Osprey Men-at-Arms 274 : Flags of the Third Reich (2) : Waffen SS

During the Second World War the German propaganda machine attempted to depict Germany first as the representative of the New Order leading Europe against the decadent pluto-democracies and, later, after the attack on the USSR, as rallying the best elements of Europe in the defence of Western civilisation against Bolshevism. An essential part of this propaganda was the raising of non-German volunteer contingents, variously named as 'Legions' and 'Free Corps', serving alongside the German forces primarily on the Eastern Front. These units were from their outset mere token forces, comparatively insignificant in numbers and maintained chiefly for their propaganda value. However, as the tide of battle turned relentlessly against the Germans, the appeal for volunteers became ever more desperate. In this second of three books examining the flags of the Third Reich [Men-at-Arms 270 and 278] Brian L. Davis examines the flags of the Waffen-SS: those of Walloon, Flanders, Norway, Finland, Danzig, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, France, Spain and India, accompanied by numerous contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by Malcolm McGregor.

Contents

• Preface
• Foreign Volunteer Legions
• Walloon Volunteers
• The Flemish Legion
• Norwegian Volunteers
• Finnish Volunteers
• Danzig Volunteers
• Danish Volunteers
• Estonian Volunteers
• Latvian Volunteers
• Croat Volunteers
• French Volunteers
• Spanish Volunteers
• Indian Volunteers
• The Plates