It is believed that approximately 200 Swedes served in the Waffen-SS during the war. Most of these joined to fight communism but nearly half of them were members or supporters of the many small Nazi-parties in Sweden, the most important being Svensk Socialistisk Samling (SSS).

Most of the Swedish volunteers served in SS Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland and Panzergrenadier-Kompanie 3 in SS-Panzeraufklärungsabtelung 11 was known as Schwedenkompanie (the Swedes served in 4. zug of this unit, it was known as Schwedenzug).

Other large groups of Swedes served in SS Panzer Division Wiking and SS Gebirgs Division Nord. Individual Swedes served in SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, SS Freiwilligen Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS Charlemagne, SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers and SS-Panzer-Brigade Gross.

The Swedish volunteers who reached the highest rank was SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans-Gösta Pehrsson.
The Swedish volunteers who was awarded the highest award was SS-Oberscharführer Sven-Erik Olsson who received the German Cross in Gold.

Gösta Borg (SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers), Hans-Caspar Kreuger (SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers), Hans-Gösta Pehrsson (AA11, Nordland), Gunnar Eklöf (AA11, Nordland), Carl Svensson (SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers) and Torkel Tillman (SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers)

(Courtesy of Per E)


Several Swedes studied at SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz (the Waffen-SS officer's school) and the list below covers the ones known to us at this time:
Rune Ahlgren
Per-Sigurd Baecklund
Gösta Borg
Gunnar Eklöf
Wolfgang Eldh-Albitz (top of his class)
Nils Eriksson
Bengt Hassler
Yngve Hellenborg
Hans-Caspar Kreuger
Hans Lindström
Kurt Lundin
Heino Meyer
Hans-Gösta Pehrsson
Friherre Harry Raab (never served in the Waffen-SS, "Friherre" is a title of nobility)
Carl Svensson
Torkel Tillman

The following served as officers but did not study at Bad Tölz:
Yngve Nordborg
Sven Rydén