The estimates of the number of volunteers from Switzerland who served in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS range from 700 to about 2.000.

A number of Swiss volunteers served in 2. Kompanie/SS-Gebirgs-Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot) 6 of 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord and others served in the war correspondent unit SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers or in the Wiking and Charlemange units. A few also served in other Waffen-SS divisions including Das Reich and LSSAH.

The most well known Swiss volunteer in the Waffen-SS is probably Peter Renold who reached the rank of SS-Untersturmführer. He was attached to the SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500 and later served in the Totenkopf division. According to some sources he was awarded a Knight's Cross in the last days of the war but this has not been confirmed and is generally regarded as being incorrect.