Yes, it was not obvious at first they mean specifically Crimean Tatars, which afaik did not had SS units, but had something around 35000 people in armed collaboration units (including 15000 partisan hunters) out of 218000 population which is still close to every man able to hold a gun.
Volga Tatars also didn’t have SS units, by the way. And it is fascinating, how different were Crimean Tatars’ and Volga Tatars’ relationships with Russia and USSR, despite being initially literally the same people. Really shows the power of material conditions.
You confuse Idel-Ural (which had absolutely incredible levels of desertion to partisans) and Crimean Tatar units. Those are two different things.
Yes, it was not obvious at first they mean specifically Crimean Tatars, which afaik did not had SS units, but had something around 35000 people in armed collaboration units (including 15000 partisan hunters) out of 218000 population which is still close to every man able to hold a gun.
Volga Tatars also didn’t have SS units, by the way. And it is fascinating, how different were Crimean Tatars’ and Volga Tatars’ relationships with Russia and USSR, despite being initially literally the same people. Really shows the power of material conditions.