Japanese in Waffen-SS

[ShinjiMimura]

Just scanning a previous post-and one person mentioned there were at least 2 Japanese volunteers in the Waffen SS in WW2.

Anyone got anymore information on these volunteers, or what unit they were most likely to serve in?

Any help greatly apppreciated.

Thanx.

[PPoS]

Think there were a post for not so long ago about the subject. I have some pictures of more than 2 japanese volunteers in the Waffen SS. Though I don't know in which unit they served, IF they ever served in the Waffen SS.

[Semenov]

Hi.
I know what one japan served in 33 Waf. Gren. Div. d. SS Charlemagne
Best regards!

[ShinjiMimura]

Regards for replies.

[ShinjiMimura]

PPoS: If you have the chance, can you scan in the pictures for this topic?

Or anyone else, for that matter, any photos of Japanese volunteers are greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Shinji

[FRANCY RITTER]

HI Shinji!!
Japanese prisoner taken in the Normandie....sorry not Waffen SS

[Panzermahn]

Francy Ritter,

IMHO, i don't think that is a Japanese volunteer in the Wehrmacht. More like a Mongolian or Turkoman to me. I believe this Asiatic soldier belongs to the 352nd Infantry Division or known also as the Osttruppen DIvision because many Asians were in this division.

So far, i saw two pictures of Japanese military observers in Heer uniform but with Japanese rising sun armshield with their German counterparts. I believe the photos were taken in the 30s and it is located somewhere in this forum.

Also, i believe that one of the Japanese military observers in the photos was none other than Tomoyuki Yamashita if I am not mistaken

According to my info, there were two Japanese citizens and 3 Chinese citizens in the Waffen SS. But most likely they were volksdeustchen and not native Japanese or Chinese.

I also heard the rumour that a native Japanese volunteer served in the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division der SS Charlemagne (Franzosiche Nr. 1) but until now i never seen any photo or even knew the name of the Japanese volunteer

[Trommelfeuer]

Doesn't have to be a japanese...

This is another interesting photograph that I had seen ,you can see all of them are Asian .some of them are came from Mongolia and Tibet .
In the second world war ,soviet union kidnapped the man in border and force them fight to German ,but they were easy to surrender and finally serve for Wehrmacht.

found in this thread: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 58&start=0

EDIT: Here's the thread with the 2 japanese volunteers:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 42&start=0

[Panzermahn]

Okay, i found it




By the way, in the first picture above, the Japanese officer at the right, i think is Tomoyuki Yamashita, later known as the Tiger of Malaya. Anyone can help to confirm?

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... volunteers

[Trommelfeuer]

also heard the rumour that a native Japanese volunteer served in the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division der SS Charlemagne (Franzosiche Nr. 1) but until now i never seen any photo or even knew the name of the Japanese volunteer

Maybe these rumours are about this guy ? (right, he's not japanese...but maybe...)

Lucien Kemarat, 16 years old in 1943, an "old" soldier of the Legion de Volontaires Francaises and then in 33.Waffen Grenadier Division "Charlemagne". He had some difficulty to enter in the Waffen-SS because his father was Thailandese but finally could because he was a good soldier in the LVF. Casualty in combat and prison in France after the war. He still lives in the South of France

source: http://www.geocities.com/alvinlee_81/WarPics1.html

[Panzermahn]

Maybe these rumours are about this guy ? (right, he's not japanese...but maybe...)

Umm, i remember reading the entry for the Charlemagne division at the old (now no more) Elite Forces of the 3rd Reich and the WSSOb websites. They mentioned that there were several French indochinese, several Jews and even a Japanese volunteer in it. So IMHO, i think Lucien Kemarat is being confused as French Indochinese as Thailand is quite bordering Indochina

[Georgien]

panzerman,

what is the view of malasians about the japanese expansion in China and rest of Asia? is it similar to chinese? hostile? Why did japanese fought in german army, when they had their own war in philipines, China and rest of asia?

[Panzermahn]

panzerman,

what is the view of malasians about the japanese expansion in China and rest of Asia? is it similar to chinese? hostile? Why did japanese fought in german army, when they had their own war in philipines, China and rest of asia?

Yes, at first Malaysians thought that the Japanese came to liberate the whole Asia from the imperialists and white colonialists with their propagandanistic slogan of "Asia for Asians" but when the truth came out that the Japanese came to exploit the natural resources and the manpower, then numerous resistance against the Japs begin to appear.

My grandmother, who is still alive now, remembered that most of young girls had to be dressed up as a boy to avoid them being taken away by the japanese troops as forced sex slaves.

In short, the occupation of Malaya (as Malaysia was known before 1967) by the Japanese from 1942-1945 produced one of the most difficult moments for Malayans that time due to Japanese brutality, lack of food and inflation.

To be fair, my uncle, who was still alive today, remember when he was a small child in Penang during the Japanese occupation, a group of Japanese privates came into the school where he was studying during the Japanese Occupation looking for young girls for their lusts. They were about to take two young girls away when a Japanese male teacher who was teaching my uncle, furiously shout and heckled at those soldiers, telling them that they are a shame to their Emperor for trying to take young girls and he would report them to the local Japanese military command. The soldiers were ashamed and left quickly and never came back again

[Semenov]

Hi,
Why was Tomoyuki Yamashita? Japanese officer in Germany or japanese volunteer in WH?
Regards.

[Panzermahn]

Hi,
Why was Tomoyuki Yamashita? Japanese officer in Germany or japanese volunteer in WH?
Regards.

Hi,

IMHO, i think the Japanese military observer was Tomoyuki Yamashita but i cannot confirm it. No, Yamashita was not a Japanese volunteer in Wehrmacht. He was known as the Tiger of Malaya was conquering Malayan Peninsula and SIngapore around 3 months against superior numbers of Allied forces