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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 German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. It was disbanded in May 1945.
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The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was an infantry division of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It was the second Latvian division formed in January 1944, after its sister unit, the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS with which it formed the Latvian Legion. It was surrounded in the Courland Pocket at the end of the war where it surrendered to the Red Army.
Otto Kumm was a German military officer who commanded two Waffen-SS divisions in the latter stages of World War II and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. At the post-war Nuremberg trials, the Waffen-SS – of which Kumm was a senior officer – was declared to be a criminal organisation due to its major involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the war, Kumm became one of the founders of HIAG, a lobby group and a revisionist organization of former Waffen-SS members.
Heinz Harmel was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. He commanded the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg during World War II. Harmel was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany.
The 38th SS Grenadier Division Nibelungen was a World War II infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the German Nazi Party. Formed in April 1945, it was the last Waffen-SS division created during the war.
References
- Waffen-SS Commanders by Mark C. Yerger
- Waffen-SS Divisions 1939-45 by Chris Bishop
Waffen-SS divisions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Panzer | |||
| Panzer- grenadier | |||
| Mountain | |||
| Cavalry |
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| Infantry | |||
| Police | |||
| Deception "Panzer" | |||
| Lists | |||
Units marked in bold were officially named "volunteer". See also: SS heavy Panzer battalions | |||
