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Latvian Legion
The Latvian Legion (Latvian: Latviešu leģions) was a formation of the Nazi German Waffen-SS during World War II. Formed in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvian men. The legion initially consisted of two divisions of the Waffen-SS: the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian), and the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian). Later in the war, Arajs Kommando was disbanded and some of its members were transferred to the Latvian Legion.
The 15th Division was administratively subordinated to the VI SS Corps, but operationally it was in reserve or at the disposal of the XXXXIII Army Corps, 16th Army, Army Group North. The 19th Division held out in the Courland Pocket until May 1945, the close of World War II, when it was among the last of Nazi Germany's forces to surrender.
All-volunteer Latvian Police Battalions were formed in late 1941 for security duties and serving on the Eastern Front under Wehrmacht command; they were also referred to as auxiliary police. The Latvian Legion was formed on the orders of Adolf Hitler following a request by Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS; the 15th Division (1st brigade) was created on 25 February 1943. The 2nd brigade was formed in May 1943 but wasn't designated as the 19th Division until early 1944.
Holocaust perpetrators Arajs Kommando were merged into the Legion, in December 1943, with the former Arajs unit placed in charge of the III Battalion. They were less than 5 percent of Latvian Legion.
Under the Rosenberg labor decree of December 1941, the Germans began conscripting Latvians in early 1942, giving them a choice between joining the labor service or the police battalions. One month after the unit was founded, German occupation authorities in Latvia started conscripting military-age men specifically for the Legion. Draftees were given a choice between serving in the Wehrmacht-subordinated Waffen-SS Legion, serving as German Wehrmacht auxiliaries, or in the paramilitary State Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst). Unlike in Lithuania, potential recruits in Latvia did not organize an official boycott of conscription. Of the approximately 80,000 Latvians initially called up for "voluntary" service, 85 percent chose to register, a surprisingly high number and on the same level as in the German Reich.
When Nazi Germany began losing the war, conscription was extended to larger and larger numbers of Latvians. The first conscription, in 1943, applied to all Latvian men born from 1919 to 1924. Subsequent conscriptions eventually extended to Latvians born between 1906 and 1928. The division commanders and most of the staff were German SS officers. Individual combat regiments were typically commanded by Latvian officers. Only about 15 percent of those who served did so voluntarily.
After the Red Army broke through German lines at Nevel along the 1st Baltic Front in November 1943, advancing on Latvia, the Latvian Self-Administration took over mobilization from the Germans on November 13. By June 26 there were 7,671 ethnic Russians from Latvia's Latgale, representing ten percent of men from the region, serving in various units of the Latvian Legion. On July 1, 1944, the Latvian Legion had 87,550 men. Another 23,000 Latvians were serving as Wehrmacht "auxiliaries".
The first Latvian Legion unit was the 2nd Latvian SS Brigade, created in February 1943. It fought its first battle in the Siege of Leningrad, opposite the Pulkovo observatory on 18 March 1943. It continued fighting around Leningrad until the German forces retreated in January 1944.
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Latvian Legion AI simulator
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Latvian Legion
The Latvian Legion (Latvian: Latviešu leģions) was a formation of the Nazi German Waffen-SS during World War II. Formed in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvian men. The legion initially consisted of two divisions of the Waffen-SS: the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian), and the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian). Later in the war, Arajs Kommando was disbanded and some of its members were transferred to the Latvian Legion.
The 15th Division was administratively subordinated to the VI SS Corps, but operationally it was in reserve or at the disposal of the XXXXIII Army Corps, 16th Army, Army Group North. The 19th Division held out in the Courland Pocket until May 1945, the close of World War II, when it was among the last of Nazi Germany's forces to surrender.
All-volunteer Latvian Police Battalions were formed in late 1941 for security duties and serving on the Eastern Front under Wehrmacht command; they were also referred to as auxiliary police. The Latvian Legion was formed on the orders of Adolf Hitler following a request by Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS; the 15th Division (1st brigade) was created on 25 February 1943. The 2nd brigade was formed in May 1943 but wasn't designated as the 19th Division until early 1944.
Holocaust perpetrators Arajs Kommando were merged into the Legion, in December 1943, with the former Arajs unit placed in charge of the III Battalion. They were less than 5 percent of Latvian Legion.
Under the Rosenberg labor decree of December 1941, the Germans began conscripting Latvians in early 1942, giving them a choice between joining the labor service or the police battalions. One month after the unit was founded, German occupation authorities in Latvia started conscripting military-age men specifically for the Legion. Draftees were given a choice between serving in the Wehrmacht-subordinated Waffen-SS Legion, serving as German Wehrmacht auxiliaries, or in the paramilitary State Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst). Unlike in Lithuania, potential recruits in Latvia did not organize an official boycott of conscription. Of the approximately 80,000 Latvians initially called up for "voluntary" service, 85 percent chose to register, a surprisingly high number and on the same level as in the German Reich.
When Nazi Germany began losing the war, conscription was extended to larger and larger numbers of Latvians. The first conscription, in 1943, applied to all Latvian men born from 1919 to 1924. Subsequent conscriptions eventually extended to Latvians born between 1906 and 1928. The division commanders and most of the staff were German SS officers. Individual combat regiments were typically commanded by Latvian officers. Only about 15 percent of those who served did so voluntarily.
After the Red Army broke through German lines at Nevel along the 1st Baltic Front in November 1943, advancing on Latvia, the Latvian Self-Administration took over mobilization from the Germans on November 13. By June 26 there were 7,671 ethnic Russians from Latvia's Latgale, representing ten percent of men from the region, serving in various units of the Latvian Legion. On July 1, 1944, the Latvian Legion had 87,550 men. Another 23,000 Latvians were serving as Wehrmacht "auxiliaries".
The first Latvian Legion unit was the 2nd Latvian SS Brigade, created in February 1943. It fought its first battle in the Siege of Leningrad, opposite the Pulkovo observatory on 18 March 1943. It continued fighting around Leningrad until the German forces retreated in January 1944.