Free Corps Denmark

Last updated
Free Corps Denmark
Frikorps Danmark
Waffen-SS Free Corps Denmark Armshield.svg
Free Corps Denmark Armshield
Active1941–43
CountryFlag of Denmark.svg Denmark
AllegianceFlag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Nazi Germany
Branch Flag Schutzstaffel.svg Waffen-SS [1]
Type Infantry
Size6,000 men (total, 1941–43)

Free Corps Denmark (Danish : Frikorps Danmark) was a unit of the Waffen-SS during World War II consisting of collaborationist volunteers from Denmark. It was established following an initiative by the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark (DNSAP) in the immediate aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and subsequently endorsed by Denmark's government which authorised officers of the Royal Danish Army to enlist in the unit. It participated in fighting on the Eastern Front and was disbanded in 1943. During the course of the war, approximately 6,000 Danes joined the corps, including 77 officers of the Royal Danish Army.

Contents

History

Footage from a Waffen-SS memorial service near Birkerød in 1944. Among the attendees were Dr. Werner Best and Knud Børge Martinsen.

Establishment

Denmark had signed a treaty of nonaggression with Nazi Germany in 1939. Germany invoked this treaty on 9 April 1940, when it ordered the military occupation of Denmark under the guise of protecting the Danes from British invasion. Faced with potential German aerial bombing, King Christian X and the Danish government accepted "protection of the Reich" and permitted the "peaceful occupation" of the country in return for nominal political independence. The Danes began a policy of collaboration that included diplomatic and economic support of Germany. The German diplomat Cécil von Renthe-Fink was accredited to the Danish King and Cabinet as Reichsbevollmächtigter ("Imperial Plenipotentiary") and charged with the duty of supervising Danish government.

At the outset of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Germany asked Denmark to form a military corps to fight with the Germans against the Soviets. On 29 June 1941, seven days after the invasion had begun, the Danish Nazi Party newspaper Fædrelandet ("The Fatherland") proclaimed the creation of the Free Corps Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Erik Scavenius entered into an agreement with the Reichsbevollmächtigter that officers and soldiers of the Royal Danish Army wishing to join this corps would be granted leave and allowed to retain their rank. The Danish Cabinet issued an announcement stating that "Lieut. Colonel Christian Peder Kryssing, Chief of the 5th Artillery Regiment, Holbæk, has with the consent of the Royal Danish Government assumed command over Free Corps Denmark." Free Corps Denmark was one of "four national legions" established by the Waffen-SS in 1941. The original number of accepted recruits in 1941 was 1,164 men. [2]

The role of the Danish government in the formation of the Free Corps Denmark is today disputed. Some authorities maintain that the Corps was unique among the legions of foreign volunteers fighting for Hitler in that it carried the official sanction of its home government. Others maintain that while the Danish government may have sanctioned formation of the Corps, it did not itself form the Corps. [3]

Operations

Members of Free Corps Denmark taking an oath, July 1941 Frikorps Danmark 2.jpg
Members of Free Corps Denmark taking an oath, July 1941

With about 1,000 recruits, the corps was sent to Langenhorn barracks in Hamburg for basic training in late July 1941. It was considered ready for action by 15 September and sent to Owińska in Poland.

Commander Kryssing was dismissed in February 1942 for insufficient ideological adherence to Nazism. He was transferred to the artillery where he ended his career as a general.

Christian Frederik von Schalburg replaced Kryssing as the leader of Frikorps Danmark; von Schalburg was a Danish-Russian aristocrat, anti-communist, and member of the DNSAP who had been raised in Russia and had seen the aftermath of the Russian revolution in 1917.

On 8 May 1942, the corps was ordered to the front line where it engaged in fighting near Demyansk, south of Lake Ilmen and Novgorod. Schalburg was killed during the night of 2 June. His German replacement, Hans Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck, was killed only a few days later. On 11 July, the Danish officer Knud Børge Martinsen took command of the corps.

The corps returned to Denmark from August to October 1942 and met with much hostility from the civilian population. On 13 November, the corps was redeployed to Jelgava in Latvia. Originally intended for anti-partisan activities, the corps was then moved up to the front line. In December, the corps engaged in intense fighting at the Battle of Velikiye Luki alongside Germany's 1st SS Infantry Brigade.

The Free Corps was withdrawn from the front line in April 1943 and sent to the Bavarian town of Grafenwöhr, near Nuremberg. It was formally disbanded on 6 May 1943. [4] It was reformed as SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Denmark" (SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark") and integrated into the recently formed 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland. [4] Returning to Denmark in February 1943, Martinsen established the Schalburg Corps, a paramilitary formation affiliated to the Germanic SS which carried out violent attacks and murders on perceived political dissenters in Denmark. It drew particularly on former soldiers who had served in the Eastern Front and its creation weakened the DNSAP. [5]

Demography

It is estimated that approximately 6,000 Danes served in the Free Corps Denmark. [6]

A 1998 study showed that the average recruit to Free Corps Denmark was a Nazi and/or a member of the German minority in Denmark, and that recruitment was very broad socially. [7] Danish historian Bo Lidegaard notes: "The relationship between the population and the corps was freezing cold, and legionnaires on leave time and again came into fights with civilians meeting the corps' volunteers with massive contempt." Lidegaard gives the following figures for 1941: 6,000 Danish citizens had signed up and were approved for German army duty and 1,500 of these belonged to the German minority in Denmark. [8] Half of the over 12,000 Danes that initially volunteered for active service were regarded as being not suitable for active service.[ citation needed ]

Commanders

List of Commanders: [9]

No.PortraitCommanderTook officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Christian Peder Kryssing.jpg
Kryssing, Christian PederSS-Obersturmbannführer
Christian Peder Kryssing
(1891–1976)
19 July 194123 February 1942219 days
-
Knud B. Martinsen.jpg
Martinsen, Knud BørgeSS-Hauptsturmführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949)
Acting
23 February 194227 February 19424 days
2
Christian von Schalburg (cropped).jpg
von Schalburg, Christian FrederikSS-Obersturmbannführer
Christian Frederik von Schalburg
(1905–1942)
1 March 19422 June 1942 93 days
-
Knud B. Martinsen.jpg
Martinsen, Knud BørgeSS-Sturmbannführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949)
Acting
2 June 19429 June 19427 days
3
Hans-Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck.jpg
von Lettow-Vorbeck, Hans-AlbertSS-Obersturmbannführer
Hans-Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck
(1901–1942)
9 June 194211 June 1942 2 days
4
Knud B. Martinsen.jpg
Martinsen, Knud BørgeSS-Sturmbannführer
Knud Børge Martinsen
(1905–1949)
11 June 194221 March 1943283 days
-
Blank.png
Neergaard-Jacobsen, PoulSS-Sturmbannführer
Poul Neergaard-Jacobsen
(1905–1949)
Acting
21 March 194320 May 194360 days

Related Research Articles

<i>Waffen-SS</i> Military branch of the Nazi SS

The Waffen-SS was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary Schutzstaffel (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Free Corps</span> Nazi Germany military unit recruited from British soldiers during WW2

The British Free Corps was a unit of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, made up of British and Dominion prisoners of war who had been recruited by Germany. The unit was originally known as the Legion of St George. Research by British historian Adrian Weale has identified 54 men who belonged to this unit at one time or another, some for only a few days. At no time did it reach more than 27 men in strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denmark in World War II</span> German military occupation of Denmark during World War II

At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December 1939. On 9 April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weserübung. The Danish government and king functioned in a relatively normal manner in a de facto protectorate over the country until 29 August 1943, when Germany placed Denmark under direct military occupation, which lasted until the Allied victory on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish institutions continued to function relatively normally until 1945. Both the Danish government and king remained in the country in an uneasy relationship between a democratic and a totalitarian system until 1943 when the Danish government stepped down in protest against German demands that included instituting the death penalty for sabotage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Steiner</span> German Waffen-SS commander, SS-Obergruppenführer

Felix Martin Julius Steiner was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Together with Paul Hausser, he contributed significantly to the development and transformation of the Waffen-SS into a combat force made up of volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and un-occupied lands.

<i>Reichsführer-SS</i> German Nazi paramilitary commander rank

Reichsführer-SS was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-serving and most noteworthy office holder was Heinrich Himmler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland</span> German armored division

The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland was a Waffen-SS division primarily raised with Germans and ethnic Germans from Romania, but also foreign volunteers from Northern and Western Europe. It saw action, as part of Army Group North, in the Independent State of Croatia and on the Eastern Front during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemish Legion</span> German infantry division

The Flemish Legion was a collaborationist military formation recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium, notably from Flanders, during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and fought on the Eastern Front in the Waffen SS alongside similar formations from other parts of German-occupied Western Europe.

5th SS Panzer Division Wiking German armored division

The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking or SS Division Wiking was an infantry and later an armoured division among the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions of Nazi Germany. During World War II, the division served on the Eastern Front. It surrendered on 9 May 1945 to the American forces in Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germanic SS</span> Nordic SS groups which arose in Occupied Europe between 1939 and 1945

The Germanic SS was the collective name given to paramilitary and political organisations established in parts of German-occupied Europe between 1939 and 1945 under the auspices of the Schutzstaffel (SS). The units were modeled on the Allgemeine SS in Nazi Germany and established in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway—population groups who were considered to be especially "racially suitable" by the Nazis. They typically served as local security police augmenting German units of the Gestapo, Sicherheitsdienst (SD), and other departments of the German Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), rendering them culpable for their participation in Nazi atrocities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walloon Legion</span> German infantry division

The Walloon Legion was a unit of the German Army (Wehrmacht) and later of the Waffen-SS recruited among French-speaking collaborationists in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and fought on the Eastern Front alongside similar formations from other parts of German-occupied Western Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volunteer Legion Netherlands</span> German infantry division

The Volunteer Legion Netherlands was a collaborationist military formation recruited in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and fought on the Eastern Front in the Waffen SS alongside similar formations from other parts of German-occupied Western Europe. It was the largest Dutch SS unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark</span> Former Nazi party in Denmark

The National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark was the largest Nazi Party in Denmark before and during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Søren Kam</span> Danish Nazi criminal

Søren Kam was a Danish junior officer in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was wanted for murder in Denmark and listed by the Simon Wiesenthal Center as one of the most wanted Nazi war criminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Peder Kryssing</span>

Christian Peder Kryssing, commonly known as C.P. Kryssing, was a Danish collaborator with Nazi Germany during World War II. An artillery officer and an ardent anti-communist, he commanded the Free Corps Denmark from 1941 to 1942. He was not a member of the Danish Nazi party, the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Frederik von Schalburg</span>

Christian Frederik von Schalburg was a Danish army officer, the second commander of Free Corps Denmark and brother of Vera Schalburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knud Børge Martinsen</span>

Knud Børge Martinsen was a Danish officer and the third commander of Frikorps Danmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts</span> Recruits for the Waffen-SS in World War II

During World War II, the Waffen-SS recruited significant numbers of non-Germans, both as volunteers and conscripts. In total some 500,000 non-Germans and ethnic Germans from outside Germany, mostly from German-occupied Europe, were recruited between 1940 and 1945. The units were under the control of the SS Führungshauptamt beneath Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Upon mobilization, the units' tactical control was given to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian Legion</span> Military unit

Norwegian Legion was a Norwegian collaborationist formation of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It was formed in German-occupied Norway on 29 June 1941, in support of the war aims of Nazi Germany. The unit was disbanded in 1943.

Claus Bundgård Christensen is a Danish historian and associate professor at Roskilde University known for his books related to collaboration and crime in Denmark during and following World War II.

References

  1. Stein 1984, p. 153.
  2. Stein 1984, pp. 153, 154.
  3. Lidegaard 2003, pp. 462–3.
  4. 1 2 Littlejohn 1972, p. 72.
  5. Littlejohn 1972, pp. 72–3.
  6. Stein 1984, pp. 136, 137.
  7. Lidegaard 2003, p. 463.
  8. Lidegaard 2003, p. 464.
  9. "Free Corps Denmark". Danes in German Service (in Danish). 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

Bibliography