Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS

Origin and background

The cooperation with the Finnish government not only allowed that the service was credited in the volunteer battalion in Finland as military service, but also the use of active soldiers and officers of the Finnish army. Because originally, was intended to form a motorized infantry regiment, which should be commanded in contrast to other volunteer units of the Waffen -SS exclusively by Finns, the number of officers and NCOs were well above the level required for a battalion.

In order to consolidate the common brotherhood of arms, the battalion was placed in the tradition of the Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion No. 27, which had been erected in 1916 for the fight against Russia from Finland and in 1918 formed the core of the Finnish army.

Use

Losses and whereabouts

The number of fallen Finnish volunteers is given as 256, with the volunteers who continue to serve in the Waffen- SS after 1943, were not included. The survivors left the front in May 1943 towards Auerbach Grafenwöhr (Bavaria), where the regiment Nordland was dissolved. The Farewell Ceremony of the Finnish Volunteer Battalion was held in Ruhpolding on 23 May 1943. The returnees arrived Hanko (Finland ) on 2 June 1943 and (July 11 1943) were reintegrated into the Finnish army after the final resolution of their battalion.