The 15th ''Waffen'' Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian) (german: 15. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 1)), lv, 15. SS grenadieru divīzija (latviešu Nr. 1)) was an Infantry

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the ''Waffen-SS'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was formed in February 1943, and together with its sister unit, the

19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian) __NOTOC__ The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian) (german: 19. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 2), lv, 19. SS grenadieru divīzija (latviešu Nr. 2)) was an infantry division of the Waffen-SS during World War ...

formed the

Latvian Legion The Latvian Legion ( lv, Latviešu leģions) was a formation of the German Waffen-SS during World War II. Created in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvian personnel.Gerhard P. Bassler, ''Alfred Valdmanis and the politics of survival'', 20 ...

World War II

After forming of Latvian Police Battalions in Reichskommissariat Ostland,

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

formed Latvian legion (''Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion'') in January 1943. In February 1943 ''Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Division'' was formed which later received the numerical designation 15. The Legion was renamed the ''Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade'', with the numerical designation added soon after. Unlawful conscription of Latvians for military service by the Germans was based on

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head o ...

's compulsory labor decree of 19 December 1941. It was carried out by Department of Labor of the Latvian Self Administration, commencing in early 1943 with the compulsory recruitment of Latvian citizens born between 1919 and 1924. The 15th Waffen SS, together with the

formed the

. The 15th Waffen SS was swept up in the chaos of the collapse of the Eastern Front and lost much of its manpower fighting in districts surrounding

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(Ostrov, Novosokolniki and Novgorod Oblast). In September 1944 the surviving elements of the division were sent by boat to Danzig. The division fought on the

Pomeranian Wall The Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position (german: Die Pommernstellung, pl, Wał Pomorski) was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian Lakeland region. It was constructed in two phases. In the yea ...

defences and then retreated through Pomerania and Germany to Berlin. Part of the division with a total of 824 men under Waffen-Standartenführer

Vilis Janums Vilis Janums (7 January 1894 – 6 August 1981) was a Latvian officer in the First World War and later also in the Second World War. He was awarded with the Order of Three Stars (IV class), Order of Viesturs and German Cross (in gold). Ear ...

, surrendered 27 April 1945 to the advancing Americans at Güterglück near the

Elbe River The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of ...

. Other elements of the division, amounting to approximately 4,500 men, surrendered to the Americans south of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...

on 2 May 1945. On 22 January 1945, Red Army soldiers killed over 100 unarmed men of the 5th Battalion of the 1st Construction Regiment in the

Dąbrówka Nowa Massacre The Dąbrówka Nowa Massacre occurred on 22 January 1945 in Dąbrówka Nowa in Poland, when a unit of the Red Army advancing from Nakło to Bydgoszcz killed over 100 unarmed members of the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian). ...

after mistakenly assuming that they were armed.

Commanders

*SS-''Brigadeführer und Generalmajor'' Peter Hansen (25 February 1943 – 1 May 1943) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J16133, Lettland, Appell der SS-Legion

*SS-''Gruppenführer und Generalmajor'' Carl Graf von Pückler-Burghauss (1 May 1943 – 17 February 1944) *SS-''Oberführer''

Nikolaus Heilmann Nikolaus Heilmann (20 April 1903 – 4 January 1945) was a high-ranking commander in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was a recipient the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Born in 1903, Heilmann joined the police force in 1 ...

(17 February 1944 – 21 July 1944) *SS-''Oberführer''

Herbert von Obwurzer Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

(21 July 1944 – 26 January 1945) *SS-''Oberführer''

Adolf Ax The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarde ...

(26 January 1945 – 15 February 1945) *SS-''Oberführer'', later Brigadeführer und Generalmajor

Karl Burk Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

(15 February – 2 May 1945)

Order of battle

*Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 32 *Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 33 *Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS 34 *Waffen Artillery Regiment of SS 15 *Waffen Füsilier Battalion of SS 15 *Waffen ''

Flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

'' Battalion of SS 15 *Waffen Signals Battalion of SS 15 *Waffen ''Pionier'' Battalion of SS 15 *Waffen ''

Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' ( German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was an anti-tank arm-of-service that operated self-propelled ...

'' Battalion of SS 15 *SS Medical Battalion 15 *SS ''Nachschub'' Troop 15 *SS ''Feldpost'' Department 15 *SS Veterinary Company 15 *SS ''Wirtschafts'' Battalion 15 *SS ''Bau Regiment'' 1 of 15. SS-Division *SS ''Bau Regiment'' 2 of 15. SS-Division *SS ''Feldersatz'' Battalion 15 *SS Waffen '' Feldgendarmerie'' Troop 15 *SS War Reporter Troop 15

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian) #15 Latvian Legion Foreign conscript units of the Waffen-SS Infantry divisions of the Waffen-SS Military history of Latvia during World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Generalbezirk Lettland

World War II

Commanders

Order of battle

See also

References