Wallonien was declared combat-ready in November 1943 and was rushed to the middle Dneipr River sector on the Eastern Front. It was placed under the command of 5. SS-Panzer Division Wiking near Cherkassy by 19 November. This area was the German's last toehold on the middle Dneipr and Hitler entertained hopes of using it as a springboard for an offensive that would cut off all the Soviet forces west of the Dneipr. It was a fairly quiet sector until the Soviets decided to encircle the exposed salient in late January. Most of Wallonien and Wiking, along with a number of Army divisions, was surrounded in what has become known as the Korsun or Cherkassy Pocket. Wallonien had approximately 1200 men trapped in the pocket of which some 632 escaped, despite forming the rearguard for the breakout attempt.
The survivors were sent to Belgium for a bit of home-leave before returning to Wildflecken to rebuild. This time it was to be structured a little differently with two infantry battalions, each with three infantry companies and a weapons company, and companies of anti-tank and infantry guns. Possibly there were batteries of Sturmgeschütz and light and heavy anti-tank guns, but contradictory information abounds.
At any rate the brigade was ordered to furnish one combat-ready infantry battalion at the end of July '44 to bolster the Narva Front. Degrelle chose to send his first battalion, but reinforced it with part of the anti-tank company. Initially it was on coastal defense duties, but was quickly inserted into the line when the Soviet breached the German defenses and were driving on southern Estonia in mid-August. The exact casualties suffered by this battalion are unknown, but one source quotes a strength of 260 on the morning of 30 August and merely 32 unwounded by evening! Presumably I./Wallonien, or rather its remnants, were shortly withdrawn and returned to its parent.
Wallonien was ordered enlarged to a division on 20 September, the additional manpower coming mostly from Belgian refugees; one source claims that a substantial number of Spaniards also enlisted. It was to be structured as a standard infantry division with three regiments, 69., 70., and 71., each with two battalions, an artillery regiment with four battalions, and battalions of anti-tank guns, engineers, and the usual supporting units. Some thought was given to expanding it as a panzergrenadier division, but the shortage of armored vehicles and trucks vitiated against that.
Degrelle organized a kampfgruppe for propaganda purposes during the Battle of the Bulge, but this quickly returned when the initial victories were reversed by the Americans. At the end of January Wallonien was ordered to prepare all of its combat-ready elements for use on the Eastern Front, which, by then, wasn't so very far East. All that was ready were the 69. and 70. Grenadier Regiments, one artillery battalion, and an anti-tank company. They left on 30 January for the Stargard area where they were to participate in the Stargard counter-offensive along with most of the West European SS units. This was successful in liberating the garrison of Arnswalde, but accomplished little else other than to focus Soviet attention on their flanks. They decided to clear them out with an offensive aimed at Stettin on 28 February. It succeeded in reaching this by mid-March. Wallonien had been reduced by the heavy fighting to around a twelve hundred men and Degrelle divided them up into front-line and reserve battalions. The latter contained the new recruits, recovered wounded, and assorted odds and ends. The Soviets launched their Berlin offensive on 20 April and included the Stettin sector in it. Wallonien could do little to slow the advance in its sector and was forced to continually retreat, eventually ending up in Lübeck and Flensburg where it surrendered.
Commanders:
Ostubaf. Lucien Lippert (1 June 43-13 February 44)
Staf. Leon Degrelle (13 February 44-3 May 45)
Strength:
| 6/12/43 | 38/219/1715 |
| 30/6/44 | 53/232/903 |
| late 1/45 | approx. 4,000 |
| 1/4/45 | 950 |
SF: Initial Forces, Greater Germany, WK IX, Forming: 1x 4-10 PzG X 5 Wal (SS)
Nov I 43, WK IX, Full: 1x 4-10 PzG X 5 Wal (SS) and withdraw to the East
Oct II 44, WK XI, Forming: 1x 4-6-6 Inf XX 28 Wal (SS)
Jan I 45, WK XI, Full: 1x 4-6-6 Inf XX 28 Wal (SS) and withdraw to East
Optional upgrade, anytime prior to Oct I 44:
Convert: 1x 2-3-6 Inf X 5 Wal (SS) and 2 arm RPs to Forming: 1x 5-8* PzG Cdr (11-10) 28 Wal (SS)
12 Turns after Formation Began:
Full: 1x 5-8* PzG Cdr (11-10) 28 Wal (SS)
[If you want it you've gotta pay for it.]
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