Baxter, Ian Images of War. Waffen-SS Dutch & Belgian Volunteers. Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives

Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, numerous Dutchmen, Belgians and Danes volunteered for the Waffen-SS. The largest division, SS Volunteer Legion "Netherlands" operated in Yugoslavia and then Northern Russia. It was later re-designated 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nederland".
Fighting alongside the "Nederland" formation was the SS Volunteer Legion "Flanders", manned mainly with Dutch speaking recruits from occupied Belgium. After being disbanded it was later reformed as the SS Assault Brigade "Langemarck" (SS-Sturmbrigade "Langemarck").
The SS Volunteer Legion "Walloon", recruited from French-speaking volunteers from German occupied Belgium, was sent to Russia and later integrated with the SS Assault Brigade "Wallonia" (SS-Sturmbrigade "Wallonien").
Finally some 6000 Danes served in Free Corps "Denmark" which went to the Eastern Front in May 1942. Within a year the formation was disbanded into Division "Nordland", known as Regiment 24 "Danemark".

Drawing on a superb collection of rare and often unpublished photographs, this "Images of War" book describes the fighting history of each formation, notably the 1944 battle of Narva. As its forces were pushed further back across a scarred and burning wasteland it describes how these Dutch, Belgian and Danish units became cut off in the Kurland Pocket until some were evacuated by sea. The remainder were killed or captured in front of Berlin in April 1945.