My grandfather in the SS

[Filthy13]

Dear members,

My grandfather P. van Hameren (1905) was part of the "SS Standarte Nordwest" in Hamburg in 1941/1942 and finally the "SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande". As far as I know he has fought on the Wolchow front. I would like to know more about these SS units and their military past.
I adressed several requests for information to the WAST and the Bundesarchiv but with no results unfortunately.
Who can help me with information such as:

- battle reports
- war diary (Kriegstagebuch)
- NARA file T-354 Roll 653 about the SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande?

Thanks in advance.

Erik van Turnhout

[PatrickBateman]

Hi Erik, do you want to know more about your grandfather or about his unit and its combat history? If you haven't already, you should definitely ask the Dutch National Archives for information about your grandfather (https://www.gahetna.nl), they may have interesting documents about him.

[Filthy13]

I have also seen the CABR of my grandfather at the National Archives in The Hague and the evidence of his involvement with the SS Nordwest and the Dutch Volunteer Legion has miraculously disappeared from his file. I have not come further than this.

[PatrickBateman]

I have no idea if our National Archives own any military records of Dutchmen who served in the German Army during WWII. There were also no military records about my great-uncle who served in SS Standarte Westland.

Did he survived WWII? Otherwise you could also check for some info https://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html

[FransN]

Good evening & welcome to Axis History Forum!

For unit information:
Try the Netherlands Institute for Military History (Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Geschiedenis, NIMH) op de Waalsdorperweg in Den Haag.
https://www.defensie.nl/onderwerpen/mil ... denis-nimh
When I was once there, more then 25 years ago, I have seen copies of the Kriegstagebücher of the SS-Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande.
Further, try to get hold of a copy of "Nederlandse vrijwilligers in Europese krijgsdienst", deel 2, Vrijwilligerslegioen Nederland", by Jan Vincx & Viktor Schotanius, Uitgeverij Etnika V.Z.W., Herentals, Belgium, 1988. It comprises a list of killed soldiers (as far as registered !) of the Legion over the period 22.06.1941 - 01.10.1943. The name of Van Hameren is not on it.

For personal information:
Did your grandfather die during the war (e.g. at the front or in a hospital)? Or did he survive and did he die in the Netherlands or elsewhere?

Houdoe!
Frans

[Filthy13]

Yes, my grandfather survived WW2. He got wounded march 1942 at the Wolchow front and suffered snow blindness according to his CABR file. His unit is not mentioned one time but I know he had training at the Langenhorn barracks in Hamburg and moved to Debica before going to the East front.

[GregSingh]

Erik,

Check the Archives section of the Forum for the availability of NARA rolls.
I have a copy of T-354 Roll 653, but can't recall paying for it, so it has to be available for free.
Anyway let us know how we can help.

Greg

[Filthy13]

Dear members,

First I would like to thank [email protected] for sending me the NARA roll T354 R653 !

@GregSingh and others. I have been to the NIMH in The Hague recently and looked into a book of Jan Vincx and Viktor Schotanius but no sign of my grandpa or whatsoever. For sure he was in the SS-Freiwilligen Standarte Nordwest and later on the "Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande" in the period 1941/1942. He survived the war by the way. So I would like to ask the following:

Where can I obtain evidence of my grandpa being in SS-Freiwilligen Standarte Nordwest and later on the "Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande? Is there a list of members available for example? Please help me with my research.

Greetings, Erik

[Bertill622]

Is this your grandfather?
HAMEREN, Petrus van, 10 April 1905, Helmond. Won. Eindhoven.

Best regards,
Bertill.

[Filthy13]

Dear Bertill,

Yes, that's my grandfather. I assume you got it from https://sites.google.com/site/vreemdekrijgsdienst/h ?
I know this website but it does not tell me more about him being a Waffen-SS soldier.

[Bertill622]

Dear Erik, you are right. There are also names on that site of people who served with the NSKK, Luftwaffe, etc.
They were almost all sent to prison and lost their nationality and their right to vote and so on.

The focus of my research is mostly fortifications, radar, comms and so on.
But I also have a small network of former veterans and families of those veterans that are not longer with us.
So I might find something about your grandfather during my research. I call it "bijvangst".

If I find anything, I will let you know.

Best regards,
Bertill.

Edit, do you have NARA file T-354 Roll 653 about the SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande?

[Filthy13]

Dear Bertill,

Yes, luckily I succeeded in obtaining the NARA file T-354 Roll 653 from a forum member.

[Filthy13]

Dear members,

During my visit at the NIMH at The Hague I was looking in a book called "Nederlandse vrijwilligers in Europese krijgsdienst 1940-1945"
written by Jan Vincx & Viktor Schotanius when I realized my grandfather is in the picture below. I marked him with the red arrow.
I am pretty convinced he is wearing a uniform of the Dutch SS or Allgemeine SS but I am not sure because of the cap he wears.
The picture must be taken in 1941 prior to his enlistment in the Freiwillige SS-Standarte Nordwest.

Who can tell me more about this photo?

Greetings Erik

[Hardigan]

The men in black are wearing an eagle on their cap what is for German Allg.SS, not for Dutch Allg.SS, Dutch men wore the wolfshook on their cap. Strange thing is that they are not wearing an armband on their upper arm. And as far as I can see the third sitting NCO is wearing an einheitsfeldmütze m43(not a gebirgsjägermütze m41) so it can't be 1941.