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The Latvian Legion

© Scott Hegerty

During World War II, Nazi Germany used its conquered territories to its own advantage, particularly in aiding the war effort. Every economic and natural resource was exploited in order to gain victory against the Allies. One important resource in the Baltic countries, however, was human--many Balts were drafted to fight the Soviets. One result of this policy was the Latvian Legion, a unit of the SS that fought on the Eastern Front. To this day, many Latvians are trying to live down the stigma of being Nazi sympathizers.

The Latvian Legion was formed by German order in 1943. It was not voluntary--Latvian men who were born between 1918 and 1924 were conscripted. Of course, many men who wanted to fight the Soviets at all costs signed up, thinking the Nazis were the lesser of two evils. Two divisions were formed: the 15th and the 19th. Approximately 146,000 Latvians fought in the ranks of these two units between 1943 and 1945, and members of the 19th division were among those who held out against the Soviets in the Kurland pocket, fighting until the very end of the war. Forty thousand Latvian Legion soldiers were killed, and 60,000 were wounded. They also lost 30,000 men as prisoners of war.

This was not the first time that the Latvians fought for a dubious cause thinking it would serve their own interests in the end. In 1917, Latvians supported the Bolshevik Revolution, fighting the democratic forces and serving Lenin loyally, in hopes that if the Russian Empire collapsed, Latvia could be independent. As a result of being some of the strongest Soviet forces during the Russian Revolution they were praised by the Soviets--there's still a statue commemorating them in Riga--and vilified by those who hated the Soviet system. In 1943, the situation was similar: The Soviets had already proven their brutality to the Latvians; maybe if the Nazis won things would be a little better.

The Latvians spent years trying to clear their names, stating that because of the involuntary nature of these SS units, those who served in them were not as bad as real Nazis. Numerous books were published documenting Latvian innocence, including The Latvian Legion: Heroes, Nazis Or Victims which, although the title implies otherwise, actually spends little time theorizing about Latvians being Nazis.

In the end, the Latvians were vindicated--they were cleared of any war crimes in 1950. But the legacy lives on. In 1998, Latvian Legion veterans marched through the streets of Riga commemorating their service in a right-wing celebration. This had the potential to damage the country's reputation, although leaders condemned it. The service may have been involuntary, yet the nation has the choice to react to it today.

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