Osprey Men-at-Arms 103 : Germany's Spanish Volunteers 1941-1945

In the early hours of 22 June 1941 Germany's armed forces were launched into war with the Soviet Union along a front of 1,600 kilometres which stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Germany's principal allies in this struggle were Finland and Rumania, both of whom had been recent victims of Soviet aggression. Later allies included Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia, Albania and even thousands of volunteers from Russia itself. However there was one other country that was not occupied by Germany, was ostensibly neutral, and was not directly threatened by Russia, but that was none the less eager to send volunteers to a conflict which many people believed had begun in that country five years before - Spain. The Spanish Civil War had been a conflict between the nationalists and conservatives on one side, and what they saw as the opposing anarchic atheistic Marxism which was eroding the traditional Catholic values of Spain. The nationalists eventually won with the aid of Germany against the Soviet backed Marxists, and four years later, the Spaniards seized the opportunity to settle a score with those who had attempted to disintegrate their country. John Scurr details the organisation, campaigns and uniforms of Germany's Spanish volunteers who fought from 1941-45. Accompanied by numerous illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Blue Division
• 1941 - The Blooding at Possad
• 1942 - Lake Ilmen and the Volkhov Pocket
• 1942-43 - Poselok and Krasny Bor
• Repatriation
• The Blue Squadron and the Blue Legion
• The Plates