Goebbels' 1941 propaganda campaign to present Germany's invasion of the USSR as a battle for European civilization against Asian barbarism convinced many men in occupied 'Germanic' European countries, such as Scandinavia and the Low Countries, to volunteer to fight on the Russian Front. One of the strongest national legions of such a kind was raised in the Netherlands, where it was supported by a large pro-Nazi movement led by Anton Mussert. The 3,000-man Netherlands Volunteer Legion fought on the Leningrad front in regimental strength, from the Red Army's winter 1941/42 counter-offensive until April 1943. The survivors were then reinforced to form a 5,500-strong Panzergrenadier Brigade, and after anti-partisan service in Croatia, they returned to Army Group North as part of Steiner's III SS Panzer Korps, fighting in the most arduous battles of 1943-44 until driven back into Pomerania. In the final months of the war the division formed the nucleus of the new 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division 'Nederland'.
In this illustrated study of the Dutch Waffen-SS Legion and Brigade, specialist Massimiliano Afiero explores the full history of this important formation from its establishment in 1941 until it was incorporated into the 'Nederland' Division in 1944. Contemporary photographs and full-colour illustrations support the text and reveal key details including aspects of uniform and insignia.

MASSIMILIANO AFIERO was born in Afragola (Naples) in 1964. An IT teacher and programmer, he has been interested in military history since his youth, specializing in the history of Axis units during World War II, particularly the Waffen-SS. He is one of a few Italian researchers to have personally interviewed veterans of the Waffen-SS and published their stories. Since May 2008, he has been Editor-in-Chief of the bimonthly magazine SGM (Seconda Guerra Mondiale) and, in January 2017, he started his own magazine The Axis Forces in World War II. His other titles for Osprey include: MAA 524:Norwegian Waffen-SS Legion, 1941-43 and MAA 531:Dutch Waffen-SS Legion & Brigade 1941-44.

Introduction
Eastern Front, 1942-43
From Legion to Brigade
Return to the Eastern Front, 1944
Narva
Kurland
Select Bibliography
Plate Commentaries
Index