SS Volunteer Grenadier Brigade Landstorm Nederland

[bigjarofwasps]

SS Volunteer Grenadier Brigade Landstorm Nederland

SS-Grenadier-Regiment 1 Landwacht Niederlande

SS-Grenadier-Regiment 1 Landstorm Nederland

SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland

34. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Landstorm Nederland

The SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland was a German Waffen SS volunteer brigade comprising volunteers of Dutch background. It saw action on the Western Front during World War II.

In February 1945, the Grenadier-Brigade was ordered to begin reorganisation as a grenadier division, however its strength never reached more than a brigade.

Concept and Formation

After the successful formation of the 4.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland, it was decided that a second Dutch SS formation should be raised. The recruits were drawn mostly from the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (the Dutch Nazi Party). The NSB leader, Anton Mussert encouraged his followers to join the new formation.

In 1940 Artur Seyss-Inquart, the Reichskommissar for The Netherlands, had approved the creation of an NSB paramilitary police formation named Landwacht Niederlande. The Landwacht served as an auxiliary police force and was involved in the rounding up of Jews, Communists and other groups deemed undesirable by the Seyss-Inquart and the NSB.

?Artur Seyss-Inquart speaks at a recruitment rally held for the Landstorm Nederland, April 1944.

On 12 March 1943, the Waffen SS ordered the formation of a Dutch volunteer regiment, the SS-Grenadier Regiment 1 Landwacht Niederlande. Unlike the Nederland brigade, the Landwacht Niederlande was to be a territorial defence unit, and so recruits did not have to fear service on the Eastern Front. Recruits for the Landwacht Niederlande flowed in. Service in the regiment meant a job, money, food and an escape from forced labour in munitions factories. Added to this, the regiment was not officially a part of the SS, and so the SS runes were not present on the volunteers uniforms, with the traditional grenade of Landwacht units being worn in its place.

While many recruits were drawn from the paramilitary formation of the same name, a recruitment drive resulted in 130 Dutch veterans from the 5.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking and 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland transferring to the new formation. While these veterans provided the cadre of NCOs for the new formation, the formation was officered by German SS men, and no Dutchman was ever promoted to a higher rank than company commander.

On 16 October 1943 the regiment's title was changed to SS-Grenadier-Regiment 1 Landstorm Nederland. By this time, the regiment numbered 2,400 men and was still growing. Mussert was pleased, and together with the Nederland Brigade, he saw the Dutch SS as the forerunners of a new Dutch army. However, Hanns Albin Rauter, head of the SS and Police for the Netherlands planned to firmly bring the NSB under SS control, and the Nederland and Landstorm formations were steps in this direction.

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Battles in Belgium and The Netherlands - Market Garden

After the Allied breakout from Normandy, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group began its advance along the Channel Coast towards Germany. In early September, two battalions of the Landstorm were rushed to the front in Belgium. The formation was tasked with defending the Albert Canal around the areas of Merksem and Hasselt. Poorly armed and with minimal combat experience, the two battalions fared poorly during a battle with the Free-Dutch Koninklijke Nederlandse Brigade "Prinses Irene" and was soon forced to withdraw.

On 17 September, Montgomery launched Operation Market Garden an airborne offensive aimed at securing a crossing over the Rhine at Arnhem, in the central-eastern part of The Netherlands. The Landstorm's III. Battalion was completing its training near Hoogeveen. The partially trained and equipped formation was attached to the 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen and sent into combat against the British 1st Airborne Division in Arnhem. Having little faith in the Dutch volunteers' combat ability, the Hohenstaufen's commander held them back from action for as long as possible. On 21 September, the III./Landstorm was committed to action near the town of Elst on the Arnhem-Nijmegen highway (known as the island). After holding the town for several days, the Landstorm was finally pushed back by the British 43rd (Wessex) Division. The battalion was pulled out of the line on 25 September.

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Brigade - Division - Final Battles

On 1 November, the Landstorm was redesignated SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland. The existing three battalions were to form the 83.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment, and the SS-Wachbataillon Nordwest to form the 84.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment. Many of the new recruits were members of the Jeugdstorm, the NSB's youth organisation. After a brief period of refitting, the Landstorm was ordered to take up defensive positions near the Waal and Rhine rivers.

On 10 February 1945, the Landstorm again had its status raised. It was now to be designated 34.SS Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Landstorm Nederland. Despite this fact, the unit could hardly muster the strength of a weak brigade. The Division was almost immediately ordered to relieve Fallschirmj?ger-Regiment 7, at that time defending the Rhine, in the area between Betuwe and Rhenen. Much of the area had been flooded to assist the overstretched German forces in their defence. Facing the division was the Koninklijke Nederlandse Brigade "Prinses Irene", the British 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and several Canadian formations. The morale of the Division suffered when facing the Princess Irene, as the men were hesitant to fight their own countrymen, and several members had relatives serving with the Princess Irene.

?Cufftitle worn by members of the Landstorm Nederland.

Despite this, the division fought well, capturing a British strongpoint near Zetten. However, under sustained combat, morale continued to drop and desertions increased. A plot to assassinate several officers and surrender leaked, and the responsible men were court martialed and shot. As the war drew to a close, attacks on the civilian population by the division increased, and the men of 84.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment in particular were involved in several atrocities. Forced back to the area near Oosterbeek, the remnants of the division surrendered on 5 May 1945.

A small unit of fanatics held out in the village of Veenendaal, engaging in combat with the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten until surrendering on 9 May to the 49th (West Riding) Division.

As collaborators, the majority of the survivors were imprisoned, and several were murdered in acts of revenge.

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Commanders

SS-Oberf?her Viktor Knapp (11 May 1943 - 1 April 1944)

SS-Obersturmbannf?hrer Deurheit (1 April 1944 - 5 November 1944)

SS-Standartenf?hrer Martin Kohlroser (5 November 1944 - 8 May 1945)

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Orders of Battle

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34.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Landstorm Nederland

Division Stab

SS-Feldersatz-Battalion 60

Grenadier-Regiment Nr.1

SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 83 (Niederlandische Nr.3)

SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 84 (Niederlandische Nr.4)

SS-Artillerie-Regiment 60

SS-Panzerj?ger-Abteilung 60

SS-Pioniere-Kompanie 60

SS-Nachrichten-Kompanie 60

SS Vet-Kompanie 60

SS Feldpostamt 60

SS Sanit?ts-Kompanie 60

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi, what sources did you use for that article? I hope it was not plagarised from the Dutch site waffenss.nl. Many spelling mistakes in that article...and you forgot to mention, after the surrender of the Landstorm Nederland, it marched into captivity at the town of Harskampf or something like that. I remember a veteran of the Landstorm, HaEn, said that his commanding officer said that it was probably the march into captivity that the Dutch Waffen SS would be together, so the Landstorm marched into captivity with heads high. And when some unfriendly crowd started jeering them, HaEn recalled that the commanding officer order "ein lied", the order for a marching song and the troops then sang "Westerwaldlied", and then the jeering crowd gave up, to harrass the next column. Hope this adds to the thread well.

cheers,

Kevin.

here are a few pictures of the Landsotrm marching head high into captivity, and their internment at Harskampf.

at the internmnet POW camp the insignias were removed.

[Helmut Von Moltke]

btw, I forgot to mention. The Landstorm Nederland cufftitle was somewhat rare, and the SS runes insignia was introduced when the unit became part of the Waffen SS. Some volunteers in the division, veterans of the Eastern front, even still had cufftitles like "General Seffyardt", etc.

[bigjarofwasps]

Cheers H, thats very interesting thanks for adding. Where did you get the photos from? I`ve not seen them before. Thanks for sharing them with use.

Heres a few more I`ve found from various sources, note the different tunic issues!!!

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi, I got them from a Dutch site on the Dutch volunteers of the Waffen SS, CLICK

btw, was the pic of the Landstorm Nederland soldiers taken in 1943? Since at that time the Landstorm wore Feldgrau but were not part of the Waffen SS yet, just curious.

cheers,

Kevin.