Alternate/additional SS divisions...

Life In Black

Suppose WWII stretched on a bit longer than it did in OTL. What additional or alternate SS divisions would have been created? Would the many foreign units attached to the SS be granted divisional status? What would their cuff titles and divisional symbols be?

Also, would the SS eventually reuse the division numbers from disbanded divisions such as the 13th Handschar?
 
Cook

Cook

Banned
There wasn’t a Spanish Division although a lot of Spanish volunteered for the SS, including Civil War veterans. So SS Santiago and SS El Cid divisions.

The SS Robert E. Lee division has been done to death.

The SS Oliver Cromwell division?

The SS Fenian or SS Emerald division?
 

Life In Black

Cook said:
There wasn’t a Spanish Division although a lot of Spanish volunteered for the SS, including Civil War veterans. So SS Santiago and SS El Cid divisions.

The SS Robert E. Lee division has been done to death.

The SS Oliver Cromwell division?

The SS Fenian or SS Emerald division?
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There were two Spanish SS companies, but wouldn't Azul make a better name?

As to the others, I'm not sure a prolonged WWII would see American, British and Irish SS Divisions. Then again... :p

What about a cuff title for a Romanian division, if Waffen-Grenadierregiment der SS (rumänisches 1) was expanded?
 

Kurt_Steiner

Life In Black said:
What about a cuff title for a Romanian division, if Waffen-Grenadierregiment der SS (rumänisches 1) was expanded?
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In fact, there were plans to expand it and create a Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (rumänische Nr. 1), with Staf. Ernst Ludwig or Staf. Willy Fortenbacher as it CO.

It happened the same as with the Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS (bulgarisches Nr 1), which was planned to upgrade it as Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (bulgarische Nr 1).
 

Life In Black

Kurt_Steiner said:
In fact, there were plans to expand it and create a Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (rumänische Nr. 1), with Staf. Ernst Ludwig or Staf. Willy Fortenbacher as it CO.
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There were plans to expand a lot of the foriegn volunteer battalions and companies into divisions, at least on paper. What would its title be though? Something connected to Romanian fascism, or maybe Romanian history and/or culture?
 

seraphim74

Originally posted by Life In Black
There was an attempt to form a Polish SS division, the Goralische. It was to be formed from Slavic mountain peoples in Poland.
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Only after the Nazis declared that Polish Górale (Highlanders) aren't Polish, but Goralenvolk, a descendants of Germanic tribes. The major "proof" was usage of swastika as a popular motif in their art - as a good luck charm. The majority of Górale were less than enthusiastic about that doubtful promotion to "almost Germans". I do not think that even in case of longer war they would join the SS.
 

Theodoric

seraphim74 said:
Originally posted by Life In Black
Only after the Nazis declared that Polish Górale (Highlanders) aren't Polish, but Goralenvolk, a descendants of Germanic tribes. The major "proof" was usage of swastika as a popular motif in their art - as a good luck charm. The majority of Górale were less than enthusiastic about that doubtful promotion to "almost Germans". I do not think that even in case of longer war they would join the SS.
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They did things like that more often during the war, especially later on; promoting practically everyone to Germanic status or at least non-subhuman to get more soldiers into the SS and other units. They even called all Eastern Front Hilfswilligen 'Cossacks' to make it looks less awkward.
 
Meadow

Meadow

krull1m said:
They did make a British unit called the "British Free Corps" and it never had more than about 30 people in it....
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There's a good story about them. They were fighting in Berlin and their German commander eventually said 'go surrender to your people, if they'll have you' and shook their hands before parting ways. The British court martialed them of course, but they were spared the horrors of Soviet capture at least.

Mind you, whether they deserved such a break is another matter entirely. Traitors are bed enough, but they were Nazi traitors to boot!
 

Kurt_Steiner

With luck and a lot of useful Tartars volunteers, the Osttürkischen Waffen-Verband der SS could become a division (¿Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS (Tatar Nr. 1)?).

And if the Finnisches Freiwilligen-Batallion der Waffen-SS is not disbanded in 1943, it could form the cadre for a brigade, then a Division, etc...
 

Kurt_Steiner

Zajir said:
Perhaps a SS greek division? SS Leonidas?
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IOTL, there were 1,000 Greek volunteers plus 4,000 "Ethnic" Greeks from the Black Sea area, the latter recruited into the 14th SS Division "Galitizia". If Germany goes better, perhaps, it might led more Greeks to join them, or to raise a local milita to fight against the Communist guerrillas in Greec, but I doubt it.
 
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