A history of the political, police, paramilitary and military units of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and France that merged into the West European fighting SS units of the German armed forces in World War II. The narrative begins with the creation of these forces during the years leading up to the beginning of the war, and continues as these organizations mutated into combat formations, covering their military campaigns and police actions both within the respective nations and on the Russian front. The story includes continuous references to the actual named individuals that found themselves caught up in this great conflict, both volunteers and conscripts, and concludes with the last battles of these troops in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands in April 1945. The summary portrays the post war fate of many of these persons.