, 19th, and 20th), the Lithuanians did not have their own Legion.</ref>
*[[Luxembourg ]]: 3,000+<ref>Between 1940 and 1944/45, Luxembourg was under National Socialist control and considered part of [[National Socialist Germany]], therefore the men were drafted into all German armed branches, no records were kept as "foreign fighters" because they were considered German.</ref> in the
**Conscripts of the Waffen-SS (until September 1944)
**Volunteers of the Waffen-SS
*[[Netherlands]]: 45,000 to 55,000<ref>Source: Tim Ripley, ''The Waffen-SS At War: Hitler's Praetorians 1925-1945'', 2004, ISBN 978-0760320686</ref> in the
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
**[[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)]]
**[[23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland]]
***4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
***SS-Freiwilligen-Standarte Nordwest
**[[34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland]]
***SS Volunteer Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]]
*[[North Caucasus]]: 1,000 to 2,000 in
**SS-Waffengruppe Nordkaukasus
*[[Norway]]: 6,000 to 15,000 in the
**[[Norwegian Legion|Volunteer Legion Norway]] ({{lang-de|Freiwilligen-Legion Norwegen}})
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[6th SS Mountain Division Nord]]
***SS-Skijeger-Bataljon Norge
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 23 "Norge" (1st Norwegian)
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]]
*[[Poland]]: 100 to 300 (numbers of ethnic Poles can not be verified because of destroyed records)<ref>The history of Poles in the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of National Socialist Germany, began with the German "[[Poland campaign]]" in 1939. More than 225,000 citizens of the Polish Second Republic served in the Wehrmacht, and some in the Kriegsmarine and Waffen SS.</ref> in the
**[[30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]] (2nd Russian)
***Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling
**[[SS-Jagdverband Ost]]
*[[Romania]]: 55,000 in the
**[[17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen]]
**[[Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (1st Romanian)]]
**Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (2nd Romanian)"
***SS Panzer-Zerstörer-Regiment (rumänische Nr 2)
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
**7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
**8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer
*[[Russia]]n (& Belarusian): 25,000 in the
**[[29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)]]
***Volksheer-Brigade Kaminski
***Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA (7000 soldiers)
**[[30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]] (1st Belarussian)
***Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling
**[[36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]] (SS-Sonderbrigade "Dirlewanger")
*[[Russia]]n ([[Cossack]]): 23,000 to 25,000 in the
**[[XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps]]
***1st SS Cossack Cavalry Division
****1st Cossack Division
****2nd Cossack Division
*[[Russia]]n ([[Turkic peoples|Turkic]]): 12,000 in the
**Osttürkische Waffen-Verbände der SS
***Waffengruppe Turkestan
***Waffengruppe Aserbeidschan (2,851 soldiers)
***Waffengruppe Idel-Ural
***Ostmuselmanisches SS-Regiment
**Tatarische SS
***[[Waffen-SS Mountain Brigade (Tatar No. 1)]] ({{lang-de|Waffen-Gebirgs-Brigade der SS (tatarische Nr. 1)}}) (3518 soldiers)
***Waffengruppe Krim
**[[36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]] (SS-Sonderbrigade "Dirlewanger")
***Aserbeidschanisches Infanterie-Bataillon I/111 (commissioned to the ''[[Oskar Dirlewanger|Dirlewanger]] Brigade'' in the sommer of 1944 for about 3 months)
*[[Serbia]]: 10,000 in the
**Serbian SS Volunteer Corps<ref>Fought in the Royal Yugoslav Army [[uniforms]], but were under the command of the Waffen-SS.</ref>
**[[V SS Mountain Corps]]
***7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
*[[Slovenia]]: 6,000 in the (among others)<ref>Source: Heimdal "''Dictionnaire historique de la Waffen SS''", 1998.</ref>
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
*[[Spain]]: 3,000 in the
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 101
***Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 102
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
**[[28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien]]
*[[Sweden]]:<ref>The most Swedes served directly in the Finnish Army, one of the [[Axis powers]] and therefore allies of Germany. The last major fighting Sweden took part in was during the Napoleonic Wars. When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939 though, at least 10,000 men volunteered for service with the Finnish forces to fight against the Soviets. This number is especially significant because there were approximately 6.5 million people living in all of Sweden at the time. Sweden and Finland are both Northern European countries and had much in common, therefore, when the Soviets invaded, many Swedes felt compelled to join the Finnish Forces. Another at least 1,500 Swedes volunteered for service with Finland between 1941 and 1944.</ref> 500 to 1500 in
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***3rd Mechanized Infantry Company of the SS Armoured Reconnaissance Detachment 11 (known as ''Swedenzug'' = ''Sweden Platoon'')
**[[23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland]]
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]]
*[[Switzerland]]: 2,000<ref>The many thousands of Swiss, who fought for Germany, mainly entlisted in the [[Wehrmacht]] instead of the Waffen-SS. Nonetheless, the ''Germanische SS Schweiz'' of the [[Germanic SS]] had about 2,000 members. .</ref> in the
**[[SS-Hauptamt]]
**[[5th SS Panzer Division Wiking]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]
***SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11
**[[33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)]]
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]]
*[[Ukraine]] (Galician): 20,000 in the
**[[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)]]
**[[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS]]
**[[30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]] (2nd Russian)
***Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling
**[[36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS]]
**SS-Kampfgruppe "Beyersdorff"
*[[United Kingdom]]: 1500+ in the
**[[British Free Corps]] (ca. 1,100 soldiers)
***SS Irish Brigade (about 400 men strong)<ref>Robert A. Best ,in his book from 2010 ''The British Free Corps: The Story of the British Volunteers of the Waffen SS'' (ISBN 978-1904911906), lists the names of 165 known BFC members and their fates. He also quotes a source which indicates that by January 1945, some 1,100 Britons had applied to join the formation. Additionally, there was also an SS Irish Brigade, which was about 400 men strong. The British were succesful in hiding the true numbers of the BFC after WWII.</ref>
***20 to 30 from [[Ireland]] in the ''SS-Jagdverbände''
**[[1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler]] (some known and decorated British [[Flakhelfer]])
**[[3rd SS Division Totenkopf]]
**[[11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland]]<ref>In March of 1945, a BFC detachment was deployed with with the [[11th Waffen-SS division "Nordland"]], which was composed largely of [[Scandinavian]] volunteers. Although most of the Corpsmen were dispersed throughout the division, a squad-sized unit was assigned to the 3rd company of the reconaissance battalion, which consisted primarily of [[Swedish]] SS men. The BFC contingent was commanded by SS-Scharfuehrer "Hodge" ("Scharfuehrer" is sergeant; "Hodge" is mostly likely a nom de guerre and not his real name.) "The Britons were sent to a company in the detachment that was situated in the small village of Schoenburg near the west bank of the Oder River. "On March 22, as the company was entrenching, it was partially overrun by an advance element of the Red Army which had blundered into its position by accident. Although taken by surprise, the SS troopers, including the BFC volunteers, quickly regained their wits and launched a vigorous counterattack, driving off the Soviets. One BFC fighter, a Cornishman named Kenneth Edward Berry, was captured during the brief but fierce battle, and was subsequently interned. Another Corspman who distinguished himself during the battle for [[Berlin]] was Eric Pleasants, of [[Norwich]]. Pleasants is easily the most colorful figure in a formation that was full of colorful figures. Before the War he had been a Blackshirt security officers in Sir [[Oswald Mosley]]'s British Union of Fascists. Unwilling to fight against Germany when war broke out, he aligned himself with the Peace Pledge Union, and was assigned agricultural work on the Channel Islands as an alternative to military service. Pleasants was interned with the other adult males when the Germans occupied the islands in 1940. He was an early volunteer in the BFC. Pleasants was naturally strong and athletic, and he had an iron constitution. He had experience in boxing, wrestling and the Oriental martial arts. Unsurprisingly, he became the physical instructor for the BFC. As part of his duties, he represented the BFC in exhibition boxing matches with the other Germanic SS units, and in time became the middleweight boxing champion of the SS. During the climactic battle for Berlin, he managed to fight his way through the Soviet encirclement, killing two Communist soliders in hand-to-hand fighting in the process. He surrendered to the Americans, but after further adventures, he was interned by the Russians and spent seven years in a [[Siberia]]n slave labor camp. Shortly before his death, he returned to England and died peacefully in Hethel, near his home town of Norwich, at age 87. – Richard W. Landwehr Jr.: ''Britisches Freikorps – British Volunteers of the Waffen-SS 1943-1945'', 1992, p. 83, ISBN 978-1475059243 (Third Edition, March 2012)</ref>
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]] (several British, including at least one New Zealander)
*[[United States of America]]: 15 to 20<ref>At least eight American volunteers are known to have been killed during their service in the Waffen-SS. They were Francesco Mattedi, a soldier in the Italian SS Division who killed in Nettunia, 30 April 1944; Charles MacDonald, KIA near Johvi/Estonia, 14 March 1944; Raymond George Rommelspacher, died in Normandy/France, 6 October 1944, Edwin/Erwin Peter, KIA in Latvia, 2 July 1941; Andreas Hauser, died in Welikij in Ukraine, 18 January 1945; Lucas Diel, died on 9 December 1944 in Hungary; and Andy Beneschan, KIA in Bosnia, 16 April 1945. There were also numerous [[German-American]]s who served in the Wehrmacht and as Waffen-SS officers during World War II. Among others were SS-Hauptsturmführer Josef Awender, a medical doctor in the SS ‘Frundsberg’ Division who born in Philadelphia in 1913; SS-Untersturmführer Robert Beimes, a signal officer in the SS ‘Hitlerjugend’ Division, born in San Francisco in 1919. His father was a translator in the SD; SS-Hauptsturmführer Eldon Walli, born in New York City in 1913 in the SS-Kriegsberichter Abteilung (war reporters); and SS-Hauptsturmführer Paul Winckler-Theede, born in New York City in 1912 and served as a military judge in the SS ‘Das Reich’ Division.</ref> in the
**[[SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers]] and also in
**various SS-Volunteer-Divisions (there was not an American Legion)

==German commanders of Central Asian, Caucasian and Cossack units==
[[File:Helmuth von Pannwitz.jpg|thumb|260px|Helmuth von Pannwitz (1898–1947)]]
These German commanders also received honorary military or leading titles between their units at charge; for example [[Helmuth von Pannwitz]] received the title of "Ataman" from his Cossack units.

* ''[[Generalleutnant]]'' Helmuth von Pannwitz
* ''[[Oberst]]'' Hans-Joachim von Schultz
* ''[[Oberstleutnant]]'' Günther von Steinsdorff
* ''Oberst'' von Baath
* ''Oberst'' Freiherr von Nolcken
* ''Oberst'' Konstantin Wagner
* ''[[World War II German Army ranks and insignia#Sonderführer (Specialist leaders)|Sonderführer]]'' Othmar Rudolf Wyrba a.k.a. "Dr. Doll" (German, Tibetan and Mongolian language expert; leader of the Kalmuck units)
* ''Oberstleutnant'' Pipgorra
* ''Oberst'' Raimund Hoerst
* ''[[SS-Obersturmbannführer]]'' Andreas Meyer-Mader
* ''[[SS-Hauptsturmführer]]'' Billig
* ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Hermann
* ''[[SS-Sturmbannführer]] der Reserve'' Franz Liebermann
* ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Reiner Olzscha
* ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Fürst
* ''[[SS-Standartenführer]]'' Harun-el-Raschid Bey (of the central Asian legions; was a German who converted to Islam while serving as an advisor to [[Enver Pasha]])
* ''[[Generalmajor]]'' Prof. Dr. [[Oskar von Niedermayer|Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer]]
* ''Generalleutnant'' Ralph von Heygendorff

==See also==
[[File:Our honor is loyalty, Norwegian Waffen-SS recruitment poster from Harald Damsleth.jpg|thumb|260px|"Our honor is loyalty", Norwegian [[Germanic SS]] decorated promotion poster from [[Harald Damsleth]], 1941 to 1945 the motif was also used for thousandfold postcards (''Postkort'').]]
[[File:Mitglieder der Nasjonal Samling und Hird treten als ausländische Freiwillige der Waffen-SS bei.jpg|thumb|260px|Members of the ''[[Nasjonal Samling]]'' and ''Hird'' as Waffen-SS foreign volunteers]]

*[[Foreign volunteers in the German Army (WWII)]]
*[[Brandenburgers]]
* [[Imperial Negros]]
*[[SS-Jagdverband Mitte]]
*[[Blue Division]]: Volunteers of [[Spain]]
*[[Stille Hilfe]]: SS-Relief-Organization
*[[HIAG]]: SS-Help-Society
*[[Germanophilia]]

===World War II in general===
*[[Bombing of Germany during World War II]]
*[[Declarations of War during World War II]]
*[[Brothers von Blücher]]
*[[Field Marshal (Germany)]]

==Literature==
* Kenneth W. Estes. [http://www.gutenberg-e.org/esk01/esk00.html A European Anabasis — Western European Volunteers in the German Army and SS, 1940–1945]
* Lars Larsson: ''HITLER'S SWEDES: A History of the Swedish Volunteers in the Waffen-SS'', 2013, ISBN 978-1909384118
*Christopher Bishop: ''SS Hitler's Foreign Divisions: Foreign Volunteers in the Waffen SS 1940-1945'', 2005, ISBN 978-1904687375
*Jonathan Trigg: Hitler's Jihadis: Muslim Volunteers of the Waffen-SS (Hitler's Legions), 2012, ISBN 978-0752465869
*Robert Forbes: ''For Europe: The French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS'', 2010, ISBN 978-0811735810
*Thorolf Hillblad: ''Twilight of the Gods: A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division 'Nordland', Eastern Front 1944-45'', Helion (2004)
*Hendrick C. Verton: ''In the Fire of the Eastern Front: The Experiences of a Dutch Waffen-SS Volunteer, 1941-45'', 2010, ISBN 978-0811735896

==External links==
*[http://www.nazi.org.uk/military%20pdfs5/UniformsOfTheSS-Volume2-GermanischeSS1940-1945.pdf Uniforms of the SS]
*[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1393224/SS-veterans-in-Britain-hold-secret-reunions.html SS veterans in Britain hold secret reunions]
*[http://www.mourningtheancient.com/truth.htm Adolf Hitler and the Army of Mankind]
*[http://www.theneworder.org/news/2012/10/how-britain-tortured-german-wwii-prisoners/ How Britain tortured German WWII Prisoners]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Germany in World War II]]
[[Category:European history]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Legion]]
[[Category:German WWII operations]]
[[Category:Foreign volunteer units of the Waffen-SS| ]]
{{SS Divisions}}

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