Latvian volunteer SS legion

Background

After the occupation of the western regions of the USSR, a partisan war broke out in the rear of the Nazis, which influenced Hitler’s decision to allow the unplanned creation of national armed groups from among the inhabitants of the occupied territory of the USSR. On August 25, 1941, field commander of the Army Group North, Field Marshal von Leeb officially authorized the recruitment of Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians and created special teams and volunteer battalions from them. In the fall of 1941, regular police battalions began to form on the basis of "self-defense units" in Latvia, which were entrusted with punitive operations. In October 1941, the first Latvian battalion was sent to fight partisans in the Pskov region, and in December of the same year, Latvian police participated in punitive actions in Belarus ^[3] . In the Caucasus in the summer of 1942, the 18th and 27th Latvian police battalions “put things in order” in the rear of German troops ^[4] .

Over the years of World War II, 41 such battalions were formed in Latvia (for comparison: 23 in Lithuania and 26 in Estonia), an average of 300 people each.

After the losses incurred by the German army after the winter (1941-1942) counter-offensive of the Red Army near Moscow, Hitler was forced to transfer the "national" police units to the German military command as a reserve for military operations and the fight against partisans.

In February 1942, the 2nd mechanized brigade of the SS (2.SS-Infantereie-Brigade (mot) was created on the basis of the 16th, 19th, 21st and 24th Latvian battalions. In autumn 1942, it was transferred to the Eastern Front near Leningrad ^[5] .

In November 1943, the 2nd Latvian SS volunteer brigade was formed from the 39th and 40th Latvian volunteer regiments. She participated in hostilities against units of the Red Army from November 1943 to January 18, 1944 in various sections of Army Group North .

In 1942, the Latvian civil administration proposed to help the Wehrmacht the German side to create on a voluntary basis the armed forces totaling 100 thousand people with the condition that after the end of the war the independence of Latvia would be recognized. Hitler rejected this offer. However, the growing need for manpower forced the Nazi leadership to change their attitude towards the participation of the Baltic peoples in the war. In 1943, the German occupation institutions agreed to return to the inhabitants of Latvia nationalized property under the Soviet regime, but put forward a demand for the entry of Latvians into the created SS legion. Publicist Juris Peiders considers this a deal with the Latvian elite: property in exchange for agreeing to grind tens of thousands of young men of a simple estate in the millstones of war ^[6] . The Latvian elite, in contrast to the Lithuanian elite, has shown that for her the return of property is more important than the return of statehood. There were only a few speeches against this deal: for example, the former Minister of Government K. Ulmanis, and in 1943 at the initial stage of the creation of Latvian self-government, its Director General Alfred Valdmanis stated: “We wanted to fight honestly for our people, our state, our land, for place of his people in Europe. In addition, we wanted to fight not as hired “law enforcement officers”, but as honest soldiers ” ^[6] . However, these appearances were quickly suppressed.

Legion Mobilization

In January 1943, Hitler authorized the creation of the Latvian SS Legion. After the defeat of German troops near Stalingrad on February 10, Hitler signed an order to form the Latvian Volunteer SS Legion. ^[7] It included part of the Latvian volunteer units created earlier and already taking part in the hostilities. ^[8] In 1943, the 15th Latvian SS Division was established, and in 1944 the 19th Latvian Division.

Despite the fact that it was formally announced that the “legion” was created on a voluntary basis (in its name was the word German. Freiwilligen - “ voluntary ”), in fact, the formation of the legion was carried out in the order of forced mobilization of the male population of certain ages.

On February 23, 1943, the General Commissioner of Latvia, Otto-Heinrich Drexler, issued an order to call up Latvians born in 1919-1924 for military service.

To mobilize, a replenishment department (SS-Ersatz Kommando Ostland) was created in Riga.

The whole “voluntariness” consisted in the fact that after being examined by a medical commission, the mobilized were given the right to choose a place of service: either to the Latvian SS legion, or to the service personnel of German troops, or to defense work. Compared with the latter, the legionnaires enjoyed the best food and material security, which led to the fact that most expressed a desire to go to the legion. ^[8]

Initially, the call was regulated by German occupation rules on the performance of labor service in the occupied eastern regions, later they began to refer to the Latvian law on universal military service. ^[7] Employees in factories fulfilling the orders of the German army and working in militarized institutions (police) were exempted from conscription. ^[8]

On March 23, 1943, the following message was published in the Kauener Zeitung newspaper ^[8] :

The German general Christian Hansen commanded the legion, and the Latvian Rudolf Bangersky (Bangerskis) was appointed inspector general.

On March 24, the head of the SS Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler issued an order clarifying the concept of “Latvian Legion” as a common designation for all Latvians, including those who had already served in Latvian military units, including police battalions. ^[9]

On March 28 in Riga, every legionnaire took the oath not of the SS troops, but of the German army ^[8] :

After that, in April 1943, a male population of seven more ages was born in Latvia from 1912 to 1918. They were also to be mobilized into the Latvian Legion. But soon this was not enough. In May, men began to be mobilized, starting in 1899, and all the fighters of the volunteer detachments against the partisans began to be enrolled in the Legion. Points for the formation of the "legion" were organized in most district towns of Latvia. ^[8]

As a result, in May 1943, on the basis of six Latvian police battalions (16th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 24th and 26th) operating as part of Army Group North , the Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade was organized as part of the 1st and 2nd Latvian volunteer regiments. At the same time, volunteers of ten ages (born in 1914-1924) were recruited for the 15th Latvian SS Volunteer Division, three regiments of which (3rd, 4th and 5th Latvian volunteer divisions) were formed by mid-June.

However, the mobilized mood was unstable. The facts of evading mobilization and even desertion from the legion were noted. So, out of 500 people mobilized in four Latgale counties, even before sending to the place of formation, 100 people escaped. Many hid in the forests. In the city of Zilupe mobilized sang Soviet songs, in the city of Ludza there was a clash of mobilized with the police. ^[8]

November 18, 1943 ^[10] :

The German occupation authorities in December 1943 resorted to the mobilization of the male population born in 1918−1922.

In February 1944, the Soviet offensive was stopped, but the threat of its resumption remained, which forced the occupation authorities and local Latvian self-government to intensify mobilization measures . The draft age was raised to 37 years, and only those employed in the military industry and unsuitable for health reasons were still exempted from the draft. To prepare the draftees on the basis of the reserve reserve battalion of the 15th division, the 15th reserve reserve brigade of three regiments was deployed. It is estimated that only 15% of the Legion soldiers were genuine volunteers ^[11] .

The punishment for failure to comply with the mobilization order was the death penalty. Fragment of the report of the Chief of the SS Main Directorate G. Berger to the Reichsfuhrer SS G. Himmler dated June 13, 1944. “The first negotiations with SS grouper Fuhrer Bangerskis (inspector general of the Latvian Legion. I. F., K. K.) It was agreed that the rally should be well prepared for the new call, and in cases of desertion and absenteeism, react very strictly, arrest deserters and shoot within 48 hours ” ^[12]

In June 1944, the name "volunteer" ( German: Freiwilligen ) was replaced by "Waffen". Accordingly, the full name, for example, of the 15th division now sounded like this: ( German 15 Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 1) ). This renaming was due to the fact that the increasingly clear outcome of the war did not contribute to the recruitment of volunteers.

Due to the replenishment received from mobilization, it was possible to increase the number of the Latvian SS brigade and deploy it into the division. Thus, two divisions were included in the legion: the 15th SS Grenadier Division (1st Latvian) and the 19th SS Grenadier Division (2nd Latvian). Their number as of June 30, 1944 was: the 15th - 18,412 soldiers and officers, the 19th - 10,592 ^[13] .

The legion was built on the principle of the German army, the highest command consisted mainly of German officers, the middle command posts in the legion were occupied by former officers of the Latvian army, the legionnaires were armed with German, Czech and Romanian weapons, the uniform partly belonged to the former Latvian army, partly to the SS troops. ^{[8] [14]} Teams were given in Latvian. ^[10]

• 15th SS Grenadier Division (1st Latvian):
  • 32, 33 and 34th regiments;
• 19th SS Grenadier Division (2nd Latvian):
  • 42, 43 and 44th regiments. ^[13]

For the first time, Latvian divisions took part in combat against the advancing Soviet troops on March 16, 1944. This happened in the area of ​​the Mude River ( Velikaya ), southeast of the city of Ostrov (Pskov Region). Both divisions became part of the 6th SS Corps, which was subordinate to the 18th Army (Army Group North). Since 1952 this date is celebrated by the Daugavas Vanagi organization as the Day of Remembrance of Latvian Legionnaires.

The German group, which included the 15th and 19th Latvian SS divisions, ended up in the Courland Cauldron . The 19th division continued to fight there even after the Germans surrendered in Berlin. ^[15] In 1946, the legionnaires who left Latvia were extradited by Sweden back to the USSR. ^[16] In the fall of 1944, the 15th Division was transferred to Prussia. In April 1945, after fighting in West Prussia, the remnants of the 15th division were reorganized and strengthened to 8,000 in Mecklenburg . In April 1945, she took part in the battles for Neubrandenburg and later surrendered to the American ^[17] troops. And the reconnaissance battalion of the 15th division at the end of April 1945 was transferred to Berlin, where it participated in the last battles for the capital of the Third Reich . On May 3, 1945, the last reconnaissance fighters left their positions in the Ministry of Aviation. Before that, they left the Reichstag as the last part to defend it.

Of the 115 thousand soldiers and officers of the legion, more than 40 thousand were killed and almost 50 thousand were captured by the Soviet Union ^[18] .

The 19th Latvian SS division was directly involved in punitive actions against Soviet citizens in the territories of the Leningrad and Novgorod regions. In 1943, units of the division participated in punitive operations against Soviet partisans in the areas of the cities of Nevel , Opochka and Pskov (3 km from Pskov, they shot 560 people). ^[21]

On December 18, 1943, companies of the gendarmerie of the 19th Latvian SS division shot and killed about 250 civilians in the village of Zalya Gora, west of Novgorod. In early January 1944, the company participated in mass executions in the city of Chudovo, Leningrad Region. On January 21, in the village of Glukhaya, about 200 people were locked up in a barn and shot from machine guns. In total, from December 18, 1943 to April 2, 1944, units of the 19th Latvian SS division participated in punitive actions, during which 23 villages were destroyed (up to 1,300 people were shot in 13 of them). "

The servicemen of the Latvian SS divisions also participated in the brutal killings of captured Soviet soldiers, including women ^[21] .

In particular, on August 6, 1944, the personnel of the 43rd Rifle Regiment of the 19th Latvian SS Division were tortured 15 prisoners of war from the 65th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 22nd Guards Rifle Division captured in the area of ​​the village of Bobryni (Latvian SSR). Here are the lines from the special report of the head of the counterintelligence department SMERSH of the 2nd Baltic Front of August 18, 1944 " On the bullying of Germans and their accomplices from the Latvian SS units over Soviet prisoners of war " ^{[21] [22]} :

This fact confirms the sentence of the Nuremberg Tribunal , which establishes that ^[23]

This directly relates to the Latvian divisions, in which prisoners were destroyed in more brutal ways ^[24] .

Crimes in Poland

Tragedy in Podgai

At least one crime was committed by soldiers of the Latvian volunteer SS legion during the period when their unit was part of the Elster battle group ( German Kampfgruppe Elster ) ^[25] .

On the night of January 29, 1945, soldiers of the 1st Army of the Polish Army crossed the pre-war Polish-German border, took the city of Zlotow and reached the Gvda River, beyond which the protective strip of Pomeranian Val stretched. January 31st 1st Polish Infantry Division. T. Kosciuszko (1st Army) began heavy fighting for the village of Podgai (then Flederborn) ^[25] - a point of strong resistance of the Nazis.

С целью обследования системы обороны и сил противника в районе Подгае ^[25] и, при благоприятных условиях, занятия и удержания деревни до продхода основных сил, около двух часов дня отправилась 4-я рота подпоручика Альфреда Софки, вместе с силами поддержки насчитывая около 80 человек. Отряд наткнулся на превосходящие силы нацистов из состава 15-й латышской добровольческой дивизии войск СС (Waffen Grenadier Division der SS [Lettische № 1]), входящей в состав боевой группы «Эльстер» (Kampfgruppe Elster) ^[25] . Поляки были окружены, но продолжали сражаться в течение всего дня ^[25] (около 2-х часов), пока не кончились патроны и перевязочные средства ^[25] . Потери составили 50 %. Поляки вынуждены были сдаться ^[25] (такое решение принял лейтенант Софка). В плен попало 37 солдат.

Латышские легионеры тяжело раненых в плен не брали, убивая их на месте. Остальных пленных привели в Подгае, заперли в овине и, как положено, передали немцам. Во время допросов поляков подвергли пыткам, и они решили бежать, но их побег не удался ^[25] . Гитлеровцы поймали практически всех, за исключением троих убитых, в том числе командира роты, а также подпоручика Збигнева Фругалы и капрала Бондзелевского, ^[25] которым удалось бежать (скрыться в лесу ^[25] ) (первый после войны остался в армии и дослужился до звания полковника, а второй погиб во время боёв за Берлин ^[25] ). Остальных пленных польских бойцов — 32 человека ^[26] — немцы связали колючей проволокой, облили бензином и сожгли заживо ^[26] в закрытом овине. Самому старшему из солдат — рядовому Феликсу Буевичу — было 48 лет. Самому молодому — рядовому Юлиану Возьняку — ещё не исполнилось и 20. Большинство погибших солдат были всего на несколько лет старше его ^[25] .

По утверждению Иосифа Корена, очевидцы — местные жители — рассказывали, что солдаты латышского легиона СС во время сжигания поляков живьём пели и плясали вокруг овина. О преступлении латышских легионеров стало известно через три дня, когда деревня была отвоёвана и освобождена польскими войсками, обнаружившими останки 32 своих сгоревших товарищей ^[25] .

О событиях в Подгае широкая общественность узнала благодаря фильму «Элегия» (1979) режиссёра Павела Коморовского ^[27] .

В 2011 году было опубликовано исследование Юргена Фритца и Эдварда Андерса (США), в котором ставится под сомнение ход событий в Подгае, как он описывался в польских источниках. В частности утверждается, что латышские части не могли участвовать в пленении роты Софки, так как прибыли в Подгае только вечером 31 января, а бой происходил ещё днём. Также делается вывод, что маловероятно сожжение живьём польских военнопленных. Вместе с тем, высказывается мнение, что общее число расстрелянных польских пленных могло достигнуть 160−210, а расстрелы, вероятнее всего, производили немецкие части СС, которые вместе с латышскими и голландскими подразделениями принимали участие в обороне посёлка ^[27] .

In 2002, a monument was erected on the site of the tragedy, symbolizing the flame of a burning barn. On the obelisk is the coat of arms of the 1st Infantry Division of the Polish Army named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko and last names, titles and birth dates of the deceased Polish prisoners of war. On the stand there is an inscription: “On February 2, 1945, the Nazis burned 32 soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko fighting for the return of the Piast lands to Motherland” alive ^[25] .

Crimes in Belarus

Historian Sergei Kudryashov claims that in February and March 1944, soldiers of the Latvian SS division ^{[ which one? ]} destroyed 138 villages in the Vitebsk region of Belarus , killed 17 thousand people and stole another 13 thousand to Germany ^[28] . The basis of his publication was materials from recent Russian sources.

In the report of the ROA officer, Lieutenant Baltins, one of the legionnaires said: “We killed them to destroy as many Russians as possible!” ^[19]

• In early May, months. (1944) in the area of ​​the village of Kobyliniki, in one of the hollows, we saw about three thousand bodies of executed peasants, mainly women and children. Surviving residents said that “people who understood Russian, wore skulls on caps and red-white-red flags on their left sleeves” were engaged in executions - the Latvian SS. [19]

Opinion of Latvian historians

According to the preserved documents, memoirs of the war veterans and publications in the media , it was hardly possible to create a legion if Latvia had not been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 . According to the statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia , the first year of the Soviet occupation was scary for them, and caused deep hostility towards the USSR in the Latvian society, hitherto positively disposed towards Soviet Russia. ^{[29] The} mood of the soldiers in the context of these events was described in his message by a German officer, commander of the 15th division, Oberfuhrer A. Ax. On January 27, 1945, he wrote ^[29] :

Many Latvian soldiers considered the legion as the core of the future national army, and directly linked their participation in the war against the USSR with the struggle to restore Latvia's independence. ^{[30] The} views and moods of the legionnaires are clearly visible in their letters to their relatives. As the surviving report of the postal censor of the 15th Division testifies, in the letters of the soldiers the idea is most often expressed that in order to fight, along with the "negative goal" - protection from Bolshevism - there must also be a "positive goal" - the autonomy of Latvia ^{[ 30]} . However, in the summer of 1944, with the front approaching the borders of Latvia, this requirement faded into the background, since the main concern for the SS legionnaires was a direct threat to their homeland from the Soviet troops ^[30] .

In fact, other documents also testify to this. Here is a fragment of a message from the head of the Security Police and the Security Service of Latvia, SS Obersturmbanführer R. Lange of August 1, 1943 ^[31] :

Other opinions

Some scholars point out that there is reason to believe that the Latvian SS Legion has signs of a criminal organization noted by the Nuremberg Tribunal: the procedure for mobilizing draftees into the Legion was not exclusively compulsory, members of the Legion were aware of the criminal nature of the SS organization and were therefore involved in committing crimes against humanity ^[34] .

About 30 thousand Latvian soldiers became prisoners of war of the Western Allies, surrendering to them after the surrender of Germany. Latvian organizations managed to convince the allies that Latvian legionnaires should be considered as citizens of independent Latvia illegally called up for military service, so they were soon released from prisoner of war camps and later received permission to emigrate to the UK , USA and other Western countries. Many of them served as workers and assistant guards in the US and UK armed forces stationed in Germany . Already at the Nuremberg trials, recent comrades in arms guarded Nazi criminals. ^[37]

Recent History

March 16 of each year is considered the Day of Remembrance of Latvian Legionnaires. ^[28] From 1998 to 1999 was official. ^[38]

On this day in Latvia (mainly in Riga and at the memorial cemetery in Lesten ), solemn events are held where relatives of fallen legionnaires, veterans and national organizations participate. ^[39]

• In 1992, an exposition about the Standartenführer SS Plensner was opened in the Riga War Museum. It was to him that the Latvian Nazi groups were subordinate, which, by his order in the summer of 1941, killed many thousands of Jewish citizens in Latvia. ^[28]
• On March 16, 1995, on the Day of Remembrance of the Legionnaires, the remains of the former inspector general of the Latvian Legion of the SS General Rudolf Bangersky brought from Germany were buried at the Bratskoye Cemetery in Riga . ^[28]
• In 1997, a scandal erupted in German media over the lists submitted by the Latvian government of surviving victims of Nazism for monetary compensation. Latvia has added 10,000 SS veterans to 120 prisoners of Nazi concentration camps . ^[28]
• On March 16, 1998, for the first time in Riga, permission was obtained for the official march of members of both Latvian SS divisions, in which the current (at that time) commander of the National Armed Forces of Latvia, Juris Dalbins , ^[40] called the legionnaires “patriots and freedom fighters” ”(June 8 of the same year ^[40] was dismissed due to poor health). ^[41]
• On June 17, 1998, the Latvian parliament passed a decree on festive and memorable dates, in which, among other things, the Memorial Day of Latvian soldiers was established on March 16. ^[42]
• In 1998, in the town of Lestene ( Tukums region , Kurzeme ) a memorial ensemble and a brotherly cemetery of Latvian legionnaires were created , at which the “Society of National Warriors” plans to continue the reburial of dead soldiers, ^{[43] having} reburied 5,000 legionnaires on it, and to create the second largest memorial brotherhood cemetery in Lesten in Latvia . ^[44] In 2014, about 1,100 soldiers were buried in the cemetery. ^[45]

Nowadays, some political, public and religious figures of Latvia take part in the events of veterans of the Latvian SS legion in Lesten. Including, among others, Minister of Culture I. Riben noticed .

On September 27, 1998, a ceremonial reburial of 10 soldiers of the Latvian Legion took place in Lesten, which, in particular, was attended by the commander of the Latvian militia Zemessardze ( Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Defense for NATO Integration ) R. Graube, as well as former commander of the National Armed Forces of Latvia ^[40] J. Dalbins. ^[44] ( etc. )

• On October 29, 1998, the Latvian Seimas adopted the “ Declaration on the Latvian Legionnaires of the Second World War ”. According to comments and explanations in the media, this document is obliged to the Latvian government to demand compensation from the occupying countries and their successors for damage caused by mobilization in the occupying armies, as well as to take care of eliminating attacks on the honor and dignity of Latvian soldiers in Latvia and abroad . ^{[28] The} Foreign Ministry ^[46] and the State Duma of Russia called this declaration “frankly provocative.” ^[47]
• In 2008, the Riga Executive Director Andris Grinbergs rejected the application of the nationalist organization Union of National Power "(NSS), according to which an annual procession was planned on March 16 in memory of the Latvian legionnaires. In this case, the ban on the march was argued by the fact that the organization "Union of National Force" did not pass re-registration in the relevant institutions. At the same time, the official stressed that he did not refuse the march, but only demanded changes in the place and time of its holding. ^{[48] [49]}

•  

  March 16, 2008. A procession of Latvian nationalists and former SS legionnaires in the center of Riga.

•  

  March 16, 2008 Fences to prevent public order disturbances.

•  

  March 16, 2008 Flowers laid at the foot of the Freedom Monument in Riga in honor of the Latvian SS legionnaires.

In the movie

• I remember everything, Richard ( Riga Film Studio , director Roland Kalnins , 1966).
• In the film “Go and See,” one of the former military personnel of the Latvian SS Legion starred in the role of commander of the punitive detachment, who later became the Soviet actor - Victor Lorenz

Music

• Songs of Legionnaires [2] , [3] , [4] , [5]

• Eastern legions

• Доклад НКГБ СССР ЦК КП(б) Латвии, 24 июля 1943 года о формировании легиона. (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . — Источник: Vīlsne R. Kā PSRS Valsts drošības tautas komisariāts 1943.gadā vērtēja Latviešu leģionu // «Latvijas Vēstures Institūta Žurnāls». — 1998. — № 3 (28), — lpp. 130−135.. Дата обращения 30 августа 2015. Архивировано 24 сентября 2015 года.
• Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР «Об амнистии советских граждан, сотрудничавших с оккупантами в период Великой Отечественной войны 1941—1945 гг.» 26.08.1955
• Березин К., Саар А. Операция «Котбус» или «очищение» Прибалтики от евреев. — Рига−Вильнюс−Таллинн, 2001. — 72 с. . Архивная копия от 24 февраля 2014 на Wayback Machine ;
  Ch. «Геноцид по-латышски» на неофициальном городском сайте «Riga-Lv.com» (недоступная ссылка — история , копия ) Проверено 18 февраля 2014.
• Uldis Neiburgs Latvijas krievi Hitlera pusē (Русские Латвии на стороне Гитлера) Viesis — 05.10.2006.
• Об участии латышского легиона СС в военных преступлениях в 1941−1945 гг. и попытках пересмотра в Латвии приговора Нюрнбергского трибунала (справочная информация) (неопр.) . Архивировано 23 марта 2009 года. // Официальный сайт МИД РФ (www.mid.ru), док.№ 290-12-02-2004. Дата обращения 18 февраля 2014. Архивировано 22 февраля 2012 года. (Проверено 8 ноября 2013)
• Инесис Фелдманис, Карлис Кангерис. О латышском добровольческом легионе СС (рус.) . // Официальный сайт Министерства иностранных дел Латвийской республики (www.mfa.gov.lv) (8 января 2015). Дата обращения 24 января 2015. Старые версии сайта: Архивировано 2 марта 2005. Архивировано 22 февраля 2012.
• Латышский легион на трибунале в Нюрнберге (неопр.) . // © Сайт «Lettia.lv» 16−19.03.2006.
• Карамаев C. Марш СС на Европу. Ветераны латышских частей СС намерены посетить Европарламент (неопр.) . // Сайт «Lenta.ru» (30.07.2004). Дата обращения 18 февраля 2014.
• Латышские легионеры в Швеции
• Бой после Победы
• О латышском добровольческом легионе СС — МИД Латвийской Республики 01.02.2005.
• «Латышский легион: актуальные проблемы и решения исследований» Реферат профессора И.Фелдманисa 01.02.2005.

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