|
The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division ''Nordland'', also known as ''Kampfverband Waräger'', ''Germanische-Freiwilligen-Division'', ''SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 11 (Germanische)'' or ''11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland'', was a ''Waffen SS'' ''Panzergrenadier'' division recruited from foreign volunteers. It saw action in Croatia and on the Eastern Front during World War II. ==Concept and formation== By 1943, the foreign formations of the ''Waffen SS'' had an established record in combat. The 5th SS ''Panzer Division Wiking'', a volunteer formation, had been in action since 1940. The ''5 SS Wiking'', however, was composed of enlisted men who were predominantly volunteers from Nordic countries, commanded by German officers. In February 1943, Hitler ordered the creation of an SS Division which would be officered by foreign volunteers. The ''Wiking's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Nordland'', a Scandinavian volunteer regiment, was pulled out of the line to be used as a cadre for the new division. The division was originally to receive the name ''Waräger'' (Varangians) but the name was rejected by Hitler himself. It was decided that the division was to continue using the already-existing regiment's name, ''Nordland''. The Nordland's two ''Panzergrenadier'' regiments were also given honour titles, with reference to the location where the majority of the regiment's recruits were from, ''SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 23 Norge'' (Norwegians) and ''SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark'' (Danes). Despite most volunteers hailing from Scandinavia, the ''Nordland'' carried the widest range of nationalities found in any single division. By the end of the war, Danish, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss and British volunteers and Estonian conscripts had either served in the division or been attached to it. After its formation in Germany, the division was attached to the III (Germanic) SS ''Panzer'' Corps under the command of ''Obergruppenführer'' Felix Steiner and was moved to Croatia for training and to complete its formation. Soon after its arrival, the SS Volunteer Legion Netherlands was attached to the division and it began combat operations against Josip Broz Tito's partisans. In late November, the ''Danmark'' regiment was involved in heavy fighting with a force of 5,000 partisans near Glina. During this period, the ''Nordland's'' Panzer Battalion, ''SS Panzer Battalion 11'', was given the honour title Hermann von Salza in honour of the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (b.1179-d.1239). In January 1944, orders were received to move the division to the Oranienbaum front near Leningrad, under the command of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' Walter Model's Army Group North. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|