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Category: Foreign Waffen-SS  -- See latest WWII news here.

Heinrich Boere: Dutch Waffen SS gunman dodges jail, ages in peace
Heinrich Boere volunteered for the SS after Holland fell to the German blitzkrieg in 1940. His first victim was a pharmacist. Two more followed on a single day, one gunned down at point-blank range in his doorway, the other on the road. Boere was part of a mostly Dutch Waffen SS death squad tasked with killing fellow countrymen in revenge for attacks by the anti-Nazi resistance. Though sentenced to death (later changed to life imprisonment) in the Netherlands in 1949 Boere has escaped jail so far, as German courts refuse to deport him. Now the case has been reopened in a last-ditch attempt for justice.     [ ap :: 2008-03-08 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

Denmark and World War II: Waffen-SS and closed borders revealed
After the WWII, Denmark basked in the glory of the most successful attempt to save Jews. Sept 28 - Oct 9 1943, 7000 Jews were ferried to safety in neutral Sweden. But why there were so few Jews in a country bordering Nazi Germany, an evident destination for Jewish refugees from 1933-1939 Nazi persecution? Because at the height of the refugee crisis in 1938, the Danish authorities closed the border. In April 1940 the Waffen-SS began recruiting in Denmark. With the start of the anti-Bolshevik "crusade" in June 1941, 13,000 volunteered. Of these, the Waffen-SS picked out 7,000 most fit, who fought mainly in the Waffen-SS Viking, "Death's Head", and Nordland divisions.     [ guardian :: 2008-01-14 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

FSB files about 1944 Warsaw uprising, Waffen-SS RONA brigade
1,400-pages of Soviet secret police and Nazi intelligence documents, many never declassified, about 1944 Warsaw uprising against the Nazis now published. The Germans "didn't take the likelihood of a revolt seriously," but once it broke out "their detailed knowledge of the resistance set up enabled them to carry out pinpoint bombing which caused huge losses. Documents from Polish informers run by the Nazis inside the resistance demonstrate the degree of penetration of the movement by the Germans," said Marcin Majewski. The collection also examines the role of the Waffen-SS "Russian National Liberation Army" (RONA) brigade, made up of Soviet troops who had sided with the Nazis.     [ expatica :: 2007-08-04 :: Warsaw Ghetto uprisings (1943, 1944) ]

Russia condemns Estonian Waffen SS legion reunion, Erna Raid
Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned a meeting of veterans of Estonia's Waffen-SS division in the Baltic state. Estonian Waffen SS veterans gathered to commemorate one of the bloodiest World War II battles in Estonia. The ministry also said the military competition Erna Raid, scheduled for August 6-11 and held annually since 1993, complied with Estonia's line towards glorifying Nazism, as it commemorated the Abwehr-trained Erna reconnaissance group, which operated in the rear of the Red Army in 1941. Reunions to glorify fighters against the Soviet occupation have become a tradition in the Baltic state.     [ rian :: 2007-07-31 :: Waffen SS: Combat Divisions, German Soldiers ]

Estonian Waffen-SS veterans gather for congress
A congress of servicemen from the 20th Waffen-SS division and other Estonian veterans who served in German military units during World War II has started in the Vaivara district. The congress started near the Sinimae hills, the scene of the worst battle in Estonia in WWII in 1944. The veterans, holding the flags of the units they served for, laid wreaths at a memorial rock in honor of the 20th SS division servicemen who were killed in action, and also to the commemorative plaques in honor of the Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian Waffen-SS legionaries who fought there.     [ interfax :: 2007-07-29 :: Latvia Divided - Nazi Past ]

Norwegian Waffen-SS nazi in Costa del Sol: Got Gold Cross by Hitler
A Norwegian Nazi Fredrik Jensen who served in the Waffen-SS and was awarded the Gold Cross by Führer has been discovered living in Marbella on the Costa del Sol. He served in a number of Waffen SS units, including the SS Panzer-Grenadier der Fuhrer, SS-Panzer-Division -Das Reich, the Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 9 Germania and the Panzer-Division Wiking. He fought on the frontline, which earned him the rare accolade of being one of the few foreigners to receive the highest decoration granted by Adolf Hitler to Waffen SS troops: the Gold Medal. He joined the SS after the Norwegian Nazi party seized power under the puppet-regime of Vidkun Quisling in 1942.     [ independent :: 2007-06-05 :: Waffen SS: Combat Divisions, German Soldiers ]

Councillor's dad served in 14th Waffen SS Galizien Division
Spotlight is on Stefan Tymkewycz who is among Edinburgh's new councillors, because his father is understood to have been an officer in the 16,000-strong 14th Waffen SS Galizien Division. Its members have been accused of taking part in World War II atrocities. Bohdan Tymkewycz was named last year as a suspected war criminal along with 50 other former Waffen-SS Galizien members by London MP Andrew Dismore, who was campaigning for Nazi war criminals to be brought to justice. Members of 14th Waffen-SS division were offered refuge in Britain in 1947, since the Ministry of Defence wanted to use them as a fighting force against Communism.     [ scotsman :: 2007-05-09 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

Ukraina: Nazi march to honor Galicia Waffen-SS Division
A nationalist party plans to conduct a march to commemorate a Ukrainian military formation that fought for Nazi Germany in World War II, the party said. "April 28 is when Ukraine's Galicia SS Division was established. It is our national holiday. For the first time in many years, we must celebrate it in an appropriate way." The Waffen-SS division, which derived its name from a region in Western Ukraine, was comprised of people who saw the Third Reich as a force to topple the Bolsheviks and gain independence. The Galicia division has been accused of participating in several atrocities during the war.     [ rian :: 2007-04-19 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

Latvia caught in 'historical minefield' over Waffen-SS past
On March 16, Latvians commemorate the Latvian Legion - a Waffen-SS unit formed by the Nazis in 1943. Some view its soldiers as patriotic heroes, but others see them as criminals. "The whole concept of the Legion is a historical minefield. It's far easier to say what it wasn't than what it was," said Matthew Kott, an expert on non-German SS units. Latvia's WWII history is both complex and tragic: The country was occupied by the Soviets in 1940, invaded and occupied by the Nazis in 1941 and re-occupied by the Soviets in 1944. During Soviet occupation, over 15,000 Latvians were deported or executed. As a result, many Latvians viewed the Nazi invasion as a liberation.     [ monstersandcritics :: 2007-03-19 :: Latvia Divided - Nazi Past ]

1,400 Waffen SS members living in the UK - SS Galizien division
More than 1,400 former Waffen SS members were living in the UK four years ago and police are in the process of searching for more. Minister Tony McNulty said a total of 1,450 veterans of the SS Galizien division were registered in Britain in 2003. No allegations of war crimes has been received against any of them. Scotland Yard's war-crimes division is using a database run by the US Justice Department to search for former members of the Waffen-SS who may be living in the UK, to help with enquiries.     [ ejpress :: 2007-02-10 :: Waffen SS: Combat Divisions, German Soldiers ]

Flemish Eastern Front Waffen-SS vets group will cease to exist
Far-right Sint-Maartensfonds, the organisation set up by and for Flemish vets of the Nazis' World War II offensive against the Soviet Union, will shortly cease to exist. Flemings were among the volunteers from a host of countries, who joined the Nazis in their offensive against Stalin's Red Army. Those who fought claim that they did so in order to keep Europe free of communism. However, many were also members of infamous Waffen SS. After the war, those who had fought on the Eastern Front were convicted of collaboration. Some were executed; others imprisoned and most lost their rights.     [ expatica :: 2006-10-31 :: Waffen SS: Combat Divisions, German Soldiers ]

Strange Allies - Bosnian Muslim division of the Waffen-SS
There have been four phases of cooperation between militant Islam and the extreme right, stretching back to Germany's Third Reich and World War II. As WWII progressed, al-Husseini helped organize a Bosnian Muslim division of the Waffen SS. After Hitler's defeat, as Nazi Germany crumbled, Hitler's erstwhile officers had to flee. It was natural that many of Hitler's men went to the Middle East. After Gamal Abdel Nasser became Egypt's president, a number of Nazis were given prominent positions. Nazi commando Otto Skorzeny trained thousands of Egyptians in guerilla and desert warfare.     [ weeklystandard :: 2006-08-07 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

Memorials for Waffen SS Grenadiers of Estonian Legion
Two new memorials to soldiers of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, also known as Estonian Legion, opened in town of Sinimäe. Guests are going to honor the memory of the fallen Dutch and Walloons who fought with the Division at World War II. Battle of Sinimäe between the Nazi and Soviet troops lasted for seven months in 1944. About 200,000 German and Soviet troops were killed, there are also a memorial of the Soviet soldiers, a memorial of Estonians soldiers who fought with the 20th Waffen SS division, and memorabilia of Waffen SS legionaries of Danish and other nationalities.     [ regnum :: 2006-07-29 :: Waffen SS: Combat Divisions, German Soldiers ]

Ex-SS legionary's new book "Latvian legionary in true light"
On the eve of Day of Latvian Waffen SS legionaries, famous public writer and ex-SS legionary Visvaldis Latsis presented his new book "Latvian legionary in true light." The author tried to collect all "justificatory" arguments of the presidential historical commission, and stress the importance of their deeds in patriotic education of youth. He said that he wanted to prove that Latvians fought for their freedom, but were naive. Latsis himself is a contradictory person: Loyal soldier and commander of Latvian SS Legion Strike Force.     [ regnum :: 2006-03-18 :: Foreign Waffen-SS ]

Latvians debate history and archive of the Latvian 15th Waffen-SS Division
The Latvian government announced that it wants schoolchildren to study the country's history as a separate subject. But in a country whose history is still under debate, the reforms are proving to be controversial. Latvia's independence is based on the claim that the country's annexation by the Soviet Union was an occupation. Moscow claims that Latvia volunteered to join the U.S.S.R. The most awaited event of the year will be the opening of the regimental archive of the Latvian 15th Waffen-SS Division, recently returned from Holland and already the subject of intense debate both in Riga and Moscow.     [ baltictimes :: 2006-02-23 :: Latvia Divided - Nazi Past ]

Eastern Front Waffen-SS Veteran Ilmar Haaviste
I joined the German forces in 1944. There was a mobilisation, and also Estonian units on the Eastern Front were transferred to near Narva, where the 20th Estonian Division of the Waffen-SS was formed. I had heard from my schoolteacher father that in 1943 there was an Allied conference in Tehran where Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to a proposal from Stalin which in effect handed him Estonia... You have to remember the first year of Soviet power, in 1940-41, in which it showed itself to be so appalling, we'd seen nothing like it. All the deportations, murders, destroying everything - all this turned the majority of Estonians against the communist regime. [also includes interviews of two red army veterans]     [ bbc :: 2005-05-09 :: Latvia Divided - Nazi Past ]

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