Recommended reading on the foreign vol. & collaboration

[Orlov]

Sergei Drobyazko Under the banner of the enemy. Anti-Soviet Formations in the German Armed Forces 1941–1945 (Podolsk Memorial Museum `Don Cossacks in the fight against the Bolsheviks`, 2020)
[Сергей Дробязко Под знаменами врага. Антисоветские формирования в составе германских вооруженных сил 1941–1945 гг. (Подольск Музей-мемориал `Донские казаки в борьбе с большевиками`, 2020г.)]
II edition 576 pages with color illustrations in hardcover In the book of the candidate of historical sciences S. Drobyazko highlights one of the most taboo topics in Russian history in the recent past. The participation of citizens of the USSR in World War II on the side of the German Reich. What made these people put on the uniform of the enemy and fight with weapons in their hands against their compatriots? What was the scale of cooperation between Soviet citizens and the enemy and the contribution of anti-Soviet armed formations to the military efforts of German Heer and Waffen-SS and Orpo? The author gives answers to these questions based on a wide range of domestic (TsAMO) and foreign sources (mainly NARA), including unique archival documents. The book is provided with rich illustrative and reference material and is intended both for specialists and for anyone interested in military history.

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[Johan Laidoner]

A list of good books on the estonian waffen ss, some of these books are not on only on the estonian ss.
Rolf Michaelis "Estonians in the Waffen-SS" Its a good general account of the estonian ss but has great detail when it comes to the orginization and manpower of the units.
Mart Laar "Estonian Legion" Very light on words but has many great pictures and maps.
Wilhelm Tieke "The Tragedy of the Faithful: A History of the III.(Germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps" Only a few parts in the book are on the estonian ss division but still a good account of its battles in Estonia.
Richard Landwehr "Estonian Vikings: Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen Battalion "Narwa" and subsequent units,Eastern Front 1943-1944" A very short book but has a good account of the unit and many pictures.
Hugh Page Taylor,Roger James Bender "Uniforms,Orginization and History of the Waffen-SS Volume 5" Its chapter on the estonian waffen ss is very good and is the only english book i know of that uses estonian sources.

[Orlov]

Hi Johan,
Michaelis isn't good - he it is not objective. I have most of your editorial suggestions on Estonian Waffen-SS soldiers. I will add one more item published in emigration ESTONIAN FREEDOMFIGHTERS IN WORLD WAR TWO. Its current prices are out of outer space - from USD 85 to 495.

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[Johan Laidoner]

Orlov why isnt michaelis objective?

[Orlov]

Dear Johan,
Rolf Michaelis assigns to the radical extremist spectrum. He publishes mostly in a self-publishing company that opened in 1994 (place of publication initially Erlangen, currently Berlin), other publications by him are published by Winkelried-Verlag, whose publisher is Eric Kaden, an employee of the NPD parliamentary group in Schwerin, who runs a neo national-socialist extremist mail order book business.
Michaelis is a member of the Kameradenwerk Korps Steiner e.V., founded in 1967, the „Truppenkameradschaft der europäischen Freiwilligen in der Waffen-SS‚ III. Panzerkorps”. Among other things, thanks to his relationships, he has access to a large legacy (especially memories) of Waffen-SS soldiers and officers. However, he does not make any scientific study of such memories.
A reception of the numerous writings by Michaelis in serious contemporary historical research can hardly be determined. As far as there was an isolated perception, the verdict is consistently negative. Serious voices agree in the assignment to apologetic to open radical extremist journalism.
The military historian Romedio Graf von Thun-Hohenstein in a review of Das SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500/600 (2007): The writing contains some information, but considerable technical deficiencies in the source information. Overall, it turns out to be "very strongly apologetic" and "can therefore only be used with reservations".
https://www.bundesheer.at/pdf_pool/omz/oemz2007_01.pdf
PS: As a reminder - a historian should be impartial, maintaining objectively quoting archival docs, confronting them with opposing (second side) docs. And most importantly, those who write history in accordance with the main principle: sine ira et studio. Of course, without apotheosis and hagiography.

[boltgunner]

Are there any books about the foreign volunteers that served Italy? It seems all the literature focuses on Germany's volunteers, but Italy had plenty of their own collaborators too (Yugoslavs, Albanians, Africans, etc) and I'd like to know more about them.

Also are there any books about foreign volunteers that served in Axis naval forces? This is another topic I don't see covered much, most books I've found focus on infantry or other land-based volunteers.

Oh I should specify, I can only read books in English unfortunately.

[CogCalgary]

Dear Johan,
Rolf Michaelis assigns to the radical extremist spectrum. He publishes mostly in a self-publishing company that opened in 1994 (place of publication initially Erlangen, currently Berlin), other publications by him are published by Winkelried-Verlag, whose publisher is Eric Kaden, an employee of the NPD parliamentary group in Schwerin, who runs a neo national-socialist extremist mail order book business.
Michaelis is a member of the Kameradenwerk Korps Steiner e.V., founded in 1967, the „Truppenkameradschaft der europäischen Freiwilligen in der Waffen-SS‚ III. Panzerkorps”. Among other things, thanks to his relationships, he has access to a large legacy (especially memories) of Waffen-SS soldiers and officers. However, he does not make any scientific study of such memories.
A reception of the numerous writings by Michaelis in serious contemporary historical research can hardly be determined. As far as there was an isolated perception, the verdict is consistently negative. Serious voices agree in the assignment to apologetic to open radical extremist journalism.
The military historian Romedio Graf von Thun-Hohenstein in a review of Das SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500/600 (2007): The writing contains some information, but considerable technical deficiencies in the source information. Overall, it turns out to be "very strongly apologetic" and "can therefore only be used with reservations".
https://www.bundesheer.at/pdf_pool/omz/oemz2007_01.pdf
PS: As a reminder - a historian should be impartial, maintaining objectively quoting archival docs, confronting them with opposing (second side) docs. And most importantly, those who write history in accordance with the main principle: sine ira et studio. Of course, without apotheosis and hagiography.

Of course there are deficiencies.Records were destroyed.Most didn't survive,survivors would not have discussed openly how they managed to survive,or what they were actually doing in Yugoslavia.

[Orlov]

Of course there are deficiencies.Records were destroyed.Most didn't survive,survivors would not have discussed openly how they managed to survive,or what they were actually doing in Yugoslavia.

This is quite understandable - it was a punitive unit, despite its pompous name. However, this author does this in every case - he does not notice or does not want to notice information that does not fit into the puzzle. He forgot the basic principle "sine ira et studio".

[CogCalgary]

Photographer Toni Schneider is pictured at Drvar wearing his gas mask kit.

[Orlov]

Cборник документов "У Вас еще есть выбор...: разложение антисоветских воинских и полицейских формирований в Беларуси, 1942-1944 гг.: документы и материалы" peд. В. Д Селеменев, (Минск: НАРБ-Р.М. Цимберов, 2023)
[Collection of documents "You still have a choice...: the disintegration of anti-Soviet military and police formations in Belarus, 1942-1944: documents and materials" ed. V. D Selemenev, (Minsk: NARB-R.M. Tsimberov, 2023)].