Hidden histories of WW2

[wibblywobbly]

Found this on the web, never knew that this existed in WW2?

Among the more unusual units to exist in the Waffen-SS was the British Free Corps, a unit composed of former prisoners of war from British Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. It numbered around 60 soldiers,[4] with special insignia, and had considerable propaganda potential. Initial efforts at organizing the BFC were made by John Amery in the spring of 1944,[4] and then taken over by the Waffen-SS. Amery was tried and convicted of treason by the British government after the war, and was executed in December 1945.[4][5]

Additionally, there were SS units and entire SS "Foreign Legions" consisting primarily of Indian, Tartars/Cossacks amongst others. A special case was the SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger that unofficially accepted common criminals on probation, including Russians, Ukrainians and political prisoners willing to renounce their previous views.

Ultimately, a significant majority (approximately 60%) of men who volunteered and fought with the Waffen-SS over the course of the war were not ethnic Germans. The Waffen-SS even made allowances for religious traditions and beliefs with specialised uniforms and insignias, as well as providing spiritual guidance and service in non-Christian religions.

[jackalope]

I would think the men who put on an SS uniform and were not German must have had extreme bad blood with their own country to not only seek out a new country but to fight against their homeland. I'm thinking criminals, people who felt betrayed by their country for some reason or perhaps someone who didn't like the current politics of their own country and thought Hitler and his Nazi's who seemed so strong would fix their problems in their home land.

[jarndice]

Every few years the Discovery/History channel on Sky run a programme on the British Frei Korp,
The conclusion was that these men volunteered hoping for an easier life than the hard work of a Prison of War camp
(The tunnel building exploits of films such as the Great Escape were usually carried out in "OFFLAGs" where Allied Officers were imprisoned)
The camps for Private soldiers and NCOs were places of poor food, hard work and a lot of bullying by the German guards. I offer no excuse for these Traitors but I do have some sympathy for why they acted in this way.
I do not believe that any of these "Volunteers" ever actually saw combat, these people were used as propaganda for that nice Mr Goebbels shaun

[jackalope]

Jarndice, waaaaiiiiiittt just a second! You mean to tell me the prisoner of war camps weren't like Hogan's Hero's?

[jarndice]

Jack the period between 1930 and 39 was a most confusing time for any young European,
Young people seem more likely to see life as simply Left or Right, Black or White, whereas with age comes the knowledge that all life seems to be made up of fuzzy confusion,
In the mid 30s if you were young there was Fascism or Communism,
Many young men and women went to Spain to fight for the Communists against General Franco's Fascists but in Countries such as Holland and Denmark because of shared borders and similar cultural influences many young Danes and Dutch men freely joined the German armed forces (Not just the SS) and they were intergrated into the service as equals with their German comrades, and wherever German troops served so did their Danish and Dutch comrades
In Britain we have for many years gladly enlisted the services of men from the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Nepal and they served and are serving with honour and distinction.
There is one major difference between the British Armed Forces and the German Army of the 1930/45 period, the German Army had Penal Battalions which really was the place for hazardous duty and that was where many soldiers of Countries occupied by Germany ended up, Whereas in Britain men from occupied nations were usually formed into Company's or Battalions comprised of there own citizens who served alongside other Allied service personell shaun

[billpe]

Read up on Subhas Chandra Bose. He had allot of men but ultimately they were rather useless as a unit.

The foreign men who joined the SS has been to simplified by pop media. Like the accusation that a leading Ukrainian rebel was a Nazi. He wasn't, he just sided with them because he wanted to remove the Soviet influence from Ukraine. Like many people who were conquered by the Nazi's, initially they saw them as liberators, especially in Ukraine as the Soviet regime was so downright evil. Now today if you're a Ukrainian nationalist you're apparently a Nazi to the Russians.

[jackalope]

And what's the sudden HUGE news that the queen was photographed giving a Nazi salute? Hell Time magazine named Hitler man of the year!

[edpanzer]

There's a film out now on DVD called unbroken its a true story about one man's journey through Japanese pow camps I suggest you watch it I for one forgive those who put on the German uniform for an escape from the tyranny of the nazis

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unbroken-DVD- ... 33a6034973

[jackalope]

Watching the History channel they show how the Nazi's had the WHOLE world fooled when the Olympics went to Germany. If you were a foreigner going there to watch the games you would have thought the Nazi's were a good thing and how great they were making Germany. They had the whole world fooled at one time, it wouldn't be hard to convince some horribly treated p.o.w.'s to join them or die.