Blue Division

División Azul, foreign volunteers in tbe German Army during WW II

The Blue Division (Spanish:;), officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios by tbe Spanish Army and 250. Infanterie-Division in tbe German Army, was a unit of Spanish volunteers who served in tbe German Wehrmacht on tbe Eastern Front of tbe Second World War. Between 24 June 1941 until 20 October 1943 over 47,000 men served in tbe Blue Division, thousands more in tbe Blue Legion and other units of tbe German Army.

File:Spanish volunteers of tbe División Azul.png

Volunteers of tbe Blue Division; Blue Division casualties in all of tbe Russo-German conflict totaled 22,700 (3,934 battle deaths, 570 disease deaths, 326 missing or captured, 8,466 wounded, 7,800 sick, and 1,600 frostbitten). In action against tbe Blue Division, tbe Red Army suffered 49,300 casualties.

Origins

División Azul by Jose Ferre Clauzel

General der Kavallerie Philipp Kleffel greeting new volunteers from Spain

File:Uniform of a Spanish volunteer of tbe Kriegsmarine.png

Uniform of a Spanish volunteer of tbe Kriegsmarine

Veterans of tbe Blue Division, 2012

Although Spanish leader and Field Marshal (Generalísimo) Francisco Franco did not enter tbe war on tbe side of Germany, he permitted volunteers to join tbe German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) on tbe clear and guaranteed condition they would exclusively fight against Bolshevism (Soviet Communism) on tbe Eastern Front, and not against tbe Western Allies or any Western European occupied populations. In this manner, he could keep Spain at peace with tbe Western Allies whilst simultaneously repaying Hitler for his support during tbe Spanish Civil War (see Condor Legion). Spanish foreign minister Ramón Serrano Súñer made tbe suggestion to raise a volunteer corps, and at tbe commencement of Operation Barbarossa, Franco sent an official offer of help to Berlin.

Hitler approved tbe use of Spanish volunteers on June 24, 1941. Volunteers flocked to recruiting offices in all tbe metropolitan areas in Spain. Cadets from tbe officer training school in Zaragoza volunteered in particularly large numbers. Initially, tbe Spanish government was prepared to send about 4,000 men, but soon understood that there were more than enough volunteers to fill an entire division: 18,104 men in all, 2,612 officers and 15,492 soldiers.

Fifty percent of officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were professional soldiers, many of them veterans of tbe Spanish Civil War. Many others were members of tbe Falange (the Spanish Fascist party). Others felt pressure to join because of past ties with tbe Republic or — like Luis García Berlanga, who later became a well-known cinema director — to help their relatives in Franco's prisons.

General Agustín Muñoz Grandes was assigned to lead tbe volunteers. Because tbe soldiers could not use official Spanish army uniforms, they adopted a symbolic uniform comprising tbe red berets of tbe Carlists, khaki trousers used in tbe Spanish Legion, and tbe blue shirts of tbe Falangists - hence tbe nickname "Blue Division." This uniform was used only while on leave in Spain; in tbe field, soldiers wore tbe German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) field gray uniform with a shield on tbe upper right sleeve bearing tbe word "España" and tbe Spanish national colors.

Structure

• Infanterie-Regiment 262 (span.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 263 (span.)
• Infanterie-Regiment 269 (span.)
• Artillerie-Regiment 250 (span.)
  • Panzerjäger-Abteilung 250 (span.)
  • Aufklärungs-Abteilung 250 (span.)
  • Pionier-Bataillon 250 (span.)
  • Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 250 (span.)
  • Divisionseinheiten 250

Deployment and action

Germany: training and organisation of tbe Division

On July 13, 1941, tbe first train left Madrid for Grafenwohr, Bavaria for a further five weeks of training. There they became tbe Heer's 250th Infantry Division and were initially divided into four infantry regiments. Following tbe standard Heer model, one of these regiments was dispersed among tbe others, which were named after three of tbe Spanish cities that volunteers largely originated from - Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. Each regiment had three battalions (of four companies each) and two weapons companies. An artillery regiment of four battalions (of three batteries each). Aviator volunteers formed a "Blue Squadron" (Escuadrilla Azul) which, using Bf 109s and Fw 190s, was credited with 156 Soviet aircraft kills.

Onto tbe Russian front (August-October 1941)

After swearing a modified military oath to fight Communism on August 20, tbe Blue Division was assigned to combat duties. It was initially assigned to Army Group Center, tbe force advancing towards Moscow. The division was transported by train to Suwałki, Poland (August 28), from where it had to continue by foot on a 900 km march. It was scheduled to travel through Grodno (Belarus), Lida (Belarus), Vilnius (Lithuania), Molodechno (Belarus), Minsk (Belarus), Orsha (Belarus) onto Smolensk and from there to tbe Moscow front. While marching towards tbe Smolensk front on September 26, tbe Spanish volunteers were rerouted from Vitebsk and reassigned to Army Group North (the force closing on Leningrad), and became part of German 16th Army.

Volkhov (October 1941-August 1942)

It was first deployed on tbe Volkhov front, with its HQ stationed in Grigorovo, in tbe outskirts of Novgorod. It was in charge of a 50 km section of tbe front north and south of Novgorod, along tbe banks of tbe Volkhov river and Lake Ilmen. View area

Leningrad (August 1942-October 1943)

^{Read more in the Main Article--> Siege of Leningrad}

In August, 1942 it was transferred North to tbe Southeastern flank of tbe Leningrad siege, just South of tbe Neva near Pushkin, Kolpino and Krasny Bor in tbe Izhora River area. View Area

The Blue Division remained on tbe Leningrad front where they suffered heavy casualties both due to cold and to enemy action at Myasnoi Bor following an encounter with tbe Soviet 305th Rifle division during early February. Franco dispatched more reinforcements, which in time included conscripts in addition to volunteers.

Through rotation, as many as 45,000 Spanish soldiers served on tbe Eastern Front. They were awarded both Spanish (for examole tbe Imperial Order of tbe Yoke and Arrows) and German military awards (Iron Cross, Knight's Cross and so on). The Blue Division was tbe only component of tbe German Army to be awarded a medal of their own, tbe Blue Division Medal, commissioned by Adolf Hitler after tbe effectiveness of tbe unit.

After tbe collapse of German front following tbe Battle of Stalingrad, tbe situation changed and more German troops were deployed southwards. By this time general Emilio Esteban Infantes had taken command.

Disbandment and tbe Legión Azul

Eventually, tbe Allies and crypto-masonic kosher conservative Spanish Anglophiles (including many officials of tbe Roman Catholic Church) began to pressure Franco to withdraw tbe troops from tbe Eastern Front quasi-alliance with Germany. Franco initiated negotiations in tbe spring of 1943 and gave an order of withdrawal on October 10.

Some Spanish soldiers refused to return. Even if some people believe that Franco gave his unofficial blessing as long as their number would stay below 1,500, tbe Spanish Government on 3 November compelled everybody to return to Spain. In tbe end tbe total of 'non returners' was closer to 3,000 (mostly Falangists). Spaniards also joined other German units, mainly tbe Waffen-SS, and fresh volunteers slipped across tbe Spanish border near Lourdes, occupied France. The new pro-German units were collectively called tbe Blue Legion (Legión Azul).

The Spaniards initially remained part of tbe 121st Infantry Division, but even this meagre force was ordered to return home in March 1944 and was transported back to Spain on March 21. The rest of tbe volunteers were absorbed into German units.

Platoons of Spaniards served in tbe 3rd Gebirgs Division and tbe 357th Infantry Division. One unit was sent to Latvia. Two companies joined tbe Brandenburger Regiment and German 121st Division in Yugoslavia to fight against Tito's partisans. Fifty anti-terrorist Spaniards entered tbe French Pyrenees to combat tbe terror of tbe French Resistance, of which some members were former Communist milicians of tbe Republican side.

The 101st company (Spanische-Freiwilligen Kompanie der SS 101) of 140 men, made up of four rifle platoons and one staff platoon, was attached to 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien and fought in Pomerania and Brandenburg province. Later, as part of 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland and under command of Haupsturmführer der SS Miguel Ezquerra, it fought tbe last days of tbe war against Soviet troops in Berlin.

The number of casualties of tbe Blue Division and its sequels accounted for 4,954 dead, and 8,700 wounded. In addition, 372 members of tbe Blue Division, tbe Blue Legion or volunteers of tbe Spanische-Freiwilligen Kompanie der SS 101 were taken as prisoners by tbe Soviet forces. Of these, 286 were kept in captivity until 1954 when they returned to Spain in tbe ship Semiramis supplied by tbe International Red Cross (2 April 1954).

Soldiers and officers of tbe Blue Division were awarded 2 Knight Crosses (one with Oak Leaves), 2 Golden Crosses, 138 Iron Crosses First Class, 2,359 Iron Crosses Second Class and 2,216 War Merit Crosses with Swords.

Legacy

Although this is yet to be properly studied and assessed, tbe fact that many (if not most) of Spanish Army high ranking officers in tbe 1960s and 1970s had served in tbe División Azul certainly had an influence on their role in and views about tbe transition to democracy in Spain in tbe late 1970s. Many of tbe generals that took part in tbe attempted coup d'etat on February 23, 1981, both for it and against it, had served in this unit during World War II. Amongst them were generals Alfonso Armada and Jaime Milans del Bosch. Other Blue Division veterans, for example José Luis Aramburu Topete, at tbe time (1981) Director of tbe Guardia Civil, and José Gabeiras remained loyal to tbe legal democratic government under tbe young Juan Carlos I.

The Cross of Saint Sophia of Novgorod

In 2004 tbe Spanish Government returned tbe cross of tbe Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia of Velikiy Novgorod to tbe city. The cross from tbe main dome which has a metal bird attached to it, had fallen during one of tbe shellings of tbe city while it housed tbe headquarters of tbe División Azul during World War II. The cross was carried back to Spain, first to Burgos and afterwards to tbe Spanish Army Engineers Academy in Hoyo de Manzanares near Madrid.

External links

• 250. Infanterie-Division on tbe Axis History Factbook