History

The Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division was raised in March of 1942 and was one of the first foreign volunteer SS divisions.

A month after its establishment, the division’s name was changed to SS-Freiwilligen-Division ‘Prinz Eugen’. The divisional name is in reference to Prince Eugen of Savoy, who was one of the most successful military commanders in modern history. In March of 1943, the word “Gebirgs” was added to the name and in October of 1943, the division was given the number 7.

The division was primarily composed of ethnic German volunteers and individuals who were conscripted from the regions of Banat, Hungary, and Romania. The Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers were primarily German cadre personnel and as such, they were entitled to wear the standard SS runes collar tab.

Foreign volunteers were not allowed to wear SS runes and instead were issued an Odal rune collar tab that was to be worn on the right side of the collar.