SS 20th Waffen-Grenadier Division (1st Estonian)

The beginning of the formation of Estonian regular units for participation in hostilities on the side of Nazi Germany was laid on August 25, 1941, when, in accordance with the order of the commander of the Army Group North, Field Marshal von Leeb was allowed to take the Baltic states to serve in the Wehrmacht and create special ones teams and volunteer battalions for anti-guerrilla warfare ^[1] . In this regard, Colonel General von Kühler, Commander of the 18th Army , out of scattered Omakaitse detachments, 6 Estonian security detachments were formed on a voluntary basis (with a 1-year contract). At the end of that year, all six units were reorganized into three eastern battalions and one eastern company.

In addition to the aforementioned units for the security service and the fight against the partisan movement in the rear of Army Group North, in September 1941 the German command began the formation of Estonian auxiliary police battalions (“noise”). In total, during the war in Estonia, 26 battalions of “noise” were formed. Unlike similar units in Ukraine and Belarus , in which the entire command staff consisted of Germans, there was only one German observer officer in Estonian police battalions manned by national personnel. An indication of the Germans' particular confidence in the Estonian police battalions was the fact that the military ranks of the Wehrmacht were introduced there. On October 1, 1942, all Estonian police forces amounted to 10.4 thousand people, to whom 591 Germans were seconded.

Police and eastern battalions were used primarily to carry out punitive actions against the civilian population, to combat the partisan movement and to guard concentration camps.

The direct formation of the Estonian SS legion began only on February 8, 1943 , and until that time, preparatory work was carried out by the efforts of the German authorities and local collaborators. During this time, the "Society of Friends of the Estonian SS Legion" was created, which was entrusted with the work of recruiting and primary training of volunteers.

In accordance with the charter of the SS troops, the Estonian SS legion was manned on a voluntary basis, and those who wished to serve in this unit had to meet the requirements of the SS troops for health and ideological reasons. After the probationary period, persons who were enlisted in the legion and previously had officer and non-commissioned officer ranks were assigned the corresponding military ranks of the SS troops. Those who entered the legion were sent to a training center in Debitz , where after 3 months of study, they took the oath of allegiance to Nazi Germany . By March 31, 1943, the legion numbered 37 officers, 175 non-commissioned officers and 757 soldiers of Estonian nationality. It also included 2 senior, 24 junior officers and 62 privates of the special Ostland battalion.

According to archival documents of the German command of that period, the 3rd Estonian SS volunteer brigade, together with other units of the German army, carried out punitive operations “Heinrik” and “Fritz” to liquidate the Soviet partisans in the area of Polotsk - Nevel - Idritsa - Sebezh , which took place in October December 1943 TsGA of the Lithuanian SSR, f. R-1399, op. 1, unit x.61, personal file No. 195. According to the same archive, 288, 286, 313 and other Estonian police battalions that were part of the Estonian SS brigade also took part in the punitive expedition “Fritz”. They participated in battles with partisans, executions of civilians, robberies, the destruction of entire villages in Belarus and the mass sending of civilians to Germany. In the same place, f.240, op.1 d.7, personal file 52-55) The punitive raids of the 3rd Estonian SS brigade continued until the end of December 1943. ^[2]

Statistics

Replenishment of a division with manpower

The 20th SS Grenadier Division was formed in the spring of 1944 from various Estonian military units and recruits mobilized after the moment the division was announced ^{[3] [4]} .

Connection Rename History

1. Estnische SS Legion 10.1942 - May 1943
    

   Buttonhole officer of the 20th SS division. One can see the emblem of the division (symbolism of the insignia of the Liberation War of 1918-1920) , worn without official sanction. Initially, emblems cut out of tin were attached, later in some cases they began to be embroidered. The Germans tried to ban the use of such emblems, demanded to wear standard SS runes on the buttonholes, the required number of which, however, could not be provided for the entire division. In June 1944, the command of the SS was ordered to remove the "non-statutory" emblems and replace them with officially installed ones - with a capital "E" and a sword crossing it at an angle of 45 °. In this case, until May 1945, many were worn and "non-statutory" emblems ^[5] .
    

   National Patches - located under the SS eagle on the left sleeve, but some Estonian SS men carried it on the right sleeve.
    

   Less common version of the shield with three lions. There was another option with colored stripes sewn from colored fabrics on which metal lions were attached ^[6] .
    

   Cuff tape; was distributed in the 45th regiment of the 20th SS division
2. Estnische SS Freiwilligen Brigade May 1943 - October 1943
3. 3.Estnische SS Freiwilligen Brigade October 1943 - January 1944
4. 20.Estnische SS Freiwilligen Division January 1944 - May 1944
5. “20.Waffen Grenadier Division der SS (estnische Nr. 1)” May 1944 - May 1945

Command

• SS brigadeführer Franz Augsberger ( German: Franz Augsberger ) 24.1.1943 - 03.19.1945
• Oberführer SS Maak ( German: Maack ) 19.3.1945 - 8.5.1945

Division Composition

For 1943

• 45th Grenadier Regiment SS ( German: Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 45 )
• 46th Grenadier Regiment SS ( German: Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 46 )

For 1944

• 45th Grenadier Regiment SS ( German: Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 45 )
• 46th Grenadier Regiment SS ( German: Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 46 )
• 47th Grenadier Regiment SS ( German: Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 47 )
• 658th Estonian battalion (general army unit) ( German 658.Estonische Battalion (Heer) )
• 659th Estonian battalion (all-army unit) ( German 659.Estonische Battalion (Heer) )
• 20th SS Fusilier Battalion ( German: SS-Füsilier Battalion 20 )
• SS Volunteer Tank Grenadier Battalion Narva ( German: SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Batallion Narwa )
• 20th SS Artillery Regiment ( German: Waffen-Artillerie Regiment der SS 20 )

Creation Initiative

The initiative to create the Estonian national SS unit and its detailed formation belongs to the head of "Estonian self-government" H. Mäe , who made an appeal on August 26, 1942 with a call to create the Estonian SS legion. A few days later, the Estonian General Commissioner Karl Sigmund Litzmann announced the order of A. Hitler on the formation of the “Volunteer Estonian SS Legion”, created as part of the German SS troops subordinate to the SS Reichsfuhrer G. Himmler ^[7] .

History in 1944

At the beginning of 1944, it was decided to increase the Estonian contingent of SS troops due to the inclusion of battalions from the Wehrmacht and the most combat-ready police units, which would make it possible to organize a full-fledged division. The newly formed division was named the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division on January 24, 1944 (since May 26, 1944 , the “20th SS Grenadier Division - Estonian No. 1”). In April, the Narva battalion withdrawn from the Viking division, renamed the 20th SS fusilier battalion, was transferred to it. In addition, the connection included an artillery regiment and an engineer battalion, as well as companies: anti-aircraft, anti-tank and communications. The total number of the division reached 15 thousand soldiers and officers.

In the summer of 1944, the 20th SS Division took part in battles with units of the Red Army, including the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps , near Narva and Sinimäe ( Narva Operation ). Narva was liberated by Soviet troops on July 26. As of September 1944, the division numbered 15,400 fighters, a third of which were volunteers ^[8] . In the Rakvere region ( Tallinn operation ), the division suffered heavy losses. In September 1944, the remnants of it were sent to a training camp in the German city of Neuhammer , where in October 1944, the 20th Estonian Division was re-formed from disparate units, as well as officers from the Estonian Luftwaffe units disbanded in East Prussia ^[9] . SS as part of the three Estland SS grenadier regiments.

1945 year. Destruction

Until January 1945, units of the division participated in battles in East Prussia . On January 13, 1945, the entire division was sent to the front in the area of ​​the German city of Wittenberg , where, together with other German formations, it was surrounded by units of the Red Army.

With battles, the division left the encirclement and retreated to Czechoslovakia , where it remained until the complete defeat of the German troops. May 11, 1945 near the town of Melnik , near Prague , the bulk of the personnel was captured by units of the Red Army ^[10] . However, part of the Estonian soldiers and officers (including 3 thousand people from the reserve training regiment of the division) retreated to the west and surrendered to the Anglo-American troops.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (6)

• Alphonse Rebane - February 23, 1944 - SS Obersturmbannführer, commander of the 46th SS Grenadier Regiment.
• Harald Nugisex - April 9, 1944 - SS Unterscharführer, platoon commander of the 1st company of the 46th SS Grenadier Regiment.
• Paul Maitla - August 23, 1944 - SS Sturmbannfuhrer, commander of the 1st battalion of the 45th SS Grenadier Regiment.
• Harald Riypalu - August 23, 1944 - SS Obersturmbannführer, commander of the 45th SS Grenadier Regiment.
• Franz Augsberger - March 8, 1945 - SS brigadefuhrer, commander of the SS division.
• Bernhard Langhorst - April 5, 1945 - SS Sturmbannfuhrer, commander of the 20th SS anti-tank division.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (1)

• Alphonse Rebane - May 9, 1945 - SS Obersturmbannführer, commander of the 46th SS Grenadier Regiment.

Service in Allied Militias in Germany

After the war in the western occupation zones of Germany, the command of the US and British forces formed a number of paramilitary groups consisting of refugees and prisoners of war - citizens annexed by the Soviet Union of the Baltic states. These groups included relatively fewer Estonians than Latvians and Lithuanians, probably due to the fact that there were few refugees from Estonia in the western occupation zones and the Estonian 20th SS division suffered heavy losses at the end of the war, being encircled in Czechoslovakia . So in the British Rhine army for a short time there were only three Estonian watch platoons. For the first time, Estonians together with Latvians were involved in a watch platoon formed in the suburb of Nuremberg Fürth in late June 1946. At the beginning of 1947, the 4221st Estonian watch company ( Guard Company ) began guarding war criminals at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice ^[12] .

In addition to watchdog units, several Estonian construction companies were also formed. Общее число эстонцев задействованных в послевоенных вспомогательных подразделениях союзников, за всё время их существования, оценивается приблизительно в 5000 человек ^[12] .

Современные оценки эстонских соединений войск СС

Согласно опубликованному на сайте МИД Латвии мнению докторов исторических наук Инесиса Фелдманиса и Карлиса Кангериса, автора статьи в газете эстонских эмигрантов в Канаде «Эстонская жизнь» ( эст. Eesti elu ) Тыну Наэлапеа, а также известного своими публикациями в защиту эстонских легионеров СС Марта Лаара и создателей фильма о бывших легионерах СС в Нюрнберге «Забытые солдаты» ( эст. Mehed Unustatud Armeest ), в 1946 году при английской и американской армиях из бывших латышских и эстонских легионеров СС были основаны т. н. сторожевые роты ^{[13] [14] [15] [16]} .

Современная историография за пределами России в качестве юридической базы для оценок эстонских соединений войск СС, как правило, ссылается на приговор Международного военного трибунала от 1 октября 1946 года и документ Высшей комиссии США в Германии. Так, 13 апреля 1950 года руководством «Высшей Комиссии США в Германии» ( англ. US High Commission in Germany (HICOG) ) и государственным секретарём США Джоном Макклоем, был подписан документ, в частности, указывалось ^[17] :

Балтийские части войск СС (Балтийские легионы) должны рассматриваться отдельно, у балтийских легионов были отличные от немецких частей СС цели, идеология, действия и условия членства; поэтому Комиссия не считает это движение враждебным Правительству Соединённых Штатов.

Original text

The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States

Напротив, МИД России считает, что решения Иммиграционной комиссии США являются внутренним американским документом, и совершенно неправомерно считать его законным основанием для реабилитации всех служивших в СС. Отмечается, что после капитуляции Германии часть перебравшихся на запад легионеров использовалась американскими разведывательными службами в « холодной войне » против Советского Союза ^[18] .

Слёты ветеранов войск СС

Каждый год, со времён обретения независимости, на территории Эстонии организуется слёт ветеранов войск СС . Так очередной слёт прошёл 28 июля 2007 года у высот Синимяэ , где летом 1944 года проходили самые ожесточённые бои на территории Эстонии во Второй мировой войне. Ветераны под штандартами частей, в которых они воевали, выслушали молитву пастора Александровской лютеранской церкви города Нарва Велло Юрье. Пастор заявил, что эстонцы, воевавшие в гитлеровской армии, «проливали кровь за вечные истины» ^[19] . Среди примерно 250—300 ^[20] собравшихся были также ветераны войск СС из Норвегии и Австрии . Мероприятие проходило под усиленной охраной полиции, которая проверяла прибывающих ещё задолго до Синимяэ. Министр обороны Эстонии Яак Аавиксоо направил приветствие проходящему в субботу в волости Вайвара слёту ветеранов 20-й дивизии СС: «Государство нуждается в защите и сейчас. Подтверждением тому являются недавние события в Эстонии», — заявил министр, указав на прошедшие в конце апреля массовые беспорядки, вызванные переносом памятника советским воинам . Глава военного ведомства сравнил ветеранов дивизии войск СС с участниками освободительной войны 1918 — 1920 годов , в ходе которой была закреплена независимость Эстонии.

Для участников Второй мировой войны, воевавших в составе немецкой армии, это была вторая освободительная война за нашу независимость.

— обращение Министра обороны Эстонии Аавиксоо к слёту ветеранов СС ^[21] .

• «Waffen SS — Войска СС: Элитные подразделения Гитлера» — Великобритания, 2002
• «Нацизм по-прибалтийски» — ТВЦ, 2006
• «Они присягнули Гитлеру» — Россия, 2007

• Таллин (полк)

• Jurs, August. Estonian freedomfighters in World War Two. — ISBN 096948271X ; ISBN 978-0969482710 .
• Tieke, Wilhelm. Tragedy of the Faithful: A History of III. (Germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps. — 482 с. — ISBN 0921991614 .
• Landwehr, Richard. Estonian Vikings.
• Wendel, Marcus. 20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr.1) . — 2005.
• 20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr.1) . . Статья на немецком языке на www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved June 2, 2005.
• Conclusions of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity - Phase II: The German occupation of Estonia in 1941-1944
• Estonia. The bloody trace of Nazism: 1941-1944. Collection of archival documents
• Zalessky K.A.S. Security detachments of the NSDAP. - M .: Eksmo , 2005 .-- 672 p. - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-699-09780-5 .