Soldiers of the Waffen-SS:
Many Nations, One Motto

Errata and Additions

by Marc Rikmenspoel

The list goes by page number:

1. Kepplinger's 7. Alpenjäger Regiment later became Infanterie Regiment 14. After the Anschluss this was converted into the Heer's IR 133 in the 45. ID.

3. Top photo. The information came from the caption on the photo, supplied by Albert Frey. The unit is III. later IV./Deutschland, but specifically is 9. Kompanie. This was commanded by Plöw, as mentioned. Since it was the lowest numbered company in the battalion, it was colloquially referred to by its members as “1. Kompanie.”

4. Bottom photo. The man second from the left resembles Felix Steiner, but appears to wear Hstuf. insignia. So I remain uncertain if it is he. 

24. Bottom caption. Folda should be Fulda.

28. After Eicke’s death, Max Simon took immediate command of Totenkopf. But his command last little more than a month. The caption was intended to convey the idea that Priess was the long-term successor to Eicke. 

37. Fritz von Scholz did not win either class of the Iron Cross in the First World War. I based that part of the caption on information included in the works of Jost Schneider and Ernst-Günther Krätschmer, both of whom are in error in mentioning that von Scholz earned clasps to his original Iron Crosses. Von Scholz did wear all of his decorations for propaganda photos, but otherwise generally only wore his Knight’s Cross and German Cross.

44. Bottom photo. Other photos in the sequence indicate that the man wearing the camouflage helmet cover is Jochen Peiper, who later replaced Frey as 11. Kompanie commander.

45. Bottom photo. On July 13, 1941 13. Kompanie commander Hempel was killed in action. Olboeter replaced him, and was in turn replaced as 15. Kompanie commander by Jakob Hanreich. 

47. Right photo. The St. Olaf’s Cross was only worn within Den Norske Legion. Hird members in Wiking did not wear it, though those from Reg. Nordland added it after returning to Norway in the late spring of 1943.

56. Top photo. From the left, these are the brothers Niels, Ignaz, and Hugo Schwab. They belonged to the NSU (the youth movement of the DNSAP) before joining the Danish SA in Copenhagen. In early 1941 they volunteered for the Waffen-SS, and trained at Sennheim and then Klagenfurt. They then were assinged to serve together in the same squad of Westland, with which Niels (the youngest) was killed in action on February 2, 1942. During 1943 Ignaz transferred to 13./Germania, with which he spent the  rest of the war as a Rottenführer. Hugo also finished the was as a Rottenführer after being assigned to Horst Wessel.

Bottom photo. These brothers are Nord Schleswiger Volksdeutsche. Their surname has not been found, but from the left are Herluf, Willy, and Werner. The photo was shot at Sennheim during 1941, and also originallz comes from H.T. Nielsen.

95. Right photo. The first name should be Helmut, not Helmet!

102. A copy of this photo with with its wartime caption has been located. PK-mann Dr. Pauli shot it on the Narva front and it was released to the press on April 20, 1944.

106. Top photo. Nusk is a misprint, his name was properly Nüske. He later served as the adjutant of SS-PR 1.

140. Emil Seibold was born in Switzerland, but his Hitler Jugend merit badge seen in other photos helps establish that he was German.

150. Top right photo. H.H. Neumann was the last commader of SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 1 in the spring of 1945.

166. Bottom photo. The man identified as H.H. Küchle cannot be him, since the photo dates from June 1942 and Küchle was not promoted to Stubaf. until August 1, 1942. Also, the man wears the Prussian Hausorden von Hohenzollern from World War 1 service, while Küchle was born during 1911.

171. The bottom left signature is that of Bjoern Noreger, who after serving in 4./DNL headed the Frontfighters Bureau as the successor to Olaf Willy Fermann. This office coordinated Norwegian recruiting and aided the transition of former frontfighters back into Norwegian society.

175. Bottom photo. Elements of the reformed ski unit did fight against the Norwegian resistance during 1945 as SS-Schi-Jäger Bataillon 506 (mot.). None of these three men had any involvement in pitched battles.

176. Bottom right photo. Kohlroser commanded SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 21, 22 is a misprint.

180. Top photo. This scene was likely shot in Galicia circa April 1944, and not in France during 1943. 

197. Two right photos. Other photos in the sequence show that Gille had removed his own Knight’s Cross to give to Wagner.

201. Top photo. During January 1944, the remnants of SS-Panzerjäger Abteilung 1 were transferred to the forming 12. SS-Panzer Division HJ, to form the nucleus of SS-Panzerjäger Abteilung 12. In October 1944, SS-Sturmgeschütz Abteilung 1 was redesignated as SS-Panzerjäger Abteilung 1.

205. Wolkerstorfer later commanded SS-Aufklärungs Abteilung 105/505 in V. SS-Freiwilligen Gebirgskorps. 

210. The approval signature at the bottom left is of II. SS-Panzerkorps commander Willi Bittrich.

211. The two photos on the left should be credited to Brandt.

212. Bottom photos. Brigade Langemarck likely only had one platoon of guns in 9. (schwere Flak) Batterie. Geerts may have ended up serving with a different portion of the brigade.

216. Left photo. Gille may have again used his own Knight’s Cross as the presentation piece for this ceremony. 

218. Top photo. Velde lived Nord Schleswiger when he volunteered for the SS-VT during 1939. His family were Wolhynian Volksdeutsche from eastern Romania who relocated to southern Denmark. Velde became a German citizen, probably during the war. He was nick-named “Panje” by his friends in Nordschleswig and in the SS-VT due to his Slavic features. Velde became an Oberstleutnant in the Bundeswehr. 

222. A copy of this photo with the wartime caption has turned up. This was shot by PK-mann Dr. Pauli near Narva at about the same time as the photo on the top of page 102. It was released to the press on April 15, 1944. The Heer soldier is a Pioniere officer.

236. Top right photo. Lange is actually Günther Lange, who became an Oberstleutnant in the Bundeswehr. Once Gille took command of IV. SS-Panzerkorps, Lange served as his escort officer (O5). After his retirement he was a leading member of Wiking’s veterans group.

239. Bottom photo. The caption should read “50 kilometers east of Warsaw” not “east of Poland.”

242. The top photo should be credited to Nieman.

252. Bottom photo. At right in the front row, with cords, is IIa Kurt Mayr.

261. Top right photo. Lorenzen was a Nordschleswiger Volksdeutscher. He served as adjutant of the Frikorps Danmark, not Regiment Danmark. He remained the adjutant to Christian Peder Kryssing for the rest of the war. This photo was taken on May 23, 1944 when Lorenzen was the adjutant, and Kryssing the commander, of KG-Küste. Lorenzen was promoted to Hstuf. on July 1, 1944. This photo's caption should state (Natedal via Nielsen).

263. Left photo. Vogt left for Germany on March 15, 1944 after re-contracting typhus. With his I. Bataillon disbanded, he had succeeded the badly wounded Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann as the commaner of III./Norge on February 2, and remained with it for two weeks. He was then replaced by Martin Gürz. 

265. Top left photo. Lage Melwin Soegaard (not Soeguard) won his Iron Cross I at the end of March 1945. He finished the war as an SS-Rttf. and survived four wounds.

271. Top photo. Wild's driver was the Dane Kurt Tebring, from Copenhagen. He received the Iron Cross I for the same action in which Wild earned the Knight's Cross.

276. Left photo. SS-Feldersatz Bataillon 11 should be SS-Panzergrenadiere Ausbildung und Ersatz Bataillon 11.

277. Top photo. Frühof should be Frühauf.

Bottom photo. Von Bock won the German Cross in Gold on November 14, 1944. 

280. Bottom photo. By the summer of 1944 Ternedde led and then commanded III./Danmark. It was from this position that he took over the leadership of the regiment in Berlin.

281.Bottom photo. Again, the intended unit is SS-PG AuE Bataillon 11.

284. Top photo. Nugiseks received his Knight’s Cross in a hospital in Estonia, not in Germany. It was presented by Franz Augsberger and German Governorßgeneral for Estonia Karl-Sigismund Litzmann. Nugiseks' fistfight also likely occured in Estonia.

287. Right photo. Again, Frühof should be Frühauf.

288. Left photo. Strapatin was born in the Banat, in a town 30 kilometers south of Temesburg/Temesvar/Timiosara.

Right photo. D’Haese was born Joris, but chose since the war to use the German version of his name, Georg. His German Cross in Gold was probably not approved because of his anti-Nazi opinions. 

293. Top photo. The driver for Kausch's command SPW was the Nordschleswiger Volksdeutcher Hans Bonniksen. He trained with the forming Hohenstaufen during 1943, but left the division prior to the Galicia campaign. He became a Panther driver with Stab Kompanie/Hermann von Salza, until the Panthers were removed to reinforce the fighting companies. Bonniksen then became the driver for Kausch's SPW.

295. The Grasser mentioned is actually Anton Grasser.

296. Bottom photo. The caption tells the sanitized version of their escape. Ledin, Alm, and Johansson (aka Ingemar Somberg) actually crossed from Estonia to Finland. There they were captured by the Finnish army. The Swedes, as German soldiers, were almost handed over to the Soviets, but Alm or Ledin had fought as a volunteer with the Finns during the Winter War, and displayed his Finnish Army decorations to a Finnish officer. The officer concluded that the Swedes were “nice boys” and released them to return to Sweden. Ledin, Alm, and Johansson (Somberg) were joined by  Estonian civilians in their adventure, and these civilians later became Swedish citizens. They were possibly ethnic-Swedish Estonians.  

297. Top photo. Ahlgren probably commanded a platoon in 2./SS-PAA 11, not in 3. Kompanie.

Bottom photo. Mühlbacher served with Totenkopf before joining 2./SS-PAA 11. This photo originated with H.T. Nielsen.

299. Bottom photo. Schaa served during 1945 in SS-PG AuE Bataillon 11 with KG-Schweitzer.

301. Bottom left photo. Sidon was actuallz a volunteer from Luxembourg. He had lost most of one of his feet in combat with Deutschland. He took a special course for the disabled before joining Danmark. This photo originated with H.T. Nielsen.

302. Bottom photo. Kaj Olesen was known as "Germanic Ole" because he was quite muscular. He was the Schirrmeister of 8./Danmark, and was killed in action in the Altdamm bridgehead in the spring of 1945. In the lower right foreground is the acting TFK of II./Danmark, Preben Sommer, who died during 1997. He and Olesen were both Danes.

303. Bottom photo. A different copy of this photo with its wartime caption has been found. It was shot by SS-PK mann Ferdinand Rottensteiner, and almost certainly shows LAH west of Kiev between November 1943 and January 1944.

306. The bottom left signature is again of Bjoern Noreger.

310. Top photo. Lindström is actually wearing the Finnish Freedom Cross, II and I Class. Beneath the Fleming at top center is the Dane Hans Lindegaard Petersen (his head is directly under the trifos collar patch of the Fleming).

321. Top photo. This scene has been identified. It is one of a sequence showing Christian Peder Kryssing giving a speech on August 6, 1941 during the swearing in of the Frikorps Danmark at Hamburg-Langenhorn.

322. Top photo. The admiral is not Dönitz but rather von Puttkamer. Between Hitler and von Puttkamer are Otto Günsche and Rudolf Schmundt.

323. Top photo. After serving as an official in the Hitler Youth, Axmann joined the Heer in September 1939. He was recalled to the Hitler Youth by Hitler in April 1940 to replace Baldur von Schirach as Reichsjugendführer. He applied several times to be able to rejoin the Heer, and this was finally granted in June 1941. Axmann was badly wounded on June 22, 1941 (the first day of Barbarossa) as Leutnant der Reserve and platoon commander in Infanterie Regiment 50 in 111. ID, as his unit fought its way across the Bug River.

324. Top photo. Information from Hein indicates that both his Knight’s Cross and his Oakleaves were awarded with Infanterie Regiment 220. Krätschmer is wrong about this.

326. Top photo. Himmler’s bodyguard Sepp Kiermaier is next to Wünsche. The other man may be Himmler’s adjutant Werner Grothmann.

337. Bottom photo. Between Fick and Buch is Dr. Ludwig Stumpfegger. 

341. Lehmann was still Ia of LAH at this time. He soon went on sick leave and was replaced by Erich Grensing.

342. Bottom photo. The figure in the far background with bandaged head is SS-Panzer Regiment 12 commander Max Wünsche. He was wounded on June 8, helping to further establish the date of this photo.

350. Bottom photo. This is possibly not Olsson with Harmel. The man wears the shoulder boards of a Hscha., while Olsson is believed to have only reached the rank of Oscha.

355. Right photo. This is a misprint. Barkmann was Hargesheimer’s driver at the time of this photo. 

367. This is a Panther Ausf A with Zimmeritt coating, and so is likely seen on the Eastern Front in early 1944. 

369. Left photo. Papes is a misprint, the name should be Papas.

375. Right photo. This is said to be the mount of 1. Kompanie leader and later Knight’s Cross winner Karl Bromann.

376. Left photo. Pätsch should be Paetsch.

380. Bottom caption. Oberscharführer Johann Täubl was the forward observer for Rieth’s 5. Batterie, and was Jenschke’s superior. Tauebl won the Honor Roll Clasp on December 17, 1944 for the same actions during which Rieth and Jenschke earned the Knight’s Cross. 

386. Top photo. This photo originated with H.T. Nielsen.

400. Bircow-Lassen, Werner     His last name was properly Birchow-Lassen. He definitely survived the war, and wrote the book “Den sidste  kavalerist” (The Last Cavalry Man). He died long after the war.

Bruland, Gunnar Rosseland       The “o” in Johwi has a “~” over it in Estonian, making the Estonian spelling Jhvi (from here on, any ~ is considered to be above the letter it follows). 

Clausen, Olaf. He was Danish.

Dall, Christian. Christen, as in the photo caption, is the correct spelling of his first name. He was a holder of the Iron Cross I. He came to Bad Tölz from 13./Nordland, and after serving in 13./Norge fought with Nord and finally Nibelungen. His other decorations included the Close Combat Clasp in Silver, the Wound Badge in Silver, the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze, the Frozen Meat Order, a Tank Destruction Stripe, and the Croatian Order of King Zvonimir III. Class with Swords.

402. Eklöf, Erich. This was actually Gunnar Erik Eklöf, who appears in some wartime photos from Narva. He left Sweden for Germany in August of 1941, and volunteered for the Waffen-SS on the 20th of that month. He came to Bad Tölz from Wiking. After graduation he served on the staff of III.(germ.) SS-Panzerkorps before joining SS-PAA 11. He was wounded on July 18, 1944 (probably near Narva, not Dunaberg). While stationed in Berlin he became the enemy of the older Swedish officer. Trouble ensued, and Eklöf was held for investigation. He was later released to serve with SS-Jagdverbände Nordwest.

Erichsen, Georg      He was a Nordschleswiger Volksdeutscher.

Feilberg, Kaj        His full name was Kai Gustav Feilberg.

403. Haldma-Schilling, Manfred       He served in the headquarters of the Estonian Brigade and Division.

Hansen, Robert L.     He came to Bad Tölz from the Frikorps Danmark, not from Wiking.

Heemskerk, Rainier       Wesenburg is the German name for the Estonian town of Rakvere.

Herlov-Nielsen, Erik      The “o” in Herlov should have a line through it. 

404. Bottom photo. The man at left is the same Bjoern Noreger mentioned previously. 

405. Hunt, Martin        The full Estonian name for Riigi  is Riigiküla.

Kaarheit, Toivo      Jewe is the same as Jo~hvi.

406. Kaludaid, Endel       His name was either Kaljuraid or Kaljurand. After Bad Tölz he served in Waffen-Artillerie Regiment 20, and was killed as an Ustuf. on March 16, 1945 at Wolfsgrund.

Kand, Willem      His name was actually Villem Känd. He served during 1941 in Sicherungs Gruppe 185. After Bad Tölz he  commanded a 37 mm flak platoon in Waffen-Flak Abteilung 20. Känd was wounded on April 14, 1944 at Meerapalu, Estonia and nothing more is known of him.

Kimmel, Artur     He served forcibly with the Red Army and joined the Germans during 1941 after spending time in a POW camp. He then served in Police Bataillon 29 and joined the Estonian Legion in September 1942. After graduation he commanded a 20 mm flak platoon in WFA 20, ending the war as a company commander in SS-AuE Regiment 20. 

Klemets, Oswald      Last name should be Klemats. He served in Ost  Bataillon 658. After graduation he commanded 5. Kompanie in II./SS-Freiwilligen Grenadier Regiment 42 (later renumbered as Waffen-Grenadier Regiment 45). He was wounded at this post, and nothing more is known of him.

Kompus, Ilmar      He was wounded on security duty with a self-defense unit before joining Polizei Bataillon 39. After graduation he served with SS-FGR 43 (later retitled WGR 46) before becoming  the head of the Estonian Inspectorate at the Panzergrenadier Schule Kienschlag. He became a Soviet POW at the end of the war, and died during 1994.

Koopmann, Dr. Paul         He was a Nordschleswiger Volksdeutscher.

Köppen, Karl Peter     His first name was Hans, not Karl. He was a Nordschleswiger Volksdeutscher.

Kraus, Igor      His surname was Krauss. He served with Ost Bataillon 658. After graduation he commanded a 37 mm flak battery with the Estonian Brigade and Division. He died in Canada after the war.

Kumar, Ernst      His first names were Ernst-Voldemar. He was a unit commader in the self-defense forces. After graduation he commanded a platoon in I./SS-FGR 42(45). After the war he lived under a false Russian name (presumably in Estonia) and died during 1955.   

407. Bottom photo. Madsen earned his Iron Cross I as the leader of 7./Danmark in the same action for which the Dane Egon Christophersen won the Knight's Cross. 

408. Laursoo, Rudolf    He commanded a company in SS-AuE Regiment 20. 

Lee, Juri      His first name was Jüri. An Estonian source, perhaps incorrectly, states that he was killed on December 12, 1943 and buried at Tallinn (Reval).

Maesalu, Put     His  first name was actually Piit. Also at Bad Tölz at the same  time was Tiit Maesalu, perhaps his brother. Tiit served in WFA 20 and SS-AuE Regiment 20. Permiscula should be spelled Permisküla.

409. Nurmeskund, Juri    His first name was Jüri. He commanded a battery in WAR 20 and remained in Estonia after the Geman withdrawal. He became a Soviet prisoner.

411. Pirk, Aadu       He was wounded during 1943 with SS-FGR 42(45) and again in 1945. During March of 1945 he took  command of 2./WGR 45. 

Prytz, Kristian      Siiversti should be Siivertsi. Paahklamaa should be Pähklamäe.

Riik, Gerhard      Gut Moisama refers to Mo~isamaa Manor in Estonia. He was either a  Baltic Deutsche or partially Estonian in ancestry, but not Dutch.

413. Tordarson, Odd        Palemusel is actually Palamuse, to the north of Tartu (Dorpat).