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On 22 June 1941, Hitler s armies launched Operation Barbarossa and swept in to the Soviet Union. On the same day, the Spanish Foreign Minister, Ramon Serrano Suner, contacted the German embassy in Madrid with an extraordinary proposal would the German government welcome the addition of a force of Spanish volunteers in the war against the Russians? Officially designed by the Wehrmacht as the 250th Infantry Division, but commonly referred to as the Azul or Blue Division after the colour of Spain s Falangist (Fascist) Party, this force initially amounted to some 18,000 volunteers under the command of the fiercely anti-communist General Agustin Munoz-Grandes. Of the first 18,694 men who entrained for Germany during July 1941, seventy percent, including every officer from captain on up, were from the regular army, whilst most of the rest were Spanish Civil War veterans. By the time that the Blue Division returned home, 47,000 Spaniards had been involved in fighting on the Russian front. There were 22,000 casualties: 4,500 dead, 8,000 wounded, 7,800 sick and 1,600 suffering from frostbite. As the authors reveal, Spaniards also volunteered or served in other units or organisation. This highly illustrated book examines the history, personalities, and uniforms and equipment of those men and women who volunteered to serve alongside Hitler s armies. Along with full-colour drawings, there are many rare photographs provided by survivors.

Reviews

“This is a beautifully illustrated book of 115 pages. It is chock-full of period photographs of individuals, group shots, equipment, documents, medals and decorations…a nice addition to the library of any World War II buff.”– “Toy Soldier Collector & Historical Figures”

“…the illustrations and pictures are excellent.”– “The UK Historian”

“The authors and the illustrator give us a small gem that introduces us to the history of a Division that has made itself known on the Eastern Front.”– “Old Barbed Wire Blog”

‘The decision by Adolf Hitler to invade the Soviet Union in June 1941 turned World War II into an anti-communist crusade for fascists across Europe. Contingents from many European countries took part through joining the German army as national organizations. The eighteen-thousand Spanish that ended up in northern Russia in October 1941 as the Spanish Blue Division, the 250th Division of the Wehrmacht, must have wondered what hit them in 40 degrees below zero temperatures. Many of them never returned but the Division fought on around Leningrad and at the Battle of Krasny in 1943. By that Autumn, the Blue Division was all but shattered and returned to Spain, leaving a few volunteers behind to fight on as the Blue Legion Regiment. Hitler’s Spanish Division deconstructs the Blue Division, beginning with a brief history followed by a survey of the ranks from generals down to privates and finally other Spaniards who fought.
The authors place their emphasis on the individual divisions that fought in Russia rather than a Divisional history, an emphasis that is merited by Spanish individualism when it came to uniforms and the artwork of Ramiro Bujeiro who captures the Spanish soldiers in all their idiosyncrasies. The men, and a couple of women, are given military biographies, many dating from their actions in the Spanish Civil War, complete with photographs and paintings of them in uniform, although obviously as the authors work down the ranks this becomes more selective. The Blue Squadron pilots, flying ME-109s, are also given their due as Spanish volunteers, as are those who joined the Kreigsmarine and other organizations. The authors conclude with a few biographies of Spanish diplomats and a curious chapter on those who kept the spirit of the Blue Division in their post-war military careers, and with that the book ends abruptly and oddly with no bibliography or index.

Hitler’s Spanish Division will appeal to those adding to their collections on the German army in WWII. The photographs and illustrations are well executed and the biographies interesting albeit brief. There is nothing here beyond that, however; no analysis or understanding of what it was like to be a member of the Spanish Division. That absence weakens the book for me, but it is still useful within its limitations.’