Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

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Viktor.S
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Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

#1

Post by Viktor.S » 20 May 2020, 18:02

Hello everyone,

The book Joining Hitler's Crusade: European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941, page 310-311, mentions that as many as 300 White Russian emigres (including Georgians and Ukrainians) tried to enlist in the Legion of French Volunteers against Bolshevism, but "due to a ban on accepting such cadres into the Wehrmacht, most of them were not accepted", and only "a few dozen" were able to join. The book also mentions that some Armenian emigres tried to enlist.

Could anyone share some detail on these White Russians or other non-French Europeans who managed to enlist in the LVF, and if possible the reason for why some were accepted into this unit despite the Wehrmacht ban? I'm not very familiar with the history of this unit, so I'd like to learn a bit more on this topic. I only know that there were Frenchmen and Arabs/Africans who enlisted, but nothing about these other Europeans.

The book mentions that, of the White Russians who did join, they were fighting with the unit around Moscow in late 1941 and at least one was killed, with several others wounded.

Thanks.

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Loïc
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Re: Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

#2

Post by Loïc » 20 May 2020, 18:43

Indeed point already observed in the forum but the LVF was not a French unit belonging to France but a foreign unit of the German Army the Infanterie-Regiment 638
use the search function, there is a thread(s) already opened in the right section Foreign Volunteers & Collaboration about the LVF and the non-frenchmen in the French Legion here :
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=239722
two Georgians
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=248425

I have met an Italian family searching an uncle lost in Poland in 1944

Regards


Viktor.S
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Re: Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

#3

Post by Viktor.S » 20 May 2020, 19:09

Loïc wrote:
20 May 2020, 18:43
Thank you, I will have a look at those threads.
I know LVF was not part of the French military, but they were still recruited in France and used the French flag, so I would consider them a French volunteer force. I thought this was the right section to post.

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Loïc
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Re: Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

#4

Post by Loïc » 21 May 2020, 04:14

They can use a so-called french flag or the gay-pride rainbow flag, their colours have nothing to do with their status who can't occult they formed a german regiment and definitively a foreign unit of the german army occupying their own country and keeping one million and more of their compatriots still in french uniforms POW's in the stalags, the french authorities had no say whatsoever on in decision-making of any sort concerning such initiative, it was not a French Division Azul neither qualitatively nor quantitatively nor form and substance

Viktor.S
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Re: Non-French Europeans in the LVF (?)

#5

Post by Viktor.S » 21 May 2020, 11:11

Loïc wrote:
21 May 2020, 04:14
Are you a moderator? If so, please feel free to delete this thread or move it if you don't think it follows the rules of the forum.

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