British Free Corps

Yossarian

Yossarian

Forum Resistance Leader
Greetings all,

I have recently been researching the occasion in the later half of the Second World War about the British Free Corps, I am looking for any good books or publications out there to investigate not only the formation of the Corps.

But more importantly how MI 5 obtained intelligence and the Allies hunted down those who joined the SS.

Also knowing that the SS was a truly international force. Had any other Allied Servicemen found their way into German service?

Thanks in advance.

-Yo,
 
Yossarian said:
Greetings all,

I have recently been researching the occasion in the later half of the Second World War about the British Free Corps, I am looking for any good books or publications out there to investigate not only the formation of the Corps.

But more importantly how MI 5 obtained intelligence and the Allies hunted down those who joined the SS.

Also knowing that the SS was a truly international force. Had any other Allied Servicemen found their way into German service?
Thanks in advance.

-Yo,
Click to expand...

The Indische Freiwilligen Legion der Waffen-SS was an Indian unit of the Waffen SS.
23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland was a Dutch unit
27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck was Belgian
28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien was also Belgian
33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne was French
34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland was Dutch
5th SS Panzer Division Wiking was mostly Scandinavian.
SS Ski Jäger Battalion "Norway" was Norwegian.

There were also lots of smaller units and a lot of Russian and Cossack units but that is a list of the "Western Allied units".


Possibly the best book I have read on the unit is Renegades: Hitler's Englishmen by Adrian Weale but I wouldn't rate it as fantastic and it is aging.
 
Hitler regarded The Indische Freiwilligen Legion der Waffen-SS as a joke.

As for the British Free Korps a number of British POW's joined to get out of the POW camps, most were rejected as being regarded as "chancers." They wore the Union Flag on the left sleeve near the cuff, some were worn on the right upper sleeve and three British Lions on the collar of their tunic. As far as I am aware only 27 men actually joined.

Recruiting for the Free Corps was done in German POW camps. In 1944, leaflets were distributed to the POWs, and the unit was mentioned in Camp, the official POW newspaper published in Berlin. The unit was promoted "as a thoroughly volunteer unit, conceived and created by British subjects from all parts of the empire who have taken up arms and pledged their lives in the common European struggle against Soviet Russia". The attempted recruitment of POWs was done amid German fear of the Soviets; the Germans were "victims of their own propaganda" and thought that their enemies were as worried about the Soviets as they were. In one Dutch camp, the POW's were lavished with cigarettes, fruit, and other items while listening to Nazi propaganda officers who described the good that the Germans were doing in Europe. At that time the officers asked the men to join in fighting the real enemy, the Soviets.

One such individual who attempted to recruit soldiers was John Amery, son of the serving British Secretary of State for India, Leopold Amery. He was sentenced to death and hanged after he pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to high-treason.

In one of Sven Hassels (27th Penal Regiment) books he wrote that he witnessed British SS troops fighting in Russia, I would however take that claim with a pinch of salt.
 
Last edited:
Amid the obvious publications of Nazi Fervor in the United States precluding the war. I find historical accounts such as this to much interest.

I read John Wilson's "Flames of the Tiger" when I was quite young. Younger than I'd like to admit before understanding the many intricacies of the second World War ( Of which I am constantly learning ).

As such I seek to see particularly the Soviet and Nazi accounts of the Great European Conflict as Western recounts of the conflict normally overly publicize British and American Exploits to the point we lose historical context to the Eastern Front.

Now stating this I do know that the Propaganda Arm of the USSR wasted no time in painting the "Great Patriotic War" as the most glorific conflict in human history. Armed with 12 volumes of the American "Why we Fight " series of U.S. propaganda films I am familiar with the concept of displaying "biased history" very well.

I am also curious on how to the ones in the British Free Corps were sought out and tried after the war. Being as Soviet Troops Killed any known SS captives on sight. Mainly from their SS Tattoos on their Forearms. How MI 5 found these fugitives and investigated their misdoings during the final days of the War.
 
Yossarian said:
I am also curious on how to the ones in the British Free Corps were sought out and tried after the war. Being as Soviet Troops Killed any known SS captives on sight. Mainly from their SS Tattoos on their Forearms. How MI 5 found these fugitives and investigated their misdoings during the final days of the War.
Click to expand...

I would assume that the senior ranks in the POW camps would write some sort of report at the end of the war as to the names, ranks and serial numbers of the men who volunteered to join the British Free Corps, who would then become "wanted."
 
From what I have read the French members of this force all died in Berlin fighting as they knew that they would be excuted of taken alive
 
LeEnfield said:
From what I have read the French members of this force all died in Berlin fighting as they knew that they would be excuted of taken alive
Click to expand...

Not entirely correct the only "known" executions were 13 soldiers and it was carried out on the orders of General Leclerc, it is true that many foreign SS volunteers chose to die fighting rather than face reprisals but there are survivors of 33. Division SS Charlemagne living in France just as there are still Russian and Ukrainian SS men still living in the former Soviet nations.

Certainly I wont argue that a large number were killed as reprisals for serving in the Waffen SS it is incorrect to state that all were.
 
Last edited:
Note on Cossacks

I don't believe the Don Cossacks who fought for Germany were part of or were incorporated into any other units. Unlike the SS foreign units. They maintained their Cossack identity and keep their Cossack weapons and traditional outfits.
A tragedy occurred in 45 when many Cossacks made their way west and surrendered to the allies, who then turned them over to the Soviets who executed them.
 
After WW 2 when the displaced people were returned to their own countries the people of Russians origin who had been helping or fighting for the Germans where taken of and shot along with their families. Again it was some thing that Churchill was blamed for as he went along with the repatriation
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top