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Russian freiwillige from the S.S. Sturmbrigade R.O.N.A. (Russian National Liberation Army) during the Warsaw Uprising, August 1944. Captured German Sd.Kfz. 251 from the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, and pressed into service with the 8-th “Krybar” Regiment. The soldier holding a MP 40 submachine gun is commander Adam Dewicz “Gray Wolf”, 14 August 1944. Polish Home Army positions, outlined in…
Ca.133 Unit: 14 Squadrilla, 4 Gruppo, 14 Stormo Serial: 1-14 Asmara, Ethiopia, 1936. Caproni Ca.101D-2 Unit: 14 Squadriglia ‘Testa di Leone’, 4 Gruppo Serial: 14-6 (MM60517) At the very end of the thirties this three-engined multipurpose transport and bombing ‘colonial’ Caproni Ca.101D-2 served with No. 14 Squadriglia ‘Testa di Leone’ of No.4 Gruppo in colored finish of the past time…
On 16 April 1945 the 3rd and 45th Infantry Divisions encircled Nuremberg and began to probe its defenses. In the…
Compiled by: A.M. de Quesada UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT Uniform and equipment were regulated by the afore-mentioned order No. 318/44 “Every…
The Battle of Lowestoft, 13 June 1665, showing HMS Royal Charles and the Eendracht by Hendrik van Minderhout, painted c.…
Although they have not yet been recognized by the Ukrainian state as war veterans who deserve official government pensions, the former soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) can justly be considered the unsung heros of World War II in Ukraine. In its struggle against the German and Soviet occupational…
There were about one million Russian volunteers in the German army still in 1944 there. In autumn 1944 two infantry divisions were formed from that men and creation of third such division started. Due of material shortcomings of the end of war only the 1st Division of Russian Liberation Army…
The UVV armlet In spring 1943 the Ukrainians who served in Wehrmacht and in some of the Schutzmannschaft Bataillonen were put together into Ukrainian Liberation Army (UVV). The former ‘hiwi’, some UPA members, volunteers from Eastern Ukraine, 200 persons from Vlasov Officers’ school in Saubersdorf and Soviet prisoners of war…
Bataillon Nachtigal The formation of the ‘Nachtigal’ battalion (‘Nightingale’) began in Krakov in March, 1941. The formation centre was located in the suburb in former “Arbeitdienst” barracks. German instructors trained there the volunteers that wore the “Arbeitdienst” uniform for security. Those students who had pretensions to get sergeant-major posts finished…
In August 1941 Taras Bulba-Borovets formed the “Polesskaya Host” detachment — the Ukrainian militia armed unit. It had German arms and counted about 3.000 persons. Its mission was to clean the swampy and woody region of north-western Ukraine (and partially Byelorussia) from the remains of Red Army and Soviet partisans.…
This unit was created before the German invasion to Poland. Together with Slovenian volunteers it fought in the Polish campaign as a part of the Eastern European group. The detachment was called “Berg-Bauern Hilfe”. But this name was not popular and they called it “Ukrainian Legion”. It was formed of…
Ukrainian National Army became the largest Ukrainian formation during the war and included most of Ukrainian volunteers from the German Army. The Ukrainian National Committee which was formed in 1944 and approved by Alfred Rosenberg had elected former officer from UNR (Ukrainian People’s Republic 1921) Pavlo Shandruck as the general…
Just like Legion Nachtigal, Roland was set up by OUN prior the German Invasion to Soviet Union. The training began in May 1941 and vas done in complete secrecy in the castle Saubersdorff in Austria. Supplied with the German instructors the Legion was trained very harshly, spending a lot of…
After just a few weeks since German invasion thousands of Soviet citizens desired to serve in the German army. The number of such volunteers was constantly increasing. There are no precise data, but approximately 1.500.000 Soviet citizens had served in Wehrmacht. From the very first day of the World War…
The Soviet experience of warfare was very different from that of its Allies, Britain and the United States. Large in territory and population, the Soviet Union was poorer than the other two by a wide margin in productivity and income. It was Soviet territory that Hitler wanted for his empire,…
British coastal assault on St Cast in Brittany in September 1758. A German map, published…
Schnellboot S-80 torpedo boat Camo Operations with the Kriegsmarine S-boats were often used to patrol…
American Lend-Lease supplies to the USSR 1941–45. Soviet historiography is mocked in the West, where…
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