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| Flemish Legion | |
|---|---|
 Sleeve insignia of the Flemish Legion, based on the traditional iconography of theFlemish Movement. | |
| Active | 1941–1943 1943–1945 |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  Waffen-SS[a] |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Battalion,brigade and laterdivision, though never larger than brigade-strength. |
| Engagements | |
TheFlemish Legion (Dutch:Vlaams Legioen,pronounced[ˈvlaːmsleːɣiˈjun]) was acollaborationist military formation recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers fromGerman-occupied Belgium, notably fromFlanders, duringWorld War II. It was formed in the aftermath of theGerman invasion of the Soviet Union and fought on theEastern Front in theWaffen SS alongside similar formations from other parts ofGerman-occupied Western Europe.
Established in July 1941, the Flemish Legion was envisaged by theFlemish National League (Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond, VNV) as a means of maintaining its status as the principal collaborationist party within Flanders since theGerman invasion of May 1940. It was formed several months after the VNV had begun recruiting Flemish volunteers for smaller Waffen SS formations and was depicted as the future army of an independent Flemish state. Amid opposition from its personnel, the roughly 1,000-strong formation was given a notionally independent status as anSS Volunteer Legion Flanders (SS-Freiwilligen Legion Flandern). It subsequently sustained heavy casualties on the Eastern Front in fighting aroundLeningrad.
The Flemish Legion was officially disbanded in May 1943 and reformed within the Waffen-SS as theSS Assault Brigade Langemarck (SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck). 200 soldiers refused to swear allegiance toAdolf Hitler in October 1943 and were transferred to other units orpenal units. It was subsequently reorganised on several occasions and was officially designated as adivision in September 1944 but remained around 2,000-strong and never expanded beyondbrigade-strength. It participated in fighting inUkraine, Estonia, and Pomerania. Its remaining personnel finally surrendered to theRed Army atMecklenburg on 3 May 1945.
There were several political parties inBelgium at the time of theGerman invasion in May 1940 that were broadly sympathetic to theauthoritarian andanti-democratic ideals represented byNazi Germany. InFlanders, the largest and most important of these groups was theFlemish National League (Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond, or VNV).[2] The VNV was the successor of theFlemish Movement which had originated as a response to the marginalisation of the Dutch language in Belgium during the 19th century. It became increasingly radical during and afterWorld War I.[2] VNV's ideology was framed in opposition to the Belgian state, calling for Flanders to form part of an racially defined "Greater Netherlands" (dietsland) by fusing with theNetherlands. It was also influenced byCatholicism andanti-communism but was initially distrustful ofNazi ideology which was seen asanti-clerical. Nonetheless, the VNV became increasingly influenced byfascist ideas. Atnational elections in April 1939, VNV received approximately 15 percent of the Flemish vote.[2]
After the Belgian Army's surrender on 28 May 1940, aMilitary Administration was created to govern the German-occupied Belgium. Hoping to expand its support in Flanders and influenced byNazi racial ideals, it adopted the so-calledFlamenpolitik which gave preferential treatment to the Flemish population over the French-speakingWalloons in areas such as the repatriation ofBelgian prisoners of war. The VNV hoped to use German support to expand its own political influence within Flanders. After the start of the occupation, it shifted its ideological position to be more compatible with Nazi ideas and suspended demands for Flemish secession from Belgium.[3]
In the first months of the occupation, the VNV's privileged position was increasingly challenged by smaller and more radically collaborationist groups including theAlgemeene-SS Vlaanderen andDeVlag which embracedNazi ideology and were more explicitly pro-German.[4] In September 1940, the Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen announced its intention to recruit Flemish volunteers for theWaffen-SS, initially sent to theSS-DivisionWiking. This began a "race" in Flanders to recruit volunteers for the German army although the VNV was initially reluctant to join because it feared it would lose control over its recruits.[5] In contrast with "Walloons", Flemish volunteers were considered "Nordic" inNazi racial thinking and therefore racially suitable for the Waffen-SS rather than theGerman Army.[6] Between April and June 1941, the VNV recruited 500 to 800 Flemish volunteers for a mixed Flemish-Dutch unit known as the SS-Volunteer BannerNordwest (SS-Freiwilligen Standarte Nordwest) which the German authorities had promised would not be deployed in combat roles.[5]
TheGerman invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 expanded the activities of collaborationist groups in Belgium and elsewhere inGerman-occupied Europe. On 8 July 1941, the VNV announced its intention to recruit a "Flemish Legion" to fight as part of the German forces on theEastern Front. In propaganda, the Legion was depicted as the first step towards the creation of an independent Flemish army. It was advertised that the unit would be commanded by Flemish officers, and volunteers who had previously served in the Belgian Army were told that they would be able to retain past ranks and privileges.[7] Approximately 560 men were recruited between July and August 1941.[8] In practice, most of the recruits had been active members of the VNV.[7] The creation of the Flemish Legion also forced theRexist Party, a largely French-speaking group in Belgium, to recruit a "Walloon Legion" rather than the "Belgian Legion" it had originally advocated.[8]
The volunteers were transported for training toSS-Truppenübungsplatz Heidelager nearDębica inGerman-occupied Poland on 3 August 1941.[9] The first signs of dissatisfaction began to emerge as it became apparent that the unit would actually be commanded purely by Germans and that many of the other promises made during the recruitment campaign would not be kept.[7] Discipline was harsh, and Flemish volunteers were often subject to "systematic humiliation".[7] At the time, the Germans attempted to amalgamate the new volunteers into theWiking formation. The majority of the new recruits refused to join the Waffen-SS and the units were instead joined into a newbattalion-sized Flemish Legion, itself associated with the largerVolunteer Legion Netherlands.[10] In practice, the autonomy of the Flemish Legion would be increasingly ignored by the German military authorities and the VNV was unable to protest without compromising its own political position.[10]
As with some other formations at the time, the Flemish Legion was technically a "legion" attached to the Waffen-SS rather than a part of the Waffen-SS itself. According to the historian David Littlejohn, "the Germans were anxious to convey the impression of a semi-independent national unit" but the distinction was always illusory and was eventually abandoned in 1943.[1] In practice, the Flemish Legion was effectively indistinguishable from other units of the Waffen-SS from the start and its personnel wore standard Waffen-SS uniforms with only a small shield-shaped badge depicting a Flemish lion to mark them out.[1] In its first months, it was officially designated theSS Volunteer Legion "Flanders" (SS-Freiwilligen Legioen Flandern).
The Flemish Legion was declared to be battleworthy and was deployed to the sector aroundLeningrad in November 1941 to participate in themilitary blockade of the city which had begun two months earlier. It was attached to the2 SS Infantry Brigade.
Alarge-scale offensive aimed to relieve Leningrad was launched by theRed Army in January 1942. The Flemish Legion was involved in heavy fighting and took significant losses.Reimond Tollenaere, a leading figure within the VNV who had enlisted in the unit, was killed in afriendly fire incident in the same month.[1]Michael Lippert, the Legion's unpopular German commanding officer, was wounded in April 1942. He was replaced with Conrad Schellong, another German officer, who had previously served in theWiking Division.[b][11]
The Legion was withdrawn from the front in June 1942 after almost six months in combat but were re-deployed to the region again in August 1942. They were finally withdrawn from the line in March 1943 in anticipation of the unit's reorganisation.[11]
Soon after arriving at Dębica, the Legion was ordered to move on toMilovice inBohemia.
In May 1943, the Flemish Legion was amalgamated with other Flemish volunteers to form the new SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck on the orders ofHeinrich Himmler. Tensions between the Flemish volunteers and the SS, however, led to some members refusing to take theSS oath of allegiance. The Germans again insisted that the volunteers take the oath in October 1943. Some 200 "rebels" who refused were transferred to other units orpenal units.[12] In August, the VNV's leaderHendrik Elias announced that the VNV would not recruit more members for the German army.[12] The allocation of the titleLangemarck, in memory of thebloody World War I battle fought at Langemarck, West Flanders in 1914, was intended to represent Flemish-German camaraderie. However, the Flemings themselves did not understand why they had been given a title which represented the losses suffered by German soldiers trying to take over their country in 1914. The Flemings felt a jealousy that their French speaking countrymen, theWalloons, were granted as a title their home region. Despite this, significant numbers of Flemings continued to sign up for service with the Waffen-SS.
In addition to the veterans ofFlandern, the Sturmbrigade now gained a contingent of new Flemish volunteers, an anti-tankPanzerjäger company, an assault gun battalion equipped withStuGs and aFlaK battalion. In October 1943, the brigade was renamed6th SS Volunteer SturmbrigadeLangemarck. In December 1943, theLangemarck was ready to be sent to the front. The total unit strength was 2,022 men.
On 26 December 1943,Langemarck was sent toUkraine to act as a part ofArmy Group South. Fighting alongside the2nd SS Panzer DivisionDas Reich, the brigade participated in the heavy defensive battles in the region ofKiev andZhitomir.
In January, 1944 theLangemarck and elements ofDas Reich were encircled by Soviet forces nearZhitomir. Despite this, they fought their way out of thekessel (cauldron), suffering heavy casualties and losing the majority of their heavy equipment and vehicles. By early March, the brigade had been reduced to 400 men. At the end of April, the shatteredLangemarck was ordered back to Bohemia for reforming.
In Bohemia, 1,700 new recruits were waiting to join the division, and soon it was back up to strength. On 19 July 1944,Kampfgruppe Rehmann was formed, commanded by SS-HauptsturmführerWilhelm Rehmann. KG Rehmann, consisting of theLangemarck's 2nd battalion was sent to the Narva front to become a part ofFelix Steiner'sIII (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps which was defending theTannenberg Line. The Tannenberg Line was anchored on three strategic hills. Running west to east, these were known as Hill 69.9 (69.9-Höhe), Grenadier Hill (Grenadier-Höhe) and Orphanage Hill (Kinderheim-Höhe). From Orphanage Hill, the rear side of the town of Narva could be protected. KG Rehmann was tasked with defending Orphanage Hill.
Fighting alongside men of the11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier DivisionNordland, the5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, the20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), the4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland and several German formations, theLangemarck was engaged in very heavy combat against the Soviets.
Over the next few months,Langemarck, along with the remainder of Steiner's Corps, executed a fighting withdrawal into theKurland Pocket, the brigade being in combat for much of the retreat. In September 1944, the remains of KG Rehmann were evacuated by ferry over theBaltic toSwinemünde and joined the rest of the Brigade. Following the allied invasion of Belgium, many Belgian fascists fled the country to Germany. The result of this was that both theLangemarck and the 5th SS Volunteer SturmbrigadeWallonie were redesignated as divisions on 18 October 1944.
The newLangemarck division was designated27th SS Volunteer Grenadier DivisionLangemarck. While the influx of displaced Flemings meant that the division had a solid base to be formed on, it also meant that more training was required. It was not until 1 January 1945 that the division was ready to be sent back into the line. TheLangemarck was once again attached to III. (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, now a part of Steiner's newly formedXI. SS Panzer Army located on the lowerOder nearStettin.
On 16 February, a kampfgruppe with the most experienced men of the division was ordered on the offensive as a part ofOperation Sonnenwende, the operation to destroy a Soviet salient and to relieve the troops besieged in the town ofArnswalde. The offensive had been conceived byGeneraloberstHeinz Guderian as a massed assault all along the front, but had then been reduced by Hitler to the level of a local counterattack.
Despite initial gains, the attack soon bogged down after III. (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, withNordland,Langemarck andWallonie in the vanguard, reached Arnswalde. Heavy Soviet counterattacks threatened to encircle the corps, and so after evacuating all civilian survivors, Steiner canceled the operation and ordered the corps back to the area aroundStargard and Stettin.
The Soviet offensive of 1 March pushedLangemarck along with the rest of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps before it. By 4 March, the division was falling back to the area around Altdamm, the last defensive position east of the Oder. On the 19th, the unit fell back behind the Oder. As a part of Steiner's XI SS Panzer Army, theLangemarck, now reduced to a Kampfgruppe, began falling back towardsMecklenburg where it surrendered to the Red Army on 8 May 1945.
Waffen-SS divisions | |||
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| Panzer | |||
| Panzer- grenadier | |||
| Mountain | |||
| Cavalry |
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| Infantry | |||
| Police | |||
| Deception "Panzer" | |||
| Lists | |||
Units marked inbold were officially named "volunteer".See also:SS heavy Panzer battalions | |||
| International | |
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| National | |
