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Who fought on Hitler's side (13 photos)
On the eve of Victory Day, we remember not only friends, but also enemies. The Red Army had to fight not only with the German Wehrmacht, but also with a whole horde of allied armies of Hitler and national units representing at least half of Europe.
We show only some of them.
The most western military ally of Hitler was formally neutral Franco's Spain, which is sent to the Eastern Front volunteer "Blue Division»
Spaniards fought against the Red Army near Novgorod until October 1943, awarded by their German "colleagues" is quite commendable. After the dissolution of the "Blue Division" many of its fighters moved into the "German Foreign Legion." Surrounded by Berlin until 7000 surrender fought the Spaniards.
Not the largest, but the most efficient army in the camp of Hitler was the Finnish army, headed by Marshal Mannerheim, a former general of the Russian Army:
Finland was the only democracy of the satellites of the Reich, and pretended to fight against the Soviet Union as if by itself, during the Winter War of 1939-40. However, this did not prevent the Finns to occupy a large part of Karelia, and even parts of Leningrad and Vologda regions. In relation to the Russian population Finns behaved worse than the Germans, in Karelia they are smart enough to send over the barbed wire of all Russian men 15 years of age.
Fight with the Finns it was extremely difficult, and in the summer of 1944 they managed to repulse a part of the occupied territory, and then between the USSR and Finland signed an armistice.
Finnish infantry on the march:
It is also quite stubborn enemy was the Red Army Hungarians, send a few divisions in the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.
Hungarian soldiers, 1941 .:
Hungarian soldiers in Budapest 1939 .:
One of the largest armies fought on Hitler's side, was a Romanian. Romanians took part in the siege of Odessa, and the Germans came to Stalingrad, where they were entrusted to cover the flanks of Paulus.
Romanian infantry near 1943 .:
The largest size of the armies of the satellite was Italian, but she was not ever fighting capacity.
Already in July 1941, Mussolini agreed to send Italian troops to Russia, where they were ignominiously finished your way in the snows of Stalingrad. Survivors Italians called home in April 1943.
In the camp of the enemy appeared, and Bulgaria, but it did not send an army to fight in Russia. It was the only ally of Germany, not to fight against the Soviet Union, despite the entreaties of Hitler.
Bulgarian soldiers in March 1941:
However, Bulgaria's participation in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and the war against the Greek and Yugoslav partisans freed the German divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front. In addition, December 6, 1941 Bulgarian patrol ships sunk Soviet submarine u-204 in the region of Varna.
Bulgarian soldiers, March 1941:
In addition to the regular armies of the satellite countries, fought on the side of Hitler's many national parts of the occupied countries and territories, which would have a very long list.
Among the best known to us - the Latvian legion of the Waffen-SS:
But the soldiers of the Legion of French Volunteers in Smolensk, 1941 .:
It is known that, even specially dragged them on the field of Borodino, in the area where the fall of 1941, heavy fighting.
In addition to national combat units are units of all kinds of policemen and collaborators, some kind of "self-defense units", etc. formation, actively fought the guerrillas and helped the Germans to terrorize the civilian population of the occupied territories.
In this image was captured policeman in Kiev in the autumn of 1941 .:
This kind of Albanian "volunteers" who served the Germans:
A total ease it had millions of infantry who fought not always worse than the Germans.
We show only some of them.
The most western military ally of Hitler was formally neutral Franco's Spain, which is sent to the Eastern Front volunteer "Blue Division»
Spaniards fought against the Red Army near Novgorod until October 1943, awarded by their German "colleagues" is quite commendable. After the dissolution of the "Blue Division" many of its fighters moved into the "German Foreign Legion." Surrounded by Berlin until 7000 surrender fought the Spaniards.
Not the largest, but the most efficient army in the camp of Hitler was the Finnish army, headed by Marshal Mannerheim, a former general of the Russian Army:
Finland was the only democracy of the satellites of the Reich, and pretended to fight against the Soviet Union as if by itself, during the Winter War of 1939-40. However, this did not prevent the Finns to occupy a large part of Karelia, and even parts of Leningrad and Vologda regions. In relation to the Russian population Finns behaved worse than the Germans, in Karelia they are smart enough to send over the barbed wire of all Russian men 15 years of age.
Fight with the Finns it was extremely difficult, and in the summer of 1944 they managed to repulse a part of the occupied territory, and then between the USSR and Finland signed an armistice.
Finnish infantry on the march:
It is also quite stubborn enemy was the Red Army Hungarians, send a few divisions in the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.
Hungarian soldiers, 1941 .:
Hungarian soldiers in Budapest 1939 .:
One of the largest armies fought on Hitler's side, was a Romanian. Romanians took part in the siege of Odessa, and the Germans came to Stalingrad, where they were entrusted to cover the flanks of Paulus.
Romanian infantry near 1943 .:
The largest size of the armies of the satellite was Italian, but she was not ever fighting capacity.
Already in July 1941, Mussolini agreed to send Italian troops to Russia, where they were ignominiously finished your way in the snows of Stalingrad. Survivors Italians called home in April 1943.
In the camp of the enemy appeared, and Bulgaria, but it did not send an army to fight in Russia. It was the only ally of Germany, not to fight against the Soviet Union, despite the entreaties of Hitler.
Bulgarian soldiers in March 1941:
However, Bulgaria's participation in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and the war against the Greek and Yugoslav partisans freed the German divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front. In addition, December 6, 1941 Bulgarian patrol ships sunk Soviet submarine u-204 in the region of Varna.
Bulgarian soldiers, March 1941:
In addition to the regular armies of the satellite countries, fought on the side of Hitler's many national parts of the occupied countries and territories, which would have a very long list.
Among the best known to us - the Latvian legion of the Waffen-SS:
But the soldiers of the Legion of French Volunteers in Smolensk, 1941 .:
It is known that, even specially dragged them on the field of Borodino, in the area where the fall of 1941, heavy fighting.
In addition to national combat units are units of all kinds of policemen and collaborators, some kind of "self-defense units", etc. formation, actively fought the guerrillas and helped the Germans to terrorize the civilian population of the occupied territories.
In this image was captured policeman in Kiev in the autumn of 1941 .:
This kind of Albanian "volunteers" who served the Germans:
A total ease it had millions of infantry who fought not always worse than the Germans.
