Draft:Roberts Ancans

Robert Ancans (11 November 1919 – 1 January 1982) was a Latvian Waffen SS Volunteer and SS-Hauptsturmführer who served in the 19th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division. He also was in command of the Close Combat Training School in Latvia and the Waffen-Feldersatz Battalion. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for bravery and the Wound Badge in Gold for being wounded 5 times or more.

Biography
Roberts Ancans was born on the 11th of November 1919, in Tilža, Latvia. He studied law at the Latvian University. Ancāns was also a member of the Latvian student fraternity Lacuania.

He joined the Latvian Army in 1939, and then the Lettischen Schutzmannschaft (Latvian Auxiliary Police) in 1941. In February 1942, he joined the Latvian Legion in February 1942, as a Legions-Untersturmführer der SS (Second Lieutenant of a Foreign Legion in the SS), and fought in the 19th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division. He was further promoted to SS-Obersturmführer, after which he was given command of the Close Combat Training School in Latvia. He was wounded In action for the 5th time on the 26th of December 1944 whilst fighting at the Battle of Pilsbliden, where he both received the Iron Cross 1st Class for his bravery in action and also the Wound Badge in Gold, for being wounded more than 5 times. A month later, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his bravery, and a final promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer. On the 8th May, a day after the German Surrender, Roberts was injured for the 8th time, and evacuated by sea from the heavy fighting in the Courland Pocket.

Personal Life and Death
Ancāns survived the war and until 1955 lived in West Germany, but then emigrated to the United States. He died in New York from Natural Causes on 1st January 1982. He is remembered as one of the most famous Waffen-SS volunteers from Latvia.

In 1950, the United States Displaced Persons Commission investigated the Estonian and Latvian SS and found these military units to be neither criminal nor Nazi collaborators. On 12 September 1950, Harry N. Rosenfield, the United Nations Refugee Relief Association commissioner, wrote to Jūlijs Feldmanis, Latvia's chargé d'affaires in Washington, saying that "the Waffen-SS units of the Baltic States (the Baltic Legions) are to be seen as units that stood apart and were different from the German SS in terms of goals, ideologies, operations and constitution, and the Commission does not, therefore, consider them to be a movement that is hostile to the government of the United States under Section 13 of the Displaced Persons Act, as amended."