[Above: SS belt buckles. Soldier and officer. 'My Honor is Loyalty'.]

List by nation and unit. It is estimated that anywhere from 400,000 to 1,000,000 non-German volunteers and conscripts served in the Waffen-SS, while millions more volunteered for service as various auxiliaries of the Axis war effort. Below is a popular estimate of numbers.

  • Albania: 9,000+
    -7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
    -SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 14 "Skanderbeg"
    -13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)
    -1st Battalion of the 28th Waffen Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Infantry) Regiment of the SS (I/28)
    -21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
    -50th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment of the SS
    -51st Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment of the SS

  • Armenia: 2000 - 4000
    -Kaukasische Waffen-Verband der SS
    -Stab Kaukasischer Waffen-Verband der SS
    -Stab Waffen-Gruppe Armenien
    -Stab Waffen-Gruppe Nordkaukasus
    -Stab Waffen-Gruppe Georgien
    -Stab Waffen-Gruppe Aserbeidschan

  • Azerbaijan: 70,000
    -Azeri SS Volunteer Formations
    -Stab Waffen-Gruppe Aserbeidschan

  • Belgium: 20,000 to 22,000+
    Flemish:
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland
    -4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade
    -Nederland:
    -SS-Freiwilligen-Standarte Nordwest
    -27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck
    -6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck
    -28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
    - 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien
    -Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen
    -General SS Flanders
    -Germanic SS in Flanders
    Walloons:
    20,000 to 22,000 in the -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien

  • Brittany: ?
    -Der bretonische Waffenverband der Waffen-SS (Bezen Perrot)

  • British Commonwealth (English): 59-100
    -Britische Freikorps

  • Bulgaria: 700+
    -Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (1st Bulgarian)

  • Croatia (includes Bosnian Muslims): 20,000
    -V SS Mountain Corps
    -7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
    -SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 13 'Artur Phleps'
    -13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)
    -23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama (2nd Croatian)
    -24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS

  • Denmark: 8,000 to 12,000
    -Frikorps Danmark (The Danish Legion)
    -HIPO Corps
    -Schalburg Corps
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark

  • Estonia: 30,000
    Estonian Legion:
    -3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade
    -20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)
    -Finnish Infantry Regiment 200

  • Finland: 2,500
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    - SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers

  • France: 18,000 to 22,000 (at least 300 of which fought and died in the Battle of Berlin)
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen
    -18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel
    -8th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France
    -28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien
    -33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne

  • Georgia: 3,000 - 10,000
    -SS-Waffengruppe Georgien

  • Hungary: 40,000
    -7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -25th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Hunyadi (1st Hungarian)
    -26th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Hungarian)
    -31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division
    -Hungarian SS Grenadier Battalion 'Szlasi'
    -33rd Waffen Cavalry Division of the SS (3rd Hungarian)
    -37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Lützow

  • India: 2,500
    -Indische Freiwilligen Infanterie Regiment 950, known as the 'Azad Hind' ('Free India') or 'Tiger Legion'

    Ireland ?
    -Ireland: Irish Brigade
    -SS Jagdverband

  • Italy: 18,000
    -24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS
    -29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian)
    Legione SS Italiana or Italia
    -1. Sturmbrigade Italienische Freiwilligen Legion
    -31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division

  • Latvia: 60,000
    Latvian Legion
    -15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
    -19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)

    Luxembourg: 3,000+
    -Conscripts of the Waffen-SS (until September 1944)
    -Volunteers of the Waffen-SS

  • Netherlands: 45,000 to 55,000
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland (3rd Germanic SS Panzer Corps)
    -14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)
    -23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland
    -4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
    -SS-Freiwilligen-Standarte Nordwest
    -34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland
    -SS Volunteer Grenadier-Brigade Landstorm Nederland
    -SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers

  • North Caucasus: 1,000 - 2,000
    -SS-Waffengruppe Nordkaukasus

  • Norway: 6,000 to 15,000
    -Volunteer Legion Norway (Freiwilligen-Legion Norwegen)
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -6th SS Mountain Division Nord
    -SS-Skijeger-Bataljon Norge
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 23 "Norge" (1st Norwegian)
    -SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers

  • Portugal: Portuguese Volunteers were placed, mainly, to the Spanish Blue Division (250th Infantry Division)

  • Russian (Belarusian): 15,000
    -29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)
    -Volksheer-Brigade Kaminski
    -Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA
    -30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Belarussian)
    -Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling
    -36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (SS-Sonderbrigade "Dirlewanger")

  • Russian (Cossack): 40,000
    -XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps
    -1st SS Cossack Cavalry Division
    -1st Cossack Division
    -2nd Cossack Division

  • Russian (Turkic): 12,000
    Tatar Legions
    -Osttürkische Waffen-Verbände der SS
    -Waffengruppe Turkestan
    -Waffengruppe Aserbeidschan
    -Waffengruppe Idel-Ural
    -Ostmuselmanisches SS-Regiment
    Tatarische SS -Waffen-SS Mountain Brigade (Tatar No. 1)
    -Waffengruppe Krim
    -36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (SS-Sonderbrigade "Dirlewanger")
    -Aserbeidschanisches Infanterie-Bataillon I/111

  • Romania: 55,000
    -17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen
    -Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (1st Romanian)
    -Waffen Grenadier Regiment of the SS (2nd Romanian)
    -SS Panzer-Zerstörer-Regiment (rumänische Nr. 2)
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
    -8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer

  • Serbia: 15,000 (Mostly Serbian Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans)
    -V SS Mountain Corps
    -7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
    -24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS

  • Slovenia: 6,000
    -24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS

  • Spain: 18,000
    'Legión Azul' or 'Blue Legion'
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 101
    -Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 102
    -24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS
    -28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien

  • Sweden: 180 to 500
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -3rd Mechanized Infantry Company of the SS Armoured Reconnaissance Detachment 11 ('Swedenzug' or 'Sweden Platoon')
    -23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland
    -SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers

  • Switzerland: 800+
    -SS-Hauptamt
    -5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
    -11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
    -SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11
    -33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
    -SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers

  • Ukraine: 20,000
    -14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)

  • United States of America: 15 to 20
    -SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers (plus various other divisions)

    Plus the many Arab volunteers of the 'Free Arabia' Legion ('Freies Arabien'), whose members countries of origin ranged from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran and Iraq, plus quite a few obscure others (like Senussi and Tuaregs and various desert Arab tribes and peoples). The numbers for the Free Arabia Legion were 20,000+.

    In the closing days of the war, about 100 Arab soldiers under Major I.G. Schacht, in the 25th Parachute Regiment of the 9th Parachute Division, would even fight in defense of Berlin, right at its doorstep with their German comrades. Major Schacht wrote of their enormous courage, praising his Arab men for saving his life on numerous occasions.

    In a 1925 personal letter he wrote:

    'During the fighting in March and April 1945 in Pomerania and on the Oder marches, the Arab company fully proved its effectiveness.
    In at least two instances I owed my life to the Arabs. Their losses were in proportion to their courage.'

    [Source: The Secret War for the Middle East, page 74. ©2013]

    The Russian people contributed greatly to the Axis cause as well. Modern research indicates that up to 1,500,000 Russian citizens volunteered. Almost 300,000 of those were found in combat units, while the rest were various auxiliaries and police formations.

    Germany also had many Axis partners who fought beside its courageous soldiers. Countries like: Italy, Japan, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Finland ('co-belligerent'), Serbia, San Marino, Iraq, Albania and Thailand (who became a formal ally of Japan on 1-25-42).

    Many Axis allies were to be found in occupied or liberated countries as well. Countries like Norway (under Vidkun Quisling's regime), Russia (under General Vlassov and others), Denmark, Ukraine, Greece, Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Azerbaijani... the list goes on and on.

    There were also large numbers of supporters in unlikely places like America and Britain. The American Bund party rallies were so large they looked like they were held in Germany! And of course, many countries of South America were friends to the Axis countries, and even had National Socialist parties of their own.

    [Above: Here is a postcard showing the shield and collar insignia of the many Waffen-SS divisions and their locale.]

    [Above: This is a map produced by the SS (Germanische Leitstelle, Amtsgruppe D of the SS-Hauptamt), one of the last documents produced by the SS foreign volunteers recruitment office. The map has various errors and shields that hadn't been physically produced yet, like the Swedish and Slovenian shields, for example, but it is still very interesting. Click to enlarge!]

    [Above: Here is period paper showing foreign Waffen-SS shields.]

    [Above: Here is an unrelated, but interesting, chart of Wehrmacht unit insignia utilizing runes.]