20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der ϟϟ

Eesti relvagrenaderide SS-diviis

20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS

Estnische Nr. 1

Although many Estonians and Balts were recruited into the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS the majority did so only in 1944 when the threat of a new invasion by the Soviet Red Army had become imminent. According to the author Romuald J. Misiunas at least 70,000 Estonians joined the German armed forces. Many Estonian volunteers distinguished themselves fighting as part of the Nordic-recruited SS-Division Wiking and four Estonians received the Knight's Cross during the war. The Estonian 20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS was officially activated on January 24 1944. Many of its soldiers had been members of the Estonian Legion, as part of the Waffen-SS, and the Estnische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade, which had been fighting as part of German forces since August 1942 and October 1943 respectively. Seeing the Third Reich as the salvation of an independent Baltic, these sons of Estonia joined the ideological crusade against Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's communists regime. On February 8 1944, the division was attached to III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps. After some brutal fighting against the Soviets in early 1944, these Estonians managed to force the Bolsheviks back to the east bank of the Narva River. Historian Rolf-Dieter Müller states that 30,000 volunteered in addition to those conscripted, and another source states that the division received 15,000 volunteers, which was enough for it to reach full strength. By August 1944 some 10,400 were killed or missing. In September 1944, the remaining troops were evacuated from Estonia to Neuhammer in Niederschlesien and in February 1945 the division was relocated to central Europe. After the German surrender on May 7 1945 the remnants of the division attempted to break out to the west in order to surrender to the western Allies. Czech communist partisans had them surrounded and demanded that they surrendered their arms, which the Estonians did. The Czechs resumed their hostilities on their Estonian war prisoners regardless of their intentions, the partisans tortured and humiliated them in masse. The number of Estonians murdered has been estimated as 500−1000, but the actual number is unknown. Some of the volunteers who had reached the western allies were handed back to the Soviets. Credit: Wikipedia i.a. Images: young Estonians of the 20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS recieve food packages from locals in 1944. They are wearing the distinctive SS Eichenlaubmuster camouflage parkas designed to be reversible, providing camouflage for two seasons. Credit: Za Rodinu. All photos in the Public domain.