Heer Foreign Volunteers

Unteroffizier, Infantry Rgt. 250 "Spanish Blue Division":

This Spanish volunteer came to the Ost Front to fight Communism alongside the Germans. Formed in 1941 the division was filled with 14,000 volunteers and was sent into battle as part of Army Group Nord at Novgorod.

Fighting with great courage the division continued in the Leningrad area till the Red Army broke the siege there in January 1944. At that time Franco requested that those who left return to Spain. About half of the men remained with their German comrades joining the Waffen SS. The "Blue Davison" was led by Spanish officers and NCOs.

The Uffz wears the standard war issue Model 1940 feldbluse, being used for honor or parade duties. The only indicators on the uniform of its use by Spaniards are the Espana sleeve shield and the Spanish Russian Winter medal, commissioned by Spain for its troops alongside the Iron Cross II Class both mounted on full-ribbon. This NCO has earned the Iron Cross I Class for combat leadership and the Infantry Assault Badge and Close Combat Badge in Silver. His wounds in battle have been noted and he has been awarded the Wound Badge In Black.

Note: the pictures of a Spanish Coin, from the pocket.

Ritterkreuzträger General Agustín Muñoz Grandes División Azul 1941-1942:

Agustín Muñoz Grandes was the commander of the Blue Division between 1941 and 1942. Muñoz Grandes was well-acquainted with the German military establishment and attended several interviews with Wilhelm Canaris and Adolf Hitler. During his command, Muñoz Grandes was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, with Oak Leaves personally added by Hitler.

He was recalled to Spain in December 1942. Promotion to Lieutenant General awaited him at home, and his post on the Ost Front was taken up by Emilio Esteban Infantes. The Spanish Blue Division began formation in Juli 1941, the first train left Madrid for Grafenwöhr, Bavaria for a further five weeks of training. There they became the 250. Infanterie Division was initially divided into four infantry regiments, as in a standard Spanish division. To aid their integration into the German supply system, they soon adopted the standard German model of three regiments. One of the original regiments was dispersed amongst the others, which were then named after three of the Spanish cities that volunteer largely originated from — Madrid, Valencia, and Seville.

Each regiment has three battalions (of four companies each) and two weapons companies, supported by an Artillerie regiment of four battalions (of three batteries each). There were enough men left over to create an assault battalion, mainly sub-machine gun-armed. Through rotation, as many as 45,482 Spanish soldiers served on the Eastern Front.

The casualties of the Blue Division included 4,954 men killed and 8,700 wounded. Another 372 members of the Blue Division, the Blue Legion, or volunteers of the Spanische-Freiwilligen Kompanie der SS 101 were taken prisoner by the Red Army; 286 of these men remained in captivity until April 2, 1954, when they returned to Spain. This division commander was known for wearing enlisted Bluse und Feldmütz when at the front. This Heeres Dienstanzug Model 1936 für Offizier along with Schirmmütz are worn during other occasions such as the award of the Ritterkreuz. By early war regulation both mixed silver and gold buttons and insignia. A BEVO version of the Spanish Volunteer shield is displayed on the right sleeve.

Unteroffizier, Indische Freiwilligen-Legion Regiment 950 (Indian, Wehrmacht Volunteer):

The Legion Freies Indien or Indische Freiwilligen-Legion Regiment 950 referred to colloquially as the Indische Legion or as the Tiger Legion by the Germans, and as Azad Hind Fauj (Hindi: Free India Army), was an Indian military unit raised in 1942 in Germany, attached to the Heer (Wehrmacht) as a conceptual Indian Liberation Force by Subhas Chandra chairman of the Indian National Congress, leader of the Indian independence movement, who in 1941 came to Berlin having just escaped British House Arrest in India. The initial recruits were Indian student volunteers who were resident Germans at the time, and a handful of Indian POWs captured during the early battles against British Forces during the Afrika Campaign.

They were initially raised as an Assault Group, that would form in a lead “Path Finder” section, of a planned German/Indian invasion of the Western Frontiers of British Controlled India, but only a very small contingent was ever put into its original intended purpose when a hundred Ligonier’s were parachuted into Eastern Iran in “Operation Bajadre” to infiltrate into India through Baluchistan and commence to sabotage operations against the British in preparation for the anticipated national revolt.

The Indian Legion was organized as a standard German Army Infantry Regiment, of three battalions of four companies each, with, at least initially all the commissioned officers, Germans.

It has been referred to as Panzergrenaider Regiment 950 “Indische” indicating the unit was partly motorized, it was issued some 81 motor vehicles, but the rest was made up of 700 horses. In its structure, the Legion came to consist of three Infantreie Bataillons, Infanteriegeschutz Kompanie, Panzerjäger Kompanie, Pionier Kompanie, Ehrenwachkompanie (Honor Guard), as well as organic Medical, training and Matainance staff.

The Unteroffizier is part of the 9. Kompanie witch deployed to Italy and faced the British there, troops from the 5th Corp, and the Polish 2nd Corp. After a time in the line in the line it was withdrawn and used in anti-partisan operations until they surrendered in April of 1945 in Italy. During this period, other members of the Legion were fighting in Holland and then reorganized in the stop-gap SS unit.

Wearing the standard tropical uniform the Unteroffizier reflects most period photos of Legion members. While they were also issued the continental Feldgrau uniform for service in Holland, and with the SS. The Legion was purposefully integrated by Chandra who wanted all free India for Indians, so it consisted of Hindus, Sikhs, and Moslems with other religious groups serving side by side, unlike the Bitish-units which were divided by their religious and ethnic groups. As in the British Military, the Sikhs wore their traditional turban while other members worked standard German military headgear.

A Note On Arab Volunteers:

There was a small element of volunteers as well, and those praising Jihad also fought with the Germans, The Germans did not realize that meant them too eventually, and I guess both peoples had the same long-term plan. So far I am just looking for information, starting with some pictures, never know what may come up though. I do not have any uniforms for this at this time though.

Unteroffizier, Turkistanische Legion Aufklärung’s Abteilung 236’:

The Turkistanische (Turkestan) Legion was composed of the Turkic peoples. Most of these troops were Red Army POWs with underlying nationalistic anti-Soviet sentiments. Originally Turkic peoples had been perceived initially as "racially inferior" by the Nazis, but this attitude officially already changed in the autumn of 1941, when, in view of the difficulties faced in their invasion of the Soviet Union, the Nazis attempted to harness the nationalist sentiment of Turkic peoples in Russia for political gain.

The first Turkestan Legion was mobilized in May 1942, originally consisting of only one battalion but expanded to 16 battalions and 16,000 soldiers by 1943. These units were deployed exclusively on the Western Front in France and Italy, isolating them from the Red Army. The battalions of the Turkestan Legion formed part of the 162 Infanterie Division and saw action in Italy.

The Feldwebel in the period photo, wearing a Panzer uniform, with a legion arm shield is very rare! There is no information to be found about this fascinating photo, however, forensic investigation extrapolates he is probably part of Aufklärung Abteilung 236 of Infanterie Division 162. This is based on another photo found in part of an album of German command cadre members training near the city of Casters in Southern France. Two of the photos show an armored car during that training before the unit’s deploying to Italy where it served until the surrender. From there one can guess it wasn’t a pleasant time.

Georgian Legion:

This Tunic Represents a Uniform from a fellow in the "Georgian Legion" of the German Wehrmacht. Soldiers are drawn up from depleted outfits and Georgian Volunteers who thought it better to fight the Russian Bolsheviks (Communists) than the Nazis, and not used well, and decimated bit by bit again. They eventually surrendered to the British Army at the end of the war. Later they all would pay for this mistake with their lives when returned to the Russian Government Here we have a typical Wool. Field Grau German Tunic of late war period design, With the addition of the Georgian Shield on the right sleeve and Pink Piped Shoulder Boards and Collar Tabs of a Panzer Grenadier Division. These show that they have been altered to a "Russian look" of this special unit. They ended up fighting at Normandy Beach called "OMAHA" against the landing of U.S. forces on June 6, 1944, and they suffered tremendous casualties there. They were, overrun and many surrendered, and soon they disbanded.

Hauptmann Lomatidze Ost Battalion 795 Georgien Bataillon 709 Static Infanterie Division:

Hauptmann Lomatidze of the 795 Georgian Bataillon formerly a Red Army major, is giving information to US officers near Utah beach during D-Day., 1944. Lomatidze was captured by the German Army during Operation Barbarossa and was recaptured with his unit by American troops near Utah Beach. The Georgian Legion was formed from émigrés living in Western Europe after the 1921 Soviet invasion of Georgia, combined with Soviet prisoners of war of Georgian origin who chose to fight for Germany rather than submit to often brutally poor living conditions in POW camps.

Formed in December 1941. The Georgians trained in western Ukraine and became operational in the autumn of 1942. At least 30,000 Georgians served in the German armed forces during World War II. The Georgians served in thirteen field battalions of up to 800 men, each comprising five companies. Georgians were also found in the North Caucasian Legion and other Caucasian ethnic legions.

The Georgian military formations were commanded by Shalva Maglakelidze, Michel-Fridon Zulukidze, Col. Solomon Nicholas Zaldastani, and other officers formerly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–21). The 709th Static Infantry Division was a coastal defense unit assigned to protect the eastern and northern coasts of the Cotentin Peninsula. This included the sites of the Utah Beachhead and the US airborne landing zones.

Its sector covered over 250 km, running in a line from the northeast of Carentan, via Barfleur-Cherbourg-Cap de la Hague to a point west of Barneville. This included the 65 km land front of Cherbourg. The Division included several Ostlegionen units of various nationalities, mainly from the occupied countries of Eastern Europe. These were a mixture of volunteers, conscripts, and former Soviet prisoners-of-war who had chosen to fight in the German Army rather than suffer the harsh conditions of prisoners.

Two battalions of the 739th Grenadier Regiment were Georgien battalions. Two further battalions were also designated as Ost units in the divisional order of battle. Elements of the 709th were heavily engaged on D-Day, defending the peninsula against US airborne landings and against the US 4th Infantry Division landing on Utah Beach. Ten days later the division reported that it had sustained around 4,000 casualties from an initial strength of over 12,000. The commander, General Schlieben surrendered Festung Cherbourg to the Americans on 29 June 1944.

Soldat, Infantry Regiment 1601 (ROA) :

Russkaya Osvoboditel’naya Armiya (Russian Liberation Army), abbreviated in Cyrillic as POA but in Latin, it is ROA, it was also known as the “Vlasov Army”. It was organized by former Soviet Red Army Lieutenant General Andrey Vlasov (Command of the 2nd Shock Army when he was captured on 12 July 1942) in an attempt to unite the numerous different Russian manned units working with the German, Vlasov to unite them all to fight together as one unit.

It was not intel the Fall of 1944 that Hitler finally permitted the formation of the ROA divisions, despite the fact that large numbers of Soviet Citizens had been serving with the Germans for a number of years, and in all the forms of the German Military. All together including the Eastern Legions there existed in the summer of 1944, some - 160 Battalions with approx. 300,000 Russian volunteers among them.

The 1. Division (ROA) under General Sergei Bunyachenko saw action against the Red Army on the Oder on 11 April 1945 where they suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat southwards. On the 5th of May, the Prague uprising broke out against their German occupiers, and the Russian Volunteers decided they would support the uprising, fighting with the insurgents. They provided good support bringing in their heavy weapons and supplies. However, the Czech communists refused them as part of the anti-German forces and made to leave Prague the following day.

This was making for a rock relationship with the Germans, they had made a choice, but it was a pick-you-poison sort of situation, and neither was a real good one, and now he knew, the Red Army was coming in mass, and he could not surrender, he could not run, he would be shot as a deserter. Would be killed by the Russians if they got to him too, and used as cannon fodder by the Germans. This is where this troop finds himself, guarding a small bridge, for which, it is not exactly clear, stuck between a rock and a hard spot, but he’s decided to man his post. Cold, hungry, tired, and miserable he waits while his commanders decide just what they are going to do. He started his mission to rid his homeland of communists, and now it seems they want to bail. The German lines clearly crumbling around him he fears both sides now.

He wears his Identifying shield, and also carries the rare Eastern Peoples Volunteers National Eagle (A special badge consisting of straight wins attached to a swastika in a diamond that replaces the German national insignia worn by Wehrmacht troops), as it was forbidden, by the Fuhrer him to even wear the Wehrmacht Eagle. This private wears the M40 or wartime variant of the M36 tunic with distinctive collar insignia and Russian-style shoulder boards. He has earned the Eastern Peoples Badge and wears it in his pocket. He had served well before they were recognized, as a cohesive unit of the German Army.

His faith was in question, we know now there was no win for him, if he managed to service the war, his officers would not, They were executed with many of their men, and the rest went to Gulags in Siberia for many years.

The sleeve shield is inscribed with the Cyrillic letters POA, however, the Cyrillic R looks like a Latin P placed above the likeness of a Czarist flag, the cross of St. Andrew. The private's uniform is completed with the Feldmutz with blue and red metal cockade.

POA Officer:

By 1943 Osttruppen in service of the German military began claiming new importance. One such group was the Russkaia Osvoboditelnaia Armenia or the Russian Army of Liberation or ROA. By 1945 the ROA had several complete regiments that were fighting on both the eastern and western fronts.

Unterfeldwebel, Russkaya Osvoboditel’naya Armiya /POA (Russian Liberation Army), Armored Crewman:

The Russian Liberation Army (Russkaya Osvoboditel’naya Armiya) did not officially exist, until the Autumn of 1944, after Reichsfuhrer Himmler persuaded a very reluctant Hitler to permit the formation of 10 Russian Liberation Army divisions. On 14 November in Prague, Vlasov read about the Prague Manifesto before the newly created committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia. This document stated the purpose of the Battle Against Stalin and spelled out 14 democratic points that the army was fighting for. In the German instance, the document included a statement criticizing the Western Allies as well, labeling them “plutocracies” that were Allies of Satin in his conquest of Europe.

By February of 1945 only one division, the 1. Infantry Division (Known as the 600 Infantry Division by OKW) was fully formed, under the command of ‘General Sergei Bunyachenko’. Formed in Munsingen, it fought briefly at the Odor Front, before switching sides! And helped the Czechs liberate Prague, the division came to help the Czech Insergeants, to support the Prague Uprising, which started May 5th, 1945, against the German Occupation Forces. Vlasov was initially reluctant but ultimately did not resist General Bunyachenko’s decision to fight against the Germans.

The division engaged in battle with the Waffen-SS units that had been sent to level the city, The ROA had been equipped with some heavy weapons and they were used here, they met the Waffen-SS head-on, in a relentless battle, and in large, together with the Czech Insergants, succeded, in repulsing them and in the preserving, most of Prague from total destruction. Due to the predominance of Communists in the new Czech Rada (Central Government) the First POA Division had to leave the city the next day, trying to surrender to ‘Pattons’ Third Army.

But the U.S. Army had little time or interest in aiding or sheltering the ‘ROA’, and not wanting to provoke bad relations with the USSR, as tensions were growing. At any rate, soon after the incident, Vlasov and many of his men were captured by the Soviet Army and dealt with quickly.

The ROA went through numerous uniform changes and variations, incorporating Russian and German Uniforms and insignia. By the end of the war, there had been several uniform regulations modifications ordered, but there is no real photographic evidence of this, as every picture shows some different details, it was likely never achieved. Photos do show that in Prague, some ROA in ‘Hetzer’ armored vehicles, and in both black and field gray army wrap uniforms, as well as ‘Osttruppen’ National Eagles on the uniform, but all the uniforms never received the attention of the Wehrmacht uniforms, and their insignia was all over the board, applied as the troops often could.

While the uniform is called up with decorations, he has not been in that many battles, as the division was new in 1944, but he found some. he would have standard black trousers and low boots, a belt, and a shirt underneath. The hat of choice often enough was the Stahlhelm, Feldmutz, or Einheitsfeldmutz (M43) commonly worn. Now that I have the POA / Panzer Crewmans M43 cap, I don’t know if they had these. It looks interesting, the insignia was authorized as a breast eagle, but they were scarce, I don’t think he would want to parade around with one on there though? It draws attention, and the Field Gray in the picture would seem the more likely, it comes down to whats practical and available. I guess if he received a black/wrap uniform, a hat is part of the uniform, right? And if he had the cap and the patches, he could have applied them, it’s a possibility, slim, but, “Hell” he’s fighting with them right? Give him a suit, an gun and bullets!