ϟϟ-Division „Wiking“ in Heeresgruppe Süd

East Prussian Commander of the Wiking Felix Steiner

Wiking consisted partly of volunteers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia

NKVD border troops overrun by Heeresgruppe Süd on the first day of 'Barbarossa

The SS-Division Wiking was formed under SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Felix Steiner on November 11 1940, from the Germania Regiment. Besides Germania, it contained the Nordland and the Westland Regiments and consisted of up to fifty percent Scandinavians, Dutchmen, Flemish and Finns. It was the first troop of European Waffen-SS volunteers. After making preparation for the Barbarossa against the Soviet Union in the same area as the Leibstandarte SS, the Wiking started off with a manpower strength at 19,377 officers and men at Rava-Ruska when it swept into western Ukraine in June 1941. It advanced with Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd over Tarnopol, broke through the Stalin Line at Satanov and reached Proskurov. In the area south-east of Zhytomyr, there was fighting on both sides of the River Ross. The division fought at Smele, at Chyhyryn on the River Dnieper and captured Dniepropetrovsk on August 25 1941. In the battle of the Sea of Azov and in the Donez Rearguard Action, the Wiking engaged battle north of the Leibstandarte SS. It fought in the Ignatiefka-Marienfeld area, crossed the rivers Krinka and Mius and fought off enemy counter-attacks at Biryutschi and Daryevka. On November 1941 it fought a delaying action east of the River Mius in the Tusloff sector and took a defensive position on the Mius from December 1941. During this time, several parts of the division were sent to defend critical points on the Heeresgruppe Süd's front, especially to the west and north of Stalino, now Donetsk. Top image: Divisional Commander of the Wiking SS-Brigadeführer Felix Steiner stated about the infamous and illegal Commissar Order (which stated that captured Soviet political commissars should be summarily shot) that "No rational unit commander could comply with such an Order" in a discussion with his superior the Wehrmacht General der Infanterie Gustav von Wietersheim on July 4 1941. The order was formally rescinded on May 6 1942. Middle image: Danish volunteer SS-Hauptsturmführer Christian Frederik von Schalburg surrounded by some of his men in Ukraine. He had joined the Waffen-SS and the Wiking in 1940. C.F. von Schalburg was killed in action aged 36 on June 2 1942 in the Demyansk Pocket. Bottom image: SS troops under Heeresgruppe Süd escort captured Soviet NKVD border troops across the bridge over the San River in the Polish border town of Przemyśl. The city was one of the first to be captured by German troops on the Sunday of June 22 1941. At that time, the San River was the border between German and Soviet-occupied Poland. All photos: Commons: Bundesarchiv.