5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien
Encyclopedia
The 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien was formed from the 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien which was a Belgian
Waffen SS volunteer brigade comprising volunteers of Walloon background. It saw action on the Eastern Front
during World War II
.
In September of 1944, the Sturmbrigade had its status raised to that of a division, but its strength never reached more than a brigade.
, as it was all over Europe, including the French
speaking region of Wallonia. Leon Degrelle
, owner of a newspaper, and before the war known as an ardent Catholic
, had founded the Rexist party in 1930. The Rexists watched the rise of Adolf Hitler's
NSDAP in Germany through the 1930s and campaigned strongly for similar changes in their own country, some even striving for the establishment of an independent Walloon nation.
When the Germans launched Fall Gelb in May 1940, the Belgian authorities placed Degrelle in custody to prevent him assisting the advancing enemy by raising dissent. Soon after Belgium's capitulation, Degrelle was released and he immediately set about the work of furthering the Rexist party's aims of an independent Walloon state. Despite his efforts, Degrelle's Rexists were largely ignored by the Germans, who were focusing their efforts on rousing the Flemings to their cause. Degrelle, seeing that Germany was not interested in his Rexists, began using his excellent oratory powers to gather a fighting force together for the expected Crusade against Bolshevism.
The unit, consisting mostly of men from the Formations de Combat, the paramilitary arm of the Rexist Party, was christened Corps Franc Wallonie (Walloon Free Corps). While Degrelle was in Paris
campaigning for recognition of his party, the Germans ordered the formation of Wallonische Legion for service in the east. Degrelle rushed back to find that his pretensions of military leadership were not to be. Command of the Legion, which had absorbed the Corps Franc Wallonie, was to go to Captain-Commandant
Georges Jacobs, a retired Belgian colonial officer.
Degrelle's lack of military training meant that his request to be commissioned as an officer was denied, and so he signed on as a private soldier. On 8 August 1941, the Legion, now 860 strong, was sent to Meseritz
in East Prussia
for basic training. In early October, the Legion was incorporated into the Heer
as 373. (Wallonische) Infanterie Battalion. On 15 October, the Battalion was ordered to the front, to operate as a part of Army Group South
currently advancing through Ukraine
.
duties. At this stage, the German commanders saw the undersized Battalion as a political statement, rather than a combat worthy formation, and so were hesitant to commit it to a major action.
After a brief stint serving under Panzergruppe 1, the Battalion was attached to the 17. Armee. During this period, the Walloons were the subject of ridicule by their German counterparts, and several complaints were filed with the OKW. The Battalion suffered casualties during the winter of 1941-42, and the combination of this and the ridicule of the Walloons by the Germans meant that the Battalion's morale plummeted. To make matters worse, on 10 December all the Battalions heavy weapons were confiscated and distributed to combat units. With the Walloons close to outright mutiny
, the Germans appointed a new commander, Belgian staff officer Hauptmann B.E.M. Pierre Pauly and attached a German liaison officer.
Before these changes could take effect, the Battalion was thrown into the line to halt a Soviet breakthrough near Dnepropetrovsk on the Donets river. Fighting alongside the SS Germania regiment from the SS-Division Das Reich, the Walloons defended the village of Gromovayabalka from attacks by large enemy forces. After a second attack on 28 February, 1942 took most of the village, Pauly rallied his men and in fierce house to house fighting recaptured the position. On 2 March, the Battalion was relieved. During this action, the Walloons had lost over a third of their strength, but gained the respect of their Heer counterparts. Among those who received decorations was Leon Degrelle, who was also promoted to Feldwebel
for his bravery in the action.
The action at Gromovayabalka had restored the battalion's morale, and soon after Pauly was replaced by Hauptmann Georges Tchekhoff, a former Imperial Russian naval officer who had emigrated to Belgium after the October Revolution
. More recruits from the Rexists arrived to restore the strength of the Battalion, and in May it was attached to the 97th Jäger Division. Hauptmann Lucien Lippert replaced Tchekoff as the formations commander, and he proved popular with the men. During the reforming of the Battalion, Degrelle was finally commissioned as a Leutnant.
During Fall Blau offensive into the Caucasus
, the Walloons were positioned to guard the supply lines of the assault, seeing little action. In early August, the Walloons were called upon to clear a small village. During this battle, Degrelle was awarded the Iron Cross
second class. In late August, the Battalion was pulled out of action and posted to flank security. During this time it came into contact with Felix Steiner's
SS-Division Wiking. Degrelle and Steiner got along well, and Degrelle was impressed by the ethos of the Waffen-SS
. In December, Degrelle was ordered to Berlin
to coordinate the formation of a second Walloon Battalion, but Degrelle had already decided to take his Walloons to the Waffen-SS.
, the Battalion was transferred to SS command. Around 1,600 volunteers who had been assembled in Meseritz to form the second Army battalion were also transferred to the SS training area at Wildflecken
. Over the next few months, the Army Battalion was transformed into the SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, commanded by Oberst (now SS-Sturmbannführer) Lucien Lippert with SS-Hauptsturmführer Leon Degrelle as second-in-command. In October, the Wallonien was redesignated 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, and was to be equipped as a fully motorized brigade with a complement of 250 vehicles.
By November 1943, the Wallonien was deemed fit for combat and was sent to Ukraine
to fight alongside the Wiking, now designated 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking.
On December 24, 1943 the Soviets launched the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive, an operation aimed at clearing the area west of the Dnieper of German forces. Involving four Ukrainian Fronts and one Byelorussian Front, these operations would last until April 24, 1944. The Wallonien and the Wiking, along with eleven other German divisions of 1. Panzer Army
and 8. Army
were positioned in a salient based on the western bank of the river, and so were naturally the first target for the Soviet operations.
Soviet forces occupied the strategically important forest near Teklino, and threatened to sever communication lines between Smila and Cherkassy. After three failed assaults by Wiking's Germania and Narwa SS-Panzergrenadier Regiments, the Wiking's commander ordered the Wallonien into action. The day before the assault, skeptical Wiking veterans posted signs around the assembly area:
In temperatures below freezing, with 2 feet of snow on the ground, Wallonien attacked across an open field towards the forest, clearing the treeline and advancing into the forest, being halted just short of their objective. Realising that enemy reinforcements were reacting quickly to any attack and stalling the Wallonien's attacks, Lippert ordered a dozen three man machinegun teams to infiltrate the enemy lines and take up positions covering the route the Soviets used to bring up reinforcements. He then ordered the Wallonien to attack again. Over 700 Soviet log-pits and bunkers were destroyed during the attack. Despite this victory, the Soviets soon encircled the forces of XLII and XI Army Corps near Korsun
.
During the battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket
, the Wallonien was given the task of defending against Soviet attacks on the Eastern side of the pocket. After the 105. Regiment of the 72. Infanterie Division
became exhausted defending Novaya-Buda from Soviet attacks, the Wallonien was sent to relieve them. While General der Artillerie Wilhelm Stemmerman, the overall commander for the trapped forces, moved his forces to the west of the pocket in readiness for a breakout attempt, Wallonien and Wiking were ordered to act as a rearguard. During the desperate fighting, Lippert was killed. Degrelle quickly took command of the Brigade, and after repulsing all Soviet attempts to break through near the town of Novaya-Buda, the Wallonien began withdrawing one platoon at a time, under cover of darkness. Advancing through Hell's Gate, the brigade came under heavy enemy fire with little or no cover. Of the brigade's 2,000 men, only 632 survived the carnage of the Korsun Pocket. For his actions in the battle, Degrelle was awarded the Knight's Cross
and promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer. A propaganda
campaign was launched which successfully portrayed Degrelle as a hero to pro-German Europeans. The gravity of the Korsun disaster was downplayed, and Degrelle took an active role in promoting the Wallonien, addressing 10,000 people at the Brussels Sports Stadium. When he was awarded the Knight's Cross in Berlin, Hitler said to him of the Korsun affair You had me worried. The veterans of the 6.SS Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade Langemarck
, the other Belgian SS formation, caustically remarked that they too had suffered at Korsun, but they had no Degrelle to make a fuss about it.
The ragged remains of the Wallonien was sent back to Wildflecken to be reformed. Large numbers of new recruits were arriving thanks to the propaganda campaign, which had been augmented by a widely attended march of the Wallonien survivors through Brussels
. In June 1944, the Battles around Narva
(Known as the Battle of the European SS) were beginning to go badly for the German Army Group North
. A 440 man battalion of the Wallonien was sent to Estonia
to assist in the defence of the Tannenberg Line. Operating under SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
, the battalion was thrown into the line near Dorpat, attempting to halt a Soviet breakthrough at Pskov
. On 10 August, the battalion joined Kampfgruppe
Wagner, and for three weeks fought against Soviet tank, infantry, artillery and air attacks. By the end of the month, only 200 men remained. After Operation Bagration, Army Group North
began to fall back into the Kurland Pocket. During the retreat, the battalion escaped entrapment by leaving through the port of Tallinn (Reval) on the Baltic
. During this period, the leader of the Panzerjäger platoon, SS-Untersturmführer Léon Gillis, received the Knight's Cross for his actions in single-handedly destroying a number (anywhere from 14 to 19) of T-34
s. In early August, Degrelle was flown out of the Kurland Pocket to receive the Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross for his actions during the Battle of Narva.
The shattered remnants of the Battalion were sent back to join the rest of the Brigade, which was located at Breslau.
then to Braunschweig
to continue training. The new Walloon recruits were joined by Frenchmen from the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
and Spaniards of the Blue Division
. Most of the new recruits lacked any military training, so only about 4,000 men were ready for action. These men were formed into a Kampfgruppe and sent to the region near Stargard and Stettin in Pomerania
, joining the XXIX Panzer Corps, a part of Felix Steiner's XI SS Panzer Army.
The Wallonien was scheduled to take part in Operation Sonnenwende, the major offensive to relieve German troops encircled at Arnswalde. Wallonien was to operate in the area between the Madu See and the Plone See (Pomerania
), covering the flank of the main attack. The offensive was launched on the 15th of February 1945, and met with initial success. However, after the III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps reached Arnswalde, the situation changed and the Soviet defence began to solidify. Despite the XI Panzer Army causing heavy casualties, the offensive stalled. In heavy fighting, the Wallonien sustained as well as inflicted heavy losses, and eventually began a fighting withdrawal.
The Soviet counter-offensive, launched on 1 March, pushed the Wallonien before it, and over the next few weeks was in almost constant combat throughout Central Pomerania until it reached the Oder
near Stettin. The Wallonien, fighting alongside the Langemarck managed to hold a thin strip of land on the eastern bank of the Oder until it was forced back across the river in early April, 1945. At this point the Walloons held a council of war and released those volunteers who no longer wished to continue the hopeless fight. 23 Officers and 625 men chose to remain, and they assembled in one last battalion, plentifully equipped with machine guns, panzerfaust
s, mortars, and automatic rifles. At the end of March, a second battalion had been formed from men of the artillery and engineer units who had come forward from their technical schools, but this formation appears to have never been committed to battle. The Langemarck (Flemish), who had also consolidated their remaining troops into two heavily armed battalions and an artillery section, was merged with the Wallonien under command of its tactical leader, SS-Sturmbannführer Franz Hellebaut. Joining the French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians was one German battalion and a section of tank destroyers. Langemarck's SS-Standartenführer Schellong commanded the artillery and one of the Flemish battalions.
After the final Soviet offensive of 20 April, 1945, the Belgians held as best they could, but were soon swept aside by the advancing Soviets. After several unsuccessful counter-attacks, the Belgian units realised all was lost and Degrelle ordered his troops to make it to Lübeck
, where they eventually surrendered to British troops. Degrelle himself then drove with his bodyguard into Denmark
. In a very risky action with a Heinkel He-111 aeroplane with very little fuel, Degrelle then flew from Norway
to Spain where he spent the rest of his life in exile. Belgium convicted him of treason in absentia and condemned him to death by firing squad. Degrelle died in 1994.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Waffen SS volunteer brigade comprising volunteers of Walloon background. It saw action on 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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In September of 1944, the Sturmbrigade had its status raised to that of a division, but its strength never reached more than a brigade.
Concept and formation
Before the outbreak of World War II, Fascism was quite popular in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, as it was all over Europe, including the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
speaking region of Wallonia. Leon Degrelle
Léon Degrelle
Léon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle was a Walloon Belgian politician, who founded Rexism and later joined the Waffen SS which were front-line troops in the fight against the Soviet Union...
, owner of a newspaper, and before the war known as an ardent Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, had founded the Rexist party in 1930. The Rexists watched the rise of Adolf Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
NSDAP in Germany through the 1930s and campaigned strongly for similar changes in their own country, some even striving for the establishment of an independent Walloon nation.
When the Germans launched Fall Gelb in May 1940, the Belgian authorities placed Degrelle in custody to prevent him assisting the advancing enemy by raising dissent. Soon after Belgium's capitulation, Degrelle was released and he immediately set about the work of furthering the Rexist party's aims of an independent Walloon state. Despite his efforts, Degrelle's Rexists were largely ignored by the Germans, who were focusing their efforts on rousing the Flemings to their cause. Degrelle, seeing that Germany was not interested in his Rexists, began using his excellent oratory powers to gather a fighting force together for the expected Crusade against Bolshevism.
The unit, consisting mostly of men from the Formations de Combat, the paramilitary arm of the Rexist Party, was christened Corps Franc Wallonie (Walloon Free Corps). While Degrelle was in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
campaigning for recognition of his party, the Germans ordered the formation of Wallonische Legion for service in the east. Degrelle rushed back to find that his pretensions of military leadership were not to be. Command of the Legion, which had absorbed the Corps Franc Wallonie, was to go to Captain-Commandant
Captain-Commandant
Captain-Commandant is a subaltern commissioned officer rank in the Air component, Land component, the old Belgian Gendarmerie and Medical component of the Belgian Armed Forces. A Kapitein-Commandant or Capitaine-Commandant ranks directly above a Captain and immediately under a Major...
Georges Jacobs, a retired Belgian colonial officer.
Degrelle's lack of military training meant that his request to be commissioned as an officer was denied, and so he signed on as a private soldier. On 8 August 1941, the Legion, now 860 strong, was sent to Meseritz
Meseritz
Meseritz may refer to:* Kreis Meseritz, a historical administrative subdivision of Posen District* German name for Międzyrzec Podlaski, a city in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland* German name for Międzyrzecz, a town in Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland...
in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
for basic training. In early October, the Legion was incorporated into the Heer
Wehrmacht
The 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:...
as 373. (Wallonische) Infanterie Battalion. On 15 October, the Battalion was ordered to the front, to operate as a part of Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
currently advancing through Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
A shaky beginning - career with the Heer
Upon its arrival at the front, the Battalion was assigned to the rear area to participate anti-partisanPartisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
duties. At this stage, the German commanders saw the undersized Battalion as a political statement, rather than a combat worthy formation, and so were hesitant to commit it to a major action.
After a brief stint serving under Panzergruppe 1, the Battalion was attached to the 17. Armee. During this period, the Walloons were the subject of ridicule by their German counterparts, and several complaints were filed with the OKW. The Battalion suffered casualties during the winter of 1941-42, and the combination of this and the ridicule of the Walloons by the Germans meant that the Battalion's morale plummeted. To make matters worse, on 10 December all the Battalions heavy weapons were confiscated and distributed to combat units. With the Walloons close to outright mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
, the Germans appointed a new commander, Belgian staff officer Hauptmann B.E.M. Pierre Pauly and attached a German liaison officer.
Before these changes could take effect, the Battalion was thrown into the line to halt a Soviet breakthrough near Dnepropetrovsk on the Donets river. Fighting alongside the SS Germania regiment from the SS-Division Das Reich, the Walloons defended the village of Gromovayabalka from attacks by large enemy forces. After a second attack on 28 February, 1942 took most of the village, Pauly rallied his men and in fierce house to house fighting recaptured the position. On 2 March, the Battalion was relieved. During this action, the Walloons had lost over a third of their strength, but gained the respect of their Heer counterparts. Among those who received decorations was Leon Degrelle, who was also promoted to Feldwebel
Feldwebel
Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
for his bravery in the action.
The action at Gromovayabalka had restored the battalion's morale, and soon after Pauly was replaced by Hauptmann Georges Tchekhoff, a former Imperial Russian naval officer who had emigrated to Belgium after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. More recruits from the Rexists arrived to restore the strength of the Battalion, and in May it was attached to the 97th Jäger Division. Hauptmann Lucien Lippert replaced Tchekoff as the formations commander, and he proved popular with the men. During the reforming of the Battalion, Degrelle was finally commissioned as a Leutnant.
During Fall Blau offensive into the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, the Walloons were positioned to guard the supply lines of the assault, seeing little action. In early August, the Walloons were called upon to clear a small village. During this battle, Degrelle was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
second class. In late August, the Battalion was pulled out of action and posted to flank security. During this time it came into contact with Felix Steiner's
Felix Steiner
Felix Martin Julius Steiner was a German Reichswehr and Waffen-SS officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
SS-Division Wiking. Degrelle and Steiner got along well, and Degrelle was impressed by the ethos of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The 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...
. In December, Degrelle was ordered to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to coordinate the formation of a second Walloon Battalion, but Degrelle had already decided to take his Walloons to the Waffen-SS.
Transfer to the Waffen SS - Dnieper battles
In June 1943, after arranging the transfer with Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich 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...
, the Battalion was transferred to SS command. Around 1,600 volunteers who had been assembled in Meseritz to form the second Army battalion were also transferred to the SS training area at Wildflecken
Wildflecken
Wildflecken is a municipality in the Bad Kissingen district, at the border of northeastern Bavaria and southern Hesse. In 2005, its population was 3,285; the postal code is 97772. Wildflecken is in the picturesque Rhön hills and nature-park....
. Over the next few months, the Army Battalion was transformed into the SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, commanded by Oberst (now SS-Sturmbannführer) Lucien Lippert with SS-Hauptsturmführer Leon Degrelle as second-in-command. In October, the Wallonien was redesignated 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, and was to be equipped as a fully motorized brigade with a complement of 250 vehicles.
By November 1943, the Wallonien was deemed fit for combat and was sent to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to fight alongside the Wiking, now designated 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking.
On December 24, 1943 the Soviets launched the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive, an operation aimed at clearing the area west of the Dnieper of German forces. Involving four Ukrainian Fronts and one Byelorussian Front, these operations would last until April 24, 1944. The Wallonien and the Wiking, along with eleven other German divisions of 1. Panzer Army
German First Panzer Army
The 1st Panzer Army was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation within the Wehrmacht Heer field forces during World War II.-Formation:...
and 8. Army
German Eighth Army
The 8th Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-World War I:At the outbreak of World War I, the 8. Armee was stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. After the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen, 8. Armee commander Generaloberst Maximilian von...
were positioned in a salient based on the western bank of the river, and so were naturally the first target for the Soviet operations.
Soviet forces occupied the strategically important forest near Teklino, and threatened to sever communication lines between Smila and Cherkassy. After three failed assaults by Wiking's Germania and Narwa SS-Panzergrenadier Regiments, the Wiking's commander ordered the Wallonien into action. The day before the assault, skeptical Wiking veterans posted signs around the assembly area:
In temperatures below freezing, with 2 feet of snow on the ground, Wallonien attacked across an open field towards the forest, clearing the treeline and advancing into the forest, being halted just short of their objective. Realising that enemy reinforcements were reacting quickly to any attack and stalling the Wallonien's attacks, Lippert ordered a dozen three man machinegun teams to infiltrate the enemy lines and take up positions covering the route the Soviets used to bring up reinforcements. He then ordered the Wallonien to attack again. Over 700 Soviet log-pits and bunkers were destroyed during the attack. Despite this victory, the Soviets soon encircled the forces of XLII and XI Army Corps near Korsun
Korsun
Korsun may refer to:People*Nikolai Georgiyevich Korsun , a Soviet military historian*Nikolai Nesterovich Korsun , a Soviet army officer and Hero of the Soviet Union...
.
Korsun pocket - Battle of Narva
While Wallonien and Wiking were engaged defending the brunt of the Soviet attack, several Soviet Tank formations had advanced along the side of the salient and succeeded in encircling the German forces.During the battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket
Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket
The Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive led to the Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket which took place from 24 January to 16 February 1944. The offensive was part of the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive...
, the Wallonien was given the task of defending against Soviet attacks on the Eastern side of the pocket. After the 105. Regiment of the 72. Infanterie Division
72nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 72nd Infantry Division was created on 19 September 1939 in Trier from Grenz-Division Trier, which was a border security unit. It was destroyed on the Eastern front 25 March 1944 and reformed June 1944.-Commanding officers:...
became exhausted defending Novaya-Buda from Soviet attacks, the Wallonien was sent to relieve them. While General der Artillerie Wilhelm Stemmerman, the overall commander for the trapped forces, moved his forces to the west of the pocket in readiness for a breakout attempt, Wallonien and Wiking were ordered to act as a rearguard. During the desperate fighting, Lippert was killed. Degrelle quickly took command of the Brigade, and after repulsing all Soviet attempts to break through near the town of Novaya-Buda, the Wallonien began withdrawing one platoon at a time, under cover of darkness. Advancing through Hell's Gate, the brigade came under heavy enemy fire with little or no cover. Of the brigade's 2,000 men, only 632 survived the carnage of the Korsun Pocket. For his actions in the battle, Degrelle was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
and promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer. A propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
campaign was launched which successfully portrayed Degrelle as a hero to pro-German Europeans. The gravity of the Korsun disaster was downplayed, and Degrelle took an active role in promoting the Wallonien, addressing 10,000 people at the Brussels Sports Stadium. When he was awarded the Knight's Cross in Berlin, Hitler said to him of the Korsun affair You had me worried. The veterans of the 6.SS Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade Langemarck
6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck
The 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck was a German Waffen-SS volunteer division comprising volunteers of Flemish background. It saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II....
, the other Belgian SS formation, caustically remarked that they too had suffered at Korsun, but they had no Degrelle to make a fuss about it.
The ragged remains of the Wallonien was sent back to Wildflecken to be reformed. Large numbers of new recruits were arriving thanks to the propaganda campaign, which had been augmented by a widely attended march of the Wallonien survivors through Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In June 1944, the Battles around Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
(Known as the Battle of the European SS) were beginning to go badly for the German Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
. A 440 man battalion of the Wallonien was sent to Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
to assist in the defence of the Tannenberg Line. Operating under SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
The III SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (III. (germanische) SS-Panzerkorps) was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The...
, the battalion was thrown into the line near Dorpat, attempting to halt a Soviet breakthrough at Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
. On 10 August, the battalion joined Kampfgruppe
Kampfgruppe
In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
Wagner, and for three weeks fought against Soviet tank, infantry, artillery and air attacks. By the end of the month, only 200 men remained. After Operation Bagration, Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
began to fall back into the Kurland Pocket. During the retreat, the battalion escaped entrapment by leaving through the port of Tallinn (Reval) on the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. During this period, the leader of the Panzerjäger platoon, SS-Untersturmführer Léon Gillis, received the Knight's Cross for his actions in single-handedly destroying a number (anywhere from 14 to 19) of T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
s. In early August, Degrelle was flown out of the Kurland Pocket to receive the Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross for his actions during the Battle of Narva.
The shattered remnants of the Battalion were sent back to join the rest of the Brigade, which was located at Breslau.
Upgrade to division - final battles
As was the case with Langemarck, the Allied invasion of Belgium in 1944 had resulted in an influx of new volunteers. Together with the Langemarck, the Wallonien Sturmbrigade was upgraded to become the 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien in October 1944. Despite this upgrade in status, the actual strength of the Wallonien remained that of a reinforced brigade, around 8,000 men. The division was first sent to Southern HanoverHanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
then to Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
to continue training. The new Walloon recruits were joined by Frenchmen from the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
The Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism was a collaborationist French militia founded on July 8, 1941. It gathered various collaborationist parties, including Marcel Bucard's Mouvement Franciste, Marcel Déat's National Popular Rally, Jacques Doriot's French Popular Party, Eugène...
and Spaniards of the Blue Division
Blue Division
The Blue Division officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios by the Spanish Army and 250. Infanterie-Division in the German Army, was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.-Origins:Although Spanish leader Field...
. Most of the new recruits lacked any military training, so only about 4,000 men were ready for action. These men were formed into a Kampfgruppe and sent to the region near Stargard and Stettin in 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...
, joining the XXIX Panzer Corps, a part of Felix Steiner's XI SS Panzer Army.
The Wallonien was scheduled to take part in Operation Sonnenwende, the major offensive to relieve German troops encircled at Arnswalde. Wallonien was to operate in the area between the Madu See and the Plone See (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...
), covering the flank of the main attack. The offensive was launched on the 15th of February 1945, and met with initial success. However, after the III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps reached Arnswalde, the situation changed and the Soviet defence began to solidify. Despite the XI Panzer Army causing heavy casualties, the offensive stalled. In heavy fighting, the Wallonien sustained as well as inflicted heavy losses, and eventually began a fighting withdrawal.
The Soviet counter-offensive, launched on 1 March, pushed the Wallonien before it, and over the next few weeks was in almost constant combat throughout Central Pomerania until it reached the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
near Stettin. The Wallonien, fighting alongside the Langemarck managed to hold a thin strip of land on the eastern bank of the Oder until it was forced back across the river in early April, 1945. At this point the Walloons held a council of war and released those volunteers who no longer wished to continue the hopeless fight. 23 Officers and 625 men chose to remain, and they assembled in one last battalion, plentifully equipped with machine guns, panzerfaust
Panzerfaust
The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
s, mortars, and automatic rifles. At the end of March, a second battalion had been formed from men of the artillery and engineer units who had come forward from their technical schools, but this formation appears to have never been committed to battle. The Langemarck (Flemish), who had also consolidated their remaining troops into two heavily armed battalions and an artillery section, was merged with the Wallonien under command of its tactical leader, SS-Sturmbannführer Franz Hellebaut. Joining the French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians was one German battalion and a section of tank destroyers. Langemarck's SS-Standartenführer Schellong commanded the artillery and one of the Flemish battalions.
After the final Soviet offensive of 20 April, 1945, the Belgians held as best they could, but were soon swept aside by the advancing Soviets. After several unsuccessful counter-attacks, the Belgian units realised all was lost and Degrelle ordered his troops to make it to Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, where they eventually surrendered to British troops. Degrelle himself then drove with his bodyguard into Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In a very risky action with a Heinkel He-111 aeroplane with very little fuel, Degrelle then flew from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to Spain where he spent the rest of his life in exile. Belgium convicted him of treason in absentia and condemned him to death by firing squad. Degrelle died in 1994.
Commanders
- Capt.Cdt Georges Jacobs (Aug 1941 - Jan 1942)
- Hauptmann B.E.M. Pierre Pauly (Jan 1942 - Mar 1942)
- Hauptmann George Tchekhoff (Mar 1942 - Apr 1942)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Lucien Lippert (Apr 1942 - 13 Feb 1944)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Leon DegrelleLéon DegrelleLéon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle was a Walloon Belgian politician, who founded Rexism and later joined the Waffen SS which were front-line troops in the fight against the Soviet Union...
as political leader of the unit. - SS-Oberführer Karl Burk (21 June 1944 - 18 Sep 1944)
- SS-Standartenführer Leon Degrelle (18 Sep 1944 - 8 May 1945)
Order of battle
SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien
- Brigade HQ
- I.Battalion
- Company
- Company
- Company
- Company
- II.Battalion
- Company
- Company
- Company
- Company
- Artillery battalion
- I. StuG Battery
- II. StuG Battery
- War Reporter platoon
- Flak Battery (8.8cm)
- Flak Battery (2.2cm)
- 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...
Company - Signal Company
- 1.Reserve Company
- 2.Reserve Company
- I.Kollone
28. SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
- SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 69
- I./SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 69
- II./SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 69
- SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 70
- I./SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 70
- SS-Artillery Regiment 28
- SS-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 28
- SS-Reconnaissance Battalion 28
- SS-Signal Battalion 28
- SS-Pionier-Battalion 28
- SS-Supply Company 28
- SS-Flak Company 28
- SS-Administration Company 28
- SS-Medical Company 28
- SS-Veterinarian Company 28
- SS-Reserve Battalion 28
- SS-Storm-Battalion 28
- Kampfgruppe Capelle
See also
- PanzergrenadierPanzergrenadieris a German term for motorised or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile, Germany and Switzerland.-Forerunners:...
- Panzer DivisionPanzer DivisionA panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
- 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...
- 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
Sources
- Degrelle, Leon - Epic: The Story of the Waffen SS
- Degrelle, Leon - Campaign in Russia: The Waffen SS on the Eastern Front
- Merrian, Ray and Roba, Jean-Louis - Wallonien: The History of the 5th SS-Sturmbrigade and 28th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division
- Nash, Douglas - Hell's Gate: The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket, January to February 1944 (2002, RZM Publishing, Stamford, CT)
- Tieke, Wilhelm - Tragedy of the Faithful: A History of III. (Germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps
- Pipes, Jason. "5.SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade Wallonien". Retrieved May 19, 2005.
- Eddy De Bruyne & Marc Rikmenspoel, For Rex and Belgium: Leon Degrelle and Walloon Political & Military Collaboration 1940-1945.(2004, ISBN 1-874622-32-9)