ϟϟ Foreign Fighters Part 1 - The Non-German Germanics Fighting for Hitler - WW2 Special

[@WorldWarTwo]

If you came for the glory of the SS you will be disappointed by this video, there is nothing cool about the SS, truly nothing. They represent the most terrible part of humanity and perpetrated the worst crimes against humanity that you can imagine, things a short video like this cannot do justice on its own. To understand the depths of these horrors we recommend that you follow our War Against Humanity series, also hosted by Spartacus here: kzbin.info/aero/PLsIk0qF0R1j4cwI-ZuDoBLxVEV3egWKoM Before commenting, please read our rules: STAY CIVIL AND POLITE we will delete any comments with personal insults, or attacks. AVOID PARTISAN POLITICS AS FAR AS YOU CAN we reserve the right to cut off vitriolic debates. HATE SPEECH IN ANY DIRECTION will lead to a ban. RACISM, XENOPHOBIA, OR SLAMMING OF MINORITIES will lead to an immediate ban. PARTISAN REVISIONISM, ESPECIALLY HOLOCAUST AND HOLODOMOR DENIAL will lead to an immediate ban.

[@pastlife960]

Do people really think the SS were glorious?!

[@WorldWarTwo]

@@pastlife960 some people on the far right fringe do.

[@Max-is4qu]

Those uniforms where stylish as hell though

[@gretellmontiel4364]

Lol what kinda font did you use for the ss?

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@pastlife960 not just the extreme right wing. I admit to admire the soldierly qualities of the senior divisions. However, those were linked to an inhumanity that abhors, so... But, studying the SS, is time for reflection; can you really say that if you were born in 1920-ish Germany, grew up with the chaos and uncertainty of the great depression in Germany, saw Hitler come to power to "Make Germany Great Again", you would not have joined? Can you say that, experiencing the horrors of the Eastern Front, while your mother, sisters and sweetheart are being bombed back home, you would not commit war crimes? I believe it is important to ask yourself that question, honestly. And to understand that they were just humans- not some kind of monsters- if we are to avoid those horrors repeated; especially in the world we live in right now, where it seems a lot of tendencies are repeating from the 20-ies...

[@sparrow7625]

A joke I saw. "My grandpa fought in WW2" "Really,what rank?" "Had a couple of bolts on his uniform,electrician i guess."

[@Max-is4qu]

Mine had a skull on his cap, I think he was a grave digger

[@Polygon-yug-9581]

@@Max-is4qu It was an old symbol, used in the 18th century too, but the Schutzstaffel infected it, and it got banned.

[@tiihtu2507]

It took me way long to realize you weren't talking about hex bolts. 😂

[@insaneclownponies9599]

Mine had this weird Eurasian peace symbol on his armband. Must have been a foreign peacekeeping dignitary.

[@Max-is4qu]

@@insaneclownponies9599 Mine also had alot of these hindu symbols in his house, he must have been a very spiritual person.

[@yourstruly4817]

Interesting fact: former Estonian SS soldiers guarded the Nuremberg trials. They even had a Swastika on their uniform. Mark Felton made a video about this.

[@JoeGatz1]

Wasn't the swastika on their uniform "symbolic". As in weighing the Nazi regime on the scales of justice?

[@titanuranus3095]

@@JoeGatz1 How is a swastica ever not symbolic? It is a bleeding symbol for cripes sake!

[@yourstruly4817]

@@JoeGatz1 Yes, but it's weird to have a swastika on an Allied uniform.

[@michaelpaz8226]

The 4221 guards company right?

[@yourstruly4817]

@@michaelpaz8226 Yes

[@vlada17544]

There was a common joke in Germany in those times. The perfect German recruit should have following qualities: blond like Hitler, athletic like Göring and sharp sighted like Himmler.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

It was a widespread enough joke to be told among Germans in exile, and featured in at least one propaganda leaflet, I think a Soviet one in German.

[@scottleft3672]

You left out..."Tall and blonde, like Goebbels, And above all...HANDSOME, like Hitler".

[@3gunslingers]

@@scottleft3672 _"HANDSOME, like Hitler"_ would not work in this joke. During his rise to power many women in Germany admired Hitler for his "handsomeness".

[@scottleft3672]

@@3gunslingers I quoted the joke verbatum., minus the additional 2 lines the other fellah wrote, the"handsome as Hitler' line was exactly as i heard it in the 80's and saw reference to it from earlier...the men were the ones who said this, women were too much into "pop stars', and Hitler was one of the first...but the joke was coined at THE END of the war, no-one would have DARED try it on in 41...if i can find the original quote, i'll let you know....the book, "We will not be silent" has a quote like yours, i'm sure there were many versions.

[@3gunslingers]

@@scottleft3672 Thanks!

[@hannahskipper2764]

Himmler: no glasses in the SS! Foreign recruit: Okay...buddy, what ever you say, Four Eyes!

[@hannahskipper2764]

@Barry Baz yeah, I've heard that. What an inferiority complex. 🤦‍♀️🙄

[@scottleft3672]

And..'." what made you join the nazis?... Oh the cool nordic sounding fellah on the radio, he seems tall and sure footed, ja?!.

[@hannahskipper2764]

@@scottleft3672 very well, it's all about hypocritical appearances here. Oh, and victory. We demand victory. Cost be damned. Got that?

[@scottleft3672]

@Barry Baz No, that was Eichman.

[@scottleft3672]

@@hannahskipper2764 JA!

[@JagerLange]

9:18 - "I'm not a Nazi, I was just bored!"

[@johanliebert6734]

Aren't we all?

[@Otokichi786]

Not so long ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mp7LmJZ5asmMoac

[@scottleft3672]

@@Otokichi786 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYW2cpKpjKyAapY ...also not long ago.

[@arudegesture]

It's also factually incorrect. That guy who joined was a high-ranking member of the Swedish Nazi Youth movement.

[@gianniverschueren870]

Spartacus, you look like you're about ready to rule Wall Street in the 90s. Simple tie, but great contrast with the rest of the suit. Love it. 4/5

[@edward9674]

You like Huey Lewis and the News?

[@DoraFauszt]

I love your outfit comments each time Gianni!

[@victorbruant389]

Hipsters didn't exist until the early 2000s.

[@gianniverschueren870]

@@DoraFauszt Appreciate it Dora

[@markcantemail8018]

Victor . In a Sienfeld Episode some body got in Kramers face . They called hum a Hipster Dufus .

[@Dev_Six]

The last Finnish SS officer died few months ago (Most of them joined because Finland and Germany were allies and the link I posted earlier was an article about the man, Brynolf Palmgren from the magazine "Suomen Sotilas" that covers everything about Finnish army and soldiers.)

[@derekstynes9631]

The Brave Finns who stood up to Stalin and His Terror , The Best Winter Fighters bar none !

[@lavrentivs9891]

Finnish study on the topic: arkisto.fi/uploads/Julkaisut/sarjajulkaisut/SS-VOLUNTEERS_verkkoon.pdf

[@MissRetThreatisBack]

so finally the white finnish are finished!!! fly the finish flag!

[@scottleft3672]

Is THAT what they claimed, Finland...lol..see The Milici and the French Popular Party.

[@arudegesture]

They didn't join the SS because they were allied with Germany but because they were Nazis and fascists. Finland has a long fascist history. Svinhufvud and the Lapua movement comes to mind.

[@CkjmediaNo2410]

I am from Norway and my grandfather was in the SS. We think he was corporal based on a picture of him in uniform and info from Wikipedia, but we're not sure. We have found the following awards (again, info from Wikipedia): Iron Cross 2nd Grade, Eastern Front Medal (we know he was stationed at Leningrad in 1943), Infantry Assault Badge (silver) and the Wound Badge (he got shot in the shoulder). We also have diaries that he wrote during that period and a bunch of letters. The problem is that my grandfather's handwriting is very poor and in the diaries he tends to switch between German and Norwegian. The letters have also been censored by the German authorities. We do not know why they signed up, but the general excuse was that they wanted to protect Norway from the Soviet Union. After the war, he was sentenced to three years of hard labor, which according to him was like being in a summer camp. I don't think he enjoyed it, but apparently it wasn't as bad as the authorities intended it to be. Anyway, he was always good to the family, he even taught me to play golf. There was some noise around the dinner table when my father joined the Norwegian Communist Party (AKP) in the 70s, but it wasn't really a problem. He was also very positive that my father married my mother who is from the Philippines and he had no problems with my father hiring a Jew (my dad owns an eyewear shop). We may find some answers in the diaries and letters, or maybe not. It is quite possible he was a different person at the front line than he was with the family. I doubt we will ever get any definitive answers. Reality tends to defy simplicity. When it comes to things from that period, we will probably donate it to the Norwegian Holocaust Museum after we have gone through it.

[@keesvandenbroek331]

brings the war close to you. difficult to tell it. thanks for sharing

[@thepolarbear8449]

Thanks for sharing your story

[@TheLordNovo]

If you would ever consider selling that which you have mentioned, I would be more than willing to discuss that prospect

[@sonnyblc7287]

My great-grandfather was in the Bosnian Waffen-SS. He also wrote diaries and letters. My Grandmother said the last letter he wrote was that he was sent to Romania, they never heard of him again so we assume he died there. When the communists took over they burned all documents and letters in fear of our family getting executed.

[@Richard_Lush]

How was he treated after the war? I’m researching foreign fighters who were in the German forces in WW2 and how they were treated by their respective countries when returning after the war. In some cases like the Soviet Union it’s pretty clear but in others not so much. Thanks for sharing this.

[@avanticurecanti9998]

>can't have vision problems What are those things in front of Himmler's eyes?

[@filipsebest2170]

Well, Himmler was Director. He didn't need good eyesight. He was a manager type of person. Not soldier.....

[@TheGodEmperorOfMankind_]

It's called fashion honey, look it up

[@lavrentivs9891]

Half-blind former chicken farmer who was notorious for fainting at the sight of blood. Not exactly what you think of when you hear the term "übermensch" ^^

[@kiiik8801]

head up displays ?

[@jliller]

Hypocrisy in Hitler's regime? Who did Nazi that coming?

[@olegdzyuba2489]

Really hope you guys do an episode on the Russian Liberation Army once the time comes.

[@Mytholuspng]

Maybe connected to a biography special about general vlasov? This would be great

[@combain]

If they will I really hope that they will at least consult Russian historian Kirill Alexandrov, he is a well-known specialist on ROA. If they won't I personally would be very disappointed.

[@wyattpeterson6286]

@@combainis there a book about the Russian liberation army?

[@Artur_M.]

Not to be confused with the Russian National/People's Liberation Army (RONA) or Kaminski brigade.

[@combain]

@@Artur_M. All these forces were later (in October 1944) merged into KONR (Committee for Liberation of Peoples of Russia). Before that they were quite different and had a various insignia and uniforms.

[@colko64]

My father volunteered the Waffen-SS as a 17 year old boy. He was born as son of a polish immigrant to Germany. In early 1930 the family was granted german citizenship, but faces some discriminations all the time (partly because they were catholics in a protestant environnent). My father served in the signal company of the 10. SS-Panzerdivision Frundsberg. In November 1944 he was injured an lost both legs. He was then 19 years old. I asked my father, why he joined the Waffen-SS. He had several answers to that question. One was, he wanted to be a police officer after the war. Because the police force was under Himmlers control, it was expected for future police men, that they volunteered the Waffen-SS. Another reason was the indoctrination. As born in 1925, he spend all of his school years and youth under the Nazis. Was of course in the Hitlerjugend, where the Waffen SS was glorified. Last but not least he wanted to prove his "german-ness" to his environment. "Fun" fact, one of his uncles served in the French army and was PoW in Germany. This uncle was allowed to visit his brother, my grandfather during his time in Germany. After the war my father joined the HIAG, a special veterans group for SS-Members. A very complicated organisations, least to say. As a child, I was participating some of the events, mistly harmless. A hiking on "Fathers day", a visit to a cemetry on "Volkstrauertag", a bus tour with families once a year. Most members had joined the HIAG just for being together with old comrades, not in politics. Some of them were even members of the SPD, the social democrats after the war. But they were some "Unverbesserliche", old Nazis of the worst kind. I rembember one of them, the reason why my father left the HIAG. He was Danish, an early volunteer of 1940. He brought Nazi- symbols from Denmark to the gatherings, tried to convince the others, that the fight was not over yet. My father was befriended with a swiss volunteer, the opposite of the Dane. He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment after the war for treason in Switzerland. He told he felt betrayed by the Nazis. He joined the WaffenSS to fight the bolshewiks, but had to participate in partisan warfare in the Balkans. Said, he was cured of Nazism there.

[@quincyileh1578]

I am sure your father didn’t tell you so many other things , so don’t assume your father was a saint , and losing his leg is a small price to pay

[@colko64]

@@quincyileh1578 Never said my father was a saint, imho, no soldier could be a saint. But assuming he had to have commited (war) crimes, just because he was in the Waffen-SS, is as wrong as saying 'all green eyed people are thiefs'. Yes, the Waffen-SS as a whole was infamous. Many of their soldiers were guilty of horrible acts against other soldiers and civilians, no doubt. But not all of the more than 900,000 men who served in the Waffen-SS had taken part in war crimes. After studying the history of my fathers unit, I have no doubt, he has told me the truth being one of these many 'ordinary' soldiers.

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

Reminds me of a line from Robert Harris' Fatherland about those who are barely passable racially are the ones who support the Volksgemmeinschaft more fervently...

[@colko64]

@Dark Vadertrauebrein Catholics were kind of discriminated in protestant regions of Germany and vice versa, long before Nazism. So in Bavaria Protestants were the outsiders. Had nothing to do with Nazism. On the contrary, the NSDAP fought such discriminations as they kind of fought the old class system, which survived the Weimar Republic. For them, there were only just the german people, "Volkskörper", all equal to each other, officially. In practice they created a new system with their functionaries, "Goldfasane" as they were ridiculed, or the "Übermenschentum", which was promoted in the SS.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@colko64 Franconia which includes Nuremberg had an especially Nazi reputation - some connect it to the area having a strong concentration of Lutherans though located in predominantly Catholic Bavaria. In theory Nazis thought all Germans were the same, as opposed to non-Germans. In reality north Germans were often somewhat suspicious of south Germans and Austrians, and vice versa. Volksdeutsche from the east and the Balkans often had doubt cast on the claim to be genuine Germans - in some cases the doubt was justified.

[@brainyskeletonofdoom7824]

Himmler: the CEO of racism

[@m1994a3jagnew]

If you shave his lip and take off his glasses he turns into Jeff Bezos

[@joshuaearlsumbillo25]

Black squares

[@sankarchaya]

If only the US had airdropped a Karen into Germany. "Can I speak to Naziism's MANAGER?"

[@yourstruly4817]

Himmler worked for Gillette?

[@brainyskeletonofdoom7824]

@@yourstruly4817 his stache is the answer

[@heimdallwg2112]

I love how the guy looks like someone from that era. One of my favourite channels!!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Good to know! Glad you're a fan :)

[@darkhorse989]

My grandmother grew up in Nuremberg. When she was about 20 her older brother was approached to join the SS. He refused and was later conscripted and was sent to Army Group North. He disappeared some time in 1943 presumed dead. His body was never found. My grandmother is still heart broken over it. My cousin is trying to organize a trip to Russia to possibly find my great-uncles remains. My only tangential relation to the SS.

[@giulioaprati338]

the ss-division were only elite on papar, yet their quality varied from unit to unit, from police force to actual elite units

[@Aged669]

The German, Skandinavian and baltic Divisions where elite bosniak and Ukrainian Divisions not so much

[@stevekaczynski3793]

There were a total of 38 Waffen-SS divisions by war's end, although a great many of them were never anywhere near the average division size of 10,000-15,000. Less than half were Germans or even ethnic Germans by war's end, perhaps 15 out of the 38. Even among the German recruits, they were not necessarily better soldiers than Wehrmacht ones, especially after conscription was introduced. West European Waffen-SS who were not German were often impressive soldiers, sometimes in fact better soldiers than the German Waffen-SS. East European units were generally unimpressive, with the exception of the Latvians and Estonians. Some actually mutinied, and others were more like bandits than soldiers. The quality of the original German Waffen-SS divisions was often diluted by removing many of their experienced officers and NCOs and sending them to form the cadre of new Waffen-SS divisions.

[@calebpark7147]

They weren't really elite, more like ideological fanatics

[@Aged669]

@@calebpark7147 go inform yourself about the battle of karkov

[@Ivanexecutive]

@@calebpark7147 you could consider some elite. But in the end the Eastern Front was such a meat grinder that even the Elite Divisions were destroyed and reformed repeatedly. I believe the Der Fuhrer regiment of the 2nd SS Div. at normal strength would number 2000 men, by the end of the Soviet winter offensive in 41, 42 they were down to 35 men.

[@fortis3686]

I suppose that when in war, practicality can outweigh even the most hardcore of ideology

[@creatoruser736]

Wait until they start recruiting Arabs. "Semites? Eh, we need bodies, we'll deal with it."

[@stevekaczynski3793]

A combination of the Germans' desperate search for troops, which caused them to find recruits in some surprising places, and Himmler engaging in empire-building.

[@jamestheotherone742]

Nazi ideology was always more of a gimmick anyway. An excuse to go take other people's stuff.

[@danielmota1095]

self preservation

[@jamestheotherone742]

@@alexbon4768 Kinda hard to have a civilization, much less an "empire", without it.

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

I’m so glad you’re covering these often forgotten about parts of this conflict.

[@thestrangah9690]

Right Lmao so much of this is overlooked. I wish other KZbin channels wouldn’t forget their history when doing WW2 videos

[@hannahskipper2764]

Right! A World War 2 channel wouldn't be right without this stuff. Never forget!

[@rodafowa1279]

Foreign recruits in the German armed forces (not just the SS) are only forgotten because schools intentionally don't talk about it.

[@hannahskipper2764]

@@rodafowa1279 that's why Indy and crew are the awesomest history teachers around!! 💖💕💗💘💓💞

[@Unknown1355]

@@rodafowa1279 They do talk about it (Finland). But if you happen to be from a nation where such info is irrelevant (UK, for example), then it's not worth the limited time available. These guys don't really play a significant role on the grand scale. If you're in uni and specializing in WWII, then it's different story.

[@razorbird789]

The work done by this channel to use facts and no spin is incredible. I have maximum respect for all of you at the WW2 and Time ghost channels. I wish governments would use your videos for education in schools.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks a lot! We would love that too!

[@harlemhornet]

NO SPIN?! lol.

[@broefkip]

To me it's so interesting how the English word of "German" can be confusing on this topic of race in the SS. Because in English German and Germanic is almost the same word, but for example in my language or the German language there is a distinctive difference between being (in German) "Deutsch" and "Germanisch" or in my language (Dutch/Netherlands) "Duits" and "Germaans". As for example, I am from the Netherlands, so not a German, but I am a German in the sense that I am Germanic. Sometimes English get's so confusing :P

[@juliuscaesar8513]

It’s like English and Anglo-Saxon I Suppose, an English man is an Anglo-Saxon and so are the WASPs in America, Aussies and Canadians. It’s not the best analogy but Anglo-Saxon is a large family of similar people from a common ancestry spread out through different countries. The Germans,Nord and Dutch are Germanic in that they share a similar ancestry I suppose. Not a perfect comparison but I suppose the idea is there.

[@broefkip]

@@juliuscaesar8513 I wasn't talking about the ancestry, I meant that the English are weird for using the same word for Germanic people and Germans whereas in for example the German language there is a distinctive difference between being Deutsch and Germanisch.

[@juliuscaesar8513]

broefkip ahh sorry mate misread your comment

[@broefkip]

@@juliuscaesar8513 that's all good, it was still interesting to read your comment!

[@WorldWarTwo]

The many many (many) failings of the German language. At least it makes for a fun title!

[@alcaulique8358]

You speak briefly about swiss in the SS. When I first read the story of the swiss in the SS in a local newspaper, I found it unbelievable. At school, I was thought that Switzerland somewhat lived under a bubble throughout the war attacking both Allied and Axis powers to protect itself (to simplify what was told). Learning a handful of swiss joined the SS triggered me to do some research, read books and learn more about Switzerland during and arround WW2. I found it to be a very interesting and complex topic where nothing is all white or black and I would love your look on that question sometimes. Thank you all for the amazing work. Greetings from Switzerland

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@arti8719]

I would be great if Team told us some details about German invasion plans towards Switzerland. I was not aware of that and heard about it fairly recently from someone. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tannenbaum for reference.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Switzerland, while thankfully avoided land invasion and direct involvemnt in war, lived quite a tense peace, especialy early when german invasion seemed inevitable. Even later country was hub of spy activity of all sides, and on multiple times, navigation errors cause alied boomers to drop their payloads on swiss cities. Switzerland was ceartainly spared the worst, but definietly didn't lived in a perfect safety.

[@paradoxicalpotato8927]

"People with glasses cannot join the SS" -The leader of the SS, a guy with glasses

[@podemosurss8316]

People, plural. He wanted to be the only guy with glasses in the SS.

[@photoshopschool9205]

Because diversity is our strength.

[@conveyor2]

@Zachary Durocher You mean Euro Americans EXPLOITED first nations Americans for their own ends!

[@brucetucker4847]

@@conveyor2 First nations is a Canadian term.

[@burtonkephart6239]

999YORK “WAS”?? they still are one race , ethnicity and nationality etc! Only culture has changed a bit . Just saying.

[@DeepseaSteve]

999YORK pretty hard to be dumbed down when you never got out of the basement

[@dr.vikyll7466]

@999YORK When Japan was at it's zenith their empire had more than one "race" in the 20th century japanese sense of the word

[@inspectorpouzo]

I never really got the whole aryan thing....I mean look at their top leaders: Himmler, Hitler, Goebbels. They look like extras from the lord of the rings if anything.

[@erikaitsumi2633]

@Vetekornet thank you for summarising every national socialist leader ever.

[@basedkaiser5352]

Heydrich could fit Hitler’s description of an Aryan. He was tall, had blonde hair, blue eyes and was ruthless.

[@ericfischer4458]

It’s called “Aging”... It’s interesting that a very large number of Nazi leaders like Hitler, Goering, Hess, Rohm, Doenitz, etc... were highly decorated combat vets of WW1

[@inspectorpouzo]

@@ericfischer4458 Really? Being a short, specky, spastic little dwarf like goebbels and himmler is called aging? Are you a doctor?

[@inspectorpouzo]

@Jasta 2 hmmm yeah, but he his morphine addiction and the gaining of 50 kilos by eating more than he breathed did not help his aryan qualities to prevail.

[@carljohnson4473]

I hope Indy does fine and gets well soon.

[@insaneclownponies9599]

They recently did a vid on the main TimeGhost channel welcoming Indy back. He's officially recovered :D

[@kstreet7438]

Here it is also CJ kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmmZoahnn8xsgZI

[@JSTIZZY-OFFICIAL]

All you had to do was follow the DAMN TRAIN CJ

[@davidp.7620]

He probably volunteered

[@Cjnw]

#CoViD19 infection

[@johnnyfives5416]

Could you do a video on how himmler was obsessed with the occult and supernatural?

[@TheLocalLt]

Blah b I don’t necessarily think k it’s totally misunderstood, do people really believe Germany was a pagan country in wwii? They were a corrupted Christian country. And not the only one. Croatia and Slovakia were catholic and Slovakia was even led by a catholic priest. The Vatican tried to protest against atrocities early on, including with the Germans, who had control of millions of Catholics in southern Germany and “Ostmark”, but later adopted a don’t ask don’t tell policy about atrocities, including the holocaust. This effectively marketed the end of any political power by the pope as his influence was meaningless. It didn’t stop the papacy from continuing to engage in the geopolitics of catholic countries, but the multi-part occupation of Rome and the eventual Lateran treaty being at Italy’s behest robbed the pope of any remaining immediacy in global or regional affairs. The papacy can occasionally still indirectly influence affairs in or between catholic countries, such as border disputes, or in another example the Polish solidarity party.

[@TheLocalLt]

Blah b I actually find that direction to be far less dangerous, because it actually keeps them pacified, than the alternative of radicalizing them to believe that racism, violence, genocide, etc are all Christian virtues. That is what happened in Germany and that is what is truly dangerous

[@WorldWarTwo]

We will cover Himmler in future episodes!

[@SI-ln6tc]

There were some. Thule Society

[@johnnyfives5416]

@@TheLocalLt whatever you say edgelord.🙄

[@casmd2131]

An episode about the Dirlewanger brigade would be pretty interesting

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@Mars Attacks Basically a brigade-sized German version of the "The Dirty Dozen", without the good guys.

[@fransliszt]

7:14 Wiking division also had around 400 Finnish volunteers at that point

[@VanquishMediaDE]

My grandfather was in Bosnian Mountain Division (Islamic faction of the 3rd Reich). I still have his Fez (with swastika).

[@hemanshuchudasama3535]

How much?

[@blindtherapper2470]

Handzar?

[@thilgu]

grey or burgundy red? Wanna sell it?

[@user-vd7ei1wg6m]

hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/13._SS_oružana_gorska_divizija_"Handschar"

[@VanquishMediaDE]

@@thilgu red and no sell

[@Jokakutihut1]

As a Finn i would like to see biography special about Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim

[@Jokakutihut1]

@wargent99 also the man who saved his nation from the communists oh and its his birthday today. Greatest Finn ever to live

[@Jokakutihut1]

@@Mitaka.Kotsuka Mannerheim did not appriciate Hitler or Nazis in general.

[@mikefay5698]

@@Jokakutihut1 Except he was German and couldn't speak Finnish Ex Tsarist Officer.

[@troy9477]

I didn't hear a mention of the Charlemagne Legion of French volunteers. I assume it is coming in a future episode? Great content as always. You speak eloquently at the end. We must never forget.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Yes the regiment is formed a bit later than when this episode is set.

[@alexcc8664]

An ss gentleman lived near me in the UK. One of the nicest men you could meet. He was conscripted in 42. They came to his farm... He said you just couldn't refuse.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Conscription was introduced in 1943 for the Waffen-SS. Prior to that they were supposed to be volunteers.

[@alexcc8664]

@@stevekaczynski3793 I meant 43 it was a misclick

[@tavish4699]

@@stevekaczynski3793 volunteeriing is another thing in a documentary about the ss there was actually evidence that many recruits were forced to sighn by not lettiing them leave the room or by telling them they were sighning up for the police not the ss

[@GunnyKeith]

Himmler also said, I shall only make one exception to SS standards. I myself shall be the one exemption to the rule.

[@tacklengrapple6891]

It’s like communist leaders, “standards for the, but not for me.”

[@GunnyKeith]

@Joakim von Anka great points

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Well, we have seen hypocrisy among the influential more recently, like senior officials setting out lockdown rules and not following them themselves.

[@GunnyKeith]

@@stevekaczynski3793 that's a fact

[@Aeyekay0]

Interesting video. Mark Felton has a treasure trove about this stuff on his channel

[@langeheinrich9619]

and he is not lying about the war

[@ludaMerlin69]

Mark Felton is much better historian. This channel is embarrassing.

[@Betrix5060]

@@langeheinrich9619 Mind actually giving specifics?

[@Aeyekay0]

Settle down boys geez

[@frankpolly]

What's interesting is that Dutch SS troops were send to the Dutch East Indies after ww2 during what we call the 'politionele acties' and later to Korea. Many Dutch soldiers weren't happy with this in the beginning, but later found that these ex-SS soldiers were of great value because they had so much combat experience already. Many of these ex-SS troops were able to rehabilitate into Dutch society knowing that we were in an effort to stop communism, just like they were during World War 2.

[@enviableknave84]

This is an interesting topic. I'm glad you're covering it and I look forward to see the future videos.

[@PalleRasmussen]

You want to read "Under Hagekors og Dannebrog" Spartacus. It is the definite work on Danish volunteers.

[@michaelmorrismorris6113]

writer Sven Hassel claimed tohave joined the wehrmacht but he may have been lying

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@michaelmorrismorris6113 I am certain he was lying the descriptions in his first book,and those generally that feels most first-hand, were all from places where the Frikorps Danmark were deployed.

[@michaelmorrismorris6113]

@@PalleRasmussen i did not know that

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@michaelmorrismorris6113 you have to be a nerdy local to know and notice 😉

[@Glass_Caskets]

I can never get enough of WW2 content and footage. Very fascinating

[@teslawizardvvv3]

The soilder of three armies a song by Sabaton showed me this part of World War two histroy.

[@ralfonso888]

Whenever I think these episodes can't get any better and more informative, my expectations are exceeded. Really well done, Spartacus! Keep up the great work!

[@WorldWarTwo]

thanks a lot!

[@dentoncrimescene]

You are the best at these Sparty.

[@cykablyat6773]

Can’t wait for part 2, it’s been too long :D

[@dbudelsky]

There were two additional branches, which were forgotten after the war for several reasons: The OrPo (Ordnungspolizei, Order Police) and the Branch under the Reichssicherheitshauptamt, combining the SiPo (Sicherheitspolizei, Security police including the GeStaPo) and the civilian intelligence service SD (Sicherheitsdienst). The Skulltroups (Totenkopfverbände) officially were no branch on their own. Original they were part of the Allgemeine SS, later of the Waffen-SS.

[@dawidlijewski5105]

OrPo, SiPo, Schuma nominally were not branches of SS, they were leaded by SS-man, just like for example many factories or firefighter service.

[@tavish4699]

@@dawidlijewski5105 wrong, all the police forces of germany were part of the ss and lead by it

[@lhpoetry]

Speaking of Foreign fighters, one of the most interesting eyewitness testimonies/stories of World War II I've heard was of a Belgium guy on a video in the basement at the Warsaw Uprising museum (I imagine they would be open to collaboration too). He joined the German army (don't recall if it was the SS) after his brother was arrested for being part of the resistance, in part to take pressure off his family as I recall. One job he was given was hunting down Jews in Warsaw. There were times he was able to convince his German colleagues "Nothing to see here" when there was something to see, but there were other times he was responsible for finding people who were then hung.

[@incursus1401]

I really appreciate that you guys were honest about the "germanic" concept. I watched many videos about this topic cus i might write a paper about it and many historytubers cannot fathom the fact that some danes (and other germanics) could ally with nazi germany because they are utterly unaware about ethnic histories. I remember TIK made a video about this and called the "germanic migrations" a myth lmao. Great video as always guys

[@TheSeanoops]

Yeah, it’s really interesting how wide spread Germanic blood is in Europe.

[@incursus1401]

@brmbly wanna debate me on my views?

[@incursus1401]

@brmbly Liberalism is prob the least logical system out there. I just hope one day you'll look back at your time as a liberal and cringe, if you wanna change that you can post ur discord and ill add you :)

[@incursus1401]

@brmbly not a liberal in trump vs Hillary but i mean liberal in the 17th century sense that you believe in democracy, human rights and all that stuff

[@incursus1401]

@brmbly Not even marx advocated for equality bro, youre a radlib. So i will always be it? seems pretty irrational bro...

[@MrFantocan]

This is a great episode, looking forward to the next one.

[@paulbenedict1289]

2:40 There were no Waffen SS during the invasion of Poland. There were only 3 SS regiments at that time out of roughly 150 that participated in invasion of Poland. Those atrocities in 1939 were committed by regular army.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

They were called SS-Verfügungstruppen (SS Disposal Troops). There was some institutional conflict with the Wehrmacht who saw them as rivals.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

@@stevekaczynski3793 Disposition Troops would be a better translation. Otherwise basically correct SK.

[@tavish4699]

nope the ss as a oiorganisatiion already existed and came along with the nazi party members that were supossed to "clean up" and organize the annexation the ss was in charge of the police and it is proven most executions were done by police groups or at hok units made of of various police and other ss men every police officer was basicly also an ss man

[@jpvigotty]

Thanks Spartacus and Astrid for including the picture of Sophie Scholl and some of the other members of the White Rose. Would love a video on them when the series progresses to them.

[@GunnyKeith]

Thank you for sharing. Great coverage. Conquest by division, hey I know a little about that. I live in the U.S

[@gustav331]

One note about the Danish volunteers: many of the volunteers were former officers and soldiers of the Danish Army who were extremely embittered that they hadn't been allowed to fight on the 9th April.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Why should we have mentioned that specifically?

[@gustav331]

@@WorldWarTwo I think that it is something that makes some of the Danish volunteers stick out from the rest. This was not a factor in the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, who hadn't experienced a similar humiliation. There's no doubt that many of these also had pro-Nazi sympathies (or at least became pro-Nazi after Barbarossa), but many of them were ironically also staunch Danish nationalists and extremely anti-German. C.P. Kryssing, the first leader of Frikorps Danmark, is a good example of an old-school conservative Danish nationalist who joined up. He did it because he hated the Social Democratic-Social Liberal government who had surrendered so quickly, and because he was very bitter that he hadn't been allowed to fight the Germans. In Thomas Harders' good book (though it's in Danish) about Kryssing, he writes about the atmosphere among the men in the garrisons on Zealand and in Jutland, who hadn't been allowed to fire a shot. People were screaming, crying, shouting in anger and cursing the government. The colonel in charge of Kryssing's regiment desperately cycled out to the coast to see if any British battleships were coming, so that they could continue the fight in spite of the government. After the 9th of April, some of the embittered officers joined the SS like Kryssing, and those with a higher moral character joined the resistance, such as Kryssing's colonel. Frits Clausen, leader of the Danish DNSAP, is another example of someone who is very anti-German collaborating with the Germans. He was originally born Fritz Clausen in then-German North Schleswig. He changed his name to the more Danish Frits, however, because he didn't want his name to sound German. In 1915 he was captured by the Russians, and he spent the rest of the war collaborating with the Russians to create a POW camp for Danes with better treatment and better food than in other POW camps. He didn't want to spend any time imprisoned together with Germans, and he fought incessantly to keep all German POWs out of his camp. He spent the 1920s agitating for moving the border further south and annexing South Schleswig from Germany. Some Danes (and I presume Norwegians as well) also joined after Barbarossa because they wanted to fight for Finland.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

It seems a little irrational that they would join a branch of the German armed forces out of bitterness over the failure to fight the German armed forces for more than a few hours in April 1940.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Mango Yogurt this is hardcor Danish revisionism that serves the purpose of painting an image that lays a foundation for a ‘good kind’ of Danish Naziism. You don’t join the Nazis because you hate them. And even if you are in the first place a staunch Danish nationalist, the moment you join the SS and take the oath you have expanded that to a racist German ethnic nationalism. Taking the initial non-ethnic nationalism as proof of being being generally anti-German is absurd. There is no good kind of Naziism and splitting hairs between what geo-political unit which Nazi preferred is irrelevant to the more profound authoritarian, murderous, anti-human, anti-Semitic ideology they all had in common.

[@gustav331]

@@WorldWarTwo I'm not trying to be revisionist or saying that they were good Nazis. I thought I made this clear when I said that those officers with a better moral character joined the resistance. In any case, Thomas Harder (who is in no way a revisionist, he's a normal historian who has written books about Danes on both sides in WW2. He has also written a good book about Anders Lassen, who served as a Commando in British service) makes it clear that Kryssing, and officers who joined the SS like him, lacked a moral compass and had deep flaws in their moral character, but it's still true that for some, if not many of them, their reasons for joining the SS were paradoxical, not straight-forward and nonsensical to say the least. Mind you, this only goes for those in Frikorps Danmark who had a background in the Danish Army. Many of them had, or would eventually develop, a strong sympathy for the Nazi ideology (von Schalburg and Knud Børge Martinsen were both ardent Nazis from the beginning), but some such as Kryssing were seen as being not-Nazi-enough (Kryssing himself was kicked out because of this). You mention that 80% of Danish volunteers refused to take the oath and went home. Surely that must say something about many of the Danes who considered joining the SS. Kryssing would go on to stay in the SS and eventually he became the highest-ranking foreigner in German service, so he lacked the moral firmness to go home, but he's still an example of what might have driven those 80% to volunteer in the first place.

[@j.m.f5451]

Wonderful episode, great job on it Spartacus. Though one nitpick is with the gunshot noises added on some photos. The timing on them while trying to listen to Spartacus felt... a little odd? Usually the images do a fine job conveying that someone is being shot (for me, anyways) so I don't think an audio cue is quite necessary.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the feedback. We're always looking to improve so its something we'll pay attention to in the future. Glad you liked the video regardless.

[@jasonabbott5546]

This show gets better every week. Thank you very much

[@thecourier231]

Will you guys do a video about Läuri Torni who served in the Winter War, WW2 in the SS, and in Vietnam with the United States; all because he was just anti-communist?

[@KettyFey]

Sabaton History have a three parter on him, so they may spend the time covering someone else.

[@MrFaorry]

They already did 3 videos on him over on the Sabaton History channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4XRcqR7atmjY7c kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJzJgYiBqLSpmLs kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGOsZX9_mJKhba8

[@michaelmorrismorris6113]

the channel Simple History did one on him

[@TheSunderingSea]

He probably just liked fighting to be honest. Some guys just relish the fight.

[@TheSuspectOnFoot]

The anti-communism as a motive is a common guess but simply untrue. Being a soldier and fighting was all that he knew and could do in his life and he wasn't interested in politics and probably didn't even know what communism even meant as a simple peasant. The only time you can even argue that he made a conscious decision to fight commies was joining the Waffen-SS. In the Finnish army he simply carried out his duty to defend his home like all the Finns did despite their political backrounds and the US military he joined in the 1950's long before Vietnam. He probably hated the Russians like most people did at the time which is also a more believable reason for the W-SS connection along with the common German sympathies many Finns had that traced back to WW1.

[@turgaysgc]

Thanks for the video. Good work...

[@sebastianelytron8450]

What did Himmler tell Hitler when they had too many metal ores to use? Mine fewer.

[@danielnavarro537]

Very cool and informative video. I really enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you! Glad you liked it.

[@poiuyt975]

It might be fair to mention that there had never been an SS unit with Polish volunteers.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Nor was there a Czech one - people of both ethnicities did find their way or were conscripted into the German armed forces, but officially as ethnic Germans or Volksdeutsch, a somewhat elastic label.

[@poiuyt975]

@@stevekaczynski3793 That's why it is so important to state those facts. I wasn't aware that Czechs didn't participate in SS either.

[@WorldWarTwo]

That’s not quite correct. Technically it is correct; there were no Polish or Czechoslovakian citizens in the SS. There were however many, many both volunteer and a later on in the war conscripted members of the SS that had been Polish and Czechoslovakian citizens until Germany annexed. They were considered Volksdeutsch and given German citizenship. Not all of them voluntarily. When the Germans offered citizenship, not enough of the ‘Volksdeutsche’ volunteered (in the Nazi’s opinion). But the Wehrmacht and later the SS needed bodies, so eventually they were faced with the choice of concentration camp or accepting citizenship. Note that not all made the easy choice either.

[@poiuyt975]

@@WorldWarTwo Thank you for the information. You might consider including them in the next episode.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@WorldWarTwo Actual German attitudes to classifying people as Volksdeutsch varied in occupied or annexed Poland. Forster had a different attitude in his Gau to Greiser. The latter was more restrictive, the former classified nearly everybody as Volksdeutsch, with some major exceptions like Jews. Rejecting the Volksdeutsch label, especially in Forster's Gau, could get you killed or sent to a concentration camp. One way or another, it is estimated that about 375,000 Poles served in the German armed forces, for the most part in the Wehrmacht. They ranged from genuine ethnic Germans left in Poland as a result of Versailles, to Poles with little or no knowledge of German who were only ethnic German on paper. The last category were often referred to as "Group III". One reference work I read mentioned some of them being sent to a corporal, a Rhinelander, for training. He ridiculed their Polish accents and bad German. Unexpectedly the corporal was sent to command the draft of Group III recruits when they were transported to fight the advancing Red Army in Hungary in the latter part of 1944. The moment they reached the front and the first Soviet bullets came flying towards them, the recruits fragged their NCO. They did not go over to the Red Army, they merely had a score to settle with this particular member of the master race.

[@doomerboomer9402]

wow the last intense part of narration perfectly summarized all the video. that felt awesome to watcj

[@nedzadramovic5151]

French SS division is been last defenders of Raihstag in Berlin in may 1945.

[@Sturminfantrist]

Asalamaleikum Yep "Charlemagne" Div. and few Men of 13. SS Geb. Div. "Handschar" made from 90% Bosnian Muslims were also 45 in Berlin. most went home to their familys when Tito offered them an amnesty or were disbanded by their german Officiers when it became clear that the war in Jugoslavia was lost because most bosnian Volunteers refused to fight on foreign soil. There was a mutiny in France with parts of Handschar Div. involved in the Village/City of Villefranche de Rouergue because the Bosnian Volunteers were angry that the Germans send them to France instead fightin in Bosnia to protect their Homeland and Familys like promised when they volunteered, in the end German Army units fought versus SS Handschar units to supress the mutiny. my algerian born Father served as a conscript in French Colonial army during the Tunesian war of Independence fighting his own people. I would never fight for a foreign countrys racist regime that would send me to the KZ when the war is over because in their eyes iam a "Bastard" with "bad blood".

[@evatirman346]

My dad was recruited from high school in Tallinn Estonia. Before the war was over he and his buddy ditched their ss uniforms and escaped to finland

[@WorldWarTwo]

@Eva Thanks for sharing that, he must have had some incredible stories.

[@oneofthetwobucksfansonyout2717]

The biggest takeaway from this is knowing that there was someone so bored that be joined the SS

[@frankwhite3406]

Excellent Episode Indeed Keep up The Good Work!

[@davidk6269]

For any viewers interested in reading the diary of a member of the 5th Waffen-SS Wiking, you may want to read "Black March" by Peter Neumann.

[@notsosilentmajority1]

David K Thank you.

[@mr.vinegaroon3132]

@@notsosilentmajority1 Another very good book is Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier," the story of a young Frenchman (Sajer) who ended up in the Gross Deutschland Division. One of the three best war books I have ever read.

[@notsosilentmajority1]

@@mr.vinegaroon3132 Thank you very much. I'm looking for some interesting reading material. Best wishes.

[@MrCarpelan]

If he sets out to defend himself, then I'd like to pass on that recommendation.

[@TheSunderingSea]

@@MrCarpelan I'm sorry that the past isn't as clean and nice as you would like, or that people sometimes do immoral things especially when they're young and have been raised in a society which has very different values. I might be a fairly balanced and tolerant person today as are you, but who's to say that you wouldn't have been sieg hieling and with all the rest of Germany if you grew up in that time? Who's to say you wouldn't have executed German POW's after seeing your village on fire as a Soviet soldier, or as a more recent example lynching African Americans in the deep south. We are products of our time, most people are molded by the time and place they live in and are not automatically enlightened free thinkers. To judge these people as if we were all born on equal societal ground is ridiculous, naive and frankly insulting to anyone who had to live through this war. The NKVD agent sending dissidents to the gulag is a victim of circumstance. What choice does that NKVD agent have, really? He can either do his job and live another day,or he can determine that what he is doing is wrong, protest the inhumanity of it all and immediately be shot in the head. In his own way, he is just as much a prisoner as the man he sending off to die in Siberia. Obviously someone who volunteers for this position knowing what it entails is a different beast, but most people in this war were being pulled along the current of history by circumstances far out of their control.

[@PortlandLife]

Thank you SO MUCH for covering this topic in depth. Its so important for people to know this. You guys are the greatest thank you!!!

[@WorldWarTwo]

You're welcome!

[@soviet_yoda8820]

Denmark sent around 8 thousand Danes to The germans who were given to ss division Wiking, the king gave his approval in 1941 80% of the danes joined because they wanted to fight for Findland and were very dissapointed when they were sent to Ukraine. The danes later on defended Estonia fiercly around Narva holding against 5 to 1 ratios. After the war they were declared criminals by their own king when they wanted to fight for findland and were given approval

[@arudegesture]

Might have been that the king was under a bit of pressure to approve it though, don't you think? Also, it's not like anyone should feel sorry for 'em. If they wanted to fight for Finland, then why didn't they go to Finland and enlist in the Finnish army? Why the SS?

[@soviet_yoda8820]

@@arudegesture It's kinda difficult to enlist in the Finnish army at that moment. The army was almost entirely Fins. Whereass the Danish in occupied Denmark could choose to fight for Germany. Or in a German Unit. Only around 20% of the Soldiers were actual enlisted for idelogical reasons

[@arudegesture]

@@soviet_yoda8820 So rather than fight the people who occupied their country an killed their fellow citizens, they would enlist in that very army to fight for another country's freedom? Sure...

[@tavish4699]

@@arudegesture ahahah why didnt they go to fiinnland? you think there was a regular cruise flight to finnland or what? it was war time there is no direct land connection to finnland there was no connection to finnland at all,even if you got there how would you talk to them? how would you even get there in the first place? the north sea was full of subs joining an actual organisationo that was told they would go there was the only way they could try

[@tavish4699]

@@arudegesture the germans were quite decent to the danes, denmark fell in 6 hours and lost a handfull of border guards who fought back but they hadnt heard that denmark already gave up danish police officers were given their handguns back quite quickly and the danish goverment wasnt exchanged and told to go on with its business denmark was a strategic threat too germany not because of how it acted but just by its position in the world all of europe had been watching as the soviets litterary just came in and attacked finnland out of no where and also just grabbed the baltic states out of sheer want for more land everyone in europe saw the soviet threat and it was real

[@zalkaz]

You have explained and expanded a complex issue in a very simple and tangible language. Please carry on. Thank you

[@WorldWarTwo]

Will do, thanks!

[@kajus1402]

Since information about the Lithuanian SS is fairly uncommon, I'll use the chance and post a bit here. "Every Lithuanian, who joins the Lithuanian Legion, will at the same time announce his unbreakable will to defend their fatherland and with weapon in hand fight against bolshevism for Europe and its future" - Quote from a Lithuanian SS recruitment poster. The concept of European unity(as seen in this quote) had been discussed and expanded among the leadership of the Waffen SS as the war went on. Many considered the Waffen SS as an order, which has to cement the coming European empire. She apparently would have looked like a confederation of nationalist states Germany and the NSDAP had to be simply part of the system. Aswell as in Alexander Dolezalek "S Section" there was a open European socialist charter. Here is a quote from it: "Considering that today enemy forces have shown their war plans, which have only the purpose of destruction, the Reich leadership along with the leaderships of friendly nations - Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Bohemia, Moravia, Italy, France, Hungary, Romania and Croatia - have declared common principles to improve Europe after the victories of their army." Despite this Hitler in 1942 responded skeptically regarding the question of foreign volunteers, however on January 23rd 1943 Hitler approved Himmlers offer to form a Lithuanian and Latvian SS divisions. Himmler offered them limited autonomy for signing up for the SS(which never came). Hitler further approved an offer to increase the Baltic divisions later on, but only if they will be SS and further more controlled. And thus many resources were poured into propaganda to get the Lithuanians to join "The Crusade Against Bolshevism". Men were pulled away from police battalions and sent to SS recruitment areas, for example 2 thousand Latvians and Lithuanians were taken out of auxiliary police battalions and sent off around ten German SS police battalion companies on december 21st, 1942. Germans left the task of mobilizing the Lithuanians to Lithuanians in the German bureaucratic machine. On february 24th Lohse made this statement to the inhabitants of Lithuania: "Lithuanians! When in 1941 after the order from the fuhrer Adolf Hitler, German soldiers liberated your fatherland from the Bolsheviks, and they also saved you from the destruction of your nationality. From that time your work in the towns and villages, aswell as in the service in the lands police battalions, and active participation on the front, you carried your weight in the fight against bolshevism. That fight has reached its highest climax at this moment. Bolshevism threatens to destroy Europe. Your fatherland is near danger... Join your regional legion to fight with weapon in hand against threatening bolshevism. Join, as fighters, and as aids to the German military... As victory shall save you, your and your children's land. Your possessions, your culture, the survival of your people, your own land, and shall earn you a place in cooperation in the European community. With weapons! To work! With Adolf Hitler to victory!" There were recruitment centers formed and posters released with information on who can join. I won't translate all of it, but since recruitment requirements were a large part of the video I will translate it: "Who can join the Lithuanian Volunteer Legion. To the Lithuanian SS volunteer legion any Lithuanian between the ages 17-45 may join. The volunteer has to be: a) of aryan ancestry b) Unpunished by the court or police c) Fit for military service physically and spiritually. What height does the candidate need to be. Candidates to the Lithuanian SS legion, from 17 to 20 year olds, have to be no smaller than 166 cm(5.4 feet) in height. If you are above the age of 20, you need to be no smaller than 168 cm(5.5 feet)." There was some, but limited resistance in the collaborational government, and response to this the highest ranking Lithuanian Petras Kubiliūnas responded: "Who is healthy and able, join to our Lithuanian legion and wermacht units The sooner and better we organize our Lithuanian legion, we shall appear in the fight against bolshevism more actively the more we shall win in political and other matters." Despite the massive propaganda effort to recruit Lithuanians, it had failed to give the results the Germans wished. A special commision to pick out men in the auxiliary police fitting to join the Lithuanian Waffen SS was formed. Out of the 5010 men checked, only 1093 were seen as fit enough, 286 of the voluntarily offered to join. 3917 were declared unfit. In total to the Lithuanian SS volunteer lists there were 3050 names, including three women. The Germans had planed to appoint Stasys Čenkus, a rich Lithuanian and soldier as leader of the unit, and had promised good food and a pretty uniform(Feldgray uniform, on their left sleeve a Lithuanian coat of arms), equality with German SS members and land post war. Among former soldiers the reaction of it wasn't all negatively, and many higher ranking men ended up signing up. One interesting bit in which it is hard to find information, is regarding the son of Kubiliūnas, who we know was part of the Waffen SS. Dissapointed by the results, they were reformed into the tenth Lithuanian Auxilliary Police battalion. Another attempt to form a Lithuanian legion was soon formed. Similiar to the last one in its start: "Culture destroying Bolshevism is pushing all its force to destroy us. We fight with her with all the will of europe. We won't let them to send our women and children to middle asia, for them to close our churches, to force farmers out of their farms and force the worker to slave! Its not the first time in history that the Lithuanian nation has to bravely defend from the eastern hordes. Prove yourselves worthy of this duty!... The fuhrer Adolf Hitler has given you a chance to actively take part in Europe's war with bolshevism.... So join the the newly formed Lithuanian Legion and fight with other european nations for your nation. It is time to give bolshevism the decisive blow! After the victory the Lithuanian nation shall be grateful that you didn't hesitate! To the weapons! Fatherland calls! We can either fall or become slaves!" Similiar posters with even more information and privledges were put out. After even this failed Himmler raged and stated that the Lithuanians aren't worthy of a SS legion. He blamed it on a few intellectuals heavily resisting the formation. There were more attempts. Many men who wished to join the SS ended up simply joining the Latvian SS. After this affair, the Germans formed another unit, the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force with even more privledges. Whose success in getting soldiers suprised the Germans greatly, so they decided to attempt to mobillize the Lithuanians. They planned to conscript 100.000 Lithuanians, to send 50 000 Lithuanians to the northern front, to form a new SS division with 18 000, 30 000 as asistants and another 10 000 into anti air units. But this too failed due to the LTDF refusing to take German orders and was disbanded. If the Germans listened to Lithuanian demands even slightly they would have likely formed it. I apologise for any grammatical mistakes. the only source used was the great book Lithuanian Police during the second world war by Petras Stankeras.

[@cosminmahalu9594]

Amazing episode and amazing delivery by Sparty! And to everyone, please support the channel :D

[@tryndemisha6719]

uhm there was 1400 finnish soldiers in wiking division

[@lilldavid6903]

He’s talking pre-Barbarossa in this episode

[@tritonewt3344]

Finns are not Germanic, which this video is about

[@arnoldhau1]

@@tritonewt3344 So what is "Germanic" then? It has litte meaning beyond the language. And many finns do speak swedish as their mother tonge. But of course the whole idea was completely crazy and had no actual background.

[@tavish4699]

@@arnoldhau1 but those fiins that speak swedish arent finns but swedes that settled in finland they legit have different genes germanics all share the same language family and finnish defenitely isnt a part of that finnish is more similiar to hungarian as they both come from behind the ural mountains

[@danielgreen3715]

You do it with feeling and Balance! Thankyou

[@filamanflashy-versacecliqu5028]

Albanian Waffen Mountain division of the SS were fighting until the end .

[@williamtyson9503]

Skanderbeg was a failed unit and the Albanians were all replaced with Volksdeutche by 1944

[@filamanflashy-versacecliqu5028]

Horvat Lovren Don't think I forgot about the Croation Naval Legion apart of German Kreigmarine . German Navy , Croation Naval Legion had a field regiment trained as infantry and had seen combat in Eastern Ukraine .

[@filamanflashy-versacecliqu5028]

Horvat Lovren Also the Croation Legions of the Wehrmacht .

[@filamanflashy-versacecliqu5028]

Horvat Lovren My grandpa served in Bulgarian Cavalry Regiment of the Waffen SS.

[@michaelmoritz7838]

Excellent video, made it easy to comprehend the difference between the German army and the SS forces.

[@MegaM1garand]

Thank you for being a beacon for us to ground ourselves for the coming storm of political change! It is channels like this one and historians such as Indy and yourself Sparticus that keep us all accountable so that we never slip back into the dark age of world war and Militarized Eugenics! Please continue this valuable and much appreciated work.

[@josedavidgarcesceballos7]

I love how your lasts words about atrocities apply to any foreign legion I can think about (excluding the blue helmets, though).

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

Except rape.

[@josedavidgarcesceballos7]

@wargent99 I forgot that one, you are right.

[@eradius]

are you going to be covering the islamic divisions within the SS?

[@WorldWarTwo]

Like the title says, this video is only part 1. So yes.

[@garebear1712]

Your voice and your tone when talking are great! Plus the mustache!! Gold! Lol

[@mogaman28]

LOL! Captions change Waffen to buffon!!

[@The0riginalTwo]

Although you did not mention it I believe there was a sizable contingent of Finns in the SS-Wiking in the summer of 1941, most likely somewhere between the Dutch and Norwegian in terms of numbers.

[@Herkermer_Homolka]

10:37 why are you sure this is a civilian? There is an ammo can for Russian Maxim gun at his feet, yet we are to believe this is a civilian?

[@QuizmasterLaw]

combat boots too.

[@Unknown1355]

There's 2 more images prior to this event, showing the man in civilian clothes unarmed. No uniform. Can't find the Bundesarchiv numbers, but googling "German Soldiers, Immediately After Executing a Russian Sniper. Eastern Front, 1941" (OP noted that title is false) should give you a Reddit thread with the other images.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@QuizmasterLaw Especially in the countryside, Soviet civilians wore boots like that, although they could be military.

[@tavish4699]

@@Unknown1355 no uniform or not it doesnt matter he carried an amunition case that makes him a combatant he probably tried to run away from the germans since he was a partisan

[@fuferito]

I'm listening to the book, _Panzer Commander_ and von Luck states on several occasions that, after he and fellow Wehrmacht would secure an area, the SS would come right after and try to take a share of the credit for victory.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

There was some tension between the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS over recruits, allocation of weapons and credit for victories.

[@justanotherbrickinthewall2843]

"If it ain't Dutch; It ain't much" 🇳🇱 😋

[@cainsy8124]

@11:32 And you do a great job at conveying an understanding of this period to us. Thank you.

[@jamiemcf1]

I’m kind of disappointed that you didn’t delve into Western Europe’s fear/hatred of Bolshevism. Many of the Waffesn-SS’ foreign recruitment posters prey on the threat of the Soviet Union having a second round of invading the west. With the Baltic nations falling to Stalin and Finland’s stand, it must have been a very real threat to the Nordic nations

[@WorldWarTwo]

We will cover this in a separate special

[@tacklengrapple6891]

You seemed to have completely glossed over how strong the anti-communist sentiment was throughout Europe at that time, particularly in the countries closest to the Soviet Union. Many of them had fought various communist backed insurgencies and civil wars in the 20’s and 30’s, and were well versed in the violent nature of communism. Considering the Nazi’s positioned themselves ideologically, and through their propaganda, as the saviors of Europe, it’s not surprising they were able to attract so many foreign born recruits in that struggle. You don’t fight the most massive, brutal, and bloody ideological conflict in history just because you like adventure and snazzy uniforms.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Ideological motivations seem to have been weaker in the east. Some joined the Waffen-SS or other Osttruppen or auxiliaries to get out of some prison camp or other, some to fight another ethnic group (hostility to Serbs was a motivation of some Bosnian Muslim, Croat and Albanian recruits in the Balkans), some thought the Germans would win and wanted to be well-positioned when they did, and they often high-tailed it when this increasingly proved unlikely. Fervent anti-Communism, often seamlessly blended with anti-Semitism, was certainly a motive of many Balts and Ukrainians.

[@explorer1968]

What about fear and hatred of bolshevism brutality and atrocities for non-Germans to enroll the ranks of the Waffen SS?? Seeing what happened to the Baltic countries, Finland, Romania, and Poland, even Danes or French filled in the Nazi paramilitary force...

[@VENKATESH1095]

Thanks for fulfilling my request, With love from India

[@wanderingvindex]

I hope you guys inform us of the volunteers of these ethnicities or people from these regions -Georgian, Azeri, Armenian SS Volunteers & -North Caucasian Volunteers -Idel Ural Volunteers

[@WorldWarTwo]

As the title says this is only Part 1. The story of SS Foreign Fighers isn't over yet.

[@wyattpeterson6286]

Great video. Keep them coming.

[@mav8535]

Neanderthals were a different race. We are all the same humans now, maybe we shouldn't use that word anymore.

[@oreradivojevic837]

Wow ending is so powerful. Well done, guys! Can't wait for second part.

[@MikaelLaCas]

Wheres Indy?

[@carljohnson4473]

Indy has Corona 😢

[@martinsvelentinovics9618]

Recovering from covid

[@WorldWarTwo]

He's recovered and filming again, this episode would probably have been recorded by Sparty anyway, as it's very much about Nazi ideology, and that is more Sparty's area of expertise.

[@WorldWarTwo]

This is a War Against Humanity episode which Spartacus presents. Indy does the regular series.

[@travisreed1730]

This aspect NEVER CEASES to FASCINATE ME.

[@Jorn41]

Sorry, but as a Danish WW2 historian, I am far from satisfied with your inaccurate and flawed description of especially the part of the video dealing with the Danish SS volunteers. The recruitment was in no way clandestine, or secret. Nor did the volunteers sneak over the borders. Recruitment was public, and the participating Danes were even allowed to join the SS with Danish Government blessing. One soldier, Kryssing, even reached the SS General-rank. Your video is superficial, inaccurate and lack basic knowlegde of WW2 history!

[@TheGuilhermetamara]

ok internet random how about backing theses claims up?

[@WorldWarTwo]

For a Danish Historian you’re either not very accurate or you just haven’t understood our format. Moreover your not listening. Let’s start from the back: Spartacus says - “to begin with [...]” regarding the recruitment in Denmark. As for format: we clearly say that this is part one and that the next will deal with how the foreign legions will become so big. Moreover our format is chronological and we are in early June 1941. And then the area of your “expertise” - the Free Corps Denmark was founded on June 29, 1941. To what degree the Danish government, or only individuals of the government sanctioned the corps is disputed. So all in all: what we said is correct. Further developments were announced in the video. The Free Corps Denmark is outside our current timeline. It’s always good to make sure that you’re sure that you yourself have the facts straight before accusing others of not being correct. Is there anything more we can do for you Mr. Danish Historian?

[@Lebowski69]

Excellent video. I am someone who leans unpopularly to the "right" with regards to ww2 history and politics but I really enjoyed the fairly unbiased and fair view of foreign recruits to the SS. I feel this is a relatively fair middle ground that will please neither of the "sides" greatly but it does explain why foreigners might want to join the SS in a realistic way.

[@JohnCamp]

My great grandfather was a Ukrainian SS volunteer who took arms against the red terror. Zero shame about, it we defeated the wrong enemy.

[@JohnCamp]

Mars Attacks do you think a weakened Germany that did overcome the USSR would have the man power left to uphold its empire? The English became a client state of the USA in our own time line and watched its empire get carved up as it helplessly watched.

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

@Mars Attacks You can be for the enemy you don't know who is against the enemy you do know.

[@JohnCamp]

Mars Attacks Mussolini also Planned to rebuild the Roman Empire, that does not mean he had the capability to do it.

[@wickedantionette]

There is a SS galatian monument for them in Canada

[@blackmantis3130]

thanks i was searching for the content

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you found us then!

[@yetigriff]

"Are we the bad guys?"

[@Polygon-yug-9581]

What do you mean by "we"?

[@yetigriff]

@@Polygon-yug-9581 kzbin.info/www/bejne/np-Uh6uXgqqdiLc

[@Polygon-yug-9581]

@@yetigriff Oh! Now I understand.

[@ivanmartinez-jd8gi]

It would be really interesting if you did a video on the blue division.

[@eetutorri8767]

There is interesting thing that because Waffen-SS was separate from Army, it had basically its own supply network. And as German army had priority on weapon shipments, Waffen-SS used large amount of Czech weaponry which was actually still being produced. From pistols to large howitzers. But when German army had some mishaps (real or not) Himmler could divert some "standard" weaponry for his divisions, which army absolutely hated. Even more when it was tanks.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The Waffen-SS often received better equipment than the Wehrmacht. For example they were more likely to be issued the Sturmgewehr assault rifle late in the war.

[@eetutorri8767]

@@stevekaczynski3793 I am talking more about early years but answer to that question is yes and no. There is lot less SS units then army units so the majority of supply went to the army units. Or what was left of it after summer 1944 battles. But what SS units did get in late 1944 was manpower which German army was lacking. And with new soldiers came need for equipment, straight out of the production line.

[@tavish4699]

@@stevekaczynski3793 that was after the july plot in 1944 aftwewhich the nazis didnt trust the army anymore the ss expanded allot after that

[@Endymaeria]

It's so refreshing to have a KZbin Historical Channel have a presenter that has nearly impeccable pronunciation of the Germanic languages 🤘

[@Endymaeria]

Okay, maybe I should've first googled mister Olsson before commenting so I stand corrected. But still; his English is really impressive too!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Why? He is Swedish, but spent a lot of time of his childhood in France. He only learned German at a much later age.

[@Endymaeria]

@@WorldWarTwo oh really. According to Google he's stationed in München. But all the better. Polyglots rule!