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As Europe descended into war the newly formed state of Croatia found itself an ally in Nazi Germany. Tens of thousands of Croatians volunteered for the German Wehrmacht, with Croatian-badged units created within the Army, Navy, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS and Police force. When Hitler turned his attention to Stalin's Soviet Union many of these men found themselves thrown into the fray, with Croatian soldiers serving at Stalingrad, fighting Tito's Partisans in the Balkans and battling against the advancing Red Army in Hungary. Aided by detailed illustrations, author Vladimir Brnardic explores the uniforms and equipment of World War II Croatian Legionaries.
Soon after Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the leadership of the newly founded Independent State of Croatia expressed its desire to participate in this "crusade against Bolshevism". Hitler approved the request and so the Croatian Legion, consisting of volunteers from all three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces, was created. Its ground component, the 369th Reinforced (Croatian) Infantry Regiment, was the first to be formed.The Croatian legionaries participated in some of the most famous engagements of World War 2, including the first battle of Kharkov, Operation Fridericus, Plan Blau and finally the grim struggle for Stalingrad. The Regiment was the only non-German unit to participate in the attack on Stalin's city... the other allies were relegated to holding flanks. Initially, this was viewed as a great honour, a reward for its sacrifices and successes, proof that the Wehrmacht had full trust in the Regiment. However, this "honour" would demand the ultimate price. Croatian blood soaked Stalingrad's soil and four months later the unit's pitiful remnants were herded into captivity.Two Croatian sergeants managed to preserve the regimental archive by taking it with them on one of the last flights out of besieged Stalingrad. This unique collection, which includes war diaries, daily orders, combat reports and award recommendations, was the primary resource used to create this book. Additional records from German and Russian archives complete the picture. The Regiment's origins, formation, training and battles are examined in detail. Croatian Legion: The 369th Reinforced (Croatian) Infantry Regiment on the Eastern Front, 1941-1943 offers a unique perspective of the fighting on the Eastern Front through the eyes of a foreign volunteer unit.
A ground-breaking study that looks at why European nations sent troops to take part in Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.
Initially flying Italian-supplied Fiat G.50s, the Croat forces suffered heavy losses during 1942 whilst flying alongside JG 52 in the southern sector of the Russian front. Despite this, a significant number of kills fell to future aces such as Cvitan Galic and Mato Dubovak during this time, and when the units re-equipped with Bf 109G-10s in 1943, battle-seasoned Croat pilots started to rack up impressive scores. This book reveals how, by 1944, Croat air groups were defending Yugoslavia from British and American air raids, and in the final months of the war a handful of surviving pilots fought on until final defeat in May 1945.
This is a meticulously researched history of the rule of the Axis powers in occupied Yugoslavia, along with the role of the other groups that collaborated with them—notably the extremist Croatian nationalist organization known as the Ustashas.
Offers a complex consideration of the relationship of mass terror and utopianism under the fascist government of wartime Croatia.
The Black Shirts were sent to the Eastern Front to constitute the ideological spearhead of the struggle between fascism and Soviet communism: summed up by Mussolini with the slogan: Or Rome or Moscow. After the good results obtained in 1941 by the 63rd Tagliamento Legion, other units were sent to Russia in the course of 1942 coming to form the Groupings 3 Gennaio and 23 Marzo, which were practically two brigades that, together with the Croatian Legion of MVSN, distinguished themselves during the advance towards Don and Volga and during the defensive battles of summer-winter 1942, and that suffered heavy losses during the Italian retreat of winter 1942-43.
In Hitler's Foreign Executioners, Heinrich Himmler's secret master plan for Europe is revealed: an SS empire that would have no place for either the Nazi Party or Adolf Hitler. His astonishingly ambitious plan depended on the recruitment of tens of thousands of 'Germanic' peoples from every corner of Europe, and even parts of Asia, to build an 'SS Europa'. This revised and fully updated book, researched in archives all over Europe and using first-hand testimony, exposes Europe's dirty secret: nearly half a million Europeans and more than a million Soviet citizens enlisted in the armed forces of the Third Reich to fight a deadly crusade against a mythic foe, Jewish Bolshevism. Even today, some apologists claim that these foreign SS volunteers were merely soldiers 'like any other' and fought a decent war against Stalin's Red Army. Historian Christopher Hale demonstrates conclusively that these surprisingly common views are mistaken. By taking part in Himmler's murderous master plan, these foreign executioners hoped to prove that they were worthy of joining his future 'SS Europa'. But as the Reich collapsed in 1944, Himmler's monstrous scheme led to bitter confrontations with Hitler – and to the downfall of the man once known as 'loyal Heinrich'.
A supplement for the award-winning World War II wargame, Bolt Action, focusing on the Axis offensives through Eastern Ukraine and into the North Caucasus. After the failure of Barbarossa to utterly defeat the Soviet Union, a new plan was devised, Case Blue. This plan involved pushing through the southern Soviet Union to reach the Caucasus and secure the oil fields that Germany so desperately needed. While initially there was great success and sweeping advances as the autumn began, the Axis advances began to falter in the wake of Soviet resistance and counter attacks, culminating in the battles in and around Stalingrad. This Campaign Book for Bolt Action contains new linked scenarios, rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors, providing plenty of options for novice and veteran players alike.