Waffen - SS foreign volunteers and conscripts The Waffen - SS ( German for " Armed SS " , literally " Weapon SS " ) was the combat arm of the " Schutzstaffel " ( " Protective Squadron " ) or SS , an organ of the German Nazi Party . The Waffen - SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to a force of over 39 divisions , which served alongside the regular army . It is not to be confused with units of the Allgemeine SS subordinate to the Wehrmacht . " Waffen - SS " was never formally part of the regular army . Although operational control of the Waffen - SS units on the front line was given to the Army ' s High Command , in all other respects they remained under the auspices of Reichsfuhrer - SS Heinrich Himmler ' s SS , and behind the lines these units were an instrument of political policy enforcement . It was Adolf Hitler ' s will that the Waffen - SS never be integrated into the Army . In 1940 , Hitler gave permission for the first non - German Waffen - SS formation and by the end of the war , twenty five of the thirty eight Waffen - SS divisions were formed from foreign volunteers or conscripts , or around 60 % of Waffen - SS members were non - German . After the war , in the Nuremberg Trials , the Waffen - SS was condemned as a criminal organisation owing to its essential connection to the Party and its involvement in war crimes and the Holocaust , however Waffen - SS conscripts sworn in after 1943 were exempted from the judgement owing to their involuntary servitude . SS " Wiking " . In late 1940 , the creation of a multinational SS division , the SS Division " Wiking " , was authorised and command of the division was given to Brigadeführer Felix Steiner . Steiner organized the volunteer division , and soon advocated for an increased number of foreign units . The 5th SS " Wiking " was committed to combat several days after the launch of the invasion of the Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ) , proving itself an impressive fighting unit . It became both one of the established elite divisions and a model for what might be achieved through careful recruitment and training . Its ranks , however , never exceeded 40 % " foreign " troops , relying heavily on German officers , non - commissioned officer s and technical specialists to provide the major part of its strength . Further volunteers . Soon Danish , Belgian , Norwegian , Swedish , Finnish and Dutch volunteer formations were committed to combat , generally proving their worth despite their limited numbers . Himmler was allowed to create his new formations , but they were to be commanded by German officers and NCO s . Beginning in 1942 - 43 , several new formations were built up from Croats , Latvians , Estonians and Ukrainians . Himmler ordered that new Waffen - SS units formed with men of non - Germanic ethnicity were to be designated " Division der SS " or Division " of " the SS rather than " SS Division " . In some of these cases , the wearing of the SS runes on the collar was forbidden , with several of these formations wearing national insignia instead . Gottlob Berger sought to gain control of all foreign volunteer forces serving alongside Germany ' s Wehrmacht . This put the Waffen - SS at odds with the Army , as several volunteer units had been placed under Army control , for instance volunteers of the Spanish Blue Division . In several cases , such as the ROA and the 5 . SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade " Wallonien " , he was successful , and by the last year of the war most foreign volunteers units did fall under SS command . While several volunteer units performed poorly in combat , the majority acquitted themselves well . French and Spanish SS volunteers , along with remnants of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division " Nordland " formed the final defense of the " Reichstag " in 1945 . Among the more unusual units to exist in the Waffen - SS was the British Free Corps , a unit composed of former British prisoners of war . It numbered around 60 soldiers , with special insigina , and considerable propaganda potential . Initial efforts at organizing the BFC were made by John Amery in the spring of 1944 , and then taken over by the Waffen - SS . Amery was tried and convicted of treason by the British government after the war , and was executed in December 1945 . Additionally , there were SS units and entire SS ' Foreign Legions ' consisting primarily of Indian , Arabs , Tartars / Cossacks amongst others . A special case was the SS - Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger that unofficially accepted common criminals on probation , Gypsies ( Roma ) and political prisoners willing to repent . Ultimately , a significant majority ( approximately 60 % ) of men who volunteered and fought with the Waffen - SS over the course of the war were not ethnic Germans . The Waffen - SS even made allowances for religious traditions and beliefs with specialised uniforms and insignias , as well as providing spiritual guidance and service in non - Christian religions . Conscript divisions . Soldiers from Estonia and Latvia were not volunteers but conscripts which the German authorities had denied their wish to form national military units allied to Germany . Under such circumstances , these had either volunteered to the Wehrmacht and had later been forced into the Waffen - SS or were illegally conscripted by general mobilisations . In an April 13 , 1950 message from the U . S . High Commission in Germany ( HICOG ) , signed by General Frank McCloy to the Secretary of State , clarified the US position on the " Baltic Legions " : they were not to be seen as " movements " , " volunteer " , or " SS " . In short , they were not given the training , indoctrination , and induction normally given to SS members . Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared thatThe Baltic Waffen - SS Units ( Baltic Legions ) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose , ideology , activities , and qualifications for membership from the German SS , and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States . The governments of the Baltic states and the people of Germany consider these men to have been freedom fighters against communism . List by nation and unit . An estimated 325 , 000 to 500 , 000 non - ethnic German volunteers and conscripts served in the Waffen - SS : Post war . After the surrender , many volunteers were tried and imprisoned by their countries . In several cases , volunteers were executed . Henri Joseph Fenet , one of the last recipients of the Knight ' s Cross was sentenced to 20 years of forced labour and released from prison in 1959 . Some were far less lucky and were shot upon capture by the French authorities . General Leclerc was famously presented with a defiant group of 11 or 12 captured 33rd SS " Charlemagne " men . The Free French General immediately asked them why they wore a German uniform , to which one of them replied by asking the General why he wore an American one ; the Free French wore modified US Army uniforms . The group of French Waffen - SS men was then promptly executed without any form of military tribunal procedure . Walloon renowned leader Leon Degrelle escaped to Spain , where , despite being sentenced to death " in absentia " by the Belgian authorities , he lived in exile until his death in 1994 . The men of the XV SS Cossack Corps found themselves in Austria at the end of the war and surrendered to British troops . Even though they were given assurances that they would not be turned over to the Soviets , they nevertheless were forcibly removed from the compound and transferred to the USSR . This event became known as the Betrayal of the Cossacks . Most of the Cossacks were executed for treason . After the war members of Baltic Waffen - SS Units were considered separate and distinct in purpose , ideology and activities from the German SS by the Western Allies . Subsequently in the spring of 1946 , out of the ranks of Baltic conscripts who had surrendered to the Western allies in the previous year , a total of nine companies were formed with a mission to guard the external perimeter of the Nuremberg International Tribunal courthouse and the various depots and residences of US officers and prosecutors connected with the trial . The men were also entrusted with guarding the accused Nazi war criminals held in prison during the trial up until the day of execution .