Hitler's Spanish Legion: The Blue Division in Russia | Gerald R. Kleinfeld, Lewis A. Tambs

Hitler's Spanish Legion: The Blue Division in Russia | Gerald R. Kleinfeld, Lewis A. Tambs | Excellent read

books:

Hitler's Spanish L...

	Hitler's Spanish Legion: The Blue Division in Russia Gerald R. Kleinfeld, Lewis A. Tambs Southern Illinois University, 1979 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Though well publicized in Europe, and with enormous bibliographic resources in German and Spanish, on which this history principally draws, the famous Spanish Blue Division?Franco?s military and diplomatic ploy in World War II?is very little known in this country, as this first full, analytical account in English attests.

For nearly three years, August 1941?March 1944, 47,000 Spanish soldiers served under German command on the Russian front, two of those years continuously in the line in the siege of Leningrad. There were 22,000 casualties, of which 4,500 were killed in action or died of wounds, disease, or frostbite. Less than 300 prisoners of war finally were repatriated in 1954.

The story of these Spanish volunteers told here, largely from original Spanish and German archival sources, in the graphic detail of a military history covering the major battles of the Russo-German war, gives an entirely different perspective to the siege of Leningrad which is neither Communist nor Nazi but Mediterranean.

Though focusing on the military aspects of the Blue Division?s campaigns, amply illustrated with maps and documented with detailed military rolls, this big book captures the highly charged diplomatic history of the time. The Spanish expeditionary force joined Army Group North as the 250th Infantry Division in the German order of battle. But in culture, command structure, and tactics, the Blue Division was worlds apart from the other elements of the Wehrmacht. Thinking of themselves as warriors, as opposed to soldiers, the Spaniards fought with great courage and dash. Masters of improvisation, they lived off the countryside, regarded the Russians as human beings, and often formed strong bonds with the peasants?so strong that the Russian population often protected the Spaniards from both the Red Army and the partisans.

for more information click here

For those who never returned...

This book is 434 pages long, of which 352 pages are dedicated to the unit account, the rest are charts and a bibliography. Includes a few photos spread throughout the book. This reasonably priced softbound edition of this long out of print and pricey book was long overdue.

Lost in the hell that was the eastern front are countless accounts and battles also worthy of their own place in the history books, places like Cholm, Demyansk, Volkhov, Krosny Bor and many others saw some of the most violent fighting of WWII, fighting of such proportions that it dwarfed any major battle fought on the western front in all aspects. I seriously doubt any western army could have withstood what the german army suffered on the eastern front and remained effective as a cohesive fighting force.

Most eastern front books have been devoted to the major battles like Kursk, Stalingrad and the units involved therein. Army group north's actions in particular have received very little exposure. Germany had a host of volunteer units taking part in that european crusade against bolshevism, one of these was the Spanish Blue Division, aka as the 250 german infantry divison in the german order of battle, this duplicity in designation has caused the unit to be erroneously identified as a german unit and even to be labeled as non existent by some, like one guy who said I was an impostor because he could not find a unit by such name in his references.

The book is very well balanced, offering both the political behind the scenes ordeal and the calvary at the front. Several years ago I approached a publisher pertaining my memoirs of the division and was told that readers favor panzer and mechanized division memoirs much more than infantry division accounts. The brunt of the fighting of any army is carried out by the individual foot soldier, armor on it's own can conquer ground but not hold on to those gains and while the achievement of armoured formations borders on the spectacular, the accounts of individual "Landsers", "GIs", "Ivans" or "Tommies" offer the reader a close up view of the hell of war. This fine account draws from both historical events and personal recollections making it one truly enjoyable experience.

There is very little I can add about this fine tome, for this is one the best unit histories available. The battle of Krosny Bor alone should have sufficed to cement the reputation and prestige of our division. Shunned and doubted by the germans at first, we became one of the main stalwarts against jewish bolshevism on the eastern front until our departure in 1943. Even then a core of hard liners remained behind to fight along our german brothers against the barbaric hordes from the east, these courageous men were drafted into the Waffen SS and were led by Miguel Ezquerra until the final action in Berlin, faithful to the end. Ezquerra and a few other survivors made it back to Spain after a harrowing trek through occupied Germany and France, he wrote a fine account called "Berlin a Vida o Muerte" (Berlin, Life or Death").

Our prisoners of war were released in 1954-55, after a ten year enslavement in the bowels of the communist hell. As I write these few words, a general re-awakening in the interest of our unit's history is gripping Spain and a few young writers have had the audacity to tackle the subject, so young, at most they will be able to offer a HISTORICALLY CORRECT? account of the events to appease their left wing cohorts. How much their accounts will distort true history, discredit the few of us that are still alive and desecrate the graves and memory of our fallen comrades remains to be seen. One thing is to write about experiences not your own, comfortably seated behind your laptop, a cup of steaming hot coffee and a hot meal by your side, and the certainty of a warm bed at day's end, it is very easy to write that way. We were there, crouched behind our rifles, the food we got if any was cold and the only certainty we had was a hole in the ground, to either protect us or as our final resting place. Yet, no one protested. We went of our own freewill, to serve the cause we believed in, to make the supreme sacrifice like many of our comrades did... it is for them I write, so that their sacrifice will not have been in vain.

for more information click here

Excellent read

One of the better unit histories to come out of WWII from the German side. The authors did a great job describing what the Spaniards had to go through within their own politics and military matters as well as the problems the Germans created or tried to solve for them. These men proved their worth in the field time and time again. Some of the stories simply defy imagination and I've always known that the reality of the Second World War on the Eastern Front can never be fully captured in fictional prose, and when you're done reading this book you will see why. Countless engagements, offensive and defensive actions, last words, last stands, all described and show what kind of fighting was the norm on this front. Although I don't agree with the 'cause' they signed up to fight for I cannot deny that did an amazing job at the front and deserve high praises and respect as fighting men on the Eastern Front.

for more information click here

Superior Military History

This is one of finest divisional histories written, ranking right up there with Sydnor's tome on the SSTK. The authors describe in sufficient but not excessive detail the politics as well as the actual military peformance of the Division Azul. The internal intrigues of the Franco regime as well as the external relations with the Axis and Allied powers are juxtaposed to get a flavor of the tensions and balancing act that the Generalissimo had to perform. I bought my copy as soon as it was published in the 70s and will not part with it. For any student of international relations, WW2, or the Franco regime.

for more information click here

Very impressive

I read this book after learning from a wargame, called Black Wednesday, that a Spanish division had participated in the Russian campaign alongside the Germans. The Division Azul, or Blue Division (so called after the blue shirt worn by Spanish falangistas), paid a "courtesy" return visit to the Russians, as a payback for their involvement in the Spanish Civil War. At first, there were so many volunteers that some had to be turned back. The book describes the process of getting the division together (recruiting from all over Spain), arming it and sending it to the front. The first Commander of the Division, General Munoz Grandes, was strongly pro-German, and lobbied with Franco for Spain's intervention alongside the Axis in WW II. There was also a pro-Allied lobby, which eventually won ascendancy over the Caudillo. Eventually Munoz Grandes was recalled in Spain and the new Commander, Esteban Infantes, took over. The book does a good job describing the military vicissitudes of the Spanish division, weaving in individual stories and acts of heroism. The guripas (little devils, or soldiers in Spanish) fought well but lost a crucial battle at Krasni Gor. The division was permanently recalled in March 1944

for more information click here

A Lesson in Political Expediency

I remember reading this excellent history of the Spanish Blue Division in Russia in 1941-43 while a student at Notre Dame back in 1982 and was pleased to see that it was recently reprinted. The new soft-cover edition has all the text, photos and maps that were in the original hard cover edition. Hitler's Spanish Division chronicles the reasons why Spanish dictator Francisco Franco formed the volunteer division after the start of Operation Barbarossa, the formation and training of the division, its composition, its service near Leningrad during 1941-43 and the division's ultimate recall in late 1943. All in all, there is a lot of history presented within these pages that is not taught in most U.S. history courses and which deserves to be read by the current generation. In short, this book is a lesson in both political expediency and military courage. As a general history, this book is quite successful, but it is not as successful as a military history due to a variety of quirks. Nevertheless, Hitler's Spanish Division should be required reading for anyone who wishes a fuller understanding of the Second World War.

Hitler's Spanish Division consists of 12 chapters, laid out chronologically. The first chapter covers the formation of the division in July 1941 when it appeared that Germany was about to achieve a quick win in the Soviet Union and Franco wanted to be in on the spoils. A call for volunteers brought forth a huge throng of students, soldiers and adventure-seekers, who were culled into an 18,000-strong division (Blue was the color of the Falangist militia shirts). Chapter 2 details the unit's transit to Germany, where it was equipped with German weapons and uniforms, re-designated the 250th Infantry Division, given a smattering of training and then bustled off to the Eastern Front. In Chapter 3, the author notes that the division was dropped off hundreds of kilometers from the frontline and began a slow march to the front, being redirected enroute from Army Group Center to Army Group North. The authors leave several issues unclear here - why the division did not move by rail the entire way to the front and why the Germans seemed uncertain what to do with it (when they had little trouble integrating Romanian, Italian, Hungarian and Slovakian units into their plans). By the fourth chapter, the Blue Division arrives at Novgorod in October 1941, where it spends the next several months fending off Soviet counterattacks. It is apparent that the initial quality of troops and leaders in the Blue Division was quite good and the unit performed very well, despite severe weather and a lack of vehicles/horses (never fully issued). Chapters 4-7 cover these winter battles in great detail, with the highlight being the description of the Spanish Ski company's march across Lake Il'men to relieve a trapped German garrison.

The second half of the book begins with the Blue Division's role in crushing the trapped Soviet 2nd Shock Army in the Volkhov pocket in summer 1942 and its transfer to the Leningrad Front. By this point, most of the original volunteers had rotated home and the character and leadership of the division began to change a bit. Just as the division is due to enter its climactic fight at Krasny Bor, the authors diverge in Chapter 9 to discuss Spanish domestic political conspiracies and high-level Spanish-German diplomacy. This discussion is important (if a bit distracting), although some of the opinions offered are a bit dated by more recent research and represent parochial Spanish opinions (e.g. neither the Allies or the Germans had any real plans to invade Spain in 1942, nor would this have given either side any real advantage if they had). Anyway, the real action begins in Chapter 10, which covers the Battle of Krasny Bor in February 1943. In a nutshell, the Blue Division stopped a major Soviet pincer attack, but suffered horrendous losses in the process. Furthermore, instances of Spanish troops retreating and indecision displayed by their commanders reduced German confidence in this unit. By mid-1943, Franco was looking for a way to bring the division home without angering Germany. When Italy surrendered, this was Franco's cue and the Blue Division was brought home, leaving only a token 1,000-man `legion' to continue the fight for another six months. Officially, Spanish participation on the Eastern Front ended by May 1944, although some volunteers remained with the Waffen SS.

As military history, this book is not always coherent. First, it's written with an emphasis on individuals rather than events, indicating a reliance on personal memoirs and interviews. Consequently, what's presented here is more episodic in nature than a comprehensive history, so much detail is missing. Second, the authors' writing style tends toward the graphic and sensationalist, with many battle descriptions describing "bullets singing...men going mad...shells screaming...decapitated bodies flying through the air..." Since several actions are described using similar language, it seems rather a cookie-cutter approach based upon impressions, rather than facts. Actually, some of the language is almost laughable. Third, the sketch maps presented - which do not depict any unit movements - fail to support the narrative in any meaningful way. Both in the actions around Novgorod and Krasny Bor, I found the authors' battle descriptions very difficult to follow and almost incoherent at times. This makes it particular difficult for the reader to evaluate Spanish battle performance, since any kind of sober overview is lacking. Overall, Hitler's Spanish Legion successfully demonstrates how Franco used a token volunteer force to demonstrate a certain solidarity with Germany when Axis victory appeared imminent, how this volunteer force performed generally well under adverse conditions and how Franco ultimately decided to withdraw the unit to indicate a switch to neutrality. As straight military history, this book is less successful.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

products you might be interested in