The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Belgium's tiny southwestern neighbor, was invaded by the Germans on May 10th, 1940, and overrun in a mostly bloodless conquest. After the Campaign in the West ended, on June 28th, 1940, Luxemburg was formally linked to Gau Koblenz-Trier. Gau Koblenz-Trier was a poltical district of the German Reich, of which there were 42 total during WWII located throughtout Germany and parts of the occupied and annexed regions of Europe. In February of 1941 Gau Koblenz-Trier was renamed Gau-Moselland.
The German Wehrmacht mounted an intense recruiting campaign in Luxembourg shortly after their victory in the West in June of 1940. Perhaps it was the wake of their recent spectacular conquest that made their recruitment so successful. They were able to initially raise in the region of 1,800-2,000 volunteers from among the tiny Grand Duchy. In August of 1942 Luxembourg was officially made a part of the German Reich and all of its citizens were thereafter subjected to call-up for the German Wehrmacht. Subsequently, all the classes of 1920-1926 were immediately drafted. From August 1942 until liberation in late 1944, conscription in Luxembourg produced 12,035 men, of whom 2,752 fell in action, died of wounds or were posted missing-presumed dead. A further 1,500 were severely wounded or disabled, and 3,516 deserted.
Since Luxembourg was regarded by the Germans as an integral part of the Reich there was no Luxemberger Legion, but it is without question that Luxembourg volunteers and conscripts served throughout WWII in various units of the Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and Waffen-SS without any acknowledgement as to their national origin.
The German Wehrmacht mounted an intense recruiting campaign in Luxembourg shortly after their victory in the West in June of 1940. Perhaps it was the wake of their recent spectacular conquest that made their recruitment so successful. They were able to initially raise in the region of 1,800-2,000 volunteers from among the tiny Grand Duchy. In August of 1942 Luxembourg was officially made a part of the German Reich and all of its citizens were thereafter subjected to call-up for the German Wehrmacht. Subsequently, all the classes of 1920-1926 were immediately drafted. From August 1942 until liberation in late 1944, conscription in Luxembourg produced 12,035 men, of whom 2,752 fell in action, died of wounds or were posted missing-presumed dead. A further 1,500 were severely wounded or disabled, and 3,516 deserted.
Since Luxembourg was regarded by the Germans as an integral part of the Reich there was no Luxemberger Legion, but it is without question that Luxembourg volunteers and conscripts served throughout WWII in various units of the Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and Waffen-SS without any acknowledgement as to their national origin.