.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Estonian. (July 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Estonian Wikipedia article at [[:et:Eesti SS-leegion]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|et|Eesti SS-leegion)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Estonian Legion
"Registration point for the volunteers of the Estonian Legion", September 1942.
ActiveOctober 1942 – May 1943
DisbandedMay 1943
Country Nazi Germany
Branch Waffen-SS
TypeInfantry
SizeRegiment
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Franz Augsberger

The Estonian Legion (Estonian: Eesti Leegion, German: Estnische Legion) was a military unit of the Combat Support Forces of the Waffen-SS during World War II, mainly consisting of Estonian soldiers.

Creation

The formation was announced on 28 August 1942 by the German occupying powers in Estonia and formally established on October 1, 1942.[1] Oberführer Franz Augsberger was named commander of the legion and the later 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade. By October 13, 1942 500 volunteers had signed up for the Legion. In the spring of 1943 additional men were drafted from the police forces and the number rose to 1,280.[2]

Units

Battalion Narva

Battalion Narva formed from the first 800 men who finished their training at Dębica (Heidelager in 1943), and were sent in April 1943 to join the Division Wiking in Ukraine. They replaced the Finnish Volunteer Battalion, recalled to Finland for political reasons.[3]

The Battalion Narva was in the focus of the Red Army's attack near Izium in Ukraine. The unit entered the battle with 800 men, and only one third were left able to fight. The Red Army however, suffered heavier losses, over 7,000 men, and over 100 tanks.[4]

Battalion Narva participated in the battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket. Retreating through the escape route called Hell's Gate, the battalion came under heavy Soviet fire with little cover. The battalion lost almost all of its equipment during the carnage although most of the troops escaped the encirclement.[4]

3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade

Main article: 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade

The German occupying powers forcibly mobilized all Estonian men born between 1919–1924 in March 1943. As a result 5,300 men were conscripted into the Estonian Legion and 6,800 into the support service of the Wehrmacht. Of the conscripts was formed the second Estonian regiment and the Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade was established on May 5, 1943.[1]

Another draft round was announced in October 1943 for men born in 1925–1926. As a result about 5,000 men escaped to Finland to avoid the draft. Most of these men volunteered for service in the Finnish Defence Forces and formed the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200. The conscripts were included in the Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, renamed the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade on October 22, 1944.[1]

20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS

Main article: 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)

By January 1944 the German military situation in the Eastern front had worsened so far that a general conscription call was announced in Estonia on February 1, 1944. In hopes of restoring the independence of Estonia, the last prime minister of Estonia, Jüri Uluots, supported the draft. As a result about 38,000 men were conscripted, the units of the Estonian Legion and Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 were returned to Estonia and reformed into the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jurado, Carlos; Nigel Thomas; Darko Pavlović (2002). Germany's Eastern Front allies (2): Baltic forces. Osprey Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-84176-193-0.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Raun, Toivo (2001). Estonia and the Estonians. Hoover Press. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-0-8179-2852-0.
  3. ^ Landwehr, Richard (2000). Estonian Vikings: Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen Battaillon Narwa and Subsequent Units, Eastern Front, 1943–1944. Shelf Books. ISBN 978-1-899765-09-6.
  4. ^ a b Terasest tugevamad: pataljon Narva ajalugu.

External links

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