In autumn 1943, the survivors of the northern legions are fused into a single unit, the SS Panzer Division Nordland. Posted first against the partisans in Yugoslavia, later occupied a sector of the Leningrad front. In Nordland Division was the very limited Britisches Freikorps, consisting of a hundred British prisoners renegade who really functioned more as propaganda than military force. In front of this unique group was John Amery, son of the minister Leopold Amery, Churchill Cabinet.
Paradoxically, the Waffen SS experienced its heyday during the late stages of the conflict. Thus, the years 1944 and 1945 were undoubtedly the most fruitful as the foreign volunteers.In the year 1944 several units were formed of Muslims, as the division Handschar, used against Tito's partisans. Later, as a support to the division Prinz Eugen, it creates another divide Muslim, Skanderberg, recruited in Albania. These divisions have retained the privileges they had in the old Austro-Hungarian army, such as the use made of, special diets and even magnets embedded in the tables of the divisions.
The recruitment of volunteers Russians, it was more difficult. Considered racially inferior, its use was not official, even if they knew that many combat units of the East used the services of known hilfswillige, or volunteer assistants Soviets. Without doubt, the uncompromising management of German occupation hampered largely a collaboration that could have been more spontaneous and therefore more effective.
Prisoners and offenders in Russia
However, their work was limited in most cases, the training of security officers batalhoões often more violent than the Germans themselves. Units Bronislav Kaminki, shot by the SS, or that of Oskar Dirlewanger, were in reality disciplinary brigades of common criminals, responsible for numerous misfortunes and all kinds of crimes.
But undoubtedly, the Waffen SS were much more than a large group of divisions Legion. The characters of the double cover of runes (the symbol of victory represented by two signs like these two) were also members of Totenkopfverbande, responsible for administration of the German concentration camps, responsible for thousands of murders.
A legend among crime and heroism
At the end of the war, the Waffen SS had formed thirty-eight combat divisions. Durente any conflict, over one million men fought therein, representing more than forty nationalities.Over three hundred thousand fell in front, including thirty-two commanders of divisions.
The degree of discipline achieved by these elite troops saw only surpassed by the ferocity used in their frontal assaults, and remains an unknown as a force that made ??his motto My honor is called loyalty could be both responsible for acts so infamous.
The english version of this article will be available soon. In the meanwhile, the text above was the result of a Google translation from portuguese version to english.
