Non-Germans in the German armed forces during World War II
Non-Germans in the German armed forces during World War II were volunteers, conscripts and those otherwise induced to join who served in Nazi Germany's armed forces during World War II. In German war-time propaganda those who volunteered for service were referred to as Freiwillige ("volunteers"). At the same time, many non-Germans in the German armed forces were conscripts or recruited from prisoner-of-war camps.
Propaganda photograph of members of the 13th SS Division of SS Handschar with a brochure titled "Islam and Judaism", 1943.
Estonian Legion registration point, 1942
Wehrmacht foreign volunteers and conscripts
Among the approximately one million foreign volunteers and conscripts who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II were ethnic Belgians, Czechs, Dutch, Finns, Danes, French, Hungarians, Norwegians, Poles, Portuguese, Swedes, Swiss along with people from Great Britain, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Balkans. At least 47,000 Spaniards served in the Blue Division.
Andrey Vlasov and General Zhilenkov (center) of the Russian Liberation Army meeting with Joseph Goebbels (February 1945).
Soldier of the Free Arabian Legion in Greece, September 1943.
Foreign volunteer battalion in the Wehrmacht. Soldiers of the Free Arabian Legion in Greece, September 1943.
Spanish volunteer forces of the Blue Division entrain at San Sebastián, 1942.
