Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27774, Wlassow und Schilenkow bei Goebbels

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-177-1465-04, Griechenland, Soldat der Legion

Among the approximately one million foreign volunteers and conscripts who served in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

were ethnic

Belgians Belgians ( nl, Belgen; french: Belges; german: Belgier) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultur ...

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Finns Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic peoples, North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians a ...

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

, along with people from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. At least 47,000

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...

served in the

Blue Division The Blue Division ( es, División Azul, german: Blaue Division) was a unit of volunteers from Francoist Spain within the German Army (''Wehrmacht'') on the Eastern Front during World War II. It was officially designated the Spanish Volunteer ...

. Some estimates state anywhere between 600,000 and 1,400,000

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

citizens (

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

and other non-Russian ethnic minorities) joined the

forces as ''Hiwis'' (or '' Hilfswillige'').Audrey L. Alstadt (2013).
The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule
. p. 187. The Ukrainian collaborationist forces were composed of an estimated number of 180,000 volunteers serving with units scattered all over Europe. Russian émigrés and defectors from the Soviet Union formed the

Russian Liberation Army The Russian Liberation Army; russian: Русская освободительная армия, ', abbreviated as (), also known as the Vlasov army after its commander Andrey Vlasov, was a collaborationist formation, primarily composed of Rus ...

or fought as ''Hilfswillige'' within German units of the

primarily on the Eastern Front. Non-Russians from the Soviet Union formed the

Ostlegionen ''Ostlegionen'' ("eastern legions"), ''Ost-Bataillone'' ("eastern battalions"), ''Osttruppen'' ("eastern troops"), and ''Osteinheiten'' ("eastern units") were units in the Army of Nazi Germany during World War II made up of personnel from the ...

(literally "Eastern Legions"). The ''East Battalions'' comprized a total of 175,000 personnel. These units were all commanded by General

Ernst August Köstring Ernst-August Köstring (20 June 1876 – 20 November 1953) was a German diplomat and officer who served during World War II. Life Born in Imperial Russia in 1876, Ernst August Köstring grew up in St Petersburg (or MoscowVladimir Vinokurov. Th ...

. (1876−1953) A lower estimate for the total number of foreign volunteers that served in the entire German armed forces (including the Waffen SS) is 350,000.“SS: Hitler's Foreign Divisions” description These units were often under the command of German officers and some published their own propaganda newssheets.

List of units

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-177-1465-16, Griechenland, Soldaten der

Llegada de integrantes de la División Azul a la estación del Norte (3 de 40) - Fondo Car-Kutxa Fototeka

Soviet Union

Croatia

Middle East

* '' Legion Freies Arabien'' (Arab volunteers) ** '' Deutsch-Arabische Lehr-Abteilung'' (Arab volunteers) ** ''Deutsch-Arabisches Bataillon Nr. 845'' (Arab volunteers) * ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1'' (Turkish volunteers)

Azerbaijani, Georgian and Armenian volunteers

* ''

Armenische Legion The Armenian Legion (german: Armenische Legion; hy, Հայկական լեգիոն ''Haykakan legion'') was a military unit in the German Army during World War II. It primarily consisted of Soviet Armenians, who wanted to fight the Russians for ...

'' (Armenian volunteers) * ''

Aserbaidschanische Legion The Azerbaijani Legion (german: Aserbaidschanische Legion) was one of the foreign units of the Wehrmacht. It was formed in December 1941 on the Eastern Front as the ''Kaukasische-Mohammedanische Legion'' (Muslim Caucasus Legion) and was re-desi ...

'' (Azerbaijani volunteers) * '' 30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Russische Nr. 2)'' * '' Georgische Legion'' (Georgian volunteers) * ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1'' (Georgian volunteers) * ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 2'' (Armenians & Azerbaijanis) * '' Sonderverband Bergmann'' (Georgian and Azerbaijani volunteers) ** ''I. Sonderverband Bergmann'' Battalion (Georgian volunteers) ** ''III. Sonderverband Bergmann'' Battalion (Azerbaijani volunteers) * ''SS-Waffengruppe Georgien'' (Georgian volunteers) * ''SS-Waffengruppe Armenien'' (Armenian volunteers) * ''SS-Waffengruppe Aserbaidschan'' (Azeri volunteers)

North Caucasian volunteers

* ''

Kaukasisch-Mohammedanische Legion The Caucasian-Mohammedan Legion (German: ''Kaukasisch-Mohammedanische Legion'') was a volunteer unit of the German Army during World War II. The Legion was created on 13 January 1942 by order of General of the Infantry Friedrich Olbricht. The Leg ...

'' (Azerbaijani, Circassian, Daghestani, Chechen, Ingush, and Lezghin volunteer units) * ''Kaukasischer-Waffen-Verband der SS'' or ''Freiwilligen Brigade Nordkaukasien'' (volunteers from the North Caucasus region) * '' Nordkaukasische Legion'' ("North Caucasian Legion" volunteers from the North Caucasus region) * ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1'' (North Caucasian volunteers) * '' Sonderverband Bergmann'' (North Caucasian volunteers) ** ''II. Sonderverband Bergmann'' Battalion (North Caucasian volunteers) * ''SS-Waffengruppe Nordkaukasus'' (North Caucasian volunteers; Chechens, Ingush & Dagestani)

Central Asian volunteers

* ''162. (Turkistan) Infanterie-Division'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''Muselmanischen SS-Division Neu-Turkistan'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''

Turkistanische Legion The Turkestan Legion (german: Turkistanische Legion) was the name for the military units composed of the Turkic peoples who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II. Most of these troops were Red Army POWs who formed a common cause with the ...

'' (volunteers from Central Asia; Uzbeks, Kazakhs & Turkmen) * ''Böhler-Brigade'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''1. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''2. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''3. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''Osttürkischer Waffen-Verband der SS'' or ''1. Ostmuselmanisches SS-Regiment'' (

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

volunteers) * ''Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Ersatz-Battalion'' (Turkestani volunteers) * ''Waffen-Gruppe Turkistan'' (Central Asian volunteers)

Kalmykian volunteers

* ''Kalmüken Verband Dr. Doll'' (Kalmykian volunteers) * ''Abwehrtrupp 103'' (Kalmykian volunteers) * ''Kalmücken Legion'' or '' Kalmücken-Kavallerie-Korps'' (Kalmykian volunteers)

Tatar volunteers

Tatar Legion The Tatar Legions were auxiliary units of the Waffen-SS formed after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. It included: # Crimean Tatar Legion, comprising Crimean Tatars, Qarays, Nogais # Volga Tatar Legion, which included also Ba ...

* '' SS-Waffengruppe Idel-Ural'' (Turkic volunteers from Volga/Ural area) * ''Waffen-Gebirgs-Brigade der SS (Tatar Nr. 1)'' (Tatar volunteers) * ''30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Russische Nr. 2)'' (Armenian & Tatar volunteer units) * ''Wolgatatarische Legion'' (

Volga Tatars The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after ...

but also of other volunteers from the region) * ''Tataren-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment der SS'' (Crimean Tatar volunteers) * ''Waffen-Gruppe Krim'' (Crimean Tatar volunteers) * ''

Schutzmannschaft The ''Schutzmannschaft'' or Auxiliary Police ( "protective, or guard units"; plural: ''Schutzmannschaften'', abbreviated as ''Schuma'') was the collaborationist auxiliary police of native policemen serving in those areas of the Soviet Union and ...

Battalion'' (Crimean Tatar volunteers)

Cossack volunteers

* '' 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division'' (volunteers from Cossacks in Cherson, from February 1945 '' XV. SS-Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps'') * ''Kosaken-Reiter-Brigade Kaukasus II'' (Caucasus Cossack volunteers) * ''Kuban-Kosaken-Reiter-Regiment 3'' (

Kuban Cossack Kuban Cossacks (russian: кубанские казаки, ''kubanskiye kаzaki''; uk, кубанські козаки, ''kubanski kozaky''), or Kubanians (russian: кубанцы, ; uk, кубанці, ), are Cossacks who live in the Kuban re ...

volunteers) * ''Don-Kosaken-Reiter-Regiment 5'' (

Don Cossack Don Cossacks (russian: Донские казаки, Donskie kazaki) or Donians (russian: донцы, dontsy) are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (russian: До ...

volunteers) * ''Terek-Kosaken-Reiter-Regiment 6'' ( Terek Cossack volunteers) * ''Kosaken-Artillerie-Regiment 2'' (Caucasian Cossack volunteers) * ''Sibirisches Kosaken-Reiter-Regiment 2'' (

Siberian Cossack Siberian Cossacks were Cossacks who settled in the Siberian region of Russia from the end of the 16th century, following Yermak Timofeyevich's conquest of Siberia. In early periods, practically the whole Russian population in Siberia, especiall ...

volunteers) * ''XV. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps'' (Kotelnikovo Cossack volunteers) * ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 5'' (Cossack volunteers)

Caucasian mixed volunteer units

* '' Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division'' (Georgian, Turkish, North Caucasian, Armenian & Azerbaijani volunteers)

Caucasian, Central Asian, Crimean and Ural mixed volunteer units

* ''Waffen-Gruppe Turkistan'' * ''Waffen-Gruppe Idel-Ural'' * ''Waffen-Gruppe Azerbaijan'' * ''Waffen-Gruppe Krim''

Propaganda newspapers for Caucasian and Cossack units

;Azerbaijan * ''Azerbajçan'' – Azerbaijani Legion ;Kalmykia * ''Kalmyckij Boec'' ("Kalmyk Soldier") – Kalmyk Cavalry Corps ;Kosaken (Cossack Nation) * ''Kosaken-Illustrierte'' ("Cossack Illustrated") – 1st Cossack Cavalry Division (trilingual) * ''La terra dei cosacchi'' ("The Land of the Cossacks") – Cossack units in upper Italy ;Krimtürken (Crimean Tatars) * ''Kirim'' ("Crimea") – Weekly paper for the Crimean Tatar volunteers, Berlin 1944–1945 ;Tataren (Tatar nation) * ''Deutsch-tatarisches Nachrichtenblatt'' ("German-Tatar News Journal") – Volga Tatar Legion, monthly publication, Berlin 1944–1945 (bilingual) ;Turkestaner (Central Asian nation) * ''Yeni Türkistan'' ("New Turkestan") – Turkistan Legion * ''Svoboda'' ("Freedom") –

162nd Turkoman Division The 162nd Turkistan Division was a military division that was formed by the German Army during the Second World War. It drew its men from prisoners of war who came from the Caucasus and from Turkic lands further east. History The 162nd Turkistan ...

* ''Türk Birligi'' ("Turkish Unity") – ''Osttürkischer Waffen-Verband der SS'', weekly publication, Berlin 1944–1945

German commanders of Central Asian, Caucasian and Cossack units

These German commanders also received honorary military or leading titles between their units at charge; for example Helmuth von Pannwitz received the title of "

Ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; Russian: атаман, uk, отаман) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military command ...

" from his Cossack units. * ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' Helmuth von Pannwitz * ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' Hans-Joachim von Schultz * ''

Oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...

'' Günther von Steinsdorff * ''Oberst'' von Baath * ''Oberst'' Freiherr von Nolcken * ''Oberst'' Konstantin Wagner * '' Sonderführer'' Othmar Rudolf Wyrba a.k.a. "Dr. Doll" (German, Tibetan and Mongolian language expert; leader of the Kalmuck units) * ''Oberstleutnant'' Pipgorra * ''Oberst'' Raimund Hoerst * '' SS-Obersturmbannführer'' Andreas Meyer-Mader * '' SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Billig * ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Hermann * '' SS-Sturmbannführer der Reserve'' Franz Liebermann * ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Reiner Olzscha * ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Fürst * '' SS-Standartenführer'' Harun-el-Raschid Bey (of the central Asian legions; was a German who converted to Islam while serving as an advisor to

Enver Pasha İsmail Enver, better known as Enver Pasha ( ota, اسماعیل انور پاشا; tr, İsmail Enver Paşa; 22 November 1881 – 4 August 1922) was an Ottoman military officer, revolutionary, and convicted war criminal who formed one-third ...

) * ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-s ...

'' Prof. Dr. Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer * ''Generalleutnant'' Ralph von Heygendorff

German representative of the Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories

Otto Bräutigam Otto Bräutigam (14 May 1895 – 30 April 1992) was a German diplomat and lawyer who worked for the ''Auswärtiges Amt'' (German Foreign Office) and for the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, which was led by Alfred Rosenberg ...

Central Asian, Caucasian and Cossack political leaders

* Cossack Ataman General

Pyotr Krasnov Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov ( rus, Пётр Николаевич Краснов; 22 September (old style: 10 September) 1869 – 17 January 1947), sometimes referred to in English as Peter Krasnov, was a Don Cossack historian and officer, promot ...

* Cossack Ataman General

Andrei Shkuro Andrei Grigoriyevich Shkuro (russian: Андре́й Григо́рьевич Шкуро́, Ukrainian: Андрій Григорович Шкуро; 19 January 1887 ( O.S.: 7 January) – 17 January 1947) was a Lieutenant General (1919) of th ...

* Cossack Ataman Vasili Glazkov * Kalmuk Prince Tundotov

Puppet Governments and Organizations in the USSR

* Provisional Government of Lithuania *

Zuyev Republic The Zuyev Republic, ''Respublika Zujeva'', also known as the Republic of Old Believers, ''Respublika staravieraŭ'', was an autonomous government in German-occupied Byelorussia during the Second World War. Located near Polotsk, the "republic" was ...

Belarusian Central Council The Belarusian Central Council ( be, Беларуская цэнтральная рада, in lacinka: Biełaruskaja centralnaja rada; german: Weißruthenischer Zentralrat) was a puppet administrative body in German-occupied Belarus during Worl ...

Lokot Autonomy The Lokot Autonomy (russian: Ло́котское самоуправле́ние, lit=Lókotskoye samoupravléniye) or Lokot Republic (russian: Ло́котская республика, lit=Lókotskaya respublika, german: Republik Lokot) was an ...

(later Lepel Republic) * Ukrainian National Government *

Ukrainian National Committee The Ukrainian National Committee ( uk, Український Національний Комітет) was a Ukrainian political structure created under the leadership of Pavlo Shandruk, on March 17 (or March 12), 1945 in Weimar, Nazi Germany, n ...

Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (russian: Комитет освобождения народов России, ', abbreviated as russian: КОНР, ') was a committee composed of military and civilian Nazi collaborator ...

* North Caucasus National Committee * Turkestan National Committee * Patriotic Union Tetri Giorgi * Cossack Central Office * National Karachai Committee * Armenian National Committee * Kalmyk National Committee * Simferopol Muslim Committee * Tatar Committee * Eastern Turkish Council * Caucasian Council * Cossack National Liberation Movement * Main Board of the Cossack Forces * Russian Committee in Latvia * Belarusian Committee (Warsaw) * Belarusian Committee (Białystok) * Belarusian Representation * Belarusian Self-Help Committee * Belarusian National Center * Belarusian Cultural Assembly * Committee to Combat Bolshevism * Russian Committee * Caucasian Committee in the General Government * Commission for Cossacks * Gathering of the nations enslaved by Russia

Other

References

Bibliography

*
Elizabeth M.F. Grasmeder, "Leaning on Legionnaires: Why Modern States Recruit Foreign Soldiers," International Security (July 2021), Vol 46 (No. 1), pp. 147–195.