Scandinavian „Nordland“ Officers in the Baltics

SS-Untersturmführer Ellef Rasmussen

SS-Untersturmführer Johan Petter Balstad

The left photograph shows the Dane SS-Untersturmführer Ellef Henry Rasmussen photographed by the Swede SS-Untersturmführer Hans-Caspar Kreuger outside his command post in Narva 1944. Rasmussen joined the Waffen-SS in 1940 and served in SS-Infanterie-Regiment Nordland of the Wiking Division before attending the 3.Lehrgang for Germanic officer candidates at SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz. In 1943 he was assigned to the newly formed 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland. In the final phase of the war Rasmussen become the commander of II./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 Danmark. He took part in many important campaigns and battles: Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union; Operation Edelweiß, the advance into the Caucasus; Battle of Narva and Battle of Berlin. After World War II, Rasmussen spent two years in prison on treason convictions, despite having had permission to serve in the Waffen-SS granted by the Danish government and the king during the war. His war memories are written by Danish historian Peter Møller Hansen: Troskab - Dansk SS-frivillig E.H. Rasmussens erindringer 1940-45. Ellef Rasmussen died aged 93 on January 1 2016. Credit: Emma Malleret. Fair use. Right image: Norwegian SS-Untersturmführer Johan Petter Balstad served with SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 23 Norge of the Nordland Division. Balstad wears the Iron Cross First Class, the Wound Badge and no less than three Single-Handed Tank Destruction Badges. He single-handedly destroyed three Soviet T-34 tanks in the autumn of 1944. Johan Petter Balstad died aged 61 on June 18 1985 in Oslo, Norway. Public domain.