History 26/02/20 the Most exotic military units who fought for Hitler
during the Second world war, the Nazi leadership created numerous military units and divisions on a national basis from the representatives of those Nations that would fight on Germany’s side. The Nazis and their opponents, sought to play fashion in the twentieth century map of “national liberation” and “anti-colonialism”.
the troops of the Third Reich was the formation of the representatives of the Muslim nationalities of the USSR, Georgians, Armenians, Arabs, Indian, Russian. Of them have even created the SS, which, in theory, could serve only “true Aryans”. But as said, the Reichsfuhrer Himmler, “in my Department only I decide who is Aryan and who is not.”
Troops from the Caucasus and the Muslim peoples of the USSR
In the first months of the war in German captivity were hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens of various nationalities. After some hesitation, caused by the reluctance of anyone to share “pure German” victory, Hitler in December 1941, agreed with the arguments about the creation of volunteer units of the Muslim and Caucasian peoples of the USSR. Began to form the so-called Eastern legions. Originally there were four of them: Turkestani, Georgian, Armenian and Caucasian-Muslim. Later the latter was divided into the Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus, and was founded Volga-Tatar Legion (or the Legion “Idel-Ural”). In February 1942, was established the Headquarters of the command of the Eastern legions, bringing together the management of all generated in the Wehrmacht compounds of the representatives of the peoples of the East and South of the USSR.
the Only part of the Eastern legions was 86 battalions totaling about 100 thousand people. The most numerous were the Legion of Azerbaijan, 40 thousand soldiers and officers, the other was from 5 to 20 thousand. The first unit of the legions took part in the battle against the owlTSCA troops already in the autumn of 1942 in the North Caucasus.
Broad military use of the Eastern legions was preceded by an order of the OKW in August 1942, in which the Caucasus and the Muslim peoples of the USSR were called “allies” of the Reich. Thus Hitler said that he fully trusts only Muslims from among the citizens of the USSR, but is alerted to the creation of military units of the Georgians and Armenians. In September 1943, all Eastern legions were redeployed to the West.
in Addition to the Eastern legions in the Wehrmacht acted 162-infantry division, which since the beginning of 1942, replenished mainly representatives of Turkic peoples. The division conducted combat operations from 1943 through 1945 on the Italian front. The Eastern legions can be attributed to the Kalmyk cavalry corps (consisting of only 3,600 people) of the Wehrmacht, organized in the fall of 1942 and fought until the end of the war.
Eastern legions often wrongly referred to the Waffen-SS, where they were formally enrolled only in late 1944. The source in the SS included only the East Turkic connection of the representatives of the Eastern peoples of the USSR (population – 8,500).
the Russian and Cossack Waffen-SS
In August 1942 the Cossacks was officially called “allies of the Reich”, and in January 1943, the Nazis declared “Aryan” and the Cossacks, and Russian. The most numerous Russian connections of the SS have become the 29th and 30th Waffen-Grenadier division and the 15th Cossack cavalry corps. Their formation belongs to the final period of the war. The 29th division was created from retreat from Bryansk collaborationist “Russian liberation people’s army” B. V. Kaminsky. The division participated in the fighting against the partisans in Eastern Europe. Moreover, during the suppression of the Warsaw uprising Kaminski – such is the irony of fate – was shot by the SS for the atrocities (!) of his subordinates.
the 30th division a short time in late 1944, acted in France, and then because of mass desertions to the enemyhave been disbanded. 15-th Cossack corps was deployed from the 1st Cossack division of the SS in early 1945 and participated in the final battles of the Second world war in Hungary and Austria.
SS Legion “Free Arabia”
for a Long time the Nazis bothered to consult the Arabs with a call to start an uprising against the British colonialists, the fact that the German ally Italy also had a large Arab country – Libya. But after leaving the troops of the axis in North Africa began the recruitment of the Arabs in the Wehrmacht. While many Arabs were living in different countries of southern Europe, some of their number were among the British and French prisoners of war.
the Mastermind of the Arab Legion, was a former mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, exiled by the British in 1940. Earlier, he met with Hitler, who welcomed the “defender of Islam”. Al-Husseini helped to equip the Muslim part of Bosnians and Albanians, and March 1, 1944 called (via radio from Berlin) the whole Arab world for Jihad on the side of the Third Reich against the Jews. The Arab Legion (numbering more than 20 thousand) have been formed in the Balkans in late 1943. Until may 1945 he was carrying occupation service and fought with the partisans in Greece and Yugoslavia.
the Indian SS Legion “Free India”
Among the British prisoners in Germany were a lot of Indians. Among some of the Indians in the First world war was a popular sentiment to use the Alliance with Germany for liberation from British rule. During the Second world war, the Indian leader Subhas Chandra Bose had formed in the countries occupied by Japan, the Indian national army. The Nazis also decided to play the Indian card.
In August 1942 in North Africa was formed the Indian Legion (1944 – SS Legion “Free India”), which came about three and a half thousand dark-skinned “Aryans”. Curiously, the language of military commands in the Legion was English. His participation in the hostilities nand the West and Italy was limited. After putting it in the allies captured several of its leaders were executed by the British for treason. Other jailed at the Red Fort in Delhi, they denounced then on the famous process, but soon released under pressure from Indian movement for independence.
dreams of British and American Waffen SS
Considering the British “Nordic” people, and a natural ally in the struggle against Bolshevism, the Nazis announced the creation of a British volunteer corps of the SS. However, it signed up… only 27 people out of hundreds of thousands of British prisoners of war. Failed and plan for the creation of the Irish SS against the British.
In early 1943, the Germans were the first American prisoners of war. The leadership of the SS was a plan to create volunteer American divisions, named after Confederate figures in the civil war 1861-1865 from “Jefferson Davis” and “Robert E. Lee”. However, Americans are willing to fight for Hitler, did not have enough for one platoon.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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