__NOTOC__ Voldemārs Veiss (7 November 1899 – 17 April 1944) was a Latvian officer and prominent Nazi collaborator, who served in the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. When Riga, the capital of Latvia, fell to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

on 1 July 1941, the Germans began forming self-defence and police forces. Veiss was appointed the commander of such a Self Defence organization. On 20 July the Nazis disbanded this organization and ordered the formation of

auxiliary police Auxiliary police, also called special police, are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be armed or unarmed. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are affiliated. The po ...

forces instead, with Lt. Col. Veiss being appointed Chief of the

Latvian Auxiliary Police Latvian Auxiliary Police was a paramilitary force created from Latvian volunteers by the Nazi German authorities who occupied the country in June 1941. It was part of the ''Schutzmannschaft'' (Shuma), native police forces organized by the German ...

. At the end of 1941, he became First Deputy Director General of the Director General of the Interior when the Latvian Self-Administration was reorganized. Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-702-0420-35, Lettland, Riga, Beisetzung

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-702-0420-35, Lettland, Riga, Beisetzung

As early as autumn 1941 Latvian auxiliary police units, temporarily attached to the

, were first used in front line duties. This occasional employment continued until the 2nd Latvian Brigade was formed from six Latvian battalions, four of which had combat experience. At the end of April 1943 a three battalion formation fighting under name of

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 ...

was withdrawn from the front line and renamed 1st Volunteer Regiment of the SS (Latvian), with a change of Wehrmacht ranks to those of

. Voldemārs Veiss was given command of this regiment, which was a part of the 2nd Latvian Brigade, and received a rank of Legion-

Obersturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Obersturmbannführer'' (Senior Assault-unit Leader; ; short: ''Ostubaf'') was a paramilitary rank in the German Nazi Party (NSDAP) which was used by the SA ('' Sturmabteilung'') and the SS (''Schutzstaffel''). The rank of ''Oberstu ...

. In January 1944, Veiss became the first Latvian to receive the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...

. On 17 April 1944, Veiss died from wounds he had suffered seven days prior.

Awards

* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 February 1944 as Waffen-'' Standartenführer'' and commander of SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 42 (lett. Nr. 4).Scherzer 2007, p. 756.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Lumans, Valdis O. - Latvia in World War II, , , Fordham University Press 2006 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veiss, Voldemars 1899 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Riga Latvian military personnel of the Latvian War of Independence SS-Standartenführer Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Latvian Waffen-SS personnel German military personnel killed in World War II