Estonian SS Legion ( Est. Eesti SS-Leegion , German: Estnische Legion ), full name Estonian SS Volunteer Legion ( German: Estnische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion ) is an Estonian Waffen-SS collaborative volunteer group recruited from Estonian volunteers. It became the core of the future 20th Estonian Grenadier Division of the SS .
| Estonian Legion SS | |
|---|---|
 Announcement “Recruiting point for volunteers of the Estonian Legion”, 1942 | |
| Years of existence | October 1942 - May 1943 |
| A country |  Germany  Estonia |
| Subordination |  Waffen-SS |
| Type of | grenadiers |
| Number | regiment |
| Participation in | The Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders | Franz Augsberger |
Content
Education
On August 28, 1942, the German occupation authorities of Estonia announced the creation of a future Estonian volunteer formation, but finally it appeared on October 1, 1942 [1] . Oberführer Franz Augsberger, who later commanded the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, became commander of the Estonian SS Legion. The first 500 volunteers arrived on October 13, 1942, in the spring due to the recruitment of police officers, the number of the legion grew to 1280 [2] .
Units
Battalion "Narva"
The Narva battalion consisted of 800 people who were trained in Debica in 1943 and in April were included in the 5th SS Viking Panzer Division , which fought in Ukraine. The “Narva” battalion took up service instead of the Finnish SS volunteer battalion , which was withdrawn from the front for political reasons [3] . Not far from the city of Izium, the 5th SS Panzer Division defended against the Red Army: out of 800 soldiers of the battalion there were no more than a third in combat readiness [4] . In January-February 1944, during the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation , the Narva battalion was almost completely destroyed, having abandoned all its weapons and miraculously escaping from the ring along the path called the Gateway to Hell [4] .
3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade
In March 1943, the German occupation authorities in the person of the Reichskommissariat Ostland announced the mobilization of Estonian men born from 1919 to 1924. 5,300 people were called up to the Estonian SS Legion and another 6,800 as “hevi” (auxiliary non-combat personnel). From the draftees, the 2nd Estonian SS Regiment and the Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, which appeared on May 5, 1943, were created [1] . In October, natives of 1925 and 1926 were called up for service, but about 5,000 people deserted from this contingent and left for Finland, where they served in the armed forces of Finland and made up the 200th Infantry Regiment . The remaining conscripts were included in the Estonian SS brigade, which received the 3rd number on October 22, 1944 [1] .
SS 20th Grenadier Division (1st Estonian)
By January 1944, the situation at the front for Nazi Germany had deteriorated so much that a general mobilization was announced on February 1. The last Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Uluots, supported the mobilization, hoping that Germany would be able to recognize the independence of Estonia. About 38 thousand people were called up to the Wehrmacht and SS, and after the return of the 200th Finnish Infantry Regiment, the 20th Grenadier Division of the SS troops was formed (it is also the 1st Estonian SS Division).
See also
- Latvian volunteer SS legion
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Jurado, Carlos. Germany's Eastern Front allies (2): Baltic forces . - Osprey Publishing, 2002. - ISBN 978-1-84176-193-0 .
- ↑ Raun, Toivo. Estonia and the Estonians . - Hoover Press, 2001. - P. 158-159. - ISBN 978-0-8179-2852-0 .
- ↑ Landwehr, Richard. Estonian Vikings: Esnisches Ss-Freiwilligen Battaillon Narwa and Subsequent Units, Eastern Front, 1943-1944 . - Shelf Books, 2000. - ISBN 978-1-899765-09-6 .
- ↑ 1 2 Terasest tugevamad: pataljon Narva ajalugu .