Former Deutch, Flamish, Danish officers in the rank of W-SS

[Regiment Norge]

Hi!

In the summer of 1941, after the war with russia had began. The new units SS-Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande, Flandern and Freikorps Danmark was formed. This unit had also former national officers who got their eqvivalent rank in the Waffen-SS without attending any Junkerschule.

Is there any example that the germans (Waffen-SS) was unsatisfied with the national officers? I am interested in examples of german disapproval of these officers?

As a norwegian I am aware of the problems within the SS-Frw. Legion Norwegen and the Waffen-SS but I wonder if there was issues with the other nations and Waffen-SS also?

In the summer of 1942 the first course at Tölz started with mixed foreigners, norwegians, deutch, finns, swede, danish and germans. I wonder if the germans would have more control over the education of Waffen-SS officers and I recall a letter from SS that no former foreign officer would becaome an officer in the Waffen-SS without going through Junkerschule.

Regards

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

It is not quite what you are asking, but the Flemish Legion and Sturmbrigade wanted no officer to hold a command position if he hadn't received German training and seen frontline combat. This is why the Sturmbrigade had at least a couple of examples of Flemish officers in charge of platoons while the company commander was of higher rank, but greater experience.

[Regiment Norge]

It is not quite what you are asking, but the Flemish Legion and Sturmbrigade wanted no officer to hold a command position if he hadn't received German training and seen frontline combat. This is why the Sturmbrigade had at least a couple of examples of Flemish officers in charge of platoons while the company commander was of higher rank, but greater experience.

Hi Mark!

In the officers rank within the Frw. Leg. Norwegen there were several issues with the norwegian officers. Many were sent home after completing a course at Lauenburg with the german remark "Unbrauchbar, nach Oslo zurück".

After checking the SS-PA to the norwegian officers in the Frw. Leg. Norwegen there must have been german complaint on them. One even got his attention alleged as a spy for the Secret Service. Was it like this in the Freikorps Danmark, Leg. Nederland/Flandern also that the germans was not so satisfied with these "old national officers" and could this has something to do that RFSS issued an order that from 1943 every officer had to pass through Tölz.

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

I had a typo above, but the point was clear, I hope. The Sturmbrigade Langemarck had examples of an experienced Ustuf. commanding a company, with a newly-volunteered Hstuf. leading a platoon under him.

I think plenty of older officers from most European countries were considered not good enough for Eastern Front conditions. Consider that older Swedish officers were not used in combat, Ryden being an example. For the Danes, Viffert was used as an engineering staff officer, rather than in a combat role. Knud Schock was considered totally inadequate after the first combats of SS-PJA 54, and would have been replaced if he hadn't been killed in action (there's a document about this in the Vincx/Schotanius book about Brigade/Division Nederland). The Swiss may have been the exception, as Swiss officers, even mature men such as Corrodi/von Elfenau, WERE used in combat roles.

It was a bit different with non-Germanics. The Italians were in a partisan war, and older men with command experience were allowed into the Waffen-SS. And Hungarian older officers were KuK veterans with far more combat experience than any men on the Axis side, outside of Germany and the Baltics. The Latvians used plenty of older officers, but they were Czarist Russian veterans. The Estonians ended up using younger men in command positions (Rebane and Riipalu), and claim the two did much of the actual leadership of 20. WGD, since Augsberger was often indecisive and slow to act!

[Waleed Y. Majeed]

There were serious problems with and in the Freikorps Dänemark.
A near mutiny while at Treskau. A dislike of the commander Kryssing and his staff.
He was called to Berlin and later replaced by von Schalburg.


waleed

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

Kryssing was asked to head the Frikorps by people close to the royal family, who expected him to counter the DNSAP influence on the unit. It turned out that Kryssing didn't have the right personality to smooth over differences between Nazis and anti-Nazis in the unit, and the Nazis did actually mutiny. The SS-FHA investigated, and decided that Kryssing, as an artillery officer, also wasn't getting the Frikorps, which was an infantry battalion, properly trained.

Von Schalburg, who could get along with everybody, was brought in to replace Kryssing, and most of the anti-Nazi officers were transferred to other units. This included Thor Jorgensen, Lorenz Lorenzen, Knud Schock, Tage Petersen, Johannes/John Brennecke, Erik Brörup, and Johannes Hellmers. Ironically, in early 1944, Kryssing commanded KG Küste with Lorenzen as his adjutant, and some of the pro-Nazi men from the Frikorps, who had helped instigate the mutiny, were assigned to serve under him.

[Regiment Norge]

Thanks for reply.

Yes the problems within the Freikorps Danmark (FD) are well known, but I thought this was a "political problem". KRYSSING wanted FD to be a non-political unit, and to hold the danish DNSAP-members in the background. My question is was there any german complaint on the danish officers serving in the FD that they did not held proper military standard as expected?

I was thinking on the norwegian officers (from Frw. leg. Norwegen) at Lauenburg who were sent home with the remark "Unbrauchbar, nach Oslo zurück". How was this case in the Frw. Legion Flandern and Nederland, did the germans feel the same here on these national officers? Is there any examples out there?

There must be a reson WHY RFSS ordered in late 1942 that "ALL FOREIGN OFFICERS IS TO GO THROUGH JS TÖLZ TO GET THEIR EQUAL RANK IN W-SS". After that foreign officers who joined W-SS was sent to Lehrgang für germanische Offiziere at Tölz.