Oswald: Absolutely, I must say that it is nice to meet someone who has taken the time to greet my former comrades, you are thought highly of, it seems. It is nice that young men still have an interest in what we did and our history. And so, for my life story, I have to begin by saying I came from a family who loved our land. Both my father and mother were Flemish nationalists who instilled in me a love of our people and culture. Back then things were hard for us as we were seen as minorities in Belgium, and there was discontent that the main government did not want to listen to us. There was widespread poverty and unemployment, which everyone knows now, are the seeds of revolution. I went with my father to a German exhibition of architecture, which he was in. We both were very impressed by the Germans, how happy, free, and advanced they were under Hitler. I even saw the BDM [Bund Deutscher Mädel, or League of German Girls] girls practicing for a dance, and as a young boy I certainly wanted to join in. My father had to pull me away but not before one gazed my way and blew me a kiss.

So you see, Germany made a very good impression on me. Now if you fast forward to 1940, we were at war with Germany, who had occupied the country. We never saw them as the enemy, quite the opposite. They were very good to us, viewing the Flemish as brothers. When German soldiers came into the town, the leaders drank beer with them before they set off for France. Under the occupation our life improved, there was much work and the people were content. Of course the war was on our minds, but it appeared Germany would win. In 1941 Germany launched the attack on Soviet Russia in an attempt to destroy the Bolshevik menace once and for all. The Germans set up recruiting stations all over the occupied cities. I was studying to follow in my father's footsteps, but I also felt compelled that something must be done about the threat from the East. Many other young men and I went to apply to join the Flemish Legion. You had to file paperwork attesting to being free from crime or defects. Then I had to take the physical in Ghent, they looked all over for faults. Most young men who applied were denied admission.

Back in that time the SS was seen as the vanguard of a new order of European men. Only the best and brightest with untainted blood could be a part. They would not take anyone who had genetic faults, mixed race blood, or mental defects. You had to be tall, fit, and agree to volunteer. Once I learned I was accepted, I remember being very happy and running to tell my parents that I would soon be off to fight the threat of what was called then "Jewish Bolshevism." My father was happy, as he was a leader in the movement, and his comrades came to congratulate me. My mother I could tell was fearful. I must say that when I went in the legion, it was not part of the SS, which came later when Himmler united all the foreign volunteers under his leadership. You are aware men came from all over Europe to help fight, correct?

Yes, can I ask you how the Germans viewed having non-Germans in their ranks helping them fight?

Oswald: As you can imagine they were very happy to have us. The Soviet Union was a huge land to fight, larger than all of Europe combined. We needed everyone we could find. Even Swiss and Swedes came to fight in the SS, and we viewed everyone as a comrade. It was Himmler and the SS who realized first to recruit non-Germans, the army was elitist still and only wanted German blood. As far as the Germans, they never gave any indication of the old sentiments that are evident in Europeans. I even had Germans under my command later in the war, and they respected me like any other officer. Personally I think the Germans gave us more greetings since we were not German. They did not feel alone in the war and we let them know they had our support. When our trains were leaving for the East you should have seen the throngs of people coming to see us off. Hitler Youth, BDM, wives, girlfriends, parents, and political leaders, it was quite a spectacle. All through our journey we saw the people greeting us, and even in the occupied areas there were throngs greeting us. I never felt I was on the wrong side of things; of course today one must change his mind. The winner gets to tell the history, and choose who the sinner is. The truth is that many Europeans saw the danger from Bolshevism and rallied to Germany. I saw firsthand the determination of these volunteers.

I was close by the Spanish Legion and later Blue Division, where they were fighting. One unit of Spanish held off an entire Soviet army. I believe it was five thousand Spaniards held off forty thousand Soviets. They smashed a whole army; the field was littered with thousands of dead and wrecks. The feats of those under German arms are forgotten now, but were quite extraordinary. It was a true David versus Goliath fight, but the righteous side did not prevail. The Germans rewarded the loyalty of these volunteers with the same medals and decorations that German personnel received, there was no discrimination. Many of the foreign volunteers wore more medals than the average Germans soldier. A testament to the determination those who understood the fight had.

I have always been interested in the religious views of the SS, as it is a common belief that the SS was anti-religious. Did you find this to be the case?

Oswald: No, not at all, I came from a Catholic family, like most of my comrades. The Waffen-SS was a military formation, not a religious one, so religion was not at the forefront of the idea. There was absolutely no interference that I saw in anyone's religion. I believe all of National Socialist Germany adopted a separation of the state and church, but were friendly to Christianity. After all, the whole reason we fought was to safeguard Christian Europe and its people. Just like today we were under attack from forces who wanted to see our culture and religion disappear. I can say that freely and with conviction, the SS was pro-religious and never gave us any problems. Of course there were some who had no time for god, or were part of the Nordic pagan cliques that were popular. We had a father in my unit who was sanctioned to meet all of our spiritual needs, although he was not called an official priest. He would grant confession and communion to all, regardless of being Catholic or Protestant.