“Georg Sander”

6. SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord"

When Norway capitulated in June 1940, there were still some armed Norwegian forces intact: two Infantry Battalions and one Motorised Artillery Battery who guarded the Norwegian/Soviet-Russian and Finnish border in East-Finnmark. These were led by Colonel Wilhelm Faye.

As Hitler did not want to deploy ordinary Heer units to replace the Norwegians, the choice was SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 9 led by SS-Obersturmbannführer Ernst Deutsch. However, the first unit to arrive in Kirkenes, was called "SS Batallion Reitz", named after their commander Obersturmbannführer Wilhelm Reitz.

During the spring 1941, two new Standarten (Regiments) arrived: the 6th and 7th. After a short time, the 6th SS, with large elements from the 9th SS, moved into positions at Salla in Northern-Finland. General von Falkenhorst did, however, not trust their fighting ability very much, because even If the formations were well equipped, the men were poorly trained. The two latter regiments crossed the Finnish/Norwegian border, and were ready at Salla the 22nd June, 1941.

As the attack on Soviet came, the divisions, now usually called "Brigade", were thrown into the battle at Markajärvi-Salla. They suffered great losses, and were an expected disappointment to the German commanders: Falkenhorst and Buschenhagen. The SS forces lost 700 men the first two days in combat with strong Russian forces. (300 KIA and 400 WIA).

The Brigade got a new unit attached, SS-Gebirgsartillerie-Regiment 6, and was now redesigned as a Division. During the autumn 1941, the Division was handed over to the battle-hardened Finnish General Siilasvuo (this was the only time that an SS Division was commanded by a foreign Officer), and took positions at Louchi/Kiestinki. Gen. Siilasvuo was no bad choice for an Army Corps commander: he had served in the Finnish famous volunteer "Jägerbatallion 27" during WW 1, on the German side.

A Führer order was soon to be given, which said "…..As for the SS-units, there is to be formed a new SS-Gebirgsbrigade formed by volunteering Norwegians and Finns. An Austrian SS-regiment is to be attached, and the remaining units are to be deployed from "Kampfgruppe Nord".

A unit by Finnish volunteers was never formed in this case, but a Norwegian one soon came true: the "Freiwilligen-Skikompanie "Norwegen" , later Frwg-Skibatallion Norwegen. (Norwegian: "Skijegerbataljonen").

It was formed in February 1941 in Norway as "SS-Kampfgruppe Nord" by "Stabdes Befehlshaber der Waffen-SS in Norwegen".

From September 1941 the unit was officially designated "SS-Division Nord". In January it was converted to a "SS-Gebirgs-Division", and new units began forming in Germany for the division. These arrived in September 1942, and the division was redesigned "SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord".

In October it got a divisional number, and was finally redesignated 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord
 

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