On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany and Slovakia declared war on Poland… Thus began the Second World War…

It involved 61 states out of 73 that existed at that time (80% of the world's population). The fighting took place on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans.

On June 10, 1940, Italy and Albania entered the war on the side of Germany, on April 11, 1941 - Hungary, on May 1, 1941 - Iraq, on June 22, 1941, after the German attack on the USSR - Romania, Croatia and Finland, on December 7, 1941 - Japan , December 13, 1941 - Bulgaria, January 25, 1942 - Thailand, January 9, 1943 Wang Jingwei's government in China, August 1, 1943 - Burma.

Who fought for Hitler and the Wehrmacht, and who is against?

In total, about 2 million people from 15 European countries fought in the Wehrmacht troops (more than half a million - Romanian army, almost 400 thousand - Hungarian troops, more than 200 thousand - Mussolini's troops!).

Of these, during the war years, 59 divisions, 23 brigades, several separate regiments, legions and battalions were formed.

Many of them were named according to state and nationality and only volunteers served in them:

Blue Division - Spain

"Wallonia" - the division included French, Spanish and Walloon volunteers, moreover, the Walloons were in the majority.

"Galicia" - Ukrainians and Galicians

"Bohemia and Moravia" - Czechs from Moravia and Bohemia

"Viking" - volunteers from the Netherlands, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries

"Denemark" - Danes

"Langemark" - Flemish Volunteers

"Nordland" - Dutch and Scandinavian volunteers

"Nederland" - Dutch collaborators who fled to Germany after the Allied occupation of Holland.

The "French Infantry Regiment 638", since 1943, has been merged with the newly organized "French SS Division" Charlemagne "- the French.

The armies of Germany's allies - Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Slovakia and Croatia - participated in the war against the USSR.

The Bulgarian army was involved in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia, but the Bulgarian ground units did not fight on the Eastern Front.

Russian Liberation Army (ROA) under the command of General A.A. Vlasova acted on the side Nazi Germany, although it was not officially part of the Wehrmacht.

As part of the Wehrmacht, the 15th Cossack Cavalry Corps of the SS, General von Panwitz, fought.

On the side of Germany, the Russian Corps of General Shteifon, the Corps of Lieutenant General tsarist army P.N. Krasnov and a number of separate units formed from citizens of the USSR, often on a national basis, under the command of the former Kuban Cossack SS Gruppen-Führer, A.G. Shkuro (real name - Shkura) and Circassian Sultan-Girey Klych, leader of the nationalist "People's Party of the Highlanders of the North Caucasus" in France.

I won’t write who and why fought for Hitler and the Wehrmacht… Some for “ideological considerations”, some for revenge, some for glory, some for fear, some against “communism”… About it was written by millions and millions of pages by professional historians... And I'm just stating historical facts, or rather trying to do it... A question about something else... To remember...

So, first things first…

Romania

Romania declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941 and wanted to return Bessarabia and Bukovina “taken away” from it in June 1940, and also to annex Transnistria (the territory from the Dniester to the Southern Bug).

For military operations against the USSR, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were intended, with a total number of about 220 thousand people.

On June 22, Romanian troops tried to capture bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Prut River. On June 25-26, 1941, the Soviet Danube Flotilla landed troops on Romanian territory, and Soviet aircraft and ships of the Black Sea Fleet bombed and fired at Romanian oil fields and other objects.

Romanian troops began active fighting, crossing the Prut River on July 2, 1941. By July 26, Romanian troops occupied the territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina.

Then the Romanian 3rd Army advanced in Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper in September and reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov.

Since the end of October 1941, units of the Romanian 3rd Army participated in the capture of the Crimea (together with the German 11th Army under the command of von Manstein).

From the beginning of August 1941, the Romanian 4th Army conducted an operation to capture Odessa, by September 10, 12 Romanian divisions and 5 brigades were assembled to capture Odessa, with a total number of up to 200 thousand people

On October 16, 1941, after heavy fighting, Odessa was captured by Romanian troops together with units of the Wehrmacht. The losses of the 4th Romanian army amounted to 29 thousand dead and missing and 63 thousand wounded.

In August 1942, the 3rd Romanian Army took part in the attack on the Caucasus, the Romanian cavalry divisions took Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk (together with German troops), and the Romanian mountain division captured Nalchik in October 1942.

In the fall of 1942, Romanian troops occupied positions in the Stalingrad region. The 3rd Romanian army with a total strength of 150 thousand people held a front section 140 km northwest of Stalingrad, and the 4th Romanian army held a front section 300 km south.

By the end of January 1943, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were practically destroyed - their total losses amounted to almost 160 thousand dead, missing and wounded.

At the beginning of 1943, 6 Romanian divisions, with a total number of 65 thousand people, fought (as part of the German 17th Army) in the Kuban. In September 1943 they retreated to the Crimea, lost more than a third of their personnel, and were evacuated by sea to Romania.

In August 1944, King Mihai I, allied with the anti-fascist opposition, ordered the arrest of General Antonescu and other pro-German generals and declared war on Germany. Soviet troops were brought into Bucharest, and already the “allied Romanian army”, together with the Soviet one, fought against the Nazi coalition in Hungary, and then in Austria.

In total, up to 200 thousand Romanians died in the war against the USSR (including 55 thousand died in Soviet captivity).

18 Romanians were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses", of which three also received the "Oak Leaves" for the "Knight's Crosses".

Italy

Italy declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. Motivation - Mussolini's initiative, which he proposed back in January 1940 - "a pan-European campaign against Bolshevism." At the same time, Italy had no territorial claims to any zone of occupation of the USSR. In 1944, Italy effectively withdrew from the war.

The "Italian Expeditionary Force" for the war against the USSR was created on July 10, 1941 - 62 thousand soldiers and officers. The corps was sent to the southern sector of the German-Soviet front for operations in southern Ukraine.

The first clash between the advanced units of the Italian corps and units of the Red Army took place on the Southern Bug River on August 10, 1941.

In September 1941, the Italian corps fought on the Dnieper, on a 100-km section in the Dneprodzerzhinsk region, and in October-November 1941, it participated in the capture of Donbass. Then, until July 1942, the Italians were on the defensive, fighting local importance with units of the Red Army.

The losses of the Italian corps from August 1941 to June 1942 amounted to more than 1600 dead, more than 400 missing, almost 6300 wounded and more than 3600 frostbitten.

In July 1942, the Italian troops on the territory of the USSR were significantly strengthened, and the 8th Italian Army was formed, which in the fall of 1942 occupied positions on the river. Don, northwest of Stalingrad.

In December 1942 - January 1943, the Italians tried to repel the offensive of the Red Army, and as a result, the Italian army was actually defeated - 21,000 Italians were killed, and 64,000 were missing. In the harsh winter, the Italians simply froze, and they were not up to the war. The remaining 145,000 Italians were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943.

The losses of Italians in the USSR from August 1941 to February 1943 amounted to about 90 thousand dead and missing. According to Soviet data, 49 thousand Italians were taken prisoner, of which 21 thousand Italians were released from Soviet captivity in 1946-1956. Thus, in total, about 70 thousand Italians died in the war against the USSR and in Soviet captivity.

9 Italians were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses".

Finland

On June 25, 1941, Soviet aviation bombed the settlements of Finland, and on June 26, Finland declared war on the USSR.

Finland intended to return the territories taken from her in March 1940, and also to annex Karelia.

On June 30, 1941, Finnish troops went on the offensive in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. By the end of August 1941, the Finns reached the approaches to Leningrad on the Karelian Isthmus, by the beginning of October 1941 they occupied almost the entire territory of Karelia (except for the coast of the White Sea and Zaonezhye), after which they went on the defensive at the achieved lines.

From the end of 1941 until the summer of 1944, there were practically no military operations on the Soviet-Finnish front, except for the raids of Soviet partisans on the territory of Karelia and the bombing of Finnish settlements by Soviet aircraft.

On June 9, 1944, Soviet troops (with a total number of up to 500 thousand people) went on the offensive against the Finns (about 200 thousand people). In the course of heavy fighting, which lasted until August 1944, Soviet troops took Petrozavodsk, Vyborg, and in one sector reached the Soviet-Finnish border in March 1940.

On September 1, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim proposed a truce, on September 4, Stalin agreed to a truce, Finnish troops withdrew to the March 1940 border.

54,000 Finns died in the war against the USSR.

2 Finns were awarded "Knight's Crosses", including Marshal Mannerheim received "Oak Leaves" to the "Knight's Cross".

Hungary

Hungary declared war on the USSR on June 27, 1941. Hungary had no territorial claims to the USSR, but there was also a motivation - "revenge on the Bolsheviks for the communist revolution of 1919 in Hungary."

On July 1, 1941, Hungary sent the "Carpathian Group" (5 brigades, totaling 40 thousand people), which fought as part of the German 17th Army in Ukraine, to the war against the USSR.

In July 1941, the group was divided - 2 infantry brigades began to perform the functions of protecting the rear, and the "Fast Corps" (2 motorized and 1 cavalry brigades, a total of 25 thousand people, with several dozen light tanks and wedges) continued to advance.

By November 1941, the "Fast Corps" suffered heavy losses - up to 12 thousand killed, missing and wounded, all tankettes and almost all light tanks were lost. The corps was returned to Hungary, but at the same time, 4 infantry and 2 cavalry Hungarian brigades with a total of 60 thousand people remained at the front and in the rear areas.

In April 1942, the Hungarian 2nd Army (about 200 thousand people) was sent against the USSR. In June 1942, she went on the offensive in the Voronezh direction, as part of the German offensive on the southern sector of the German-Soviet front.

In January 1943, the Hungarian 2nd Army was practically destroyed during the Soviet offensive (up to 100 thousand dead and up to 60 thousand taken prisoner, most of them wounded). In May 1943, the remnants of the army (about 40 thousand people) were withdrawn to Hungary.

In the autumn of 1944, all Hungarian military establishment(three armies) fought against the Red Army, already on the territory of Hungary. The fighting in Hungary ended in April 1945, but some Hungarian units continued to fight in Austria until the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945.

More than 200 thousand Hungarians died in the war against the USSR (including 55 thousand died in Soviet captivity).

8 Hungarians were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses".

Slovakia

Slovakia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the "pan-European campaign against Bolshevism." It had no territorial claims against the USSR. 2 Slovak divisions were sent to the war against the USSR.

One division, numbering 8 thousand people, fought in Ukraine in 1941, in the Kuban in 1942, and in 1943-1944 performed police and security functions in the Crimea.

Another division (also 8 thousand people) in 1941-1942 performed "security functions" in Ukraine, in 1943-1944 - in Belarus.

About 3,500 Slovaks died in the war against the USSR.

Croatia

Croatia, like Slovakia, took part in the war against the USSR as part of the "pan-European campaign against Bolshevism."

In October 1941, 1 Croatian volunteer regiment with a total strength of 3,900 people was sent against the USSR. The regiment fought in the Donbass, in 1942 - in Stalingrad. By February 1943, the Croatian regiment was almost completely destroyed, about 700 Croats were taken prisoner.

About 2,000 Croats died in the war against the USSR.

Spain

Spain was a neutral country, did not officially declare war against the USSR, but organized the dispatch of one volunteer division to the front. Motivation - revenge for sending the Comintern International Brigades to Spain during the Civil War.

The Spanish division, or "Blue Division" (18 thousand people) was sent to the northern sector of the German-Soviet front. From October 1941 she fought in the Volkhov region, from August 1942 - near Leningrad. In October 1943, the division was returned to Spain, but about 2 thousand volunteers remained to fight in the Spanish Legion.

The Legion was disbanded in March 1944, but about 300 Spaniards wished to fight further, and 2 companies of the SS troops were formed from them, who fought against the Red Army until the end of the war.

About 5 thousand Spaniards died in the war against the USSR (452 ​​Spaniards were taken into Soviet captivity).

2 Spaniards were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses", including one received the "Oak Leaves" to the "Knight's Cross".

Belgium

Belgium declared its neutrality in 1939, but was occupied by German troops.

In 1941, two volunteer legions (battalions) were formed in Belgium for the war against the USSR. They differed by ethnicity - Flemish and Walloon.

In the autumn of 1941, the legions were sent to the front - the Walloon legion to the southern sector (to Rostov-on-Don, then to the Kuban), and the Flemish legion to the northern sector (to Volkhov).

In June 1943, both legions were reorganized into brigades of the SS troops - the SS Volunteer Brigade "Langemark" and the SS Volunteer Assault Brigade "Wallonia".

In October 1943, the brigades were renamed into divisions (remaining in the same composition - 2 infantry regiments each). At the end of the war, both the Flemings and the Walloons fought against the Red Army in Pomerania.

About 5 thousand Belgians died in the war against the USSR (2 thousand Belgians were taken into Soviet captivity).

4 Belgians were awarded the "Knight's Cross", including one received the "Oak Leaves" to the "Knight's Cross".

Netherlands

The Netherlands Volunteer Legion (motorized battalion of 5 companies) was formed in July 1941.

In January 1942, the Dutch legion arrived at the northern sector of the German-Soviet front, in the Volkhov region. Then the legion was transferred to Leningrad.

In May 1943, the Dutch Legion was reorganized into the SS Volunteer Brigade "Netherlands" (with a total of 9 thousand people).

In 1944, one of the regiments of the Dutch brigade was practically destroyed in the battles near Narva. In the autumn of 1944 the brigade retreated to Courland, and in January 1945 it was evacuated to Germany by sea.

In February 1945, the brigade was renamed a division, although its strength was greatly reduced due to losses. By May 1945, the Dutch division was practically destroyed in the battles against the Red Army.

About 8,000 Dutch people died in the war against the USSR (more than 4,000 Dutch were taken into Soviet captivity).

4 Dutchmen were awarded the "Knight's Crosses".

France

The "French Volunteer Legion" for the war "against the Bolsheviks" was created in July 1941.

In October 1941, the French legion (an infantry regiment, numbering 2.5 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, to the Moscow direction. The French suffered heavy losses there, were defeated “to the smithereens” almost on the Borodino field, and from the spring of 1942 to the summer of 1944 the legion performed only police functions, it was used to fight against Soviet partisans.

In the summer of 1944, as a result of the offensive of the Red Army in Belarus, French legion"He was again on the front line, again suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to Germany.

In September 1944, the legion was disbanded, and instead the “French Brigade of the SS Troops” (more than 7 thousand people) was created, and in February 1945 it was renamed the 33rd Grenadier Division of the SS Troops “Charlemagne” (“Charlemagne "") and sent to the front in Pomerania against Soviet troops. In March 1945, the French division was almost completely destroyed.

The remnants of the French division (about 700 people) at the end of April 1945 defended Berlin, in particular Hitler's bunker.

And in 1942, 130 thousand young people from Alsace and Lorraine born in 1920-24 were forcibly mobilized into the Wehrmacht, dressed in German uniforms and most of them were sent to the eastern front (they called themselves “malgre-nous”, that is, “mobilized against my will). About 90% of them immediately surrendered to Soviet troops and ended up in the Gulag!

Pierre Rigulot writes in his books “The French in the Gulag” and “The Tragedy of the Reluctant Soldiers”: “... In general, after 1946, 85 thousand French were repatriated, 25 thousand died in the camps, 20 thousand disappeared on the territory of the USSR ...”. In 1943-1945 alone, more than 10,000 Frenchmen who died in custody were buried in mass graves in the forest near the Rada station, near Tambov, in camp No. 188.

In the war against the USSR, about 8 thousand Frenchmen died (not counting the Alsatians and Logaringians).

3 Frenchmen were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses".

"African Phalanx"

After the landing of the Allies in Northern France, of all the North African territories of France, only Tunisia remained under the sovereignty of Vichy and the occupation of the Axis troops. After the Allied landings, the Vichy regime made an attempt to create volunteer formations that could serve alongside the Italo-German army.

On January 8, 1943, a "legion" was created with a single unit - the "African Phalanx" (Phalange Africaine), consisting of 300 French and 150 Muslim Africans (later the number of French was reduced to 200).

After three months of training, the phalanx was assigned to the 754th Infantry Regiment of the 334th German Infantry Division operating in Tunisia. Having been "in business", the phalanx was renamed "LVF en Tunisie" and existed under this name until the surrender in early May 1945.

Denmark

The social democratic government of Denmark did not declare war on the USSR, but did not interfere with the formation of the "Danish Volunteer Corps", and officially allowed the Danish army to join it (indefinite leave with the preservation of the rank).

In July-December 1941, more than 1 thousand people joined the Danish Volunteer Corps (the name "corps" was symbolic, in fact it was a battalion). In May 1942, the "Danish Corps" was sent to the front, to the Demyansk region. From December 1942, the Danes fought in the Velikiye Luki region.

At the beginning of June 1943, the corps was disbanded, many of its members, as well as new volunteers, joined the regiment " Danemark» 11th SS Volunteer Division « Nordland"(Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad, participated in the battle of Narva.

In January 1945 the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 fought in Berlin.

In the war against the USSR, about 2 thousand Danes died (456 Danes were taken into Soviet captivity).

3 Danes were awarded the German "Knight's Crosses".

Norway

The Norwegian government in July 1941 announced the formation of the "Norwegian Volunteer Legion" to send "to help Finland in the war against the USSR."

In February 1942, after training in Germany, the Norwegian legion (1 battalion, numbering 1.2 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, near Leningrad.

In May 1943, the Norwegian Legion was disbanded, most of the soldiers joined the Norwegian regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division " Nordland"(Danish-Norwegian division).

About 1,000 Norwegians died in the war against the USSR (100 Norwegians were taken into Soviet captivity).

Divisions under the SS

These are the so-called "SS divisions", formed from the "citizens" of the USSR, as well as from the inhabitants of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Note that only Germans and representatives of the peoples of the Germanic language group (Dutch, Danes, Flemings, Norwegians, Swedes) were taken in the SS division. Only they had the right to wear SS runes in their buttonholes. For some reason, an exception was made only for the French-speaking Walloon Belgians.

And here "divisions under the SS", "Waffen divisions der SS" formed precisely from the "non-German peoples" - Bosniaks, Ukrainians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Albanians, Russians, Belarusians, Hungarians, Italians, French.

At the same time, the command staff in these divisions was mainly from Germans (they had the right to wear SS runes). But the “Russian Division under the SS” was commanded by Bronislav Kaminsky, a half-Polish, half-German, originally from St. Petersburg. Because of his "pedigree" he could not be a member of the SS party organization, and was not a member of the NSDAP.

The first "Waffen Division under the SS" was the 13th ( Bosnian-Muslim) or Handshar, formed in March 1943. She fought from January 1944 in Croatia, and from December 1944 - in Hungary.

"Scanderbeg". In April 1944, the 21st mountain division of the Waffen-SS "Skanderbeg" was formed from Muslim Albanians. Almost 11 thousand soldiers were recruited from the province of Kosovo, as well as from Albania itself. They were mostly Sunni Muslims.

"14th Waffen Division der SS" (Ukrainian)

From the autumn of 1943 to the spring of 1944 she was in the reserve (in Poland). In July 1944 she fought on the Soviet-German front in the Brody region (Western Ukraine). In September 1944 it was sent to suppress the uprising in Slovakia. In January 1945, she was transferred to the reserve in the Bratislava region, in April 1945 she retreated to Austria, and in May 1945 she surrendered to American troops.

Ukrainian volunteers

The only units of the Eastern Volunteers that entered the Wehrmacht from the very beginning were two small Ukrainian battalions created in the spring of 1941

The Nachtigal battalion was recruited from Ukrainians living in Poland, the Roland battalion was recruited from Ukrainian emigrants living in Germany.

"15th Waffen Division der SS" (Latvian No. 1)

From December 1943 - at the front in the Volkhov region, in January - March 1944 - at the front in the Pskov region, in April - May 1944 at the front in the Nevel region. From July to December 1944 it was reorganized in Latvia, and then in West Prussia. In February 1945 she was sent to the front in West Prussia, in March 1945 to the front in Pomerania.

"19th Waffen Division der SS" (Latvian No. 2)

At the front since April 1944, in the Pskov region, since July 1944 - in Latvia.

"20th Waffen Division der SS" (Estonian)

From March to October 1944 in Estonia, November 1944 - January 1945 in Germany (in reserve), in February - May 1945 at the front in Silesia.

"29th Waffen Division der SS" (Russian)

In August 1944 she took part in the suppression of the uprising in Warsaw. At the end of August, for the rape and murder of German residents of Warsaw, the division commander, Waffen-Brigadefuhrer Kaminsky, and the division chief of staff, Waffen-Obersturmbannführer Shavyakin (a former captain of the Red Army) were shot, and the division was sent to Slovakia and disbanded there.

"Russian security corps in Serbia"("Russisches Schutzkorps Serbien", RSS), the last division of the Russian Imperial Army. He was recruited from among the White Guards who found refuge in Serbia in 1921 and retained their national identity and adherence to traditional beliefs. They wanted to fight "for Russia and against the Reds", but they were sent to fight the partisans of Joseph Broz Tito.

"Russian Security Corps", originally led by the White Guard General Shteifon, and later by Colonel Rogozin. The number of the corps is more than 11 thousand people.

"30th Waffen Division der SS" (Belarusian)

From September to November 1944 in the reserve in Germany, from December 1944 on the Upper Rhine.

"33rd Hungarian" lasted only two months , was formed in December 1944, disbanded in January 1945.

The “36th division” was formed from German criminals and even political prisoners in February 1945. But then the Nazis “raked out” all the “reserves”, calling everyone into the Wehrmacht - from the boys from the “Hitler Youth” to the elderly ...

"Latvian SS Volunteer Legion". In February 1943, after the defeat German troops near Stalingrad, the Nazi command decided to form the Latvian national legion of the SS. It included part of the Latvian volunteer units, created earlier and already taking part in hostilities.

In the first days of March 1943, the entire male population of Latvia born in 1918 and 1919 was ordered to appear at the district and volost police departments at their place of residence. There, after an examination by a medical commission, the mobilized were given the right to choose a place of service: either in the Latvian SS legion, or in the service staff of the German troops, or in defense work.

Of the 150 thousand soldiers and officers of the legion, over 40 thousand died and almost 50 thousand were captured by the Soviets. In April 1945 she took part in the battles for Neubrandenburg. At the end of April 1945, the remnants of the division were transferred to Berlin, where the battalion took part in the last battles for the "capital of the Third Reich".

In addition to these divisions, in December 1944 the 1st Cossack Cavalry Division was transferred to the SS, in January 1945 it was renamed the 15th Cossack Cavalry SS Corps. The corps operated in Croatia against Tito's partisans.

On December 30, 1941, the command of the Wehrmacht ordered the formation of "legions" from volunteers of various nationalities of the USSR. During the first half of 1942, first four and then six legions were fully integrated into the Wehrmacht, receiving the same status as the European legions. At first they were located in Poland.

"Turkestan Legion" , located in Legionovo, included Cossacks, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Karakalpaks and representatives of other nationalities.

"Muslim-Caucasian Legion" (later renamed " Azerbaijan Legion") located in Zheldny, the total number of 40,000 people.

"North Caucasian Legion" , which included representatives of 30 different peoples of the North Caucasus, was located in Vesola.

The formation of the legion began in September 1942 near Warsaw from Caucasian prisoners of war. The number of volunteers (more than 5,000 people) included Ossetians, Chechens, Ingush, Kabardians, Balkars, Tabasarans, etc.

The so-called. "North Caucasian Committee". His leadership included the Dagestan Akhmed-Nabi Agaev (Abwehr agent), Ossetian Kantemirov (former Minister of War of the Mountain Republic) and Sultan-Girey Klych.

"Georgian Legion" was formed in Kruzhyn. It should be noted that this legion existed from 1915 to 1917, and during its first formation it was staffed by volunteers from among the Georgians who were captured during the 1st World War.

During the Second World War "Georgian Legion""replenished" with volunteers from among the Soviet prisoners of war of Georgian nationality

"Armenian Legion" (18 thousand people ) was formed in Pulav, Drastamat Kanayan (“General Dro”) led the legion. Drastamat Kanayan defected to the Americans in May 1945. Last years spent his life in Beirut, died March 8, 1956, was buried in Boston. At the end of May 2000, the body of Drastamat Kanayan was reburied in the city of Aparan, in Armenia, and near the memorial to the soldiers-heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

"Volga-Tatar Legion" (Legion "Idel-Ural") consisted of representatives of the Volga peoples (Tatars, Bashkirs, Mari, Mordovians, Chuvashs, Udmurts), Most of all there were Tatars. Formed in Zheldny.

In accordance with the policy of the Wehrmacht, these legions never united in combat conditions. As soon as they completed their training in Poland, they were sent to the front separately.

"Kalmyk Legion"

Interestingly, the Kalmyks were not part of the Eastern Legions and the first Kalmyk units were created by the headquarters of the 16th German motorized infantry division after Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, was occupied during the summer offensive of 1942. These units were called variously: "Kalmyk Legion" (Kalmuck Legion), "Dr. Doll's Kalmyk Connection" (Kal-mucken Verband Dr. Doll), or "Kalmyk Cavalry Corps".

In practice, it was a "volunteer corps" with the status of an allied army and broad autonomy. Basically, it was made up of former Red Army soldiers, commanded by Kalmyk sergeants and Kalmyk officers.

Initially, the Kalmyks fought against the partisan detachments, then retreated to the west along with the German troops.

The constant retreat brought the "Kalmyk Legion" to Poland, where by the end of 1944 they numbered about 5,000 people. Soviet winter offensive 1944-45 found them near Radom, and at the very end of the war they were reorganized in Neuhammer.

The Kalmyks were the only "Eastern Volunteers" who joined Vlasov's army.

Crimean Tatars. In October 1941, the creation of volunteer formations from representatives Crimean Tatars, "self-defense mouth", whose main task was to fight the partisans. Until January 1942, this process went on spontaneously, but after the recruitment of volunteers from among the Crimean Tatars was officially sanctioned by Hitler, "the solution to this problem" passed to the leadership of the Einsatzgruppe "D". During January 1942, more than 8,600 volunteers, Crimean Tatars, were recruited.

These formations were used in the protection of military and civilian facilities, took an active part in the fight against partisans, and in 1944 they actively resisted the formations of the Red Army that liberated the Crimea.

The remnants of the Crimean Tatar units, together with the German and Romanian troops, were evacuated from the Crimea by sea.

In the summer of 1944, from the remnants of the Crimean Tatar units in Hungary, the "Tatar Mountain Jaeger Regiment of the SS" was formed, which was soon reorganized into the "1st Tatar Mountain Jaeger Brigade of the SS", which was disbanded on December 31, 1944 and transformed into the battle group "Crimea ", which merged into the "Eastern Turkic Union of the SS".

Crimean Tatar volunteers who were not part of the "Tatar Mountain Chasseurs Regiment of the SS" were transferred to France and included in the reserve battalion of the "Volga-Tatar Legion".

As Yurado Carlos Caballero wrote: “... Not as an excuse for “divisions under the SS”, but for the sake of objectivity, we note that a much larger scale of war crimes was committed by the Allgemeine-SS special forces (“Sonderkommando” and “Einsatzgruppen”), but also “ost-truppen” - units formed from Russians, Turkestans, Ukrainians, Belarusians, peoples of the Caucasus and the Volga region - they were mainly engaged in anti-partisan activities ... The divisions of the Hungarian army were also engaged in this ...

However, it should be noted that the Bosnian-Muslim, Albanian and “Russian divisions der SS”, as well as the “36th division der SS” from the Germans, became most famous for war crimes ... ".

Volunteer Indian Legion

A few months before the start of Operation Barbarossa, while the Soviet-German non-aggression pact was still in effect, the extremist leader of the Indian nationalists, Subhas Chandra Bose, arrived from Moscow in Berlin, intending to enlist the support of the Germans "in the liberation of his country." Thanks to his perseverance, he managed to persuade the Germans to recruit a group of volunteers from Indians who served in the British troops and were captured in North Africa.

By the end of 1942, this Free India Legion (also known as the Tiger Legion, the Fries Indyen Legion, the Azad Hind Legion, Indische Freiwilligen-Legion Regiment 950 or I.R 950) reached a strength of about 2000 people and officially entered German army as 950th (Indian) Infantry Regiment.

In 1943, Bos Chandra traveled by submarine to Japanese-occupied Singapore. He sought to create from the Indians who were captured by the Japanese, the Indian National Army.

However, the German command poorly represented the problems of caste, tribal and religious strife among the inhabitants of India, and in addition, German officers they treated their subordinates with disdain ... And, most importantly, more than 70 percent of the soldiers of the division were Muslims, people from tribes from the territories of modern Pakistan, Bangladesh, as well as from the Muslim communities of western and northwestern India. Yes, and the nutritional problems of such “motley fighters” were very serious - someone did not eat pork, someone ate only rice and vegetables.

In the spring of 1944, 2,500 people of the Indian Legion were sent to the Bordeaux region in the fortress of the Atlantic Wall. The first combat loss was Lieutenant Ali Khan, who was killed by French partisans in August 1944 during the retreat of the legion to Alsace. On August 8, the 1944 legion was transferred to the SS troops.

In March 1945, the remnants of the legion tried to break into Switzerland, but were taken prisoner by the French and Americans. The prisoners were handed over to the British as traitors to their own power, former legionnaires were sent to prisons in Delhi, and some were immediately shot.

Nevertheless, we note, in fairness, that this peculiar unit practically did not take part in hostilities.

Volunteer Arab Legion

On May 2, 1941, an anti-British rebellion broke out in Iraq led by Rashid el-Ghaliani. The Germans formed a special headquarters "F" (Sonderstab F) to assist the Arab insurgents.

To support the rebellion, two small units were created - the 287th and 288th special formations (Sonderverbonde), recruited from the personnel of the Brandenburg division. But before they could get involved, the rebellion was crushed.

The 288th all-German formation was sent to North Africa as part of the Afrika Korps, while the 287th formation was left in Greece, near Athens, to organize volunteers from the Middle East. They were mostly Palestinian supporters of the pro-German Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Iraqis who supported el-Galiani.

When three battalions were recruited, one battalion was sent to Tunisia, and the other two were used to fight the partisans, first in the Caucasus and then in Yugoslavia.

The 287th unit was never officially recognized as an Arab legion - " Legion FreeArab. This common name was given to all Arabs who fought under German command to distinguish them from other ethnic groups.

The anti-Hitler coalition included the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and its dominions (Canada, India, the Union of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand), Poland, France, Ethiopia, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Greece, Yugoslavia, Tuva, Mongolia, USA.

China (the government of Chiang Kai-shek) has been fighting against Japan since July 7, 1937, and Mexico, Brazil. Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Argentina declared war on Germany and its allies.

The participation of the Latin American countries in the war consisted mainly in carrying out defensive measures, in protecting the coast and caravans of ships.

The fighting of a number of countries occupied by Germany - Yugoslavia, Greece, France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland consisted mainly in the partisan movement and the resistance movement. Italian partisans were also active, fighting both against the Mussolini regime and against Germany.

Poland. After the defeat and partition of Poland between Germany and the USSR, Polish troops acted together with the troops of Great Britain, France and the USSR (“Anders Army”). In 1944 Polish troops participated in the landing in Normandy, and in May 1945 they took Berlin.

Luxembourg was attacked by Germany on May 10, 1940. In August 1942, Luxembourg was incorporated into Germany, so many Luxembourgers were called up to serve in the Wehrmacht.

In total, 10,211 Luxembourgers were drafted into the Wehrmacht during the occupation. Of these, 2,848 died, 96 were missing.

1653 Luxembourgers who served in the Wehrmacht and fought on the German-Soviet front fell into Soviet captivity (93 of them died in captivity).

NEUTRAL COUNTRIES OF EUROPE

Sweden. At the beginning of the war, Sweden declared its neutrality, but nevertheless carried out a partial mobilization. During Soviet-Finnish military conflict She declared her status " non-belligerent power”, however, provided assistance to Finland with money and military equipment.

Nevertheless, Sweden cooperated with both belligerents, the most famous examples being the passage of German troops from Norway to Finland and informing the British about Bismarck's entry into Operation Rheinübung.

In addition, Sweden actively supplied Germany with iron ore, but from mid-August 1943, it stopped transporting German military materials through its country.

During the Great Patriotic War, Sweden was a diplomatic mediator between the USSR and Germany.

Switzerland. Declared its neutrality the day before the outbreak of World War II. But in September 1939, 430 thousand people were mobilized into the army, rationing was introduced for food and industrial products.

In the international arena, Switzerland maneuvered between the two warring factions, the ruling circles for a long time leaned towards the pro-German course.

Swiss firms supplied Germany weapons, ammunition, machinery and other manufactured goods. Germany received electricity from Switzerland, loans (over 1 billion francs), used the Swiss railways for military transport to Italy and back.

Some Swiss firms acted as intermediaries for Germany on world markets. Intelligence agencies of Germany, Italy, the USA and England operated on the territory of Switzerland.

Spain. Spain remained neutral during World War II, although Hitler considered the Spaniards to be his allies. German submarines entered the ports of Spain, and German agents operated freely in Madrid. Spain supplied Germany and tungsten, though at the end of the war, Spain sold tungsten to the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Jews fled to Spain, then making their way to Portugal.

Portugal. In 1939, she declared neutrality. But the Salazar government supplied strategic raw materials, and, above all, tungsten to Germany and Italy. In October 1943, realizing the inevitability of the defeat of Nazi Germany, Salazar grants the British and Americans the right to use as military base Azores, and in June 1944 stops the export of tungsten to Germany.

During the war, hundreds of thousands of Jews from various European countries were able to escape the Nazi genocide, using Portuguese visas, emigrating from war-torn Europe.

Ireland maintained complete neutrality.

About 1,500,000 Jews took part in the fighting in the armies of different countries, in the partisan movement and in the Resistance.

In the US Army - 550,000, in the USSR - 500,000, Poland - 140,000, Great Britain - 62,000, France - 46,000.

Alexey Kazdym

List of used literature

• Abrahamyan E. A. Caucasians in the Abwehr. M.: Publisher Bystrov, 2006.
• Asadov Yu.A. 1000 officer names in Armenian history. Pyatigorsk, 2004.
• Berdinsky V.A. . Special Settlers: Political Exile of Nations Soviet Russia. M.: 2005.
• Briman Shimon Muslims in the SS // http://www.webcitation.org/66K7aB5b7
• World War II 1939-1945, TSB. Yandex. Dictionaries
• Vozgrin V. Historical fate of the Crimean Tatars. Moscow: Thought, 1992
• Gilyazov I.A. Legion "Idel-Ural". Kazan: Tatknigoizdat, 2005.
• Drobyazko S. Eastern legions and Cossack units in the Wehrmacht http://www.erlib.com
• Elishev S. Salazarovskaya Portugal // Russian folk line, http://ruskline.ru/analitika/2010/05/21/salazarovskaya_portugaliya
• Karashchuk A., Drobyazko S. Eastern volunteers in the Wehrmacht, police and SS. 2000
• Krysin M. Yu. History on the lips. Latvian SS legion: yesterday and today. Veche, 2006.
• Concise Jewish Encyclopedia, Jerusalem. 1976 - 2006
• Mamulia G.G. Georgian legion of the Wehrmacht M.: Veche, 2011.
• Romanko O.V. Muslim Legions in World War II. M.: AST; Transitbook, 2004.
• Yurado Carlos Caballero "Foreign Volunteers in the Wehrmacht. 1941-1945. AST, Astrel. 2005
• Etinger Ya. Ya. Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.
• Rigoulot Pierre. Des Francais au goulag.1917-1984. 1984
• Rigoulot Pierre. La tragedy des malgre-nous. 1990.

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On the side of Germany in the war against the USSR, the troops of Romania, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Slovakia, Croatia fought. In addition, volunteer units of the Spaniards, Belgians, Dutch, French, Danes, and Norwegians fought on the side of Germany against the USSR.

Romania

Romania declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. Romania had the goal of returning Bessarabia and Bukovina taken from it in June 1940, as well as annexing Transnistria (the territory from the Dniester to the Southern Bug).

For military operations against the USSR, the Romanian 3rd Army (mountain and cavalry corps) and the 4th Army (3 infantry corps), with a total strength of about 220 thousand people, were intended.

From June 22, Romanian troops tried to seize bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Prut River (at the same time, on June 25-26, 1941, the Soviet Danube Flotilla landed troops on Romanian territory, Soviet aircraft and ships of the Black Sea Fleet bombed and fired at Romanian oil fields and other objects).

Romanian troops began active hostilities by crossing the Prut River on July 2, 1941. By July 26, Romanian troops occupied the territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina.

Then the Romanian 3rd Army advanced in Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper in September and reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov. From the end of October 1941, units of the Romanian 3rd Army participated in the capture of the Crimea (together with the German 11th Army under the command of von Manstein).

The Romanian 4th Army from the beginning of August 1941 led the operation to take Odessa. By September 10, 12 Romanian divisions and 5 brigades were assembled to capture Odessa, with a total number of up to 200 thousand people (as well as German units - an infantry regiment, an assault battalion and 2 heavy artillery regiments). After heavy fighting, Odessa was taken by the Romanian troops on October 16, 1941. The losses of the Romanian 4th Army in this operation amounted to 29 thousand dead and missing and 63 thousand wounded.

In August 1942, the Romanian 3rd Army (3 cavalry and 1 mountain divisions) took part in the German attack on the Caucasus.In August, the Romanian cavalry divisions took Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk (the latter - together with German troops), the Romanian mountain division captured Nalchik in October 1942.

In the fall of 1942, Romanian troops occupied positions in the Stalingrad region (now Volgograd). Romanian 3rd Army (8 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, with a total number of 150 thousand people) - a front section 140 km northwest of this city, the Romanian 4th Army (5 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, with a total number of 75 thousand people) - front section 300 km south of it.

On November 19, 1942, the troops of the two Soviet fronts went on the offensive, and on November 23 they formed an encirclement ring around Stalingrad, in which the German 6th Army, part of the troops of the German 4th Army, and the Romanian 6 infantry and 1 cavalry divisions were. By the end of January 1943, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were practically destroyed - their total losses amounted to almost 160 thousand dead, missing and wounded.

At the beginning of 1943, 6 Romanian divisions, with a total number of 65 thousand people, fought (as part of the German 17th Army) in the Kuban. In September 1943, these troops retreated to the Crimea. In April-May 1944, Soviet troops captured the Crimea. Romanian troops in the Crimea lost more than a third of their personnel, the rest were evacuated by sea to Romania.

On August 23, 1944, a coup was carried out in Romania, and the Romanian army began to fight along with the Red Army against Germany and Hungary.

In total, up to 200 thousand Romanians(including 55 thousand died in Soviet captivity).

18 Romanians were awarded German Knight's Crosses, three of them also received Oak Leaves for Knight's Crosses.

Italy

Italy declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. Motivation - Mussolini's initiative, which has been proposed since January 1940 - "a pan-European campaign against Bolshevism." At the same time, Italy had no territorial claims to any zone of occupation of the USSR.

The Italian Expeditionary Force for the war against the USSR was created on July 10, 1941, consisting of one cavalry and two infantry divisions, with corps artillery and two air groups (reconnaissance and fighter).

In total, there were 62 thousand soldiers and officers in the corps. There were - 220 guns, 60 machine-gun tankettes, aviation - 50 fighters and 20 reconnaissance aircraft.

The corps was sent to the southern sector of the German-Soviet front (through Austria, Hungary, Romania), for operations in southern Ukraine.

First clash between the advanced units of the Italian corps and units of the Red Army happened on August 10, 1941, on the Southern Bug River. In September 1941, the Italian corps fought on the Dnieper, on a 100-km section in the area Dneprodzerzhinsk.

In October-November 1941, the Italian corps participated in the German offensive with the aim of capturing the Donbass. Then, until July 1942, the Italians stood on the defensive, fighting local battles with units of the Red Army.

The losses of the Italian corps from August 1941 to June 1942 amounted to: more than 1,600 dead, more than 400 missing, almost 6,300 wounded, more than 3,600 frostbitten.

In July 1942, Italian troops on the territory of the USSR were significantly reinforced. The 8th Italian Army was formed, consisting of 3 corps (total - 10 divisions, the total number of the army reached in September 1942 - 230 thousand people, 940 guns, 31 light tanks (20 mm gun), 19 self-propelled guns (47 mm gun ), aviation - 41 fighters and 23 scouts).

In the autumn of 1942, the Italian army occupied positions on the Don River (a section of more than 250 km), northwest of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). In December 1942 - January 1943, the Italians repulsed the offensive of the Red Army. As a result, the Italian army was actually defeated - 21 thousand Italians were killed, 64 thousand were missing.

The remaining 145,000 Italians were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943.

The losses of Italians in the USSR from August 1941 to February 1943 amounted to about 90 thousand dead and missing. According to Soviet data, 49 thousand Italians were taken prisoner, of which 21 thousand Italians were released from Soviet captivity in 1946-1956. Thus, in total, in the war against the USSR and in Soviet captivity, about 70 thousand Italians.

9 Italians were awarded German Knight's Crosses.

Finland

On June 25, 1941, Soviet aviation bombed the settlements of Finland. On June 26, Finland declared that it was at war with the USSR. Finland intended to return the territories taken from her in March 1940, and also to annex Karelia.

June 30, 1941 Finnish troops (11 infantry divisions and 4 brigades, totaling about 150 thousand people) went on the offensive in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. By the end of August 1941, the Finns reached the approaches to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on ​​the Karelian Isthmus, and by the beginning of October 1941 occupied almost the entire territory of Karelia (except for the coast of the White Sea and Zaonezhye), after which they went on the defensive at the achieved lines.

From the end of 1941 until the summer of 1944, there were practically no military operations on the Soviet-Finnish front, except for the raids of Soviet partisans (formed from conscripts from the Ural region) on the territory of Karelia and the bombing of Finnish settlements by Soviet aircraft.

On June 9, 1944, Soviet troops (totaling up to 500 thousand people) went on the offensive against the Finns (16 infantry divisions, about 200 thousand people). In the course of heavy fighting, which lasted until August 1944, Soviet troops took Petrozavodsk, Vyborg, and in one sector reached the Soviet-Finnish border in March 1940. On August 29, 1944, Soviet troops went on the defensive.

On September 1, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim proposed a truce; on September 4, Stalin agreed to a truce. After that, the Finnish troops retreated to the March 1940 border.

Died in the war against the USSR 54 thousand Finns.

2 Finns were awarded the German Knight's Crosses, including Marshal Mannerheim and received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Hungary

Hungary declared war on the USSR on June 27, 1941, after the bombing of Hungarian settlements by Soviet aircraft. Hungary had no territorial claims to the USSR, the motivation was "revenge on the Bolsheviks for the communist revolution of 1919 in Hungary."

On July 1, 1941, Hungary sent the "Carpathian Group" (5 brigades, totaling 40 thousand people), which fought as part of the German 17th Army in Ukraine, to the war against the USSR.

In July 1941, the group was divided - 2 infantry brigades began to perform the functions of protecting the rear, and the "fast corps" (2 motorized and 1 cavalry brigades, a total of 25 thousand people, with several dozen light tanks and tankettes) continued to advance.

By November 1941, the "fast corps" had suffered heavy losses - up to 12 thousand killed, missing and wounded, all tankettes and almost all light tanks were lost. The corps was returned to Hungary. At the same time, the Hungarian 4 infantry and 2 cavalry brigades (with a total strength of 60 thousand people) remained at the front and in the rear areas.

In April 1942, the Hungarian 2nd Army (about 200 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. In June 1942, she went on the offensive in the Voronezh direction, as part of the German offensive on the southern sector of the German-Soviet front.

In January 1943, the Hungarian 2nd Army was practically destroyed during the Soviet offensive (up to 100 thousand dead and up to 60 thousand taken prisoner, most of them wounded). In May 1943, the remnants of the army (about 40 thousand people) were withdrawn to Hungary.

In the autumn of 1944, all the Hungarian armed forces (three armies) fought against the Red Army, already on the territory of Hungary. The fighting in Hungary ended in April 1945, but some Hungarian units continued to fight in Austria until the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945.

More than died in the war against the USSR 200 thousand Hungarians(including 55 thousand died in Soviet captivity).

8 Hungarians were awarded German Knight's Crosses.

Slovakia

Slovakia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the "pan-European campaign against Bolshevism." It had no territorial claims against the USSR. 2 Slovak divisions were sent to the war against the USSR.

One division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a battalion of light tanks, numbering 8 thousand people) fought in Ukraine in 1941, in the Kuban in 1942, and in 1943-1944 performed security functions in the Crimea.

Another division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments and an artillery regiment, 8 thousand people) in 1941-1942 performed security functions in Ukraine, in 1943-1944 - in Belarus.

3.5 thousand Slovaks.

Croatia

Croatia took part in the war against the USSR as part of a "pan-European campaign against Bolshevism." It had no territorial claims against the USSR.

1 volunteer Croatian regiment was sent to the war against the USSR (3 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battalion, with a total number of 3.9 thousand people). The regiment arrived at the front in October 1941. He fought in the Donbass, in 1942 - in Stalingrad (now Volgograd). By February 1943, the Croatian regiment was practically destroyed - about 700 Croats were taken into Soviet captivity.

In the war against the USSR, about 2 thousand Croats.

Spain

Spain did not officially declare war against the USSR, but organized the dispatch of one volunteer division to the front. The motivation is revenge for sending the International Brigades to Spain during the Civil War by the Comintern.

The Spanish division (18 thousand people) was sent to the northern sector of the German-Soviet front. From October 1941 - fought in the Volkhov region, from August 1942 - near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In October 1943, the division was returned to Spain, but about 2 thousand volunteers remained to fight in the Spanish Legion ( three-battalion composition). The Legion was disbanded in March 1944, but about 300 Spaniards wished to fight further, and 2 companies of the SS troops were formed from them, who fought against the Red Army until the end of the war.

In the war against the USSR, about 5 thousand Spaniards(452 Spaniards were taken into Soviet captivity).

2 Spaniards were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including one received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Belgium

In 1941, two volunteer legions were formed in Belgium for the war against the USSR. They differed by ethnicity - Flemish and Walloon, both were battalion size. In the autumn of 1941, they were sent to the German-Soviet front - the Walloon Legion to the southern sector (Rostov-on-Don, then Kuban), the Flemish Legion to the northern sector (Volkhov).

In June 1943, both legions were reorganized into brigades of the SS troops - the SS Volunteer Brigade Langemark and the SS Volunteer Assault Brigade Wallonia. In October, the brigades were renamed into divisions (remaining in the same composition - 2 infantry regiments each). At the end of the war, both the Flemings and the Walloons fought against the Red Army in Pomerania.

In the war against the USSR, about 5 thousand Belgians(2 thousand Belgians were taken into Soviet captivity).

4 Belgians were awarded German Knight's Crosses, including one who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Netherlands

The Netherlands Volunteer Legion (motorized battalion of 5 companies) was formed in July 1941.

In January 1942, the Dutch legion arrived at the northern sector of the German-Soviet front, in the Volkhov region. Then the legion was transferred to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

In May 1943, the Dutch Legion was reorganized into a volunteer brigade of the SS troops "Netherlands" (consisting of two motorized regiments and other units, with a total of 9 thousand people).

In 1944, one of the regiments of the Dutch brigade was practically destroyed in the battles near Narva. In the autumn of 1944 the brigade retreated to Courland, and in January 1945 it was evacuated to Germany by sea.

In February 1945, the brigade was renamed a division, although its strength was greatly reduced due to losses. By May 1945, the Dutch division was practically destroyed in the battles against the Red Army.

In the war against the USSR, about 8 thousand Dutch(more than 4 thousand of the Netherlands were taken into Soviet captivity).

4 Dutchmen were awarded German Knight's Crosses.

France

The French Volunteer Legion for the war against the Bolsheviks was created in July 1941.

In October 1941, the French legion (an infantry regiment, numbering 2.5 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, to the Moscow direction. The French suffered heavy losses there, and from the spring of 1942 to the summer of 1944 the legion was withdrawn from the front and sent to fight against the Soviet partisans in the rear.

In the summer of 1944, the French legion was actually again on the front line (as a result of the Red Army's offensive in Belarus), again suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to Germany.

In September 1944, the French Volunteer Legion was disbanded, instead, a French brigade of SS troops (more than 7 thousand people) was created.

In February 1945, the French SS brigade was renamed the 33rd SS Grenadier Division "Charlemagne" ("Charlemagne") and sent to the front in Pomerania against the Soviet troops. In March 1945 the French division was almost annihilated.

The remnants of the French division (about 700 people) at the end of April 1945 defended themselves in Berlin.

In the war against the USSR, about 8 thousand French(not counting the Alsatians drafted into the Wehrmacht).

3 Frenchmen were awarded the German Knight's Crosses.

Denmark

The government of Denmark (social democratic) did not declare war on the USSR, but did not interfere with the formation of the Danish volunteer corps, and officially allowed the Danish army to join it (indefinite leave with the preservation of the rank).

In July-December 1941, more than 1 thousand people joined the Danish volunteer corps (the name "corps" was symbolic, in fact - a battalion). In May 1942, the Danish corps was sent to the front, to the Demyansk region. From December 1942, the Danes fought in the Velikiye Luki region.

At the beginning of June 1943, the Danish volunteer corps was disbanded, many of its members, as well as new volunteers, joined the Danemark regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she participated in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, in April 1945 - fighting in Berlin.

In the war against the USSR, about 2 thousand Danes(456 Danes were taken into Soviet captivity).

3 Danes were awarded German Knight's Crosses.

Norway

The Norwegian government in July 1941 announced the formation of the Norwegian Volunteer Legion to be sent to help Finland in the war against the USSR.

In February 1942, after training in Germany, the Norwegian legion (1 battalion, numbering 1.2 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

In May 1943, the Norwegian Legion was disbanded, most of its fighters joined the Norwegian regiment of the 11th Volunteer Division of the SS Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she participated in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, in April 1945 - fighting in Berlin.

In the war against the USSR, about 1 thousand Norwegians(100 Norwegians were taken into Soviet captivity).

What did the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact give the USSR and Europe?

First of all, we note that I.V. With this pact, Stalin ingeniously won two strategically important battles at the diplomatic level: the battle for Space and the battle for Time. The only question is what it meant for the USSR, on the one hand, and for Hitler's inspirers and allies, on the other. It is here that the iconic differences and illegal interests of the parties: the peoples of the USSR and the West, which have not changed their essence even today, after the collapse of the USSR.

And then it becomes obvious that Stalin, by the pact itself, clearly drew a “red line” in front of Hitler, which the brown jackal could no longer violate with impunity. Thus, putting a barrier to Hitler's aggression against the peoples of Western Ukraine, Western Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. In the language of the military, this is also called the gain of strategic SPACE in the theater of possible military operations.

But with this pact, the USSR expanded not so much their borders, which they very diligently hint at to us, as a “seizure of foreign territories”, but they postponed the TIME TO START ... the war. Which was something destructive for the West, hence tragic in their plans.

"Time", and this must be said today clearly and loudly, assigned to Hitler by Great Britain, France and the USA, i.e. West, to attack the USSR! And Stalin, it turns out, with this pact simply outplayed the West and set them against each other like a pack of dogs?!

And here, again, in close connection with the “canvas”, another important question arises: when, in fact, did the Second World War begin? It is generally accepted that the date of its beginning is September 1, 1939! Wait, why is that?

Here is a dry chronicle of those years: in 1935, Italy attacked Abyssinia and occupied it. In the summer of 1935, Germany and Italy organized a military intervention in Spain. In 1937, Japan invaded Northern and Central China, occupied Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. At the beginning of 1938, Germany captured Austria, and in the fall, the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. At the end of 1938, Japan captured Canton, and at the beginning of 1939, Hainan Island. Germany in March 1939 occupied the remnants of Czechoslovakia and the Memel region of Lithuania. Isn't too much blood shed for "peacetime"?

Is the impression created or artificially created that the date of the attack on Poland was chosen in order to link the Second World War with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?

Who did it and most importantly why, now it becomes clearer. Given that such ideological battles London - the author and inspirer of this baseness, always plans ahead of time ... decades.

This is the "bleeding wound-resentment" of the West. That is why they are in a hurry to rewrite history today, equating Stalinism with Nazism. In order to shift the responsibility for their historical crime against humanity to the USSR and its leader I.V. Stalin.
And last but not least, stop talking about 27 million dead here.
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/2503040/post125482273/

On the eve of Victory Day, we remember not only friends, but also enemies. The Red Army had to fight not only with the German Wehrmacht, but also with a whole horde of Hitler's allied armies and national units, representing at least half of Europe.
We will show only some of them.

Hitler's westernmost military ally was formally neutral Francoist Spain, which sent Eastern front Volunteer "Blue Division":

The Hungarians also turned out to be a rather stubborn enemy for the Red Army, who sent several divisions to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.

Hungarian soldiers, 1941:

Hungarian soldier in Budapest, 1939:

One of the most numerous armies that fought on the side of Hitler was the Romanian. The Romanians participated in the siege of Odessa and reached Stalingrad with the Germans, where they were entrusted with covering the flanks of the Paulus army.
Romanian infantry around 1943:

The largest of the satellite armies was the Italian one, but it was never known for its fighting efficiency.
Already in July 1941, Mussolini agreed to send Italian troops to Russia, where they ingloriously ended their journey in the snow near Stalingrad. The surviving Italians were recalled home in April 1943.

Bulgaria also found itself in the camp of the enemy, but its army was not sent to fight in Russia. It was the only ally of Germany that did not fight against the USSR, despite all the persuasion of Hitler.

Bulgarian soldiers, March 1941:

Nevertheless, Bulgaria's participation in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and military operations against Greek and Yugoslav partisans freed up German divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front. In addition, on December 6, 1941, Bulgarian patrol ships sank the Soviet submarine Shch-204 near Varna.

Bulgarian soldier, March 1941:

In addition to the regular armies of the satellite countries, many national units from the occupied states and territories fought on the side of Hitler, which would have to be listed for a very long time.

Among the best known to us is the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS:

But the soldiers from the Legion French volunteers in Smolensk, 1941:

It is known that they were even specially dragged to the Borodino field, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich in the fall of 1941 there were heavy battles.

In addition to national combat units, there were all kinds of police and collaborator units, some kind of "self-defense units", etc. formations that actively fought against the partisans and helped the Germans to terrorize the civilian population of the occupied territories.

This picture shows a policeman in Kyiv in the autumn of 1941:

And this is a certain Albanian "volunteer" who served the Germans:

In total, these were millions of bayonets, who fought far from always worse than the Germans.

On September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended with the surrender of Japan. World War- the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind, claiming tens of millions of lives.

When they talk about the countries participating in the war, they first of all remember the leading trio of the anti-Hitler coalition (USSR, USA, Great Britain) and the triumvirate of aggressors - Germany, Italy and Japan.

In fact, dozens of states were involved in the war to one degree or another. At the same time, some officially managed to take part in the Second World War on both sides.

Italy

Fascist state led by Benito Mussolini pursued an aggressive policy even before the official start of the Second World War. In 1936, the Italian army captured Ethiopia. Albania was occupied in April 1939.

On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on France and Great Britain, officially becoming a participant in the conflict and the closest ally of Germany. In June 1941, together with the Third Reich, Italy declared war on Soviet Union.

Military failures and heavy losses made Mussolini's regime extremely unstable by 1943.

After the capture of Sicily by the Allies, a coup took place in Rome on July 25, 1943, as a result of which the Duce was removed from power.

The Royal Government of Italy, which concluded a truce with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, on October 13, 1943 declared war on Germany and the Axis. The Italian army fought against German troops in 1943-1945 on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition in Italy and the Balkans.

At the same time, by order Hitler the territory of Northern and Central Italy was occupied by German troops, and Mussolini was liberated by German saboteurs. A puppet Italian Social Republic was created in the occupied territories, which formally continued to fight on the side of Germany until April 1945.

Romania

Before the start of the Second World War, Romania was in allied relations with France, but after its defeat, it moved closer to Germany. This, however, did not save the country from territorial concessions - in June 1940 Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina were transferred to the Soviet Union, and in August Hungary received Northern Transylvania.

These losses did not prevent the strengthening of Romanian-German ties. Dictatorship Iona Antonescu hoped to achieve the implementation of the ideas of "Great Romania" as a result of the expected future Soviet-German war.

In June 1941, Romania not only acted as a springboard for the German units that invaded Germany, but also declared war on the USSR itself.

Romanian troops took an active part in the battles in Ukraine, the battle for Odessa, the battle for Sevastopol, the battle for the Caucasus and the battle of Stalingrad.

Bessarabia, Bukovina and the interfluve of the Dniester and the Southern Bug passed under the control of Romania with the approval of Germany. On these lands, the Bukovina governorate, the Bessarabian governorate and Transnistria were established.

The turning point in the war for Romania was the battle for Stalingrad, the total loss of parts of which exceeded 150 thousand people. Dissatisfaction with the regime of Ion Antonescu began to grow in the country.

A series of defeats of the German army and its rapid rollback to the West led to the fact that by the summer of 1944 most of the territories of the USSR captured by Romania were lost to it, and the war went directly to the Romanian lands.

On August 23, 1944, King Mihai I and opposition parties overthrew the Antonescu regime. Romania went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition, declaring war on Hungary and Germany. In the final part of the Second World War, the Romanian army carried out operations against its yesterday's allies, and King Mihai I was awarded the Soviet Order of Victory with the wording "For the courageous act of decisively turning Romania's policy towards a break with Nazi Germany and an alliance with the United Nations at the moment, when the defeat of Germany was not yet clear.

Bulgaria

Military-political cooperation between Nazi Germany and Bulgaria has been going on since the mid-1930s. At the beginning of the Second World Bulgarian Tsar Boris III provided the territory of the country for the transit of Nazi troops and their allies.

Parts of the Bulgarian army did not take part in active hostilities against Greece and Yugoslavia, however, they were involved in the occupation of the territories of these countries.

After the attack on the USSR in June 1941, Hitler repeatedly demanded that Tsar Boris send Bulgarian troops to the Eastern Front. However, fearing the growth of pro-Russian sentiments, the tsar evaded this requirement and Bulgaria nominally did not participate in the German war against the USSR.

On December 13, 1941, Tsar Boris III gave in to German demands, and Bulgaria declared war on the United States and Great Britain.

During the war, pro-Soviet sentiments were strong on the territory of Bulgaria and the communist underground was actively operating. With the approach of the Red Army to the borders of the country, the demands for withdrawal from the war began to sound louder and louder.

Tsar Boris tried to break the alliance with Germany, but on August 28, 1943, after visiting Hitler's headquarters, he died suddenly. His successors tried to continue the pro-German course, but their positions were getting weaker.

On September 8, 1944, a coup took place in Bulgaria, during which pro-Soviet forces came to power. In the final period of the Second World War, the Bulgarian army participated in hostilities against Germany in Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria, including the Belgrade operation and the battle near Lake Balaton. As a result of the fighting of the Bulgarian troops, the German troops lost 69 thousand soldiers killed and captured.

Finland

In 1939-1940, an armed conflict broke out between the USSR and Finland, which resulted in the loss by the Finns of a significant part of their territory.

According to a number of historians, this conflict was part of the Second World War, although in the USSR they strongly disagreed with this, considering the Soviet-Finnish war to be a separate confrontation.

Finland had close ties with Great Britain and France, but these countries, having provided technical assistance to Helsinki, did not begin to intervene militarily in the confrontation with the USSR.

The Finnish authorities then began to expand ties with the Third Reich.

In June 1941, the Finnish army, together with the Wehrmacht, invaded the territory of the USSR. The most active Finnish units participated in the war in the north of the USSR, where they not only returned the former territories, but also captured new ones. The Finnish army took part in the blockade of Leningrad.

After the defeat of Germany at Stalingrad, the mood in Finland began to change in favor of the decision to withdraw from the war. However, it was not adopted until September 1944, when, under the blows of the Soviet troops, Finland was threatened not only with new territorial losses, but also with complete defeat.

On September 19, 1944, in Moscow between Finland, the USSR and Great Britain, the Moscow Truce was signed, according to which Finland withdrew from the war and assumed obligations to start hostilities against German troops on its territory.

In accordance with its obligations, Finland began hostilities against the German troops based in the north of the country. The conflict, known as the Lapland War, continued until the end of April 1945.

Iraq

After the defeats of England in Europe and North Africa at the beginning of the Second World War, Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, Chief of the Iraqi General Staff Amin Zaki Suleiman and the pro-German nationalist group Golden Square, led by Colonels Salah al-Din al-Sabah, Mahmoud Salman, Fahmy Said and Camille Shabib On April 1, 1941, they carried out a military coup against Great Britain.

Almost the entire territory of the country, with the exception of British military bases, came under the control of the new government.

On April 17, Rashid Ali, on behalf of the "Government of National Defense", turned to Nazi Germany for military assistance in the event of a war with Britain.

On May 1, 1941, an armed conflict began between Iraq and Great Britain. The Iraqi authorities turned to Berlin for help and received it, but it was not enough for successful resistance.

By the end of May, Britain had defeated the Iraqi army, and the government of Rashid Ali had fled through Iran to Germany.

On May 31, 1941, the mayor of Baghdad signed an armistice between Britain and Iraq in the presence of the British ambassador. British ground and air forces occupied the most important strategic points in Iraq.

In January 1943, Iraq, which was actually under British occupation, formally declared war on Nazi Germany.