As we all know, the SS was the paramilitary component of the Nazi party and committed crimes against humanity, most notably the Holocaust.
But exactly how fanatical were the volunteers who made up the SS? Do we know of any who became disillusioned with Nazism during or after the war? Did any of the foreign volunteers simply see Nazism as the lesser of two evils compared to Communism? Or were all of them Nazi fanatics until their last dying breath?
There are several cases of Swedish SS volunteers who, disillusionised with nazism and the German general ability to wage war deserted their SS units.
About 160-180 Swedes volunteered for the SS, and about 100 ended up in frontline units and in combat. Most of them served with 5. SS-Panzer-Division 'Wiking' from 1941 to 1943 and after that in the newly raised 11. SS Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Nordland'. The 3rd company recon battalion of 'Nordland' contained the Swedish volunteers as well as some Swedish-speaking Finns, Estonians and Ukrainians. The 4th platoon of the 3rd company became inofficially known and the Schwedenzug or the Swedish platoon.
The Swede Hans-Gösta Pehrsson had by early 1944 advanced to SS-Untersturmführer (roughly equilent to 2nd Lieutenant) and commanded the 3rd company of the recon battalion of 'Nordland'. In that capacity he fought at the intense battles around Narva in Estonia, and when it was clear that the battle was lost and 'Nordland' would be evacuated, Hans-Gösta Pehrsson actively encouraged the other Swedes and Swedish-speaking Estonians in his unit to desert and leave for Sweden across the Baltic Sea with the roughly 30 000 Balts that fled to Sweden during Summer and Autumn 1944. Around 20 Swedes deserted their SS positions at this time, adding to the roughly 30 that requested and were granted a discharge.
SS-Untersturmführer Hans-Gösta Perhsson himself remained with his unit, but were relinquished of his command of the 3rd company when it became known he had encouraged his men to desert. He was later reinstated and promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (roughly equilent to Captain) and fought in Berlin 1945, where he was wounded and captured, but escaped from the Soviet field hospital and managed to make his way to Sweden, where he died 1974.
Source: Svenskar i krig (Swedes at war) by Lars Gyllenhaal and Lennart Westberg