Oberleutnant der Reserve Léon Degrelle during a march through a Russian village, possibly in 1942. Beginning in November 1941, the Walloon Legion was assigned to anti-partisan operations in occupied Soviet territory. In February 1942 it was attached to the 100. Jäger-Division and moved to the frontline, where it engaged in combat with regular Soviet forces for the first time on 28 February. By the end of 1942, the Legion was reduced by attrition to 150 men and would have to rely on new recruitment drives to sustain itself. The Legion's battlefield performance was of great value to Degrelle, who came to be appreciated by German officers. In May 1942, he was made an officer and awarded the Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse for his conduct in battle.
Source :
Charles Verpoorten photo collection
"Last Blood on Pomerania; Leon Degrelle and the Walloon Waffen-SS Volunteers, February-May 1945" by Tomasz Borowski
