WAFFEN-SS.

The Architectural Office of the Waffen-SS had an office in Auschwitz Camp I. It was named: "Erläuterungsbericht zum Vorentwurf für den Neubau des Kriegsgefangenenlagern der W-SS.Aus. O/S". It was attached to the "Zentralbauleitung-Auschwitz".(The Central Buliding Construction Office).

In March 1933 the LiebStandart-"Adolf Hitler" regiment(LS-AH), was formed as a bodyguard to protect Hitler and other Nazi leaders at rallies etc., This was followed by the formation of two more regiments-"Deutschland" formed in Munich, and "Germania", formed in Hamburg. All was designed to put down any civil unrest in Germany during peacetime and as a subordinated force to the Wehrmacht in time of war.

By March 1935, the combined strength of the three reiments was 8459 handpicked men.

By September 1939, the theoretical strength and organisation of the SS-VT organisation was 18,000 men. This included a Divisional staff, the LS-AH, three infantry/mororised regiments, a regimental staff controlling two motor-cycle battalions, a motorised engineer/signals battalion and a medical unit.

The SS-VT became the Waffen-SS in April 1940 (with 18,000 men), and by using the SS-TV regiments, Himmler placed them as a Division under Eichke's control. Himmler then formed another division by recruiting serving policemen.

By June 1941, the Waffen-SS consisted of four divisions:"Das Reich", "Totenkopf", "Polizei"** and "Wiking". These were now formed into "Battle Group Nord" with the LS-AH brigade & an infantry regiment totalling 36,517 men out of a total Waffen-SS strength at this time of 160,405. This included Staff, establishments and schools.

By November 1941, the W-SS had suffered casualties of 30,000, and seven months later the "LS-AH", "Das Reich", "Totenkopf" and "Wiking" were refitted and reclassified Panzer Grenadier Divisions. (At this time a Panzer Grenadier Division consisted of two Grenadier regiments, one artillery regiment plus ancilliaries.

By September 1942, the W-SS strength was 187,638 men. A year later it had risen to 350,000 men.

By April 1945, the W-SS had a paper strength of 38 divisions with one million men of which 500,000 were Reich born Germans, 250,000 "foreign" born Germans and 250,000 foreign born volunteers.

Of the foreign born volunteers: NORWEGIANS had formed two battalions of 2,000 men, called the "Norwegian Volunteer Legion" in June 1941. In April 1943, these two battalions were encompassed into the "Nordland" Division begun in Denmark in February 1941.

Note: 50,000 Norwegians also joined the German Wehrmacht in WW2.

DANES had volunteered to form two regiments in February 1941, called the "Nordwest" with just 200 men. By June 1941, recruiting began for a "Danish Free Corps", (Freikorps SS-Danmark). It was sent to Russia where in March 1943, it was almost wiped out. The remnants were disbanded on the 6th May 1943. Survivors were transferred to the "Nordland" Division, and sent either to Yugoslavia or the Eastern Front.

DUTCH volunteers formed the establishment of the "Netherlands Foreign Legion". It went through a number of reorganisations, but in reality was an expanded number of brigades formed into two regiments totalling 5,500 men. These were sent to Croatia in late 1943. In December 1944 they were reformed into the "Nederland" Division and fought in Poland, Eastern Germany and finally-Berlin.

All the above volunteers wore standard SS uniform with national colors on their left sleeves plus cuff-bands.

BELGIANS volunteered their first men with a draft of 1,000 men into the "Walloon Legion" on 8th August 1941, in Brussels. These men were sent to Poland for their training. Eventually, the "Legioon" became the "Infantry Battalion 373". It fought alongside Rumanian troops and later with the German 100th Jaeger Division. In June 1943, the Legion was transferred to the W-SS and redesignated "SS Wallonian Assault Brigade" and was attached to the "Wiking" Division on the Eastern Front, notibly at Cherkassy in 1943 and Narva in 1944.

Belgian volunteers wore standard SS uniform, with SS runes on the right collar patch plus a Wallonic cuff-band on the left sleeve.

FRENCH VOLUNTEERS: In 1943, Frenchmen of pure Ayrian descent and aged between 20 and 25, were enlisted into the W-SS with the hope of forming a French SS Regiment. This was achieved by July 1944 with a strength of 1,688 men. It was designated the "French SS Volunteer Assault Brigade", and was then sent to Galicia on the Eastern Front, where it was almost wiped out in some of the bitterest fighting of WW2. The remnants were then sent to Danzig, where they were joined by volunteers from the recently disbanded LVF. The new group was redesignated "Waffen Grenadier Brigade der SS Charlemagne". They were then sent to Wildflecken, where even more volunteers were added to bring it up to divisional strength.

French volunteers wore standard SS uniform with national colors.

BALTIC STATES' VOLUNTEERS:

The "Estonian Legion" was formed in July 1942. By March 1943 had a total strength of 37 officers, 175 NCO's and 757 OR's. It became a Brigade in May 1943, and a Division in January 1944. Until September 1944, the Brigade fought on the northern sector of the Easten Front.

Latvians formed the "Auxilliary Police Battalion" in August 1941.By mid 1944 its members had dropped to just 43. On February, the Latvians formed the "Latvian Volunteer Legion", plus the two Latvian W-SS Divisions, the 15th & 19th W-SS Divisions. Both comprised three Grenadier plus one Artillery regiment and supporting units, totalling 130,000 men. From October 1943 these Divisions plus a Grenadier Regiment formed the "VI SS Corps

Croatian volunteers formed the "13th W-SS Volunteer Division" on the 1st March 1943. These Croatians were the first non-Ayrians to be admitted to the SS-they were Moslems!!! The thinking at the time was that since the Moslems hated the Christian Serbs who were fighting in Tito's Guerilla forces on Russia's side, they could be used to free up German troops who were required on the Russian Front. In June 1944, a second Moslem Division-the "23rd Waffen Gebirgs Division der SS Kroat Nr.2" was formed to fight alongside the "V SS Mountain Prinz Eugen Division", which comprised mainly Ethnic Germans of Eastern European stock. Total Moslem strength was 9,000 plus some Volksdeutsche. It didn't last long though-the Moslem volunteers couldn't be relied on, and the Moslem Divisions were disbanded in October 1944!!

Some W-SS formations were not entitled to wear the SS runes on the right collar patch.(E.g., the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Div.-Prinz Eugen). Instead they had to wear the SS runes under the left breast tunic pocket. SS rank was always worn on the left collar patch. The right collar patch either showed the SS runes, the death's head or was left blank-as in the case of the SD.

SS-Polizei Regiments (E.g.,the 19th which was established in Vienna in 1942 which was subordinated to the Befehlshaber der Ordnungspolizei in Paris), wore the SS designation but were NOT part of the W-SS, but part of the ORPO. The ORPO's mission was to keep order in the occupied territories;safeguard strategic installations and to control Partisan activity. It was not until February 1943 that police regiments were permitted to use SS designations "...in recognition of their brave and successful engagements".

At the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939, policemen were called up as "Ordnungs Polizei" (Order Police),for active service as garrison troops in occupied territory. Some were sent into the "Polizei Division", others were transferred to the army as Feld Gendarmerie (Military Police). They did not wear SS collar patches, but army runes. Members of the "Polizei Division" had army runes on the collar, but wore the "Eagle" on the upper left arm sleeve. "Ordnungs Polizei" wore the normal police badge on the upper left arm sleeve instead of the SS "Eagle". They also wore it on the peaked cap instead of the SS Death's Head. ALL police continued to use police rank titles.