1939 - 45 Spanish Involvement in WWII
Most people don't realise that although officially neutral Spain had an
active part in WWII. Individual Spaniards were involved on both sides
during WWII, often in quite large numbers. There was, however, also
organised involvement, the most significant of which was the
Blue Division, otherwise known
as the Spanish
Volunteer Division, Division Azul, or by its official German title
of the 250th Infantry Division of
the Wehrmacht.
My wargaming in this period is almost exclusively using Crossfire.
I'm sure I haven't found all the units, but the ones I know about are:
For the Axis
For the Allies
- With French, 1940
- French Resistance
- Free French and La Nueve (RMT)
- Basques at Normandy
- Guernica Battalion
- Basque Code-Talkers
- Spanish Nationalist Union
- 4th Special Service Company
The Blue Division (Division
Azul)
The Spanish Volunteer Division was designated the 250th (“Blue”) Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht on 25 July 1941. The Division left active service on 23 December 1943 after seeing considerable and bloody combat on the Eastern front, particularly around Leningrad. It was called the "Blue Division" because the original uniform included the distinctive dark blue shirts of the Spanish Fascists (the Falange), however, the Division adopted German uniforms as soon as they reached Germany.
I can offer some addition information on the Blue Division, including:
A chronology
with additional information on the Battle of Krasny
Bor
- A historical TO&E
- A Blue Cross Fire, i.e. an order of battle for the Blue Division under the Crossfire Rules.
- Some Crossfire scenarios for the Blue Division: Krasny Bor: Black Wednesday, Volkhov Bridgehead, Sitno, and The Old Chapel.
- Suggestions for fielding the Blue Division under the Flames of War Rules
The Blue Squadron (Esquadrilla Azul)
Five Spanish squadrons participated in
WWII, one after another. They are collectively and individually known as
the Blue Squadron. All
five squadrons operated in Russia, but being assigned to Army Group Centre they
were not necessarily associated with their compatriots of the Blue
Division. The Blue Squadron took part in the German offensive on Moscow
and the battles of Kharkov, Smolensko and Kursk.
The Blue Legion (Legion Azul)
On the repatriation of the Blue Division in December 1943, the the Blue Legion was formed from men who decided to stay and continue the fight against communism. The force consisted of about 2,000 men under the control of Colonel Antonio García Navarro, and was attached to the 121st Infantry Division. The Blue Legion only existed for about four months, being ordered to return to Spain on 3 March 1944.
The Blue Legion was modeled on a Tercio of the Spanish Foreign Legion. Similar to a Regiment it contained:
- Headquarters staff
- Two Infantry Banderas (the Spanish name for a small Battalion).
- One
mixed Bandera containing
- One company of artillery
- One antitank company
- One company containing a mixture of combat engineers, reconnaissance and signals.
Waffen-SS 'Unit Ezquerra'
After the Blue Legion was withdrawn it became illegal for Spaniards to serve on the Axis side. None the less, some of the volunteers refused to return to Spain, and volunteers continued to sneak across the border into France.
Most of these recruits joined the Waffen SS, however, some Spanish platoons were attached to the 3rd Mountain Division and the 357th Infantry Division. Two companies of Spaniards performed anti-Partisan work in Yugoslavia as part of the Brandenburg unit. In September 1944 one of these companies was sent to Austria, where it became the Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 101. A second company (102) was soon formed. The 101 Company was attached to the 28th Waffen SS Division (Wallonien) and saw heavy action in Pomerania.
In the end, the 101st was attached to the 11th SS Division Nordland.
In April 1945 Colonel Miguel Ezquerra Sanchez commanded the three companies of Waffen-SS 'Unit Ezquerra'. The unit was formed from:
- 100 Spaniards who, like Ezquera himself, had served in the Blue Division, but remained in German service. (Ezquera had been a Blue Division Captain.)
- 150 Spanish recruits who had secretly crossed the Spanish/French border which had been closed by Franco.
- Some survivors from Belgian and French SS Divisions.
The men of 'Unit Ezquerra' were amongst the last troops fighting the Russians in the rubble of Berlin. Ezquerra survived the battle, and later escaped from Russian imprisonment to return to Spain.
With the French, 1940
On the outbreak of WWII the French recruited heavily from Republican refugees of the recently ended Civil War. The choice for these men was remain in French internment camps, or join the French army. The French took between 5,000 and 8,000 Republicans into the French Foreign Legion, and 10,000 went to the Infantry. In addition 55,000 Republicans were drafted into labour battalions, and at least some of these saw combat during the Fall of France (1940); English officers saw one Spanish labour battalion attack the advancing Germans with weapons seized from a fleeing French unit. During the course of the war Republicans fought in most theatres, for example at Narvik, in the raid on Brest, with the Long Range Desert Group, Leclerc's 2nd Armoured Division, the British SAS, and the French resistance.
French Resistance (maquisards)
Basque units fought with the French resistance, in particular the FFI (Forces Français à l'Intérieur), and in small guerilla bands in the Pyrenees.
Free French and La Nueve (RMT)
Javier Gomez and Cristóbal López sent information about Spaniards fighting with the French. They are part of a reenactment group for "La Nueve": http://juanmario.rey.en.eresmas.net/indexnueve.htm
Spanish fought with the Free French Troops and in the F.F.I. Mostly all the Spaniards that fought the Free French Army were in the 13eme
Demi Brigade de la Legion Etrengere and they fought in Narvik, Ethiopia, Syria, North Africa
(Bir Hakeim), Italy, France and Germany.
The Spaniards that joined the Regiment de Marche du Tchad (RMT) fought in the Fezzan campaigns with General Leclerc and after in the
Tunisian Campaign. After that, when the R.M.T. formed the Armoured Infantry Regiment of the
2eme. Division Blindee ("Leclerc's Division") they took part in the Normandy Campaign, they were the first allied troops to enter in Paris on
August 24th (evening) and they fought in France and Germany ending the war in
Berchtesgaden.
In particular ex-republicans formed the 9th company in the RMT (9ème compagnie de combat du RMT) - they called themselves "La Nueve". The First and Second Platoon were formed from moderate Socialists and Republicans, whereas Third Platoon comprised Anarchists. There were few Communists. This unit fought from Normandy to Germany. "La Nueve" wore standard USA Uniforms (M-41 Jacket, HBT Coveralls, OD wool shirts and trousers, service shoes, dismounted leggins, M-36 suspenders, etc. Usually they didn't use tanker and M-43 jackets but could). In combat they wore the M-1 US standard helmet but they used as a garrison cup the French Colonial Infantry "Bonet de police" or "calot" cup in the tradicional colours (Blue with red pipeing) and with a golden anchor in the left side. As well, they wore French insignia (normally they wore 3 french insignias : the "2nd Armoured Division" shield, the "Free France Army Moustique" and the "Regiment de Marche du Tchad" insignia) and grades. Veterans say that some Spanish soldiers wore a small Spanish Republican flag up in the left arm (where the G.I.'s wore the unit pacth). These practice was unauthorized by the French Army rules but Officers let men to wore it. Anyway, I've never seen this flag in any IIWW pictures from "La Nueve".
Basques at Normandy
Basque units - probably sailors - saw service alongside Allied units at the Normandy landings on D-Day.
Guernica Battalion (Gernika Batalloa)
A battalion formed by the Basque Nationalist Party to fight for the Allies in France. It contained 200 men and was commanded by Kepa Ordoki. Ordoki and 60% of his men were veterans of the Spanish Civil War. The unit was part of the Foreign and Moroccan Mixed Regiment.
After the liberation of Paris (1944), the Guernica Battalion along with the FFI, the Spanish Nationalist Union, and a unit of Moroccan volunteers fought the last battles in France. Their task was to flush out the Germans garrisoning the south-western coast of France - some 25,000 troops. Although isolated from their homeland the Germans had no trouble with supplies - these came from Francoist Spain.
On 14 April 1945, three weeks before the end of the war, the Guernica
Battalion, Spanish Nationalist Union, and the Moroccan volunteers attacked the
last Germans in the Gironde, the Bordeaux wine region on the Atlantic
coast. The Germans were entrenched in the Pointe-de-Grave, a point of land
guarding the entrance to the mouth of the Gironde, the river that leads to
Bordeaux. Fortress Gironde, as it was known, had a garrison of 4,000,
significantly more than the attackers. 15 hours of combat through
the budding vineyards lead to an allied success.
Liberated France offered the Croix de Guerre to the members of the Battalion, but they declined, preferring the medal go to their national flag (the ikurriña) instead.
(Note: The Basque Nationalist Party was based in New York after the Civil War. This suggests the Battalion might have been equipped by the Americans. This supposition is also supported by the fact the Battalion was operating in an American zone in south west France.)
Basque Code-Talkers
Rafael de la Cruz emailed in to say ...
Besides all the units you mention there were also Basques fighting the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre along with the Philippines guerrillas and the US Army. Among several actions they did the same the Navajo (and other Indians) transmission units: code talkers. They also acted as Coast Watchers. As for the ETO, Spain also sent navy men to the Kriegsmarine. It wasn't a fighting unit although they were forced to see some action. Different expeditions of officers and crew were sent to learn naval warfare and the manning of E-boats since Spain was going to buy a batch of those boats. There were also a good number of individuals (ex-Republican Army) fighting in the Red Army and Soviet Air Force. There were other individuals working with the British Intelligence, especially from Catalonia.
Pedro J. Oiarzabal is also looking for Basque code-talkers or other Basque veterans of WWII or the Korean War.
Spanish Nationalist Union
A Communist Republican Unit fighting for the allies. Involved in taking Fortress Gironde (see above) in conjunction with the Guernica Battalion.
4th Special Service Company
Spanish communist partisans who harassed the German rear near Moscow.
Individuals in Soviet Units
Rubén Ruiz Ibarruri, the son of La Pasinaria, commanded a machine gun company of 35th Guards Rifle Division (Beevor, 1999). He was killed south of Kotluban; I think this was in Sep 1942.