non germans in LSSAH division 1939-1945

[Panzermahn]

Can anyone provide more information of this? THanks!

[Dan E. Moe]

Two British served with the Flak Abteilung and received the EK2.

dan

[Juha Hujanen]

Romanian Volkdeutches also served in LAH

[David Lehmann]

At least 2 French men were in the LAH, but termed "Voksdeutsche" since they were from Alsace.

David

[Ostuf Charlemagne]

Hi everybody,David ,Panzermahn,etc...
David ..erreur ! the 2 guys you are talking were french-french....most than 2 volksdeutschen from Alsatia served in the LSSAH...

Besides the LSSAH counted more or less 150 italians,not volksdeutschen,let me see through my archives and i will give you more DETAILED (with names )infos tomorrow..... btw ,it was also (like in all germans eastern front divisions) a good number of russians hiwis.

[PK]

At least 2 Swedes served in the LAH. The first one was SS-Oberscharfuhrer Robert Bengtsson who served as a driver in the staff of II./PzRgt 1 LAH, the other one was Thorulf Hillblad who served as a SS-Kriegsberichter in LAH during some time...

/PK

[Ostuf Charlemagne]

Kamerad Panzermahn ,here the information you requested to the SS FHA AMT V (Personalamt )...

It seems they were 300 italians serving within LSSAH.... In 1943,after the 8th september armistice,some fascist soldiers wanted to stay loyal to the Axis and joined the division... most were used as mecanicians since the LSSAH had seized lot of italians vehicles.But after the division was sent to Ukrain in November,many were sent to replace losses within the panzergrenadieren rgts of the division.In March 44 ,50 of them accepted to be sent to the italian SS brigade ..this group was formed at the Lichterfelde Kaserne,Berlin's depot of the LSSAH,and traveled by train to Italy ,ounder guidance of german oberscharfuehrer Willy Detering,to Verona,Italy. Those were the first italians of the italian SS Legion to wear the SS runes black tabs,while their comrades had always the red tabs.
(and ones of the fews to be tattoed - the italian brigade volunteers were never tattoed.)
One of them was unterscharfuehrer Giuseppe Medda,who will lost his leg in a communist explosive attempt against the Pinerolo Quarters where an SS italian batallion was stationned ,in september 1944.
But not all italians leave the LSSAH, 100 will stay untill the end of the war with the division,others were sent to the 12th Hitler-Jugend and organic units of the I SS Panzerkorps.For instance a report of the 501 th SS Panzerabteilung (Tigers tanks ) of september 5th 1944,mentionate that 21 italians volunteers of this abteilung were killed in action in Normandy.
They provened from the LSSAH....
Many italians served within other SS divisions like in the 4th SS , 7th SS,
10th SS, 11th SS, 16th SS, 17th SS ,24th SS, 28 th SS (yes.. 100 italians nationals within the Wallonie...) and with Otto Skorzeny special forces.

[Ostuf Charlemagne]

PK : Thanks for the info !

[Timo]

Kamerad Panzermahn ,here the information you requested to the SS FHA AMT V (Personalamt )...

It seems they were 300 italians serving within LSSAH.... In 1943,after the 8th september armistice,some fascist soldiers wanted to stay loyal to the Axis and joined the division... most were used as mecanicians since the LSSAH had seized lot of italians vehicles.But after the division was sent to Ukrain in November,many were sent to replace losses within the panzergrenadieren rgts of the division.In March 44 ,50 of them accepted to be sent to the italian SS brigade ..this group was formed at the Lichterfelde Kaserne,Berlin's depot of the LSSAH,and traveled by train to Italy ,ounder guidance of german oberscharfuehrer Willy Detering,to Verona,Italy. Those were the first italians of the italian SS Legion to wear the SS runes black tabs,while their comrades had always the red tabs.
(and ones of the fews to be tattoed - the italian brigade volunteers were never tattoed.)
One of them was unterscharfuehrer Giuseppe Medda,who will lost his leg in a communist explosive attempt against the Pinerolo Quarters where an SS italian batallion was stationned ,in september 1944.
But not all italians leave the LSSAH, 100 will stay untill the end of the war with the division,others were sent to the 12th Hitler-Jugend and organic units of the I SS Panzerkorps.For instance a report of the 501 th SS Panzerabteilung (Tigers tanks ) of september 5th 1944,mentionate that 21 italians volunteers of this abteilung were killed in action in Normandy.
They provened from the LSSAH....
Many italians served within other SS divisions like in the 4th SS , 7th SS,
10th SS, 11th SS, 16th SS, 17th SS ,24th SS, 28 th SS (yes.. 100 italians nationals within the Wallonie...) and with Otto Skorzeny special forces.

Can you specify your sources, for example "a" report from s.SS-Pz.Abt. 501?

[Ostuf Charlemagne]

This report was mentionate in ''La Legione'' trymonthly magazine of the asociazione d'Arma Fiame Nere,association of former blackshirts,Milano.
If you want,wait untill tomorrow and i will give you the exact month and year..was few years ago but since i have nearly 100 samples of this magazine ,i have to go through them again.....

[pmooney]

Just to follow on from the above topic, one personal account from a Kamerdaen from the 3. Kompanie/ 1. Pz. Gr. Rgt. LSSAH states that just prior to the Ardennes Offensive, the 3. Kompanie received a number of former Russian soldiers. These were sent to bulk out the numbers lost during Normandy and the retreat west. However, the report continues that when the positions were taken up prior to the attack, the Russians all disspeared - never to be seen again. Presumably they all went west and surrendered to the allies?? One other point is that none of them could speak German, which must have made the whole situation very difficult?

Hope this helps.

[Askold]

After my research, at least 4 Ukrainians served in that division. One of them Kost Bilyk was a translator, who was awarded EK, the other three apparently served among general troops. Sources: 1. Upa history vol. 34 (if am correct), 2. Photo from M. Melnyk of group of soldiers - two of them had pencil markings - Ex LAH.

[daniele]

Hi guys, just confirming what Ostuf Charlemagne posted:

There were about 50 Italians that asked to continue to fight with the 1.SS-Pz.Div `LAH`, after the italian change of side on 8 September 1943, when the Division stationed in North Italy. They fought on the Eastern front during the winter of 1943-1944.
In March 1944, the surviving italian `LAH` volunteers were sent to the Berlin Lichterfelde barracks where the 1.SS-Pz-Grenadier Ausbildungs und Ersatz Bataillon was stationed. In Berlin, the Italians were placed under command of SS-Oberscharfuhrer Willy Detering and he received the order to accompany them to Caldiero near Verona where the Commandostab of the Italian Volunteer Legion was located.

Regards

Daniele

[Martin Månsson]

I'm aware of at least three norwegians who served in the LSSAH.

Best
Martin

[Ostuf Charlemagne]

It was also a rumanian officer , Obersturmfuehrer Nikolai. In the rumanian Navy ,he was a commander of a submarine in the Black Sea and torpedoed some russian ships there. When Rumania changed side in 1943 ,Nikolai joined the SS... he had some german blood ,so he was considered a Volksdeutsche.He committed suicide in April 1945 in the austrian town of Hainfeld.
For more infos,look in ''SS Panzergrenadier'' by Hans Schmidt.
(HS Publications. USA.2001)