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Who fought on the side of Hitler
On the eve of Victory Day, 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.
Here are just some of them.
The westernmost military ally of Hitler was formally neutral Franco's Spain, which sent to the Eastern Front volunteer "Blue Division" The Spaniards fought against the Red Army near Novgorod until October 1943, awarded by their German "colleagues" quite commendable. After the dissolution of the "Blue Division" many of its fighters moved into the "German Foreign Legion." Surrounded by Berlin before the surrender of the Spaniards fought 7000.
Not the largest, but the most efficient army in the camp of Hitler was the Finnish army, led by Marshal Mannerheim, a former general of the Russian Army.
Finland was the only democratic country of the satellites of the Reich and pretended to fight against the Soviet Union, as it were itself a continuation of 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 hit upon the idea behind barbed wire send all Russian men 15 years of age.
Fight against the Finns 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
Also quite stubborn opponent of the Red Army were Hungarians, send a few divisions on the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.
Hungarian soldiers, 1941
Hungarian soldiers in Budapest, 1939
One of the largest armies who fought on the side of Hitler, was 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 around 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 finished their inglorious path in the snow at Stalingrad. Surviving Italians called home in April 1943
In the camp of the enemy was 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, the participation of Bulgaria in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and the war against the Greek and Yugoslav partisans freed German divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front. In addition, 6 December 1941 the Bulgarian patrol ships sunk Soviet submarine Sch-204 in the district of Varna.
Bulgarian soldiers, March 1941.
In addition to the regular armies of the satellite countries, on Hitler's side fought many national parts of the occupied countries and territories, which would have a very long list.
Among the most well-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 they are even specially brought back to the Borodino field in the area where the fall of 1941, heavy fighting.
In addition to national combat units were various units 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 autumn 1941
And this kind of Albanian "volunteer" who served the Germans.
Here are just some of them.
The westernmost military ally of Hitler was formally neutral Franco's Spain, which sent to the Eastern Front volunteer "Blue Division" The Spaniards fought against the Red Army near Novgorod until October 1943, awarded by their German "colleagues" quite commendable. After the dissolution of the "Blue Division" many of its fighters moved into the "German Foreign Legion." Surrounded by Berlin before the surrender of the Spaniards fought 7000.
Not the largest, but the most efficient army in the camp of Hitler was the Finnish army, led by Marshal Mannerheim, a former general of the Russian Army.
Finland was the only democratic country of the satellites of the Reich and pretended to fight against the Soviet Union, as it were itself a continuation of 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 hit upon the idea behind barbed wire send all Russian men 15 years of age.
Fight against the Finns 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
Also quite stubborn opponent of the Red Army were Hungarians, send a few divisions on the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.
Hungarian soldiers, 1941
Hungarian soldiers in Budapest, 1939
One of the largest armies who fought on the side of Hitler, was 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 around 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 finished their inglorious path in the snow at Stalingrad. Surviving Italians called home in April 1943
In the camp of the enemy was 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, the participation of Bulgaria in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and the war against the Greek and Yugoslav partisans freed German divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front. In addition, 6 December 1941 the Bulgarian patrol ships sunk Soviet submarine Sch-204 in the district of Varna.
Bulgarian soldiers, March 1941.
In addition to the regular armies of the satellite countries, on Hitler's side fought many national parts of the occupied countries and territories, which would have a very long list.
Among the most well-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 they are even specially brought back to the Borodino field in the area where the fall of 1941, heavy fighting.
In addition to national combat units were various units 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 autumn 1941
And this kind of Albanian "volunteer" who served the Germans.
