In May 1943, the Flemish Legion was amalgamated with other Flemish volunteers to form the new SS-"Sturmbrigade" Langemarck on the orders of Heinrich Himmler. Tensions between the Flemish volunteers and the SS, however, led to some members refusing to take the SS oath of allegiance. The Germans again insisted that the volunteers take the oath in October 1943. Some 200 "rebels" who refused were transferred to other units or penal units. In August, the VNV's leader Hendrik Elias announced that the VNV would not recruit more members for the German army. The allocation of the title "Langemarck", in memory of the bloody World War I battle fought at Langemarck, West Flanders in 1914, was intended to represent Flemish-German camaraderie. However, the Flemings themselves did not understand why they had been given a title which represented the losses suffered by German soldiers trying to take over their country in 1914. The Flemings felt a jealousy that their French speaking countrymen, the Walloons, were granted as a title their home region. Despite this, significant numbers of Flemings continued to sign up for service with the Waffen-SS.