Gottlob Berger overlooked little in his search for foreign volunteer manpower. In March, 1941, he urged the Finnish ambassador to permit Waffen-SS recruitment for the SS "Wiking" Division, followed (characteristically not preceded) by an official request by the German foreign ministry. With Finnish government approval, slightly over 1000 Fins gathered that June in Vienna-Schönbrunn in the SS Volunteer Battalion "Nordost" for training, except that about 400 with experience from the Russo-Finnish Winter War were sent to the Wiking Division right away. In September, the remainder officially formed as the Finnish SS Volunteer Battalion, and it joined the Wiking Division in February, 1942 after an additional training period, forming the 3rd battalion of the SS "Nordwest" Regiment. In June, 1943, the two year enlistment expired and the troops were furloughed to their homeland. The Finnish government discouraged any return to SS service on their part and the Finnish volunteer program was shelved quietly by Himmler.
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