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

The 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) was a foreign infantry division of the Waffen-SS that served alongside the Wehrmacht during World War II. According to some sources, the division was under Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's overall command but was not an integral part of the Schutzstaffel (SS). It was officially activated on 24 January 1944, and many of its soldiers had been members of the Estonian Legion and/or the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, which had been fighting as part of German forces since August 1942 and October 1943 respectively. Both of the preceding formations drew their personnel from German-occupied Estonia. Shortly after its official activation, widespread conscription within Estonia was announced by the German occupying authorities. The division was formed in Estonia around a cadre comprising the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, and was initially known as the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division. By 1944, a total of 60,000 Estonians were fighting in the ranks of the SS and Wehrmacht.

A total of 38,000 men were conscripted in Estonia, while other Estonian units that had been part of the German Army and the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 were transferred to Estonia. In April 1944, the division had a designated strength of 16,135 men. Between March and September 1944, it had a total of 13,700 men pass through its reserve units, and by August 1944, some 10,427 were killed or missing. The division fought the Red Army on the Eastern Front and surrendered in May 1945.

Background

A secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed on 23 August 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union defined the spheres of influence, with Estonia assigned to the Soviet one.Estonia: Identity and Independence by Jean-Jacques Subrenat, David Cousins, Alexander Harding, Richard C. Waterhouse On 16–17 June 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Estonia.Five Years of Dates at Time magazine on Monday, 24 June 1940 The military occupation was complete by 21 June 1940 and rendered "official" by a communist coup d'état.

Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 and occupied Estonia by the end of the summer. The Germans were perceived by most Estonians as liberators from the terror of Stalinist USSR, and hopes were raised for the restoration of the country's independence. The initial enthusiasm that greeted the German invasion changed to disappointment, resentment, and in part even to enmity within a year.

Despite initial German policy not to recruit Estonians into the German Army, the commander of the German 18th Army, Generaloberst Georg von Küchler, established 26 Estonian-manned security detachments (), which by August 1941 had been formed into the 181st–186th Security Battalions (), each of 700 men. Motivated by a desire for revenge on the Soviet Union, volunteers were plentiful, and while the original intent was for these units to serve as guards in Estonia, they were sent to the front line and acquitted themselves well. By March 1942, there were 16 Estonian battalions and companies in the Soviet Union, totalling 10,000 men. In October 1942, the existing security battalions were re-organised into "Eastern" battalions, with the 181st becoming the 658th, the 182nd becoming the 659th, one company of the 184th becoming the 657th "Eastern" Company, the rest of the 184th becoming the 660th "Eastern" Battalion, and the 186th being converted into the "Eastern" Depot Battalion "Narwa". These were retitled as "Estonian" battalions on 1 January 1943.

Also in August 1941, the German police established defence detachments () in Estonia to combat partisans. In November the defence detachments were combined into defence battalions () or Schuma battalions, and by October 1942 there were 5,400 Estonians in 14 battalions, with another 5,100 Estonian civil police. In December 1943, the remaining 18 Schuma battalions were retitled "Estonian Police Battalions". Of these, eleven served in operational areas outside Estonia.

In the meantime, on 28 August 1942, the Germans had announced the formation of the Estonian SS Legion, as part of the Waffen-SS, an armed branch of the German Nazi Party that served alongside but was never formally part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its commander was SS-Obersturmbannführer Franz Augsberger. While the Estonian leadership would have preferred to reform the Estonian Army, sufficient volunteers came forward for the Legion to be officially established on 1 October at Heidelager near Dębica in occupied Poland. When created, the Legion comprised the 1st SS Volunteer Grenadier Regiment (), which was under the command of an Estonian, SS-Standartenführer Johannes Soodla. In January 1943, three of the best Schuma battalions were disbanded and their members joined the Legion or other Schuma battalions. In early 1943, in response to the introduction of conscription and unhappy with German policies, some Estonians fled to Finland and enlisted in the Finnish Army. Soon after, Estonians formed two companies of the 3rd Battalion of the Finnish 47th Infantry Regiment, and soon the 3rd Battalion was entirely made up of Estonians. It fought the Red Army on the Karelian Isthmus before helping form the Finnish 200th Infantry Regiment, which was made up of 310 Finns and 2,340 Estonians. The 200th Infantry Regiment continued fighting on the Isthmus until August 1944 when it was disbanded.

In April 1943, I. Battalion of the 1st SS Volunteer Regiment was retitled Volunteer Battalion Narwa ( Narwa) and detached from the Legion. It joined the Nordic-recruited 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, replacing a Finnish SS battalion. Volunteer Battalion Narwa distinguished itself fighting as part of the 5th SS Division until it returned to Estonia in July 1944. About the same time as the I. Battalion was detached, the Legion became operational. Continuing manpower shortages resulted in the introduction of conscription at this time, with about 12,000 men called up, of whom about 5,300 were sent to the Legion.

From spring 1943, some of the Estonian police battalions were used to form larger units, and many of their men volunteered for the Legion. The German authorities began conscripting Estonians over the winter of 1942–43. Conscripts were given a choice between serving in the Legion, auxiliary units of the German Wehrmacht or working in factories. Those who opted to serve with the Waffen-SS were offered the immediate return of their lands.

In May 1943, the Germans expanded the Legion to brigade size, initially titling it as the Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade (), under the command of Augsberger. The 1st SS Volunteer Regiment became the 45th SS Volunteer Regiment, and the 53rd Artillery Battalion was formed to support the brigade. In July 1943, the 657th Estonian Company and 660th Estonian Battalion were used to help form the 46th SS Volunteer Regiment as the second regiment of the brigade. In October, the brigade was retitled the 3rd SS Volunteer Brigade. Most of the officers and non-commissioned officers of the brigade were Estonian, including the two regimental commanders, and the brigade reached a strength of 5,099 men by December. From November the brigade had been committed to fighting partisans at Nevel near Velikiye Luki in the Soviet Union, and in December it moved further north to Staraya Russa where it joined the German 16th Army. The first steps in expanding the brigade into a division also began in December. In January 1944, the brigade was sent back to Estonia to help defend against a Soviet offensive.

Operational history By January 1944, the front was pushed back by the Red Army almost all the way to the border of German-occupied Estonia. On 24 January, the 3rd SS Volunteer Brigade was expanded into the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division (, Saksa okupatsioon (1941–44). Eesti. Üld. Eesti entsüklopeedia 11 (2002). pp. 312–315), under the command of Augsberger, now an SS-Oberführer. Initially, the main fighting formations of the division were the 45th and 46th SS Volunteer Regiments, and the 20th SS Volunteer Artillery Regiment. A week later, general conscription-mobilization was announced in Estonia by the German authorities.mobilisation in Estonia at estonica.org On 7 February, the pre-war Prime minister Jüri Uluots switched his stand on mobilization when the Soviet Army reached the Estonian border. At the time the Estonian units under German control had about 14,000 men. Counting on a German debacle, Uluots considered it imperative to have large numbers of Estonians armed, through any means. Uluots even managed to tell it to the nation through the German-controlled radio: Estonian troops on Estonian soil have "a significance much wider than what I could and would be able to disclose here". This led to 38,000 men registering for the military, according to Romuald Misiunas and Rein Taagepera.Misiunas, p. 60 Rolf-Dieter Müller states that 30,000 volunteered in addition to those conscripted, and another source states that the 20th SS Division received 15,000 volunteers, which was enough for it to reach full strength. The Estonian History Commission reported 32,000 men were conscripted after Uluots's call. After the mobilised men had made known their reluctance in being a part of the Waffen-SS and wearing the SS uniform, SS-Obersturmführer Bernhardt redefined the concept of volunteering: individuals do not matter any more and can no longer decide on volunteering; it is effectively the occupier who chooses which men, how many and for what purpose. The 20th SS Division received reinforcements, bringing the total of Estonian units up to 50,000 or 60,000 men. During the whole period at least 70,000 Estonians joined the German army, more than 10,000 may have been killed in action, about 10,000 reached the West after the war ended.

Estonian officers and men in other units that fell under the conscription proclamation and had returned to Estonia had their rank prefix changed from "SS" to "Waffen" (Hauptscharführer would be referred to as a Waffen-Hauptscharführer rather than SS-Hauptscharführer). Since the wearing of SS runes on the collar was forbidden by Augsberger on 21 April 1943, these formations wore national insignia instead.

After the Soviet Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive, the division was ordered to be replaced on the Nevel front and transported to the Narva front, to defend Estonia.

The arrival of the I.Battalion, 1st Estonian Regiment at Tartu coincided with the prepared landing operation by the left flank of the Leningrad Front to the west coast of Lake Peipus, 120 kilometres south of Narva. The I.Battalion, 1st Estonian Regiment was placed at the Yershovo Bridgehead on the east coast of Lake Peipus. Estonian and German units cleared the west coast of Peipsi of Soviets by 16 February. Soviet casualties were in thousands.

Battle of Narva

On 8 February 1944, the division was attached to SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS Felix Steiner's III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps, then defending the Narva bridgehead. The division was to replace the remnants of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions, which were struggling to hold the line against a Soviet bridgehead north of the town of Narva. Upon arriving at the front on 20 February, the division was ordered to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead. In nine days of heavy fighting, the division pushed the Soviets back across the river and restored the line. The division remained stationed in the Siivertsi and Auvere sectors, being engaged in heavy combat.