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Non-German cooperation with Nazis during World War 2 existed in all the countries occupied by Germany during World War 2 . Those who cooperated, now known as collaborators, are vilified in modern society, as they have taken an active part in carrying out the Holocaust . REASONS FOR COOPERATION There were various reasons for cooperation with the and Antisemitism . Hatred of Stalinism, and disgust of over twenty years of the "Soviet System", contributed greatly to this collaboration, especially in Russia and Ukraine. The nazis failed to capitalize on this sentiment, and slowly much of this anti-Soviet sentiment reversed itself, and cooperation with the nazis in the east, began to diminish. The "anti-Bolshevik" forces changed sides again, and thought it would be better to be on the ''other'' winning side, or in short, their ealier "opportunism," reversed itself. REQUIREMENTS FOR COOPERATION The Nazis did not consider everyone equally fit for cooperation. Even people from closely related nations were often valued differently. For example, the Latvia ns were considered to be better than Lithuania ns due to the supposed Lithuanian intermixing with Slavs at the past. Slavs were considered to be even worse. The Jew s were considered to be worst of all and thus unfit for cooperation, although some were used in Concentration Camp s to report on other Jews. Others governed Ghetto s and helped organize shipments to Extermination Camp s. ALBANIA In April 1943 Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler has created 21nd division Waffen SS "Skanderbeg" manned by Albanian volunteers and Kosovan Albanians. Since August 1944 division participated in operations against Yugoslavian partisans and killed local Serb s. The discipline in the division was bad and in the beginning 1945 it has been disbanded by German Command. The division's soldiers carried emblem with black albanian eagle. ( ''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror"''). BELARUS Belarusian collaborators participated in various massacres of Village s inside Belarus . Many of these collaborators retreated with German forces in the wake of the Red Army advance, and in January 1945 formed the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS (1st Belarussian) in Germany. BELGIUM 373rd infantry battalion of Wehrmacht, manned by Belgians, took part in antiguerrilla actions on an occupied territory of the USSR since August 1941 till February 1942 . In May 1943 the battalion has been transformed into brigade SS "Vallonie". In January 1944 Belgian brigade participated in battle near Cherkassy , in July 1944 near Narva . In the autumn the brigade has been transformed into 28th ''panzer-grenadier'' division Waffen SS, it battled against Soviet army near Szczecin in January 1945 . BOSNIA The 13th Waffen Mountain Division Of The SS (also Known As The 1st Croatian Or Handschar Division) , manned by Bosniaks and Croats , but commanded by German officers, has been created in February 1943 . The division participated in antiguerrilla operations in Yugoslavia and killed Serb ian civilians. The division's soldiers carried emblem with swastika and a hand with short curve sword called ''Khandshar''( ''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror''). CROATIA The Independent State of Croatia , headed by Ante Pavelich, was the ally of Nazi Germany. The Croatian nationalists, Ustashis, killed local Serbs (see also Jasenovac Concentration Camp ). The 13th Waffen Mountain Division Of The SS Handschar (1st Croatian) , created in February 1943, and the 23th Waffen Division of the SS Kama (2st Croatian), created in January 1944, were manned by Croats and Bosniaks. Both divisions operated against partisans and were responsible for a number of atrocities against Serbian civilians.(''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror''). DENMARK The Danish government collaborated with the nazi regime by various means first and foremost by calming the civilian population after the surrender April 9th and discouraging resistance against the occupation. Later the government actively helped recruit volunteers for the Nordic SS Division Wiking and passed information regarding Danish communists to the Germans. Although the government itself cooperated with the Nazi regime, the Danish resistance movement was largely successful in defending it's Jewish population from extermination. ESTONIA In 1942, the all-volunteer (the and finished its way in May , 1945 in Czechoslovakia . FRANCE In modern France , the term ''collaborators'' is not limited to those who cooperated directly with the Nazis, but also applies to people who cooperated with the government of Vichy France . LATVIA Having occupied Latvia in summer 1941, German command has created the local voluntary troops (''Schutzmannschaft'' or ''Schuma''), to struggle against the Soviet Partisan s and serve as guards in Concentration Camp s for Jews and Soviet Prisoners Of War {Link without Title} , {Link without Title} . The group of the Latvian auxiliary police known as Arajs Commando murdered about 26 thousand Jews, mainly in November and December of 1941. On October 16, 1941, 16-th Latvian battalion under the command of Karlis Mangulis has been sent to the Eastern Front . At the end of December 1941, 17-th Latvian ''Vidzeme'' battalion has been sent to Belarus . On January 13 , 1942, 18-th ''Kurzeme'' battalion has started service in Ukraine. On March 30 -th, ''Liepaja'' battalion has been attached to 21-st to group of German armies "North", sieged Leningrad. In May 1942, two more Latvian battalions have been sent to Ukraine, one to Belarus and one to Leningrad region {Link without Title} . In 1942-1944, Latvian auxiliary police together with Lithuanian and Ukrainian Schuma-batallions participated in large punitive operations in Leningrad , Novgorod , Pskov and Vitebsk regions {Link without Title} . In February - March 1943 eight Latvian Schuma-batallions (273, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282-nd) took part in anti-partisan operation "Winterzauber" in triangle Sebezh - Osveya - Polotsk in Belarus and in Pskov region (Russia). During this operation 158 settlements have been plundered and burnt down. The inhabitants of 8 villages were massacred (''Gerlach, C. "Kalkulierte Morde"''). In February 1943 , The Latvian Volunteer SS Division (Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Division) was created, manned by 32.000 volunteers. The division was headed by Latvian Minister of Defence Rudolf Bangerskis . In October 1943 , the Division was split up into two parts, which would ultimately come to be called the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS (1st Latvian) and the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS (2nd Latvian) . In November 1943 , the 1st Latvian division fought Soviet troops near Novosokolniki ( Russia ). This division finished its path in April 1945 , in Germany, having surrendered to the British (''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror"''). The 2nd Latvian division fought on the Leningrad front. To this day, many Latvians glorify the soldiers who served in the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Division. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} LITHUANIA Prior to the Nazi invasion, some people in Lithuania believed Germany would grant the country independence. Nazi Germany used this situation to its advantage and indeed in the first days permited a Lithuanian government to be established. However, when the territory was fully occupied, that government was disbanded and banned, and some of its supporters ended their days in concentration camps {Link without Title} . In 1941-1942, German Command created 22 Lithuanian Schuma-batallions, manned by volunteers. At first they were meant to establish order in Lithuania, but later were used for killings. The SS division, however, was not established in Lithuania, unlike most other nazi-occupied countries, as the Lithuanian general Povilas Plechavičius dismissed his forces upon finding out that the Nazi regime was planning to turn them into an SS division {Link without Title} . 2-nd Lithuanian battalion under the command of Major Antanas Impuljavichjus has been organized in 1941 in Kaunas . On October 6 , 1941, the battalion has started service in Belarus ( Minsk , Borisov and Slutsk regions) to fight against the Soviet Partisan s. In Minsk, the battalion shot about 9.000 Soviet prisoners of war, in Slutsk, it massacred 5.000 Jews . In March 1942, in Poland, the 2-nd Lithuanian battalion carried out guard duty in the Majdanek concentration camp . {Link without Title} . The Lithuanian collaborators (headed by Klimaitis) participated in the June 26 , 1941 killings. {Link without Title} . In July 1942, 2-nd Lithuanian battalion participated in deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to a death camp {Link without Title} . In , 4-th - in Donetsk , 7-th-в in Vinnitsa, 11-th- in Korosten , 16-th - in Dnepropetrovsk , 254-th - in Poltava , and 255-th - in Mogilyov (Belarus) {Link without Title} . In February - March 1943 2-nd Lithuanian battalion participated the large antiguerrilla action "Winterzauber" (''Winter magic'') in Belarus, cooperating with several Latvian and 50-th Ukrainian Schuma-batallions. Schuma-batallions burned down villages suspected in supporting Soviet Partisan s {Link without Title} . 3-rd Lithuanian battalion took part in the "Marsh fever Southwest" antiguerrilla operation, carried out in Baranovich , Berezov , Ivatsevich , Slonim and Ljahovich regions of Belarus in cooperation with the 24-th Latvian battalion (''Chuev S. "Damned soldiers"''). In 1942–1944 the 13th and 256th Lithuanian battalions operated against partisans in Pskov and Novgorod regions of Russia {Link without Title} NETHERLANDS Thousands of Dutch volunteers were soldiers of 11th divisions Waffen SS "Nordland" (created in in February 1943 ). The division participated in fights against Soviet army near Narva in the beginning 1944 and near Riga in September 1944 . In the beginning 1945 division has been evacuated from Courland , participated in heavy fights near Danzig and Stettin and has been crushed in the Berlin battle in April-May 1945 by Soviet army. Brigade Waffen SS "Niderlande", manned by Dutch volunteers, battled against Soviet army near Narva. In December 1944 it has been transformed into 23rd division Waffen SS, participated in fights in Courland and Pomerania . (''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror"'') NORWAY In Norway , the people who cooperated with Vidkun Quisling government are considered to be collaborators. POLAND The Polnische Polizei (Granatowa Policja) patrolled the ghettos and searched for Jews who had escaped and were used in the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. From 1942 they were employed in anti-partisan activities in Poland and the Ukraine." {Link without Title} ROMANIA Romania became a Puppet State of the Nazi Germany and thus it is sometimes considered that those who cooperated with the Romanian government during World War 2 were Nazi collaborators. A Report released in 2004 by a panel commissioned by the Romanian government assessed that a total of between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews were murdered or perished in Romania as a direct result of the policies or actions of the World War II Romanian regime led by Ion Antonescu . Among the most horrific attrocities, the Romanian army killed about two hundred thousand Jews on an occupied territory of the USSR ( Odessa region, often called Transnistria) at the end of 1941 and during 1942. RUSSIA Cooperation with Nazis existed in various places in . UKRAINE In Ukraine (more commonly in Western Ukraine ) there was some cooperation with the German authorities. 4,000 Jews and many Polish intellectuals were killed in Lviv on June 30 - July 3 , 1941 by Ukrainian battalion ''Nachtigal''. 109, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 201-st Ukrainian Schuma-battalions participated in anti-partisan operations and killings of Jews in Ukraine and Belarus. By April 28, 1943 German Command created the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS Galizien (1st Ukrainian) (commonly called 'SS Galicia') manned by 14.000 volunteers. (''Williamson, G. "The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror"''). SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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