The Estonian Legion had 1,280 volunteers under training by the end of 1942.[349] Approximately 25,000 men served in the Estonian SS division, with thousands more conscripted into Police Front battalions and border guard units.[350] Most of the Estonians were fighting primarily to regain their independence and as many as 15,000 of them died fighting alongside the Germans.[351] In early 1944, Himmler even contacted Pohl to suggest releasing Muslim prisoners from concentration camps to supplement his SS troops.[352]