At this time, its strength stood at 9,342 men. During this period, the brigade was redesignated 4th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Brigade Nederland. It was named after its commander Brigadeführer Hinrich Schuldt. Regt. After a short time, it ceased to exist, with only a few survivors under the command of SS-Untersturmführer Nieuwendijk-Hoek reaching the Tannenbergstellung a week later. Geneza. Das zweite Regiment der Brigade, das SS-Freiwilligen-Regiment 84 „Landstorm Nederland“ (niederländisches Nr. Pz. General Seyffardt was recruited to command the Legion, and all recruits were permitted to wear the Prinsenvlag (an unofficial Dutch national flag) on the sleeve of the uniform. During its time there, elements of the brigade were engaged in rear-security operations. It served on the Eastern Front and was composed of units drawn from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Polizei Divisions and a detachment from the Luftwaffe. In Persona; Sehr viel Zeit ist vergangen..... Zwiegespräch anläßlich des 100. In May 1943, the brigade formed a cadre for the 3 Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade and on 7 July it was sent to Borrissov on another security sweep. Wagner was extradited to Yugoslavia in 1947 to stand trial for war crimes. 3) , wurde zur gleichen Zeit aus dem SS-Wachbataillon 3 Nordwest und Angehörigen weiterer niederländischer SS- und Polizeieinheiten, sowie Rekruten des „Jeugdstorm“, der Jugendorganisation der NSB, gebildet. On 11 July 1941, Mussert called upon all able bodied members of the NSB to sign up for the Legion. The Dutch were seen as especially well qualified for service in the SS; a large recruiting drive, backed by the NSB and other collaborating organizations, was begun. After this action, the Dutch SS-Sturmmann Gerardus Mooyman received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for single-handedly destroying nineteen Soviet T-34s and KV-1s. Geburtstages SS-Freiwilligen Grenadier-Division "Landstorm Nederland") was a division in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. The division was authorized to wear a cuff title bearing its name, although even after its introduction, some personnel who had previously served with the “Freiwillige Legion Niederlande” continued to wear that cuff title. The Nederland took part in the abortive Operation Sonnenwende, and the battles near Altdamm in February 1945. In February 1945, the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland was to be merged into the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, but after protests from the Dutch National Socialist movement, the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB), it was formed into its own SS Panzer Grenadier Division, although its strength never reached more than a brigade. During the unit's presence in Courland, Wagner ordered the reprisal executions of an unknown number of civilians. The recruits went through basic training in Hamburg, before being sent on to Arys in East Prussia for further training. In April 1943, the Legion was ordered back to Sonneberg in Thüringen to be reformed as a Panzergrenadier brigade. Kampfgruppe General Seyffardt headed south, Kampfgruppe de Ruyter remained on the northern Oder front. Insignia of the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division, Battles in Courland and withdrawal to Germany, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Military units and formations established in 1945, Panzergrenadier divisions of the Waffen-SS, 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian), List of Knight's Cross recipients 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland, List of German military units of World War II, 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland, SS Volunteer Grenadier Brigade Landstorm Nederland, Waffen Grenadier Brigade of SS (Italian No. Soviet attacks resumed and continued throughout the spring thaw. Upon its arrival, the Brigade received 1,500 Dutch recruits, drawn from the veterans of SS Division Wiking. They participated in Operation Hermann (7 July) with various other units under the command of Generalmajor of Polizei von Gottberg. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Landstorm Nederland. In heavy fighting, the Kampfgruppe halted the enemy attack, destroying the spearhead. The Nederland had lost one of its two regiments, and many valuable veterans in it. In June, the Legion had its first chance to go on the offensive, destroying a large Red Army force near Fuhovga Lake. 23. SS-Rottenführer Derk Elsko Bruins of the Panzerjäger (anti-tank) Battalion destroyed 12 Soviet tanks in one engagement, earning himself the Knight's Cross. SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland se bat avec le Heeresgruppe Nord, dans le secteur de Leningrad puis à Narva. The Soviets saw this, and began laying heavy artillery fire on the withdrawing Dutchmen. The recruits were drawn mostly from the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (the Dutch Nazi Party). The Legion was then moved south near Lake Ladoga. On 10 February, the brigade was redesignated "23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland", although its strength at the time was barely 1,000 men. The evacuation, through the port of Libau, began immediately. The 83rd regiment took up positions on the Betuwe behind the Maas and the Waal and the 84th regiment was stationed south of the Veluwe. De naam werd aangepast naar SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland. For the next few weeks it was engaged in operations to prevent the Soviets from establishing a bridgehead on the west bank of the Volkhov. For the next few weeks it was engaged in operations to prevent the Soviets from establishing a bridgehead on the west bank of the Volkhov. During this period it was also engaged in several offensive operations aga… was formed on 21 April 1941 from surplus SS personnel of the SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 8 and the SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 10. The unit was then to take part in an offensive Operation Nordlicht, which was ultimately called off to deal with the Soviet Sinyavino Offensive. It was redesignated SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Brigade Nederland on 1 August 1944. During the withdrawal to the Tannenbergstellung defensive line, the Nederland was involved in rearguard actions. The formation was the size of a reinforced infantry battalion, with five motorized companies. In September, Leon Degrelle's Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) from 5.SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade Wallonien was placed under the command of the Nederland, bolstering its strength. Govorov again shifted his focus of attack back to the de Ruyter, commanded by SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Collani, a veteran of the Wiking division. During this period, the brigade was redesignated 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland. The new division was attached to Steiner's Eleventh SS Panzer Army, defending the Northern Oder region. Two of the division’s regiments were also named: SS-Frw. In April 1945, the division was split into two Kampfgruppen, based on the reformed 48th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Regiment "General Seyffardt" and the 49th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Regiment "de Ruyter". It was formed by converting … The brigade was almost immediately attacked by a large Soviet combined arms force, and suffered heavy casualties in just a few days fighting. Dutch volunteers, many members of the NSB, continued to sign up for the unit, and by July 1941 the formation was the size of a reinforced infantry battalion, boasting five fully motorized companies. The Dutch were organized into SS Volunteer Unit Niederlande. The Legion was moved back into the line alongside the SS-Freiwilligen-Legion Norwegen, a Norwegian volunteer outfit. In late June, it was transferred north to take part in the Siege of Leningrad. Da die ursprünglich für die Nordland-Division vorgesehenen Niederländer in die SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Brigade „Nederland“ überführt wurden, wurde die Division letztlich im November 1943 bei ihrem Einsatz in Kroatien mit sogenannten „Volksdeutschen“ ergänzt. The Legion arrived at the Volkhov River in mid-January 1942 and was engaged in rear-security activities. By July 1941, the Dutch were organized into SS Volunteer Unit Niederlande. The reaction of the brigade to the 20 July plot on Hitler's life had been one of shock and anger, several letters of sympathy and support were sent to Hitler by men from the Nederland. On 10 February, the Soviets launched a major offensive aimed at the relief of Leningrad. During the fighting in Courland, the brigade was subject to heavy partisan attacks, and after a number of these attacks, Wagner ordered the reprisal executions of an unknown number of civilians. During this battle, the Legion captured 3,500 prisoners, including General Andrey Vlasov, who was to become leader of the Russian Liberation Army. The regiment was forced from its positions, but a counterattack led by regimental commander SS-Standartenführer Wolfgang Jörchel retook the defensive works and averted a Soviet breakthrough. The next two major offensives to crush the pocket were not in Nederland's sector, and so besides minor skirmishes, the brigade was left in relative peace for the remainder of 1944. The Legion was engaged in defensive operations against incessant Soviet assaults until early June, and despite suffering heavy casualties, managed to hold their positions. In Yugoslavia, Wagner faced a trial for war crimes; he was sentenced to death for his actions against the civilian population. The following battles were known as the First Battle of Ladoga. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division „Nederland“ byla divize, která náležela do Waffen-SS a zúčastnila se bojů druhé světové války.Vznikla 10. února 1945 z SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier Brigade „Nederland“, která obdržela status divize.Mužstvo tvořili nizozemští dobrovolníci, většinou členové nizozemské nacistické strany NSB SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Brigade Nederland, nun in der niederländischen Schreibweise, bildete. The two Regiments were granted honour titles, the 48th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Regiment "General Seyffardt", in honour of their dead figurehead, and the 49th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Regiment "de Ruyter"; it was named after the seventeenth-century Dutch Admiral Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter. It saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II.. Trapped in the open, the General Seyffardt never stood a chance. When he discovered that his formation was to come under the control of the Waffen-SS, he objected, but the Germans ignored his complaints. The launch of Operation Bagration on 22 June resulted in Govorov stepping up the pressure. Besides the Russians, bands of Estonian soldiers, unwilling to leave their country and furious at the Germans for abandoning them, had turned to brigandry. After the failure of this offensive, the Legion was moved south of Leningrad, near to Lake Ladoga, to defend against expected Soviet attacks. The NSB leader, Anton Mussert encouraged his followers to join the new formation. Gren. SS-Infanterie-Brigade (mot.) In this illustrated study of the Dutch Waffen-SS Legion and Brigade, specialist Massimiliano Afiero explores the full history of this important formation from its establishment in 1941 until it was incorporated into the ‘Nederland' Division in 1944. The Soviet Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive cut through the weak infantry units formed out of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions. During the attacks, both formations saw very heavy fighting. Nederland's commander, Wagner, was forced to keep a company in reserve to deal with any attacks by the Estonians. The brigade was to be commanded by SS-Oberführer Jürgen Wagner. The Legion arrived at the Volkhov river in mid January 1942 and began setting up a defensive line. The Legion arrived at the Volkhov river in mid January 1942 and began setting up a defensive line. After a month's relative quiet in the trenches around the city, the Legion was pulled out of the line in preparation for Operation Nordlicht, an assault on Leningrad which was to be the decisive blow. On 6 February, General Seyffardt, while campaigning for new recruits in Amsterdam, was assassinated by the Dutch resistance. NSB Leader Anton Mussert saw the Legion as the forerunner to the new model Dutch Army. The 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland was a Germanic Waffen-SS division comprising volunteers of Dutch background. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland festgelegt wurde. Deze naam droeg het langer dan een jaar en vanaf 1 november 1944 werd het regiment een brigade. On 24 August, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler sent a letter to the Brigade, praising its fighting spirit. This resulted in the complete failure of the operation, with many units being removed from the battle to stop the counteroffensive. On February 10, 1945, the brigade was transformed into 34th SS Freiwilligen Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland. Hearing rumours of Americans nearby, the formation broke out to the west, surrendering to the US Army and being sent to a POW Camp near Kraak. It initially gained limited interest from the Dutch lower-middle class but never gained widespread support. Mooyman was the first non-German to receive the Knight's Cross. The second Courland offensive was launched by the Soviets on 27 October, the De Ruyter regiment saw heavy fighting, repelling two large infantry attacks. [citation needed] In 1940 Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the Reichskommissar for the Netherlands, had approved the creation of an NSB paramilitary police formation named Landwac… The voyage across the Baltic was dangerous, with the Red Air Force sinking many evacuation ships. It polled only three percent by 1939. Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, with the support of Adolf Hitler, began a campaign in late 1940 to recruit those European fascists of sufficiently Aryan stock into a series of "Legions", under the control of the Waffen-SS. The Nederland was to defend the northern and central flanks of the Ivangorod bridgehead. Armee se bat en Courlande. They conducted anti-partisan operations in the rear of the advancing German army and were involved in the Holocaust.They also filled gaps in the front line when called upon in emergencies. It was the largest Dutch SS unit. The fighting was brutal and no quarter was given on either side; however the Brigade showed itself capable in combat. ), Coastal defense West In February 1945, the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland was to be merged into “Nederland” is Dutch for “The Netherlands”, as this division was composed of Dutch volunteers. In September 1943, the Brigade sent to the Independent State of Croatia (Yugoslavia) to join SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner's III SS Panzer Corps currently forming in the area. SS Brigade Schuldt was a formation of the Waffen SS during World War II. The Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive cut through the weak infantry units formed out of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions defending the line, and by doing so knocked two large, if unreliable, units out of Steiner's newly formed corps. On 23 July, Steiner ordered a withdrawal to the Tannenberg Line. Soviet ground forces were brought in to trap the withdrawing Dutchmen, soon the regiment was under attack from the air and the ground. General Seyffardt was appointed to command the unit. Upon arrival at Sonneberg, the Legion was dissolved and began the task of reforming as the 'SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Brigade Nederland. After a feint attack towards Nordland's positions, Govorov directed his forces at the "General Seyffardt" regiment, holding the centre of the line. the Corps was to form a part of the 18.Armee. When the Panzer counterattack bogged down, Collani ordered his men to fall back to positions closer to Lilienbach. In early January, the Red Army launched another offensive which would be known as the Second Battle of Ladoga. On 25 December 1943, the brigade was transferred, along with Steiner's SS Corps, to Oranienbaum, Russia in Army Group North's sector. Despite the harsh attitude of the German Waffen-SS instructors, the recruits were committed to their cause and were soon highly trained.