Active 1943–45 Allegiance Nazi Germany Type Infantry Notable commander Knud Børge Martinsen | Country Denmark Branch Germanic-SS Notablecommanders Knud Børge Martinsen | |
Similar Free Corps Denmark, American Free Corps, British Free Corps, Luftflotte 5, Luftflotte 1 | ||
The Schalburg Corps (Danish: Schalburgkorpset German: Schalburgkorps) was a Danish volunteer corps and a branch of the Germanic-SS. It was named in honour of Christian Frederik von Schalburg, commander of the Free Corps Denmark who was killed in action in the Demyansk Pocket in 1942. Thus Christian Frederik von Schalburg did not have anything to do with the creation of the Schalburg Corps.
The Danish Germanic-SS was formed on February 2, 1943. On March 30 the corps was renamed to Schalburg Corps. During the summer of 1943 Søren Kam was commander of the Schalburg Corps. Members who had not had any Eastern Front combat experience had to go through a six-week political indoctrination and combat training.
The corps was divided into two groups, the first made up of regular soldiers and the second, which came to be known as the Danish People's Defence, of civilians, some of whom were expected to provide financial backing. Members of the corps were used as a guard battalion to protect railroads and crossroads from sabotage.
In July 1944, the Schalburg Corps was incorporated into the SS as SS Training Battalion Schalburg. Six months later it was renamed the SS Guard Battalion Zealand. It was officially disbanded on February 28, 1945.
