15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
Encyclopedia
The 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian) was formed in the Waffen SS's drive for manpower in the wake of Operation Barbarossa
; Nazi Germany's
invasion of the Soviet Union
in June 1941. After a successful recruitment drive in the Reichskommissariat Ostland
(Baltic states
) for the Nazi anti-partisan brigades, Heinrich Himmler
formed Baltic legion
s by late August 1942, including the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion, the nucleus of the later 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.
However the small scale of these Legions were inadequate for widespread Russia
and soon merged into divisions
with the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion renamed as the SS-Freiwilligen-Division, with the numerical designation of 15 soon added. To bolster the numbers, Himmler enforced compulsory military service in the Ostland in age groups 1915-24 in 1943 then 1904-14 and 1925-26 in 1944. These Latvian
conscripts would form the renamed 15th Waffen-Grenadier-Division of the SS (note 'Voluntary' title dropped) in time for the Soviet attack of 1944. The 15th SS was swept up in the chaos of the collapse of the Eastern Front
and lost much of its spirit after the Soviet re-occupation of their homelands. It was soon trapped and decimated in their hopeless defence of Pomerania
.
The Division fought on the Pomeranian Wall
defences. At Podgaje
, on 2 February 1945, men of the division performed a war crime on Polish prisoners of war, burning in a barn 32 soldiers from the 4th Company, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Polish First Army
's 1st Infantry Division who were tied up in barbed wire.
However, out of fear of Russian revenge, it fought well in the last months of the war, with a surviving battalion in the last defence of Berlin
in mid-1945. Other remnants under Waffen-Standartenführer Vilis Janums surrendered to the advancing Americans at Güterglück
near the Elbe River.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
; Nazi Germany's
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in June 1941. After a successful recruitment drive in the Reichskommissariat Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland, literally "Reich Commissariat Eastland", was the civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany in the Baltic states and much of Belarus during World War II. It was also known as Reichskommissariat Baltenland initially...
(Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
) for the Nazi anti-partisan brigades, Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
formed Baltic legion
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
s by late August 1942, including the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion, the nucleus of the later 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.
However the small scale of these Legions were inadequate for widespread Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and soon merged into divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
with the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion renamed as the SS-Freiwilligen-Division, with the numerical designation of 15 soon added. To bolster the numbers, Himmler enforced compulsory military service in the Ostland in age groups 1915-24 in 1943 then 1904-14 and 1925-26 in 1944. These Latvian
Latvians
Latvians or Letts are the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia.-History:Latvians occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia...
conscripts would form the renamed 15th Waffen-Grenadier-Division of the SS (note 'Voluntary' title dropped) in time for the Soviet attack of 1944. The 15th SS was swept up in the chaos of the collapse of the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
and lost much of its spirit after the Soviet re-occupation of their homelands. It was soon trapped and decimated in their hopeless defence of Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
.
The Division fought on the Pomeranian Wall
Pomeranian Wall
Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian lakeland region. It was constructed in two phases. In the years 1930-1935 it was constructed as a light defensive position in case of an attack from the Second Polish...
defences. At Podgaje
Podgaje
Podgaje may refer to the following places:*Podgaje, Greater Poland Voivodeship *Podgaje, Busko County in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship *Podgaje, Kazimierza County in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship...
, on 2 February 1945, men of the division performed a war crime on Polish prisoners of war, burning in a barn 32 soldiers from the 4th Company, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Polish First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
's 1st Infantry Division who were tied up in barbed wire.
However, out of fear of Russian revenge, it fought well in the last months of the war, with a surviving battalion in the last defence of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
in mid-1945. Other remnants under Waffen-Standartenführer Vilis Janums surrendered to the advancing Americans at Güterglück
Güterglück
Güterglück is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Zerbst....
near the Elbe River.
Commanders
- SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor Peter Hansen (February 25, 1943 - May 1, 1943)
- SS-Gruppenführer und Generalmajor Carl Graf von Pückler-Burghauss (May 1, 1943 - February 17, 1944)
- SS-Oberführer Nikolaus Heilmann (February 17, 1944 - July 21, 1944)
- SS-Oberführer Herbert von Obwurzer (July 21, 1944 - January 26, 1945)
- SS-Oberführer Dr. Eduard DeisenhoferEduard DeisenhoferDr. Eduard Deisenhofer was an officer and commander in the German Waffen-SS who served with several combat divisions on both the eastern and western fronts, earning several high grade distinctions, such as the Close Combat Clasp, and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
(January 26, 1945) - SS-Oberführer Adolf AxAdolf AxAdolf Ax was a German SS-Oberführer , who was decorated with Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ....
(January 26, 1945 - February 15, 1945) - SS-Oberführer, later Brigadeführer und Generalmajor Karl Burk (February 15, - May 2, 1945)
Order of battle
- Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 32
- Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 33
- Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 34
- Waffen Artillery Regiment of SS 15
- Waffen Füsilier Battalion of SS 15
- Waffen Flak Battalion of SS 15
- Waffen Signals Battalion of SS 15
- Waffen Pionier Battalion of SS 15
- Waffen PanzerjägerPanzerjägerPanzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
Battalion of SS 15 - SS Medical Battalion 15
- SS Nachschub Troop 15
- SS Feldpost Department 15
- SS Veterinary Company 15
- SS Wirtschafts Battalion 15
- SS Bau Regiment 1 of 15. SS-Division
- SS Bau Regiment 2 of 15. SS-Division
- SS Feldersatz Battalion 15
- SS Waffen FeldgendarmerieFeldgendarmerieThe Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
Troop 15 - SS War Reporter Troop 15
See also
- List of Knight's Cross recipients 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
- 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was an Infantry Division of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was the second Latvian division formed in January 1944, after its sister unit, the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS...
- Waffen-SSWaffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
- Division (military)Division (military)A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
, Military unit - WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
- List of German military units of World War II