Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS; incorporated

Suomalaisen Waffen-SS-vapaaehtoispataljoonan

Homecoming ceremonies of the Finnish Waffen-SS

Parade and homecoming ceremonies of the Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS were held on June 2 1943 in Hanko in Finland. Present among others were former Wiking Commander SS-Gruppenführer Felix Steiner and the Commander of SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord SS-Gruppenführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp. Celebrations were held the day after in Tampere. On July 11 1943 the battalion was officially disbanded and released from SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking and the Waffen-SS. Battalion Commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Collani awarded 45 Iron Crosses and shook hand with every single man in the battalion. Many members of the disbanded Finnish Volunteer Battalion wanted to continue serving in the Waffen-SS, but were unable to do so because of their assignment to various Finnish Army units, which were often in heavy combat. They proved their high quality in the summer of 1944 when Soviet Union's massive attack to Finland began. 282 former Waffen-SS volunteers later become Finnish Army officers. One of these men, SS-Untersturmführer Sulo Suorttanen graduated from SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, eventually rose to become Defense Minister in the Finnish government. Left image: Finns of the Wiking at attention before being incorporated into the Finnish Army. Credit: Jussi Luostarinen. Right image: a Finnish Major talks to a volunteer who returned blinded from the front. Credit: Julius Backman. Photos by military official Esko Suomela in Hanko on June 2 1943. Finnish Wartime Photograph Archive.