Something you don't see every day.....

[Adrian]

I don't know if this has been posted before but an unusual image.
The Japanese sleeve emblem is a new one on me.
Does anyone know who it is?

[Adam M]

Very unusual indeed, I have never seen this before. Where did you find the image?

[Adam M]

I think i might have something useful for a change , I think it has something to do with the Ostlegionen and conscripted volunteers. Ostlegionen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just a thought as the guy in the first picture looks Japanese.

[Gunny Hartmann]

I've no idea who is is but the photo is said to have been taken at Krasnodar in 1942!...

[Gunny Hartmann]

Here's another Japanese guy with the rising sun patch!...

[SteveR]

I wonder what ethnic groop they represent ?

[big ned]

Here's a possibility, a battalion of foreign volunteers from the far east known as Battalion 43. This is quoted directly from Wiki:


"In March 1938 a Chinese officer named Chiang Wei-Kuo participated in the annexation of Austria with Germany. Chiang Wei-Kuo was the son of China’s nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek. He was group commandant Panzer leader and managed his Panzers to control the occupied population. Several other Chinese persons were trained for service in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine."

Battalion 43
"The after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the United States entered the global conflict. Many people in Asia believed the real enemy in the fight was the communism and the Soviet Union. For this reason many Asians from different countries went to Europe to join the military of the Third Reich. Several Asians already living in Europe were introduced to join the German Army. Asian volunteers were organized into their own battalions. The creation of OstBattalion-43 (Battalion 43) was incorporated to Wehrmacht and sent to the front in Russia.

Battalion 43 of the Wehrmacht consisted exclusively of East Asians from China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. Also a minor part consisted of troops from Thailand and Indonesia. At the Russian front Battalion 43 suffered the same hardships as the German soldiers: cold, hunger, and Red Army. Battalion 43 fought from the Russian steppes to the fertile plains of Ukraine. These troops showed no fear of death and were quite feared by the Red Army. Japanese and Korean soldiers were the most fanatical within the battalion because of the bushido code of their religion. Mongols were more motivated because they suffered in their home country pressure of the USSR. The Chinese who were fearsome in battle fighting for a free China of Chiang Kai Shek and Mao Zedong's communism which were supported by Russia.

In early 1944 Battalion 43 withdrew from the eastern front and was sent to France and joined the Rommel's Army in Normandy. The mission of these was set next to the Coast Guard Channel to stop an Allied landing in the future, life in France Battalion was peaceful and quiet for several long months.

On June 6, 1944 the Allies landed in Normandy by land, sea and air. Battalion 43 was at that time scattered along the coast where the Americans had landed. At the end of D-Day Battalion 43 had been completely crushed with most troops being killed and taken prisoner. On D-Day Battalion 43 ceased to exist. The few Asians who managed to escape were not allowed again unify as a Battalion."

It's interesting how many different nationalities fought for Germany besides the far eastern volunteers there was also men from the near east, european, and african countries, as well as prisoners who were made to serve for whatever reasons. It's an interesting fact that 6 out of 10 members of the Waffen-SS were foreign volunteers.

[Erno]

There were a number of various racial and ethnic groups represented in the Wehrmacht. Obviously such non-white races were not held in the highest esteem, but Asian and African races were not actively persecuted during the war, so there were quite a few volunteers who agreed with the cause if not necessarily the racial overtones of National Socialist ideology. Japan stands out as the obvious ally of Nazi Germany, but the Germans also found a number of like-minded individuals amongst the Chinese nationalists, the most well-known probably being Chiang Wei-kuo, adoptive son of Chiang Kai-shek, pictured below:



There were also volunteers from Hindustan and Arabia.



The above photos show their respective unit insignia, Freies Indien and Freies Arabien.

The many Wehrmacht volunteers and Waffen-SS units are often overlooked, but I find them to be very interesting when viewed through the lens of the historical knowledge gained after the war. In fact, despite the common media portrayals, racial theories were generally less important than victory for the German armed forces.

Image source credits:

Models.UweMilitaria.org: SteyrFLAKwagen-10 : German conquest of Fort Mechili . Cyrenaica . Libya - 8 April 1941
http://i043.radikal.ru/0907/86/53772f5c0976.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Wei-kuo

[Heldentod]

Interesting photos....Really gives a glimpse of how modern media has distorted the original ideology of National Socialism.