In 24-26 June 1944, nearly 100 of the battalion's soldiers went missing in action, when two of the battalion's positions (with a total of 190 soldiers) were overrun
During the winter of 1942, a Ski jäger Company, with a strength of 120 men, was formed in Finland with personnel undergoing training in the SS schools and training camps in Germany. The formation of the new Norwegian SS Skijaeger Battalion took place at military training grounds in Oulu, Finland in the autumn of 1943. The battalion CO and a four company commander were both Germans.
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Winter War Finns get their hands on about 4 000 SVT's, the Continuation War by as much as 15 000. Finnish and Soviet cartridges for measuring and charging differences and SVT-40's often incorrectly adjusted gas piston arms, however, caused a lot of malfunctions.
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A few German enlisted men were also included in each company as a "stiffening" element. For the most part the Norwegian officers were young men who had obtained front line experience with the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking or the "Frw. Legion Norwegen". The Norwegian Ski Battalion was strictly light-weight in nature consisting only of one staff company and three ski (or infantry/assault) companies.
SS Ski Jäger Battalion "Norwegen" | |
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Active | July 1943 – January 1945 |
Country | Norway |
Allegiance | Nazi-Germany |
Branch | Waffen-SS |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Battalion |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Sophus Kahrs |
Norwegian nurses
Line of battle positioning, with compass and map help
In 1943 the Ski Company (Skikompaniet, the predecessor of the "Ski Battalion") was sent to the Kiestinki Front. The battalion was formed in Germany, transported to Oulo in Finland, and later reached Kuusamo. During the winter 1943/1944 the battalion counted around 700 men. As a consequence of an armistice in September 1944, the German Lapland Army, including the battalion, retreated through North Finland into Norway.
The Norwegian daily Dagbladet wrote that the unit's soldiers were at the front in Finland until the autumn of 1944, adding that "several were sent to the end fighting in Germany and Austria.
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Any explosive ammunition or empty cores, you can put in this.