in the aftermath of the allied liberation of belgium in september 1944, degrelle managed to get the brigade upgraded to division-status, after drafting rexist refugees fleeing the allied advance and walloon volunteers from the paramilitary national socialist motor corps (nskk). the new 28th ss volunteer grenadier division "wallonia" ("28. ss-freiwilligen-grenadier-division wallonien") was created in october 1944. it numbered fewer than 4,000 men, making it considerably understrength, and french and spanish soldiers from the legion of french volunteers against bolshevism (lvf) and blue division were folded into the unit to increase its numbers. during the retreat, walloon soldiers participated in the massacre of 6,000 jewish female prisoners of stutthof concentration camp in january 1945. the following month, the remains of the "division" saw action during operation solstice and were forced to retreat through central pomerania to stettin on the oder river. after mass defections in april its remaining 400 personnel fled to lübeck where they surrendered to the british army to escape capture by soviet forces.