Joining Hitler's Crusade
European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941

A ground-breaking study that looks at why European nations sent troops to take part in Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.

David Stahel (Edited by)

9781316649749, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 December 2017

454 pages, 20 b/w illus. 2 tables
22.7 x 15.1 x 2.1 cm, 0.73 kg

'All of the essays are good and several very much so, dispelling myths about the composition and performance of particular contingents (e.g., Italian, Spanish). This is a valuable addition to the literature of the Russo-German War.' A. A. Nofi, The NYMAS Review

The reasons behind Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union are well known, but what about those of the other Axis and non-Axis powers that joined Operation Barbarossa? Six other European armies fought with the Wehrmacht in 1941 and six more countries sent volunteers, as well as there being countless collaborators in the east of various nationalities who were willing to work with the Germans in 1941. The political, social and military context behind why so many nations and groups of volunteers opted to join Hitler's war in the east reflects the many diverse, and largely unknown, roads that led to Operation Barbarossa. With each chapter dealing with a new country and every author being a subject matter expert on that nation, proficient in the local language and historiography, this fascinating new study offers unparalleled insight into non-German participation on the Eastern Front in 1941.

List of figures
Notes on contributors
Acknowledgement
Preface David Stahel
Part I. The National Armies: 1. Finland Carl Henrik Meinander
2. Romania Dennis John Deletant
3. Hungary Ignác Romsics
4. Slovakia Jan Rychlik
5. Italy Thomas Schlemmer
6. Croatia Rory Yeomans
Part II. The Volunteers: 7. Spain Xavier Moreno Juliá
8. The Netherlands Evertjan van Roekel
9. Denmark Joachim Lund
10. Belgium Nico Wouters
11. France Oleg Beyda
12. Norway Sigurd Christian Sørlie
Part III. Collaborators from within the Soviet Union: 13. The Baltic States: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia Valdis O. Lumans
14. The Soviet Union Igor Petrov and Oleg Beyda.

Subject Areas: Second World War [HBWQ], Military history [HBW], European history [HBJD]