SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
S022669 WAFFEN-SS FINNISH VOLUNTEER'S SLEEVE SHIELD.
(Landeschilde)BACKGROUND: As early as 1938 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and the Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), began recruiting volunteer "Germanische", (Germanic), personnel who were considered to be suitably "Nordic", to serve in the SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops). Originally these Germanic personnel were drawn from Dutch, Belgian, Danes and Norwegians but with only minor success. In March 1940 with the formation of the Waffen-SS recruitment of the Germanic personnel began to increase slightly and with the outbreak of WWII additional Germanic volunteers came forward to join the ranks of the Waffen-SS. The invasion of the Balkans in 1941 brought forward another pool of suitable Volksdeutsche, (Ethnic Germans), personnel available for voluntary enlistment in the Waffen-SS. The invasion of Russia on June 22ND 1941 and the war against Bolshevism resulted in the Waffen-SS experiencing another surge in recruits willing to serve with the Germans. As the war continued and man-power shortages became severe the standard criteria for acceptance into the Waffen-SS was decreased dramatically and numerous personnel who would have been unacceptable in 1939 were readily conscripted into service with the Waffen-SS. By the end of the war more then half of all the personnel serving in the Waffen-SS were non-Germans. Finland’s history is believed to date back to the 9TH century when Finno-Ugric nomads from the central Ural region of Russia started to migrate to the region that is now know as Finland. Eventually the Finn’s were conquered by Sweden and were suppressed under Swedish rule until the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800's. In 1808 in the Third Coalition War against the French and her allies, Russia invade Finland and expelled the Swedes. Surprisingly the Russian permitted Finland to adopt a constitution although it was under Russian control as a Grand Duchy with the Czar as its figurehead. With the outbreak of the Bolshevik Revolution on November 7TH 1917 and the ensuing discord in Russia Finland saw her chance to gain total independence and declared herself an independent state on December 16TH 1917. As a result of Finland’s declaration of independence the Russian’s attacked and in the ensuing Finnish War of Independence the Finn’s requested military aid from Germany which helped the Finn’s to drive the Russian out and Finland finally gained her total independence on May 7TH 1918. Finland was able to retain her independence undisturbed until a border dispute with Russia developed into the Winter War on November 30TH 1939. Although the Finn’s were able to avoid being occupied by the Russians, large areas of territory were ceded to them and roughly ten percent of the Finnish population had to be relocated at the end of the War on March 12TH 1940. In February 1941 the Germans began to entice the Finnish into clandestinely sending recruits to Germany for the impending invasion of Russia in spite of the fact that the German and Russian anti-aggression pact was still in effect. Interestingly the Finns agreed to send volunteers with the stipulation that they would only assist the Germans fight against the Russians although at that point the Germans and Russians were still at peace. In May and June of 1941 the Finnish volunteers began to arrive in Germany and roughly 400 Finnish personnel were attached to the 5TH SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division Wiking. Later in June 1941 additional Finnish volunteers were formed into the Finnisches Freiwilligen Battaillon der Waffen-SS, (Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS). Personnel assigned to the Finnisches Freiwilligen Battaillon der Waffen-SS were granted an identifying sleeve shield. Of Note: In February 1942 the Finnisches Freiwilligen Battaillon der Waffen-SS was absorbed into the Nordland Regiment of the 5TH SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division Wiking as the 3RD Battalion and personnel retained the right to wear the identifying sleeve shield.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Machine embroidered red, yellow and white construction features a machine embroidered, crowned, rampant Finnish lion clutching a saber in one paw with an additional scimitar at his feet, encompassed by a fine machine embroidered outer edge. Near mint.
GRADE ****3/4 PRICE $
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