Flemish Legion
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Flemish Legion | |
---|---|
Active | 1941–1943 1943–1945 |
Country | Belgium |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Waffen-SS[a] |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Battalion, brigade and later division, though never larger than brigade-strength. |
Engagements |
|
The Flemish Legion (
Established in July 1941, the Flemish Legion was envisaged by the
The Flemish Legion was officially disbanded in May 1943 and reformed within the Waffen-SS as the SS Assault Brigade Langemarck (SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck). 200 soldiers refused to swear allegiance to
Background
VNV and nationalist collaboration in Flanders
There were several political parties in
After the Belgian Army's surrender on 28 May 1940, a Military Administration was created to govern the German-occupied Belgium. Hoping to expand its support in Flanders and influenced by Nazi racial ideals, it adopted the so-called Flamenpolitik which gave preferential treatment to the Flemish population over the French-speaking Walloons in areas such as the repatriation of Belgian prisoners of war. The VNV hoped to use German support to expand its own political influence within Flanders. After the start of the occupation, it shifted its ideological position to be more compatible with Nazi ideas and suspended demands for Flemish secession from Belgium.[3]
Early recruitment campaign
In the first months of the occupation, the VNV's privileged position was increasingly challenged by smaller and more radically collaborationist groups including the
Formation
The German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 expanded the activities of collaborationist groups in Belgium and elsewhere in German-occupied Europe. On 8 July 1941, the VNV announced its intention to recruit a "Flemish Legion" to fight as part of the German forces on the Eastern Front. In propaganda, the Legion was depicted as the first step towards the creation of an independent Flemish army. It was advertised that the unit would be commanded by Flemish officers, and volunteers who had previously served in the Belgian Army were told that they would be able to retain past ranks and privileges.[7] Approximately 560 men were recruited between July and August 1941.[8] In practice, most of the recruits had been active members of the VNV.[7] The creation of the Flemish Legion also forced the Rexist Party, a largely French-speaking group in Belgium, to recruit a "Walloon Legion" rather than the "Belgian Legion" it had originally advocated.[8]
The volunteers were transported to Dębica in modern-day Poland in August 1941. The first signs of dissatisfaction began to emerge as it became apparent that the unit would actually be commanded purely by Germans and that many of the other promises made during the recruitment campaign would not be kept.[7] Discipline was harsh, and Flemish volunteers were often subject to "systematic humiliation".[7] At the time, the Germans attempted to amalgamate the new volunteers into the Wiking formation. The majority of the new recruits refused to join the Waffen-SS and the units were instead joined into a new battalion-sized Flemish Legion, itself associated with the larger Volunteer Legion Netherlands.[9] In practice, the autonomy of the Flemish Legion would be increasingly ignored by the German military authorities and the VNV was unable to protest without compromising its own political position.[9]
As with some other formations at the time, the Flemish Legion was technically a "legion" attached to the Waffen-SS rather than a part of the Waffen-SS itself. According to the historian David Littlejohn, "the Germans were anxious to convey the impression of a semi-independent national unit" but the distinction was always illusory and was eventually abandoned in 1943.[1] In practice, the Flemish Legion was effectively indistinguishable from other units of the Waffen-SS from the start and its personnel wore standard Waffen-SS uniforms with only a small shield-shaped badge depicting a Flemish lion to mark them out.[1] In its first months, it was officially designated the SS Volunteer Legion "Flanders" (SS-Freiwilligen Legioen Flandern).
Deployment on the Eastern Front
Battles around Leningrad
The Flemish Legion was declared to be battleworthy and was deployed to the sector around
A large-scale offensive aimed to relieve Leningrad was launched by the Red Army in January 1942. The Flemish Legion was involved in heavy fighting and took significant losses. Reimond Tollenaere, a leading figure within the VNV who had enlisted in the unit, was killed in a friendly fire incident in the same month.[1] Michael Lippert, the Legion's unpopular German commanding officer, was wounded in April 1942. He was replaced with Conrad Schellong, another German officer, who had previously served in the Wiking Division.[b] [10]
The Legion was withdrawn from the front in June 1942 after almost six months in combat but were re-deployed to the region again in August 1942. They were finally withdrawn from the line in March 1943 in anticipation of the unit's reorganisation.[10]
Ukraine
Soon after arriving at Dębica, the Legion was ordered to move on to Milovice in Bohemia.
In May 1943, the Flemish Legion was amalgamated with other Flemish volunteers to form the new SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck on the orders of
In addition to the veterans of Flandern, the Sturmbrigade now gained a contingent of new Flemish volunteers, an anti-tank Panzerjäger company, an assault gun battalion equipped with
On 26 December 1943, Langemarck was sent to
In January, 1944 the Langemarck and elements of Das Reich were encircled by Soviet forces near
Narva – Kurland Pocket
In Bohemia, 1,700 new recruits were waiting to join the division, and soon it was back up to strength. On 19 July 1944, Kampfgruppe Rehmann was formed, commanded by SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Rehmann. KG Rehmann, consisting of the Langemarck's 2nd battalion was sent to the Narva front to become a part of Felix Steiner's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps which was defending the Tannenberg Line. The Tannenberg Line was anchored on three strategic hills. Running west to east, these were known as Hill 69.9 (69.9-Höhe), Grenadier Hill (Grenadier-Höhe) and Orphanage Hill (Kinderheim-Höhe). From Orphanage Hill, the rear side of the town of Narva could be protected. KG Rehmann was tasked with defending Orphanage Hill.
Fighting alongside men of the
Over the next few months, Langemarck, along with the remainder of Steiner's Corps, executed a fighting withdrawal into the
Pomerania – Oder Front
The new Langemarck division was designated 27th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Langemarck. While the influx of displaced Flemings meant that the division had a solid base to be formed on, it also meant that more training was required. It was not until 1 January 1945 that the division was ready to be sent back into the line. The Langemarck was once again attached to III. (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, now a part of Steiner's newly formed
On 16 February, a kampfgruppe with the most experienced men of the division was ordered on the offensive as a part of
Despite initial gains, the attack soon bogged down after III. (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, with Nordland, Langemarck and Wallonie in the vanguard, reached Arnswalde. Heavy Soviet counterattacks threatened to encircle the corps, and so after evacuating all civilian survivors, Steiner canceled the operation and ordered the corps back to the area around
The Soviet offensive of 1 March pushed Langemarck along with the rest of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps before it. By 4 March, the division was falling back to the area around Altdamm, the last defensive position east of the Oder. On the 19th, the unit fell back behind the Oder. As a part of Steiner's XI SS Panzer Army, the Langemarck, now reduced to a Kampfgruppe, began falling back towards
Commanders
- SS-Sturmbannführer Michael Lippert (24 September 1941 – 2 April 1942)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Conrad Schellong (11 July 1942 – October 1944)
- SS-Oberführer Thomas Müller(October 1944 – 2 May 1945)
See also
- Walloon Legion
- List of German divisions in World War II
- List of Waffen-SS divisions
- Ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS
- Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts
References
Notes
- ^ In its first months, the Flemish Legion was a notionally independent "legion" attached to the Waffen SS. However, in practice the unit was "from the start, an integral part" of it.[1] The "pretence" was finally dropped in May 1943 when the unit was redesignated the SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck.
- ^ It had initially been contemplated that Lippert would be replaced by Hans-Albert von Lettow-Vorbeck who was popular with the VNV and reputedly showed more "sensitivity" to the needs of non-German troops. Before he could assume command, he was re-assigned as a temporary commander of the Free Corps Denmark and was killed almost immediately afterwards in June 1942 and was never confirmed as the commander of the Flemish Legion.[10]
Citations
- ^ a b c d Littlejohn 1972, p. 166.
- ^ a b c Wouters 2018, p. 261.
- ^ Wouters 2018, pp. 262–3.
- ^ Wouters 2018, pp. 263–4.
- ^ a b Wouters 2018, p. 265.
- ^ Littlejohn 1972, p. 164.
- ^ a b c d Littlejohn 1972, p. 165.
- ^ a b Wouters 2018, pp. 266–8.
- ^ a b Wouters 2018, pp. 269–70.
- ^ a b c Littlejohn 1972, p. 167.
- ^ a b Wouters 2018, p. 273.
Bibliography
- Littlejohn, David (1972). The Patriotic Traitors: A History of Collaboration in German-occupied Europe, 1940-45. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-434-42725-X.
- Wouters, Nico (2018). "Belgium". In Stahel, David (ed.). Joining Hitler's Crusade: European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 260–87. ISBN 978-1-316-51034-6.
Further reading
- Carrein, Kristof (1999). "De Vlaamse Oostfronters. Sociaal profiel en wervingsverloop, novembre 1941 – augustus 1944". Bijdragen tot de Eigentijdse Geschiedenis (6).
- ISBN 9020911929.
- De Wever, Bruno (1994). Greep naar de Macht. Vlaams-nationalisme en Nieuwe Orde: het VNV, 1933–1945. Tielt: Lannoo. ISBN 902092267X.
- JSTOR 30196348.
- Seberechts, Frank (2019). Drang naar het Oosten. Vlaamse soldaten en kolonisten aan het oostfront. Antwerp: Uitgeverij Polis. ISBN 978-94-6310-083-0.
- Gingerich, Mark P. (1997). "Waffen SS Recruitment in the "Germanic Lands," 1940-1941". The Historian. 59 (4): 815–830. JSTOR 24451818.
External links
- Légion Flamande (Vlaams Legioen) at Belgium-WWII (Cegesoma)