The Estonian Waffen-SS Legion: Collaborators or Freedom Fighters? - Estonia in World War II

[@HistoryHustle]

Learn more about non-Germans for the Axis Powers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGSlgYprjLKgetE

[@lebronjames6267]

All the various SS units fought incredibly well and tenaciously on the Narva....

[@HistoryHustle]

A desperate battle.

[@eriktael]

@@HistoryHustle the problem was, that canons where getting too hot.

[@eriktael]

@@HistoryHustle the problem was, that canons where getting too hot.

[@tiernanwearen8096]

@@HistoryHustle I think they were tragic heroes they were fighting for their homes and nations and they had far more reasons to hate the communists than the Germans.

[@haroldgodwinson832]

What a horror for the people involved. How anyone managed to survive this period just amazes me.

[@HistoryHustle]

Many Incredible stories there exist. Sometimes shared by offspring of the survivors.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Everybody got trampled when the Germans came. Either by the Germans or the Soviets. In the Baltic it was usually both.

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes indeed.

[@claudermiller]

Which is why collaboration is often simply survival.

[@mikewest5529]

Just another amazing production!! I have never seen a history hustle I did not enjoy!! Keep up that great work! And stay safe! Until we all meet again!!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks you, Mike!

[@maverickcapitalist1]

No doubt Estonians wanted to protect their land against the Soviet invasions and complete disrespect to their people. There is no question Germany served as a vehicle that would protect them and actually had some dignity to the Estonians. They were not perfect but who was at this time?

[@HistoryHustle]

Fair point, thanks for your reply!

[@DarkSpotz]

Estonian here. Great video. The question of Nazi collaboration has also been a topic of discussion here in Estonia. The Germans did treat us better than the Soviets did. (That isn't to say that there were no repressions by the Germans of the Estonian people) When the Germans came, they were seen as liberators, but of course that euphoria quickly faded and the idea of independence was quickly eliminated. When the tide had turned by 1944, joining the German army to fight along side the Germans was the only real option for the defence of the homeland. The Estonians didn't really care for the Nazi ideology Some also opted to join the Finns, like already mentioned in the video. The Estonians were also hoping for help from the Western democracies to continue independence after the war but they were fighting along side the Russians and by that time it was already decided that the Baltic countries would stay in the Russian sphere of influence after the war.

[@eesti1234]

Ei Üttle!

[@arturslauss213]

Latvians except for the Finnish part have the same tragic situation. I say that they were not glorious heroes, they were not evil Nazis, they were victims of a war no Latvian wanted. Their story and hopes shall not be forgotten. And then you see western liberal media produce such articles as “Latvian skinheads celebrate Nazis”.

[@eugenlitwin5887]

"The Germans did treat us better than the Soviets did." the same story was in Belarus, My grandmother was not afraid of Germans , but NKVD terrorists & pro - stalin collaborators ( so called communist - "partisans", Belarusians even today call them - the bandits from forest ) have terrorized my family every night .... kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJ7bhayvh9ulsKs "Відэа распавядае пра злачынства ў вёсцы Дражна - 25 мірных жыхароў, былі забітыя ў 1943 г. партызанамі трох савецкіх і аднаго габрэйскага атрадаў."

[@paulroman3402]

1944??? the tide turned way before 1944, Estonians aligned themselves with the Nazis way before 1944 as well, read the book The Battle for Moscow, Daniel Stahel, the war was over in '41. Countries like Estonia who were nazi allies, should have paid reparations.

[@DarkSpotz]

@@paulroman3402 I wrote "by 1944." i.e by that time it HAD already turned yep. The Germans were already on the retreat/defense in the beginning of 1943.

[@janthorpe9144]

When I was 17 I worked part time as a car detailer in Newcastle Australia. There were 3 of us looking after a lot of new and used vehicles in a big dealership. Hugo was my " trainer " - a terrific guy who I still remember so fondly ( this was 53 years ago ). He was an Estonian who had come to Australia as a refugee or a DP ( displaced person ) post WW2. He was also a former member of the Estonian SS. A fact that only emerged when he was drunk - which was frequently. His enemy was and still the USSR. I know the SS committed unspeakable crimes against civilians but his only issue he claimed, was with the Soviets. I studied 20th century Estonian history later academically. It is complicated for sure but I could certainly understand his hatred of the Soviets. Sadly I do not know what became of him.

[@arturslauss213]

The story of Estonia and Latvia is extremely similar here. So many horrors committed by the Soviets serving as motivation. Two great evils occupying land they have no rights to and forcing men into military service, to be march off to death. The vast majority did not believe in the Nazi ideology and hoped to kick out the Germans after the Soviets are no longer a threat. They were not glorious heroes, they were not evil Nazis, they were victims of a war no Latvian wanted. Their story and hopes shall not be forgotten.

[@arturslauss213]

@D Tops The phrasing isn’t quoted from anywhere that I’m aware of. It’s a statement that has come from all the knowledge that I have accumulated on this important subject. But I’m defiantly not the only person that has come to such a conclusion, far from it.

[@Loreless]

So Who killed all Jews in Latvia and Estonia? Nazi and Soviets were evil regimes I agree but many Latvian and Estonian SS Men commited war crimes.

[@jtns2845]

@@Loreless nonsense, the latvian and estonian volunteers were specifically exempted from any collective war crimes guilt. to be intellectually fair let’s examine the role of jewish communists who supported the soviets since 1917.

[@Loreless]

@@jtns2845 the most Latvians fought for the Red Army in 1917. The first division in Red Army created by Leon Trotsky was a Latvian one.

[@arturslauss213]

@@Loreless Yes many Latvians did fight for the Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war. Latvians went to fight during ww1 to protect their homes and families from the Germans and in some ways the fact you get to fight Germans after hundreds of years of serfdom to German nobles, did sound appealing. The Russians failed them during the war and the Tsar was blamed. Then you have Lenin who promised land, bread and peace for the people. When you already serve in the army and the command sides with him of course you’re going to side with them. During/after the civil war almost all men saw through the communist lies and when returning home, to now independent Latvia, they knew were their loyalty truly stands.

[@robertherm8381]

An excellent book (but probably difficult to find at this point) was written in the early 1990s by one of the Estonian volunteers recounting his life prior to World War 2 and his service during the war. He eventually settled in Wisconsin and after retiring from his career as a physician finally put pen to paper. It is called "Capful of Wind" and his name is Arved Ojama (he went by the name Arvid Ashby in United States).

[@f0nt]

Thank you for making this video ! I want people to understand why I and many Estonians consider them as heros and hopefully this video helps others see our perspective. My great-grandfather was part of the 20th Waffen Greandier division and I consider him as a hero.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@luciazoccante9647]

Shame on you

[@robmuru3675]

Thanks History hustle! Great vid and history recap. My dad was was drafted into the ss but took off to finland and was with the estonians in the Finnish army. Thanks for taking the time for putting ww2 into estonian context. Its not easy and nobody gets it.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@ninaakari5181]

What happened to him when the war was over? I also want to add: Big respect for him, he is a hero!

[@marcboblee1863]

Freedom fighters without a doubt..thanks for posting...

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching!

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

Your channel keeps getting better! Amazing at the end of the war that many took to the forests; as “forest brothers”. The last brother was captured in the 80s!

[@HistoryHustle]

I've heard of it.

[@Meelis13]

estonian here so gonna factcheck debatable remark at 1:00- first off, estonians arent baltics, but finno-ugrics. Furthermore, as far as actual estonians in red army went during independence war, there was some, and i suppose it can be called many, however i wouldnt call it numerous. error 1 at 1:34- believe it or not, it was actually exact opposite- germans were seen up until 1940 the main historical enemy of estonians, with alliance with russians, while not great, was vastly preferrable to alliance with germans. Estonian goverment did try to keep ok relations with Germany though. It wasnt fresh grudge either- it was brewing for 700 years at that point. Also additional information- while it didnt become upright public knowledge, estonian goverment did know about the secret protocols pretty much as soon as they were signed. Good example is found in biography about Lennart Georg Meri, first estonian president after regaining independence. His father was high level estonian diplomat before ww2 and he found out about it pretty much the same night. Error 2 is at 2:09- Orzel wasnt captured, but interned according to Hague convention protocols of 1907 per status of neutral country. Yes, de facto its same but its the reasoning that matters here. Error 3 is at 2:27- Baltic germans were forced to leave because Hitler, not Stalin. I dont like either, but lets blame the correct people. Have to add to 2:46- while it is true that despite germans being seen as main enemies, the goverment still tried to play soviets and nazis against eachother to preserve independence. So they did try to get closer to Germany, but also to USSR. As result, foreign policy at middle of 1940 was at its dead end. addition to 4:35- NKVD organised massacre is definetly one of atrocities, but i wouldve also mentioned particularly gruesome Kautla massacre. 5:30- another highly debatable topic. While it is true (sadly) that some estonians did help germans, overall, i wouldnt say estonians were cooperative, considering there was very active resistance to germans as well as soviets. Germans were tolerated more though because most believed (as history proved, correctly) that germans will lose the war, but hoped to repeat 1918, where Estonia managed to use the german loss in ww1 to de facto establish independence. Also "had offered services"?! whoa buddy. Nope, i really need you to specify how that "offered services" happened. It was same as with soviets- either obey or see you shot or imprisoned. Not exactly "offering services", now, is it? 7:44- ok, i honestly want to know what source you have on this. To my knowledge, there is absolutely 0 evidence that estonian waffen-SS soldiers were at the concentration camps (though there were few estonians overall, just not from rank and file soldiers). Thats because they were seen too untrustworthy by the germans. Im gonna be honest- while you did cover very complex topic in very little time, you wouldve been better off focusing on main question posed in the title, as you left out very crucial info, like giant chunks of it. While your most mistakes were minor and honestly me just nitpicking, the overall view is honestly flawed due to already mentioned giant chunks of info missing. For instance there is literally no mention of forest brothers being active in german occupation as well. Not to mention few of the things you mentioned do sound like they are taken from soviet era myths current Russia perpetuates. So your sources could need some improvement. Still, like i said, you did rather good job compressing very complex topic and keeping it relatively neutral.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for taking the time to write this comment. National-wise the Estonians are Baltic. Ethnic and linguistically indeed Finno-ugrics. Point 1 is not what I read in my source Joining Hitler's Crusade. European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941 (David Stahel) The Baltic States (Valdis O. Lumans). Point 2, defacto the same indeed. Point 3, here the fact that English isn't my first language slips in. I tried to say: Baltic Germans were forced to leave and the Soviet annexed the nation. It was indeed Hitler who urged them to. Point 4, about Estonians being co-operative its all-in-all. It doesn't mean the Estonians were co-operative 100% of the time and sure there's room for nuance. Yet, this episode is concerned about the Estonians Waffen-SS volunteers. Your claim: " It was same as with soviets- either obey or see you shot or imprisoned. Not exactly "offering services", now, is it?" I don't think this is true. Soviet rule was much harsher. The Germans had the Estonians in higher regard as the Soviets. Point 5, source: Joining Hitler's Crusade. European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941 (David Stahel) The Baltic States (Valdis O. Lumans). As for the title, I'm gonna be honest, it's clickbait. That's how it works in KZbin land and that's how I work. Sure a topic to be covered more inpdepth. Again, thanks for taking the time to review the episode.

[@matskustikee]

@@HistoryHustle As an Estonian ii'm not agree with you, we are not as Balts we share olny geografic locations and thats it, not linguistically or culture, although we are good neighbors to each other

[@toomaskarmo9435]

@@matskustikee Thank you, Mats Kustik. We have to be bracketed ethnographically with the Finns. - (signed) Toomas Karmo, in Nõo Rural Municipality, Tartumaa County, Estonia

[@edusc6893]

@@HistoryHustle nationality wise, Estonians are Finnic

[@SLavaluChinang5]

You praise Mettsavennad?

[@danditto6145]

Really an amazing history! Love the video. I have always wanted to buy land in Estonia or Finland as they are so beautiful, too bad about their horrible neighbor.

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes, thanks for watching 👍

[@stephengoodwin6403]

great episode--this same could be applied to many occupied countries ,mostly in the east.There are many photos of Germans being enthusiastically welcomed by locals upon arriving in their areas.The German's worst mistakes was not exploiting this further,and instead installing ham handed provincial leader's,such as Erich Koch,in Ukraine

[@kenbaumann597]

I met a friend of a friend back in the 80's who told me a lot of what his parents told him when he was younger. His mother was Lithuanian and his father was Polish and they were there to see everything happen from 1939 to 1944. They withdrew to the west when the Russian juggernaut was returning to the region in 1944. When the Russians annexed the Baltic states in 1940, they absolutely terrorised the local population deporting and executing tens of thousands from each Baltic state. Not a single family escaped losing at least one family member to Stalin's NKVD and Commissar murderers. The hatred this formented was indescribable. When Barbarossa started in June 1941, the Baltic peoples (as well as the Ukranians) rose in jubilation at the arrival of the Germans and these people flocked to help and support the Germans in any way they could. This"traiterous" behaviour by the former victims of Stalin absolutely rankled "Uncle" Joe because he knew that word was going to get out to the rest of the world that his own people were raising against him and aiding the invaders. This couldn't be allowed to happen. Stalin devised a method to turn this around against the Germans. This is where my friend of a friend filled in a lot of detail that his parents told him because they were there to see it with their own eyes. Stalin had hundreds of German POWs that he ordered to hand over their uniforms immediately. He then organised Soviet paratroop drops behind German lines accompanied by NKVD thugs. When they reorganised back together after being dropped near a recently captured village or town by the Germans, the NKVD and paratroops donned their German uniforms and descended on the target village. They rounded up the whole populace and executed almost all of them, leaving a few survivors they let go to tell people in neighbouring communities that "The Germans did it". This wasn't done once or twice but MANY times until the poor Russian peasants became petrified at the sight of the Germans coming. Leave it to Uncle Joe to get his countrymen in line by killing his own people and then blaming somebody else for it

[@billd.iniowa2263]

What gets me is the film showing girls throwing flowers to the German troops as they rolled thru town. I can only imagine the horror they felt when they finally realized what was going to happen to them.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

@@kenbaumann597 Key word: thugs

[@Blunderbussy]

yeah but if they didn't want to implement Generalplan Ost, then they wouldn't be in that war to begin with. Like, the whole deal with the nazis is that they were nazis. So they wouldn't have shown mercy nor 'liberate' the people because their whole point was to exterminate them. They were not liberators, that was never their intention, so they would have never treated them fairly. If they did, they wouldn't been nazis.

[@stephengoodwin6403]

@@kenbaumann597 ,this is correct.This afternoon,I spoke to an Estonian friend of mine.Her father who lived through it confirmed what you said.He was a rural policeman and said they found plenty of evidence of this.During WW1,Germans were well thought of in the Baltic,as well as Ukraine,(western Ukraine-Galicia,was part of the Austro Hungarian empire for many years,so there was a strong influence and sympathy).Stalin did the same with the political murders in Poland,(the Katyn massacre,and other similiar actions).Communists always blame others for what they themselves either have done or will do

[@jaanus4568]

Very informative. My great grandfather was also in the Estonian Police battalion.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply! What can you tell us about his experiences?

[@jaanus4568]

@@HistoryHustle I don't know much as he didn't like to talk about it, and all I know is what my father told me. So pretty much he was a police officer before the Soviet occupation, and when the Soviets occupied Estonia they tried to deport my great grandfather during the June deportations however he managed to go hiding. When the Germans came he was put in the Police battalion and got sent off to Belarus, I don't know what he did there or if he killed somebody as he didn't talk about it. Towards the end of the war he became sick and was sent back to Estonia to recover, and then he tried to escape to the West into Germany but it was too late as the Soviets were already advancing into Estonia, and managed to cut off Estonia from Germany so he went to Tallinn and stayed there. After the war when Soviets found out he was in the Police Battalion they sentenced him to 30 years in gulag and he was sent Kazakhstan, however after Stalin died they reviewed his case and his sentence was shortened to 8 years of which he served only 5 years thanks to good behavior, he was a builder in the gulag and when he returned to Estonia I believe he became a builder and lived to tell the tale and live for a few more decades.

[@HistoryHustle]

Very interesting to read. Many thanks for sharing this.

[@jaanus4568]

@@HistoryHustle No problem. Thanks for asking.

[@Xycomm]

Estonia is by far my most favorite nation out of all the others that lended a hand to helping the Germans fight Bolshevism. I think this comes from the fact that many Estonians weren’t fighting for Germany or their NWO but for the hope that their native Estonia would be better off. There is a movie that covers both a German Estonian soldier and a soviet Estonian soldier during the 2nd battle for Estonia. I cannot remember the name however I implore anybody and everybody to watch it. It’s a great film!!

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

Film is called "1944"

[@HistoryHustle]

I've seen it a while back. It was pretty well made.

[@indrekennusaar8141]

1944

[@Heir_Blitz117]

You know they killed jews as well right?

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

I’d love to hear your opinion of Estonian nationalists actions against Jews in their country

[@davidmbeckmann]

Have you covered the Bttle of Narva in detail, especially the magnificent Dutch contribution?

[@HistoryHustle]

Hope one day on location. I did cover the Dutch legion that fought there. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4PUY2uPjLlpmJo

[@inimolend]

Thank you for explaining this. The fact that the nationality formerly considered oppressors (the Germans) were greeted with flowers after just one year of the Soviet rule - I think it really puts things into perpective. Or as my great uncle said: "What Soviets did in Kuressaare in 1941 was so terrible, that I, a 60 year old man fled from my home." (He managed to escape to Sweden and good for him because as a shopkeeper he would have probably been arrested and deported/killed as soon as the Soviets got back.) The atrocities these people did in Estonia were so bad people were ready to wear any uniform to fight against them. What other possibility did we have to fight against the Soviet occupation?

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply.

[@gennarosavastano9424]

amen, old people in my place say "10 Germans is better then 1 soviet"

[@TimDutch]

I think the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' can very well be applied to the situation of the Baltic people.

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes, indeed.

[@HistoryHustle]

In this case it was.

[@TimDutch]

@@wernervoss6357 in hindsight it was.

[@GunnyKeith]

Thanks brother. Great topic, great coverage

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@noahbpeters]

Again a great and informative video. The baltics are in my vision very exciting, because one doesn't hear much about them

[@HistoryHustle]

Very interesting, thanks for your reply!

[@mammuchan8923]

Great work as always 🌟. I always feel for the small countries that get caught up in these situations.

[@Adrian-ju7cm]

If only the big bullies would leave the small ones alone.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks 👍

[@otto253]

The film 1944 is a decent look into this topic, the second half also covers Estonian service in the Red Army.

[@HistoryHustle]

Good movie yes!

[@wmelliott3802]

Brilliant highly informative episode, keep up the splendid work Sir.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you!

[@joeMama-ls5km]

Great vid as always! Next I think you should cover Latvian or maybe finnish volunteers in the German army/SS

[@HistoryHustle]

Will be covered but can't tell when.

[@karlmuller3690]

@@HistoryHustle - Excellent!! I was wondering when you would do that.

[@JohnSmith-vg4jd]

When your only choice is join bad, join worse or be murdered by both, you choose bad. Take your pick on who that was.

[@HistoryHustle]

It was understandable.

[@louisritter7906]

Hello! Are you planning to make a video about the Latvian legion? Latvia shared a very similar destiny with Estonia. I would gladly provide some materials on the Latvian legion, if needed.

[@HistoryHustle]

Will make it, but can't tell when.

[@grazianolaudisio3644]

Like your outfit, looks similar to the uniform at the background.

[@HistoryHustle]

It's a drill jacket. The cloth is different but the form has similaties. Thanks!

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

@@HistoryHustle I couldn't help but notice, the jacket has no shoulder straps.

[@john-r-edge]

Confirms the truism that the real world is very complicated.

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes.

[@jamie7026]

Thanks for the video, many hard choices were made, it make me think of the saying 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend ', we cannot understand the horrors of this time, the choice people made, a great time of sadness, but as Stefan is doing , it's a time to teach, and to learn, so that people's are never forced into these horror"s again . As I have said man cannot rule man, but individuals can be friends, well doneon the fair reporting on another win situation

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks again for your response 👌

[@ellitvinstand-up5287]

Freedom Fighters, who had no other choice ...

[@HistoryHustle]

I understand.

[@luciazoccante9647]

​@@HistoryHustleI don't

[@danielhammersley2869]

Estonia's story in History during WW2 is truly an "out of the frying pan" and into the fire" tale. Choosing the lesser (at the time) of two evil Socialist powers (Nazi Germany & Stalin's USSR) shows readers and viewers alike that some things are layered in grey far more than black and white absolutes people wish it was. In no way does their story as a Nation cover up what they themselves did in atrocities towards the Jews who remained there. There, they did collaborate in Nazi war crimes unequivocally. Yet they themselves dwelling there were part of the Ostkrieg itself, and defense of their homeland on the side of the Nazi German war machine was tenacious, and fierce. One can condemn the crimes as crimes, but you cannot dismiss out of hand their fighting for their lives against the Soviets, either. To do one and not the other is an incomplete telling of what happened. Excellent video again Professor! Alles Goede!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply 👍

[@danielhammersley2869]

@@HistoryHustle , You, TIK, & Mark Felton, & House of History are my go to for the lost "corners" of History of the world, Professor. 😎👍👍

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Respect for the hustle. Greetings from Roermond NL.

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks :)

[@claudermiller]

Collaborators or freedom fighters. As always depends on who wins.

[@HistoryHustle]

Fair point.

[@ObsidianObelisk17]

Thank you so much for making this. I am American, but I had agreat-grandfather who was in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division. I did a lot of research on him a while back and found what little I could, and it amazes and shocks me how long he survived. He entered service with the Estonian army in 1936, and after the USSR invaded he was absorbed into the Red Army during an unspecified date. Unwillingly, of course. In another unspecified date in 1943, if I'm remembering correctly, he was "captured" (that's all it said, "captured" and a date) by the SS. He served with them, either being forced to serve or volunteering, until his death shortly after the Battle of Narva. He seemed to have been buried without a grave marker, or at least one without his name on it. My great-grandfather lived in Estonia before it was its own nation, and his wife, a Russian Jew (another miraculous survival case), fled to Estonia from Russia during the Russian Revolution. They had a son together, then a daughter, the latter born in 1944. He likely never knew he had a daughter. His wife and children stayed in Estonia until the early 1950s, when they secured enough contacts to get them out of the ESSR. His wife, my great-grandmother, sent her children ahead of her to person after person through northern Europe for weeks before they reunited with their mother in England, where they boarded a boat to New York. My great-grandmother had a lifelong hatred of Russians and Germans, going so far as to break down and make a scene, objecting to the wedding of her daughter to a man, an American, who happened to have a German last name. My great-grandmother lived up until the mid 2000s, and my grandmother, her daughter, is still alive. I always found war an interesting topic. There are so many conflicting shades of gray morality in it. War truly isn't about who's right, but who's left. I've had someone tell me "there's no good reason to join the SS," and while most of the time I'd agree with that, I have a mixed stance here. You arm yourself up against a nation that has attacked and ruled over you before, and they take control again. Your wife, a refugee from those lands, is terrified. You hear rumors of these "GULAGs," work camps in frigid, foodless conditions. Your occupiers have notes and books and papers on everyone, so if they kill you, they'll ID you and kill your family, your wife and children. If you get captured, you and your family will be sent to work camps, maybe separated. What they'll do to your wife... You give in and join the occupier and keep your mouth shut, for you and your family's sake. Later on, an old ally comes in, relationship strained as it may be, you once looked upon them as friends. They look at your resistance and say "we will give you uniforms, we will give you weapons, we will give you vehicles." They are propaganda made physical, but it's the propaganda you want to hear. "The Reds took away your flag and kill any that wave it. We will put your flag on your new uniforms." These old allys come in now as liberators, arming freedom fighters and reinvigorating the national identity. "Captured" is how it was recorded. Did your position get overrun and you fought to the last bullet, being dragged away kicking as a prisoner? Did you turn on your own squad? Did you surrender? Did you abandon your camp in the night because they underfed you, running to enemy lines with arms raised yelling "brothers, I submit!" Whichever way, you're with the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division now. Do they really care about your freedom? Do they really want to give you liberty again? Are they going to let you wave your flag? Will Estonia be Estonia after you push the Reds out of Estonia, or will you be another state for Germany to take? You give in and join the "liberator" and keep your mouth shut, for you and your family's sake. What they'll do to a man married to and breeding with a Russian Jew... I have mixed feelings on the whole "I was following orders" thing. I doubt many Estonians joined the 20th because they *liked* the Nazis, but rather joined because they *disliked* the Russians. If you win freedom from a country through conflict in 1918, they attack you in 1927, then attack you AGAIN in 1939, I don't think you'd be too happy with them. If someone rolled up and offered guns and vehicles and your national symbols on fresh uniforms, even if you disliked them, you'd probably have an "I'll deal with you later" mindset. "You can always say no! You can always resist!" The human mind will do a lot to preserve yourself, and panic and life-or-death situations does a lot to your senses. You can say no, you can resist, and they'll kill you and your family. I'm sure some people did this. If one says war and siding with evil is consensual and complacent, then wouldn't slavery be? You can always say no to your slave driver, or resist your slave driver. I'm in no way trying to justify atrocities, I'm only putting forward something that many people don't think about when it comes to these, namely survival instinct. We live such extremely comfortable lives in the modern world that the idea of a gun being forced into our hands and an order to fire on prisoners, or being forced to do labor for 18 hours a day in the hot sun with the constant threat of death over our heads would be near unimaginable for most people. To wrap this up because I wrote far more than I intended, if I had a chance to meed my great-grandfather and give him my two cents on him being in the SS, I would have neither praise nor criticism. I'd give him the simple statement, "I see."

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you for watching and take the time to write this elaborate reply.

[@ralepej]

What you mean about attack of 1927?

[@melorange1678]

" My enemies enemy is my friend ". Not hard to understand the dilemma. Ultimately having to choose the least awful of the two. We cannot judge from our comfortable position of safety and hind site.

[@Sihvu]

This is one of the greatest takes on the subject i have ever read. From an estonian perspective, this should be compulsory reading for the people who jugde us and also to the foreigners who come living here. And i love the conclusion: "I see". It is not that we want people to 100% understand us but to see it from our perspective. Thank you and fare well !

[@IronHullIronHeart]

I can't blame Estonians and Latvians for their collaboration with Germany; I think they were just trying to fight for their own freedom and indipendence, and they fought very hard. For anyone interested, both Estonian and Latvian SS formations readapted the infamous song "SS marschiert in feindesland" in their own language. The songs are "zem mūsu kājām" for the Latvians and "Narva pataljon laul" for the Estonians.

[@arturslauss213]

Sadly western liberal media produces such disgusting false narrative pushing articles as “Latvian skinheads celebrate Nazis”.

[@IronHullIronHeart]

@@arturslauss213 yes, same goes for the Russian medias. A couple of years ago I watched a reportage made by RT TV(Russia Today) about Latvians celebrating their SS soldiers; it was utterly ridiculous.

[@HistoryHustle]

Like this it almost seems like once again Estonia and Latvia are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Luckily not as bad as back in the day.

[@krzysztofstolarczyk7773]

Polish submarine - ORP Orzeł (Polish Republic Ship - Eagle)

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@karlmuller3690]

@@HistoryHustle - How could the Soviets claim that the Estonians had violated their own nutrallity, when the Polish Sub came into the harbour more or less, "uninvited", and then left agian anyway, or was it just an excuse to invade?

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

@@HistoryHustle there is a great Polish ancient film 🎥 about those events. At that time I could not guess what was that country they acosted in the film

[@draug7966]

They were caught between a rock and a hard place but from their point of wiew i guess it made sense to collaborate with the germans since they had already seen what the soviet union was capable of, and after all the germans fought the soviets so they probably felt like they were on the same side to some extent.

[@kebertxela941]

That was the driving force behind much of the eastern front,the Jews were a 2nd or even 3rd "concern" for most locals.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your insights on this.

[@DarkImplement]

@@kebertxela941 3rd "Concern" in a sense to barbarically slaughter them? Or to protect them from Germans?

[@t.jjohnson6317]

Very informative vid.. big thanks

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks :)

[@garlicandchilipreppers8533]

After Narwa, those Estonians that wanted to stay with the Germans, regrouped in Oberlogau, Silesia, now Glogowek Poland. They got completely surrounded by the Red Army, in march 1945, Oberlogau Kessel. Around the 17 march, the entrapped troops in the Kessel broke out, all 19500. They formed a column shoulder to shoulder and moved out in the night to the Czech border leaving all the heavy equipment behind, only getting harrased by tank fire into the column. I live about 10km south of Glogowek and from the back of my house can see the town and the route the column moved to the hills. There is very little written history about the battle of Silesia but the Red Army took a mauling here in the area I live because of the high concentration of 88mm flak guns used to defend the Nitrogen plant and other industries in Heidelbrek and Blechammer. Can you a talk about the battle of Dukla? It is probably the least known about battle.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply with additional information. If I ever cover Dukla I do that on location. Won't be traveling though for anytime soon.

[@garlicandchilipreppers8533]

@@HistoryHustle wanner je tijd hebt laat mij weten want i ben ook nedelands taig en ik gaat mee, groetjes Scott

[@HistoryHustle]

Ok

[@LethalSaliva]

7:31 beautiful dog

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@GreatRetro]

My Grandfather was deported to Siberia and his brother joined the Estonian Legion. He died at Tannenberg Line in 1944 defending out Homeland!!!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing. Did you ever speak to your grandfather about his experiences? What did he tell you about life in Siberia?

[@GreatRetro]

​@@HistoryHustle Nah. He died before I was born. But my mom said that he never told about those Gulag camps he was in... He was a Tailor and in those Gulag camps he used to tailor suits for communist officers, so he was spared from the extremely hard labor that people there had to indure! Then my grandfather teached all Estonians he could in the camp he was in, so all of them were spared and after 15 years of camps most of them managed to return back to Estonia. When my grandfather died to his funeral came a lot of people that we didn't even know... they were those who he saved back in the camps. So they did tell us about all that but my granddad never did.

[@rose415]

always interesting TY

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@rose415]

@@HistoryHustle I’m from Dallas Texas, in case you wanted to know how far your presentations reach.

[@HistoryHustle]

Awesome!

[@mikeytoddure6382]

Excellent video sir..my thanks💯

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks :)

[@XHollisWood]

Excellent Research Professor ❤️ love your channel 👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks 👍 as always!

[@davidraper5798]

Fascinating and well presented.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you!

[@dickvansteijn4115]

Freedomfighters 100%

[@MrKakibuy]

Freedom of who? As far as I know Germany had no intention of creating independent baltic nations. They probably wanted to annex them teutonic style.

[@arturslauss213]

@@MrKakibuy The intentions of the Legionaries and the intentions of Nazi Germany match only in the hate for communism. The vast majority of the Legionaries didn’t believe in the Nazi ideology. They had hope in their harts that they will be able to kick out the Germans after the Soviets are no longer a threat.

[@justinusberger3933]

@@MrKakibuy They would have been left to run their own affairs by the Germans had the Soviet Union been defeated.

[@MrKakibuy]

@@justinusberger3933 Yes, no doubt that an ideology that centres on expansion and "lebensraum" will just abandon the huge amount of territory they stood to gain from defeating the soviet union.

[@Blunderbussy]

@@justinusberger3933 Imagine ignoring the existance of Generalplan Ost

[@krystiangoszczycki6520]

All the Baltic countries got sold out to Soviet Union which was terrible for us

[@HistoryHustle]

Sad times.

[@nikkibaugher2427]

Yes, Professor, this was a "hopeless" cause. But they did serve honorably and with valor.

[@HistoryHustle]

At the end though, Estonia did became independent as it is today.

[@zacht1217]

Like always amazing video brother keep it up made my way to work a lot better

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍

[@EuroRus2024]

Freedom Fighters!

[@HistoryHustle]

Ok.

[@putasmileonakidsface615]

Great content and presentation. Ty mr history teacher.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@randyoehling6010]

Fascinating. Any Lithuanian participating? Looking forward to more research into these collaborators.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks. More on Lithuania later.

[@caslinden1373]

Mooie video man 👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Bedankt!

[@TeikonGom]

Freedom fighters.

[@HistoryHustle]

I see.

[@danielboydcooper6850]

This is why I'm a history buff, thank you sir.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@Pootycat8359]

There was also the "Free Russian Airforce." I don't know much about them, except from the aviation point of view. They employed the old Imperial Russian insignia (a large white disk, surrounded by blue & red bands, ie, similar to the old, and now current, Russian flag), and they flew Me-262s!

[@kami-kaze5084]

Professor Stephan do you know if there were any polish volunteers for the waffen ss? I hear about volunteers from many countries and ethnicities but never poles. Do you have any information on that? Thank you for your time!

[@HistoryHustle]

No there weren't. Only some ethnic Germans from the former Polish state.

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Great video and a great story

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@t0ny1189]

Nothing's ever as simple as it seems...perception is everything.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Did you commented same thing 3 times 😅😂

[@t0ny1189]

@@ShubhamMishrabro yup...internet was messed up 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

@@t0ny1189 😭😭😂😂😂

[@HistoryHustle]

perception is everything.

[@TheRealKen69420]

I’m Estonian

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@josephbingham1255]

Collaborators or Freedom fighters. Both! After the fall of the Soviet Union in Dec. 1991 Estonia made medals for all the surviving members of the Estonian Legion they could find. Medals for fighting Communism. A subtitled movie titled "1944" about the Estonian Legion is available.

[@SLavaluChinang5]

National-socialism rather than Communism? 🤡🤡🤡

[@josephbingham1255]

@@SLavaluChinang5 The Ukraine (Times of Israel June 18, 2023) and Estonia still honor their WW2 SS fighters. That gives us an idea of how those countries viewed the Soviet Union under Stalin.

[@moumouhigi5837]

there is a movie about that division its name is i think

[@HistoryHustle]

Good movie!

[@moumouhigi5837]

@@HistoryHustle yeah highly recommend it if u want to watch

[@8000296]

It is another great Saturday evening!

[@HistoryHustle]

Great to read.

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

Excellent, spent some time there a few years ago

[@HistoryHustle]

Great country indeed!

[@jamesbodnarchuk3322]

My friend Lithuanian family was evacuated to Germany during the war

[@Kevc00]

Have to say this series about the axis foreign volunteers is one of the best history series on KZbin

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks 👍

[@robertthirlby1179]

Good work professor!

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks :)

[@adamradziwill]

first forced to fight for the foreign country, than years and years of stalinist hell "two largest waves of deportations occurred in June 1941 and March 1949 simultaneously in all three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The deportations targeted various categories of anti-Soviet elements and "enemies of the people": nationalists (i.e. political elite, military officers, policemen of independent Estonia), Forest Brothers, kulaks, and others. There were deportations based on nationality (Germans in 1945 and Ingrian Finns in 1947-1950) and religion (Jehovah's Witnesses in 1951).[1] Estonians residing in the Leningrad Oblast had already been subjected to deportation since 1935.[2][3] People were deported to remote areas of the Soviet Union, predominantly to Siberia and northern Kazakhstan,[4] by means of railroad cattle cars. Entire families, including children and the elderly, were deported without trial or prior announcement. Of March 1949 deportees, over 70% of people were women and children under the age of 16.[5] About 7,550 families, or 20,600 to 20,700 people, were deported from Estonia.[6] The Estonian Internal Security Service has brought to justice several past organizers of these events.[7] The deportations have been repeatedly declared to constitute a crime against humanity by the Parliament of Estonia[8] and acknowledged as such by the European Court of Human Rights.[9] " one for sure. a border with Muscovy is the worst in the world ....

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information.

[@frankwhite3406]

A most interesting, informative and enjoyable episode indeed!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@koryos4273]

Is there a video about the latvian volunteers?

[@HistoryHustle]

Not yet.

[@est_tazer7725]

Great video about the Estonian legion. My great grand father served in the 3rd Estonian Border Guard Regiment, mainly fought in the battle of the Tannenberg Line and died at 96 years old. Edit:Not 95, i forgot he was 96

[@FreekZoontjes]

Did your great grand father tell something about his memories of his participation in the battle of the Tannenberg Line. The OKH trusted e.g. the Estonian Waffen-SS conscripts to fight at the hardest sector of the Tannenberg Line.

[@est_tazer7725]

@@FreekZoontjes He didn't say much, about the fighting mainly but how he retreated with the germans and how he got an wound to his face and left or right leg (I don't remember which) the wounds were a grenades shrapnel. After Estonia got independence he was seen for his service in ww2 and got awarded an medal, I got the medal after he passed away and the medals document. Also got some books that he owned and one of the books was signed by former education minister, Jaak Aaviksoo.

[@HistoryHustle]

Very interesting to read. Many thanks for sharing this.

[@marcoskehl]

Aitäh! Thank you!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@josephgonzales4802]

I hope you make a video on the Spanish Blue Division soon.😊

[@HistoryHustle]

Already did that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2m4g4ONaqqIfLM

[@manfredvonrichtofen3863]

Just a question, why does it say Northern Ireland where England and Wales should be ? (On the background map)

[@HistoryHustle]

This German map gives the name of the whole country: "England and Northern Ireland". The letters of the latter word ended up over England.

[@manfredvonrichtofen3863]

@@HistoryHustle Ohhh thank you I didnt see the "und"

[@tingtong8781]

The full name of the British state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I understand that it’s a German map and it looks like the United Kingdom part was omitted for reasons of space; it actually says Great Britain and Northern Ireland in German (if you look closely you will see the word und (and) over the north of Wales).

[@m.r.h5644]

we just wanted our country free.

[@HistoryHustle]

Understandable.

[@krisfrederick5001]

The enemy of your enemy is your friend...

[@HistoryHustle]

That's where it came down to.

[@Oberschutzee]

respect from lithuania

[@HistoryHustle]

Interesting enough there never existed Lithuanian Waffen-SS, but there was collaboration.

[@icecoffee1361]

Great insight into another part of ww2 history

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@serioussam4105]

Since there`s a word history in the name of your channel could you please in the end credits point to the credible sources where you get your figures from and links to historical documents if possible.

[@HistoryHustle]

See video discription.

[@serioussam4105]

@@HistoryHustle Have you read all of those books ?

[@tonycavanagh1929]

The saddest fact was that Stalin wanted to make pact with Britain and France. The pact was that all 3 countries would guarantee the borders of all the nations in Europe. But Chamberlain the man who sold out the Czechs for peace was not interested. So Stalin made a deal with Germany. Part of that deal was Germany selling out the Baltic states as well as the invasion and partition of Poland. I have no idea why the British and French did not take that pact. The thinking and this was very dumb thinking, that Germany and the USSR would come to blows. But to do that they would have to meet in Poland. A country whose borders, the French and British would guarantee. What a total cluster feck. The 3 Baltic countries sold out by everyone.

[@HistoryHustle]

This is more about the lead up to WW2. There were lots of words and offered pacts. Have to read more about it to reply properly.

[@tonycavanagh1929]

@@HistoryHustle William L. Shirer went into this in quite a lot of detail, when discussing the lead up to the war.

[@Axjc102]

You cant really fraun on the Estonians for wanting to join the German because they were oppressed, killed, and sent to gulags under the soviet rasime, they didn't have any choice other then the Nazis or people who were just killing them

[@HistoryHustle]

It is understandable yes.

[@wandawooten5807]

Thank you.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@marianodelcampo1025]

Saludos desde Argentina buen video

[@HistoryHustle]

Gracias!

[@cathanmccann1769]

Could you make a video on the Irish waffen ss soliders

[@HistoryHustle]

Not anytime soon.

[@cathanmccann1769]

@@HistoryHustle ok thank you

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for understanding.

[@karlmuller3690]

Cathan Mc Cann - There WAS an Irish Waffen SS? WOW!! I had no idea ...

[@cathanmccann1769]

@@karlmuller3690 there wasn't an Irish waffen ss but 2 or more Irish men served in the waffen SS. They were originally British soldiers but they got drunk (typical Irish) and were courtmarshield by the British and Shouted Fuck The King and Up the IRA which lead to them being put in jail on the island Of Jersey. When the Germans captured them they had a choice to be sent to Germany to work in factories or join them so the Irish men decided to Join them. There's a whole KZbin video on it and it might explain it more. It's a very interesting story.

[@oliversinik7191]

gOOD STUFF

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks.

[@kingstar0084]

Could you make a video about all the Ukrainian Formations in the Wehrmacht?

[@HistoryHustle]

One day.

[@kingstar0084]

@@HistoryHustle Nice, and the Belorussian Forces would be interesting as well

[@HistoryHustle]

One day;)

[@formationsvolunteers6928]

teacher, I researched how many Waffen SS (Estonia) soldiers were active, and it gave 38,000 active soldiers.

[@HistoryHustle]

Feel free to share your source on this.

[@formationsvolunteers6928]

@@HistoryHustle teacher can you make a video of the legion of french volunteers please? ^^

[@HistoryHustle]

Right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKacaKWraNOEn9U

[@tylerhiggins3522]

The Estonian legion fought for the border of Estonia, their European comrades fought for the border of Europe.

[@HistoryHustle]

The border of Europe is at the Urals.

[@DarkImplement]

At least 5,295 Belarusian settlements were destroyed by the Nazis and some or all their inhabitants killed (out of 9,200 settlements that were burned or otherwise destroyed in Belarus during World War II). More than 600 villages like Khatyn were annihilated with their entire population. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-1943-khatyn-massacre-became-symbol-nazi-atrocities-eastern-front-180977280/

[@rowdyelitehater8595]

Collaborating with what? the NKVD woudent give them a choice the SS would.

[@HistoryHustle]

With Germany. Please watch the video.

[@mercomania]

Freedom Fighters.

[@HistoryHustle]

I see.

[@mercomania]

@@HistoryHustle After the war many Ukrainian, Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian former SS volunteers made their way to the UK by one way or another. Many declaring DP status or merely explaing they were escaping Soviet occupation. They saw themselves not as die hard SS Nazis but as freedom fighters for there small nations. They rode on the back of the invasion and unable to join the Wehrmacht, the SS made use of their willingness to fight against the Soviet Union. I know this because I grow up in the UK in the late Sixties when many of these men were still alive, they never saw themselves as Nazi´s but as proud nationalists.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Freedom fighters why cause n@zi were different for other countries. It was coloniser for colonies, for east Europe it was soviet union for east asia it was japan. Germany was so f up all came together to defeat them but it doesn't means allies were saint when they did sort of similar things not talked about. Even france didn't stopped from giving independence after ww2 and Portugal was under dictator so they too didn't gave independence without fight

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply.

[@Alte.Kameraden]

Why ask the question? They can be both yes? It's like the phrase, "One person's hero is another person's villain." It's moments like this in history that make that ring true. Meanwhile it's the job of history geeks to keep composer and be neutral, and allow these questions to be asked, instead of carrying the "HERO" banner or "VILLAIN" banner. Estonians were stuck in a very bad situation. You can even call those that fought for the USSR as collaborationist as well, because the USSR also had no intent to give Estonia independence no more than the Nazis did. If Vets, and their Families want to hold honors and services for Estonians that fought in the German Army, or Waffen SS, no one should stop them. Antagonization just causes bigger rifts to form definitely in complicated subjects like this. History buffs can handle the controversy more so than friends/families of those involved in the real events can because we have no stake in it as outside observers.

[@adamradziwill]

first forced to fight for the foreign country, than years and years of stalinist hell "two largest waves of deportations occurred in June 1941 and March 1949 simultaneously in all three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The deportations targeted various categories of anti-Soviet elements and "enemies of the people": nationalists (i.e. political elite, military officers, policemen of independent Estonia), Forest Brothers, kulaks, and others. There were deportations based on nationality (Germans in 1945 and Ingrian Finns in 1947-1950) and religion (Jehovah's Witnesses in 1951).[1] Estonians residing in the Leningrad Oblast had already been subjected to deportation since 1935.[2][3] People were deported to remote areas of the Soviet Union, predominantly to Siberia and northern Kazakhstan,[4] by means of railroad cattle cars. Entire families, including children and the elderly, were deported without trial or prior announcement. Of March 1949 deportees, over 70% of people were women and children under the age of 16.[5] About 7,550 families, or 20,600 to 20,700 people, were deported from Estonia.[6] The Estonian Internal Security Service has brought to justice several past organizers of these events.[7] The deportations have been repeatedly declared to constitute a crime against humanity by the Parliament of Estonia[8] and acknowledged as such by the European Court of Human Rights.[9] " one for sure. a border with Muscovy is the worst in the world ....

[@MrKakibuy]

@@adamradziwill I think you are confused with EU4, theres Russia, not the grand duchy of Muscovy.

[@HistoryHustle]

Why ask the question? Clickbait.

[@Alte.Kameraden]

@@HistoryHustle but I see no cats on vacuum cleaners. 😆

[@steveelliott8640]

I believe some became POWs of the British and were allowed to stay in Britain as long as they spent a period working in the coal mines.

[@HistoryHustle]

Ok! Thank you for sharing.

[@zcrib3]

Hey don't underestimate Estonia. It defeated the Germans and Soviet Union in WW1.

[@HistoryHustle]

During the war of independence yes.

[@PHI35]

Estonian Tartto battalion probably joined Wiking division in 1943 because the Finnish battalion that had been part of Wiking division was disbanded in mid-1943 and its soldiers returned to Finland where they were needed to defend their own country. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Volunteer_Battalion_of_the_Waffen-SS

[@HistoryHustle]

I see.

[@haeuptlingaberja4927]

Thing is that the history of the Baltic states plays a huge role in what happened with them in the 20th century. While Finland might have been a truly non-fascist co-belligerent with Nazi Germany, even there history has spread its vines & tendrils, linking the Finns with other Scandinavian countries, the Baltics, and both Russia and Prussia. In all of these countries, the lingua franca was, in 1939, not Russian but German, as it was throughout Central and Eastern Europe, all the way into the Balkans. And this is where it gets really complicated because, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, the use of German was closely connected with a kind of slow motion colonialism, from before Germany was even a nation state but also through the Hapsburg regime (s), and this engendered a good deal of justified resentment toward the Kraut-speakers, as millions of Czechs, Poles, Ruthenians, Hungarians and Rumanians (among others) were treated as second class citizens (if not serfs) in their own countries. (For a unique insight into this, check out Jaroslav Hašek's brilliant & hilarious novel The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War) So, we could argue that the Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians who joined the Waffen SS did so to free themselves from the Russian yoke...except that justification does not explain the thousands of Baltic civilians who volunteered to work for the other branch of the SS--die Allgemeine SS, you know, the guys who ran the concentration camps and rounded up Jews and other "undesirables" (oftentimes their neighbors) in their countries. These guys were a lot more like the Quislings in Norway and the other nasty collaborators that the Nazis found in every country they invaded. (Of whom there were far more than resistance fighters, especially in France, despite the overblown myth of the French Resistance.) In fact, in all of these countries I mentioned, there is still today a fault line between Nazi sympathizers and those who prefer living in a liberal democracy. The North and South of Sweden are practically separate countries in this regard...

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your insights on this.