Were Spanyards onto Wehrmacht in Ost front??

It is one medal of Division Azul into ebay right now...
http://cgi.ebay.fr/Medalla-Aguila-Division...1QQcmdZViewItem
I did not heard about this division until now...

Yes, Spanish Volunteers were indeed on the Ost Front. I do not know if the medal in question is a copy or an original. More pictures needed.

Cheers,

Al

HalloBG7M.

With regards the medal, Blue Division, Spanish Government Issue Type 9th November 1943, there exsists a Spanish version and a German version, as far as I understand it has not been faked but was still being made in Spain up till a few years ago to replace Spanish veteran pieces lost ot broken.
I would need to see better pictures to determine which type is on offer on Ebay, because the front has a small swastika the seller here only shows the back of the medal.




START OF SHORT HISTORY:

After France was defeated by the Germans in 1940, Hitler asked the Spanish leader General Franco to join him in the war on the Axis side, and reminded him of the debt Spain owed Germany for supplying him with military aid in the Spanish Civil War. (Legion Condor etc).

Franco resisted Hitler urging, however after Hitlet attacked Russia, he willingly allowed Spanish Volunteers to serve in the crusade against Bolshevism.

Shortly after the invasion of Russia, von-Ribbontrop got an offer of Spanish help and on the 24th June 1941 secured Hitlers approval for the Spanish Volunteers to help the Germans.

No shortage of Spanish volunteers soon filled the 4,000 place although ten times that number offered their services.

Volunteer Regiments were raised in Madrid, Barceloana, Seville, and other main towns.

As Spain had not formally declared war on anybody, they could not serve in the normal Spanish uniform so they ended up marching off dressed in the red beret of the Carlist movement, the blue shirt* of the Falangest movement and the kahki trousers of the Spanish Foreign Legion.

* hence the UNOFFICIAL name the Blue Division.

Before being transfered to the Russian front they adopted German uniforms with the shield in the Spanish National colours above this the word Espania. (on the right upper arm).

In early July 1941 they arrived for training in Bavaria, at Grafenwöhr, where they became officially the 250th Infantry Division of the German Army with a strength of 17,924 officers and men in four infantry regiments, but German practise was to have only 3 regiments, so one regiment was disbanded and the men and equipment placed in the remaining three regiments.

Infantry Regiment 262 with men mainly from Barcelona.
Infantry Regiment 263 with men mainly from Valencia region.
Infantry Regiment 269 with men mainly from Seville.

Each regiment consisted of three battalions, each with four companies.
An artillery regiment numbered 250, like its parent division was also added with three batteries of 105mm guns and one battery of 150mm-

On the 20th August the Division was on the way to the Russian-German border, from there they marched 1,000 km toto the front lines, at Smolensk it had been expecting to join Army Group Center heading for Moscow, but was instesd sent to Lenigrad where it was part of the 16th Army.

The first taste of action was on 12th October 1941 when they went into the line in the area between Lake Ilmen and the west bank of the Volkhov River, four days later a major German offensive started against Lenigrad, Bitter cold weather and combat took there toll, death wounds and frostbite seriously depleated the Spanish forces.

Back in Madrid, alarm at the condition of the Blue Division caused replacements (to save the honour of Spain) to be rushed to the front quickly.
The division was to remain as part of the forces surrounding Lenigrad for the rest of its time in Russia.

The British put increasing presure on Franco to declare Spains absolute neutrality and remove his forces from Russia, by the Spring of 1943 the Spanish negotiated with the Germans for the withdrawel of the Spanish Blue Division, but the order was not given to General Emillio Esteban-Infantes until the 14th October 1943.

To keep the Germans and the original volunteers from Spain happy it was announced that a Spanish Legion of 1,500 men would be allowed to stay on and fight with the Gemans and this was known as the "Legion Espannola die Voluntarios (L.E.V) and was assigned to the 121st Division of the German Army.

However even this small force was ordered home by the Spanish Government in March 1944.

Due to the rotation of men and combat casualties as many as 45,000 Spaniards may have seen service with the 250th Infantry Division between June 1941 and October 1943, of these some 4,500 were K.I.A and around 16,000 more were wounded, and many more were invalided with frostbite ot taken prisoner.

A Spanish Volunteer battalion (Waffen-ss "Unit Ezguerra") served with the Waffen-ss to the bitter end, taking part in the final defence of Berlin in April and May 1945.

End of Short history.

Other Items connected with the Blue Division, by the same seller:

http://cgi.ebay.fr/MEDALLA-VOLUNTARIOS-DIV...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.fr/DIVISION-AZUL-ESCUDO-DE...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.fr/Medalla-Division-AZUL-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

This last item appears to be the Spanish version, it to was produced in limited numbers in Germany.

Kevin in Deva

This post has been edited by New Connaught Ranger on October 07, 2006 12:15 pm

Blue Division, Spanish Government Issue Type 2, 9th November 1943.

From my personal collection.

Comes with the original Box and Wrapping paper.

Rarity: Scarce.













Other Spanish Units:

Sanidad Militar.

Spanish Military Nurses, treated members of the Blue Division at hospitals in Mestelevo, Riga, and Vilna, also in Germany at Königsberg, Berlin and Hof.
The nurse wore their own distinctive military uniform and insignia, as well as the more normal hospital working uniform.

The nursing unit was made up many Spanish Volunteer Nurses of the Spanish Army and the Falange's Feminine section.

The Blue Squadron,

of the Spanish Expeditonary Air Squadron (Blue Squadron):
which composed of a total of five Squadrons who relieved one another consecutively, the commander's were Comandantes Salas, Salavador, Ferrandiz, Cuadra and Galarza. operating in support of Army Group Center, and being attached to JG27 and later JG51, its main role was the protection of German bombers, the most outstanding action being fought by the 1st Squadron on the advance on Moscow and the subsequent retreat.

The Spanish pilots flew Me. Bf109 fighters until the end of 1942, when the 3ed Squadron got the FW 190s.

They shot down a total of 156 Soviet aircraft, they lost 22 killed or missing, one of whom was repatriated as a prisoner of war.

The Blue Legion.

By 20th November 1943, the Blue Division was continuing its repatriation to Spain, 1,500 volunteers for the Blue Legion were assembled at the barracks at Yamberg on the Latvian Border.

The Legion commanded by Colonel Antonio Garcia Navarro, consisted of HQ Staff; ist & 2nd Infantry Banderas (Spanish name for a unit smaller than a normal battalion) a 3rd Mixed Bandera with 3 Companies of artillery, anti-tank guns and combined sappers, signals and reconnaissance.
Their first missions were anti-partisan operations around Narva, moved shortly after to Begolovo, Schapki and Kostivo being attached to the German 121st Division.

1944 found them in Estonia, on the 21st March the Legion departed on trains to Konigsberg and from there by rail to Spain on the 17th April 1944.

However 150 Spaniards managed to cross the border with France and helped by the Germans arrived at Stablatt, near Königsberg, for training these were then incorporated into the Waffen-ss.

Many years after the War, (on the 2 of April 1954 a Greek steamer brought to Spain, the Spanish P.O.W released by the Russians, consisting of 219 men from the Blue Division, 7 from the Blue Legion, 21 from the ss-battalion, and 1 from the Expeditionary Air Squadron.

Good Information Sources:

Osprey - Men- At - Arms Series 1980, ISBN o 85045 359 3.

Germany Spanish Volunteers 1941 - 45, The Blue Division In Russia, Text by John Scurr. (Might be out of print). or released as a re-print recently, check Amazon.com

Price Guide 30 Euro+.

German World War 2, Medals & Political Awards, "The Satellite States", by Christopher Ailsby. ISBN: 0711028524. Published by Ian Allen Publishing.

Price Guide: 35 Euro.



Kevin in Deva

This post has been edited by New Connaught Ranger on October 07, 2006 06:09 pm

Thanks for the full info!

Some Spaniards from the division "Azul" were among the last SS troops to fight with the Red Army in Berlin, in late April - beginning of May 1945.

Hallo Florin

If you take the time to read my post, you will see that information was already supplied

Kevin in Deva

I am sorry.

If I remember right from a book I read about 25 years ago ("Secret Archives"/"Arhive Secrete", by Sergiu Verona - in Romanian), some of these Spaniards, among other troops, were used for a breaktrough tried on May 2, 1945.
Bormann and others tried to escape from the encircled part of Berlin, using 3 Tigers still operational.
2 Tiger tanks were destroyed by the Russians during the attempt. However, the 3rd Tiger succeeded to pass trough, and arguable Bormann was in its turret.
Well, all this is a complete different story, but as a reminder, some Spaniards from "Azul" took part in this action.

This post has been edited by Florin on October 09, 2006 12:44 pm

Speaking of the Spanish Equerra Waffen-SS units, they fought in 3 Kompanies in Berlin. Some got away in disguise as forced labourers.

About the Spanish volunteer 250. Infantarie Division, all together in the years on the Ostfront around 40000 or so served. A few thousand died in battle. May they, alongside their German comrades and Russian enemies, R.I.P as they all fought in a cause which they thought was right, whther one might think they are right or wrong.

K

Hi NCR,

I note that you mention that two of the three regiments of the Blue Division were mostly raised from men from the Barcelona and Valencia areas.

This seems unlikely. The division consisted of volunteers. The Barcelona and Valencia areas had been strongly Republican during the recent civil war and were probably amongst the least likely areas to provide Rightist volunteers. Until at least as late as October 1944 the Spanish Army was still worried about the reliability of its Catalan manpower.

Is there not perhaps some confusion here between the location of regimental depots and the areas they predominantly recruited from?

Cheers,

Sid.

Hallo Sid,

my information with regards the locations where the men came from is taken from the book:

German World War 2, Medals & Political Awards, "The Satellite States", by Christopher Ailsby. ISBN: 0711028524. Published by Ian Allen Publishing.

Page 151.

With regards HvN "About the Spanish volunteer 250. Infantarie Division, all together in the years on the Ostfront around 40000 or so served. A few thousand died in battle. "

Page 152 of the above mentioned book gives the following figures:

"Although the nominal strength was 18,000 men, by a system of regular rotation of troops and taking into account battle losses, as many as 45,000 may have seen service with the 250th Infantry Division, between June 1941 and October 1943.



Of these, some 4,500 fell in action and around 16,000 more were wounded, and many more invalided with frostbite or taken prisoner.