Europäische Freiwillige

Europäische Freiwillige is a German term meaning 'European Volunteers'. It was used to describe non-German Europeans (neither Reichsdeutsche or Volksdeutsche) who volunteered to fight for the Third Reich during World War Two. Largely from occupied countries but also from co-belligerent and neutral nations, they fought in the Waffen-SS as well as in the Wehrmacht.

Postwar activities of veterans and the propagation of their self-narrative

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the former Waffen-SS veterans were prosecuted in their home countries. [E.g. Norway. Cf. Legal purge in Norway after World War II.] Treated as pariahs by the fellow countrymen, they often sought support from the former German comrades through membership in organisations such as HIAG.

Beginning in the 1950s, the German and non-German Waffen-SS veterans began publishing periodicals to promote their own narrative of events. HIAG's magazine "Wiking-Ruf" first appeared in 1951. This later became the monthly magazine "Der Freiwillige" (OCLC|4378250) published by Munin Verlag, a company with ties to HIAG. Recently, Patrick Agte has taken over the name "Munin Verlag" and publication of "Der Freiwillige". [ [http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=24992&sid=1b719114a4cf672a78634a48e423c75b Feldgrau.net :: View topic - Munin Verlag ] ]

A separate newsletter, "Unser Wiking-Ruf", devoted solely to SS-Division Wiking, began appearing in the 1990s. [ [http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?start=30&t=1272 Thema anzeigen - Zeitschriften zu unserem Thema - Panzer-Archiv ] ]

Another apologist periodical devoted to the German and non-German units of the Waffen-SS is the American-published quarterly, "Siegrunen" (ISSN|0733-0367).

= Other non-German personnel in German military, SS, and police service during World War II =

Volunteers from Western and Northern Europe also served in the different branches of the Wehrmacht, i.e., the Kriegsmarine (navy), the Luftwaffe (air force), and the Heer (land forces). Several Heer units composed primarily of "non-Germanic" volunteers (e.g., French, Walloons, Spaniards) were eventually subordinated to the Waffen-SS in the later phases of the war.

At various times, the Wehrmacht also recruited or conscripted foreigners as:
*Special technical officers (Sonderführer)—usually translators, local liaison officers, and the like
*HiWis—often from prisoners of war
*Luftwaffenhelfer—mainly teenage boys, but sometimes even girls

Other units of non-German volunteers also participated in the Holocaust and in atrocities committed against Soviet civilians during so-called anti-partisan operations. For information on these formations, see instead:
*Einsatzgruppen
*Arajs Commando
*Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall
*Algirdas Klimaitis
*Lithuanian Security Police
*Ypatingasis būrys
*Omakaitse (Estonian Selbstschutz)
*Schutzmannschaften

See also

Formations

*Non-Germans in the Waffen-SS
*Germanic-SS
*Frikorps Danmark
*Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS
*Blue Division
*Latvian Legion
*Kaminski Brigade
*Russian Liberation Army
*British Free Corps
*Armenian Legion

Personalities

*Felix Steiner
*Léon Degrelle
*Per Imerslund
*Christian Peder Kryssing
*Jonas Lie
*Andrey Vlasov
*Alfrēds Riekstiņš
*Voldemars Veiss

Authors, Books, Publishers

*Richard Landwehr, author
*The Patriotic Traitors (1972), a book by David Littlejohn
*Nation Europa, a publishing house

Notes

Books

cholarly

*cite book |last= Estes |first= Kenneth W. |title= A European Anabasis: Western European Volunteers in the German Army and SS, 1940–1945 |url= http://www.gutenberg-e.org/esk01/ |year= 2003 |publisher= Columbia University Press |location= New York, NY |isbn= 0231502184 |oclc= 53783960
*cite book |last= Hilberg |first= Raul |authorlink= Raul Hilberg |title= Perpetrators, Victims, Bystanders: The Jewish Catastrophe, 1933–1945 |year= 1992 |publisher= Aaron Asher Books |location= New York, NY |isbn= 9780060190354 |oclc= 25410526
*cite book |last= Neulen |first= Hans Werner |title= An deutscher Seite: Internationale Freiwillige von Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS |year= 1985 |publisher= Universitas |location= Munich |language= German |isbn= 3800410699 |oclc= 15718653

Reflecting the veterans' own narrative

*cite book |last= Agte |first= Patrick |authorlink= Patrick Agte |title= Europas Freiwillige der Waffen-SS: Biographien aller Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes, des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold, der Ehrenblattspange und der Nahkampfspange in Gold, die keine Deutschen waren; europäische Freiwillige aus den Niederlanden, Belgien, Frankreich, Dänemark, Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland, Lettland, Estland und Ungarn |year= 2000 |publisher= Munin Verlag |location= Pluwig |language= German |isbn= 3980721507 |oclc= 56829243 (Contains biographies of Europäische Freiwillige who were awarded the Knight's Cross, and other higher military honours.)
*cite book |last= Ertel |first= Heinz |coauthors= Schulze-Kossens, Richard
title= Europäische Freiwillige im Bild |origyear= 1986 |edition= 3rd ed. |year= 2000 |publisher= Nation Europa |location= Osnabrück |language= German |isbn= 9783920677231 |oclc= 51039369
*cite book |last= Strassner |first= Peter |others= translated by David Johnston |title= European Volunteers: The 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking" |edition= 2nd ed.|year= 1988 |publisher= J.J. Fedorowicz |location= Winnipeg, Man. |isbn= 9780921991892 |oclc= 123248703
*cite book |last= Tieke |first= Wilhelm |others= translated by Fred Steinhardt |title= Tragedy of the Faithful: A History of the III. (germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps |year= 2001 |publisher= J.J. Fedorowicz |location= Winnipeg, Man. |isbn= 9780921991618 |oclc= 71050470
*cite book |last= Tieke |first= Wilhelm (ed.) |authorlink= |title= Einsatz für Europa: Europäische Freiwillige im zweiten Weltkrieg auf deutscher Seite |year= 2000? |publisher= Kameradenwerk Korps Steiner e.V. |location= N.p. |language= German

External links

* [http://www.diis.dk/graphics/CVer/Personlige_CVer/Holocaust_and_Genocide/Publikationer/holocaust_DK_kap_4.pdf Danish volunteers in the Waffen SS] (PDF)