Voldemārs Veiss, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetVoldemārs Veiss
Latvian SS officer
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Riga, Latvia
About Voldemārs Veiss
- Voldemars Veiss (7 November 1899 – 17 April 1944) was a Latvian officer and prominent Nazi collaborator, who served in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany. When Riga, the capital of Latvia, fell to the Wehrmacht on 1 July 1941, the Germans began forming self-defence and police forces.
- Veiss was appointed the commander of such a Self Defence organization.
- On July 20 the Nazis disbanded this organization and ordered the formation of auxiliary police forces instead, with Lt.
- Col.
- Veiss being appointed Chief of the Auxiliary Police.
- At the end of 1941, he became First Deputy Director General of the Director General of the Interior when the Latvian Self-Administration was reorganized. As early as autumn 1941 Latvian auxiliary police units, temporarily attached to the Wehrmacht, were first used in front line duties.
- This occasional employment continued until the 2nd Latvian Brigade was formed from six Latvian battalions, four of which had combat experience.
- At the end of April 1943 a three battalion formation fighting under name of Latvian Legion was withdrawn from the front line and renamed 1st Volunteer Regiment of the SS (Latvian), with a change of Wehrmacht ranks to those of Waffen-SS.
- Voldemars Veiss was given command of this regiment, which was a part of the 2nd Latvian Brigade, and received a rank of Legion-Obersturmbannführer.
- In January 1944, Veiss became the first Latvian to receive the Knight's Cross.
- On 17 April 1944, Veiss died from wounds he had suffered seven days prior.
Read more at Wikipedia