Pricing the unpricable

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-09-2011, 11:57 AM

As I mentioned before, no uniforms survive from the BFC. The Americans served within the Waffen SS with no special insignia. The Free India Legion: I am not aware of any full uniforms surviving, but insgnia does. Our own Bob H owns some.

Cheers, Ade.

**Jerry B** · 11-09-2011, 12:03 PM

An interesting book is 'Hitler's B#stard' by Eric Pleasants who served in the BFC, though it does not always ring true. It has a picture of him in uniform and a document with his name.

Regards,

Jerry

**Glenn66** · 11-09-2011, 01:44 PM

I seem to remember reading somewhere that there were only 12 or so volunteers for the BFC and the germans quickly gave up on the idea. Is this correct?

**sandgroper** · 11-09-2011, 01:55 PM

I think they finished up with about 30 blokes including several Aussies and, I think, 1 Kiwi.

**GIZMO8Z** · 11-09-2011, 02:46 PM

There's that one scene in one of the earlier episodes of Band of Brothers where an American paratrooper taunts some German POWs and one of them answers back in American English... they end up having a quick conversation and realize that they were neighbors back in the USA (Iowa or Nabraska, I think?). I don't remember if that POW was a member of the SS, but I doubt it...

Was this common? I'd love to do some additional reading, or see a documentary on this subject!

**ObKrieger** · 11-09-2011, 02:51 PM

by GIZMO8Z

There's that one scene in one of the earlier episodes of Band of Brothers where an American paratrooper taunts some German POWs and one of them answers back in American English... they end up having a quick conversation and realize that they were neighbors back in the USA (Iowa or Nabraska, I think?). I don't remember if that POW was a member of the SS, but I doubt it...

Was this common? I'd love to do some additional reading, or see a documentary on this subject!

If I recall correctly it was a guy from Oregon, and it was a Heer unit. It was something about answering Hitler's call to the "Volksdeutsche" to return to defend the fatherland.

**Ben Evans** · 11-09-2011, 02:56 PM

The lads doing the reenacting are from the Second Battle Group

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-09-2011, 03:10 PM

Mo is correct.

Just before the war many men could see that war was coming and had to face a difficult choice.

Cheers, Ade.

**HPL2008** · 11-09-2011, 08:48 PM

by Glenn66

I seem to remember reading somewhere that there were only 12 or so volunteers for the BFC and the germans quickly gave up on the idea. Is this correct?

by sandgroper

I think they finished up with about 30 blokes including several Aussies and, I think, 1 Kiwi.

A total of ca. 60 to 70 Commonwealth volunteers were serving with the British Free Corps at one point or another, but the actual total strength of the unit at any given time was always far below that and appears never to have exceeded 30 men or so, as many were with the BFC for only very short periods of time and the membership was in a more or less constant flux.

If you are interested in this subject, I can recommend Adrian Weale's "Renegades. Hitlers Englishmen" which is still pretty much the standard work here. (It's not only about the BFC, but other British collaborators as well.)

by ObKrieger

If I recall correctly it was a guy from Oregon, and it was a Heer unit. It was something about answering Hitler's call to the "Volksdeutsche" to return to defend the fatherland.

Right; a memorable scene, that one.... "Where do you come from, son?" - "Eugene, Oregon."