The Arabs and Africans of Hitler's army: The Free Arabian Legion

Описание: The second world war, saw many collaborationist movements occur for various powers and factions. Men from around the world, even if not directly impacted by the conflict, joining up for what they deemed a good cause. In today's video, we will be looking at one of the more obscure, and unlikely ones to occur. The Arabians and Africans, of the German army. Otherwise known as the Free Arabian Legion.

Read more about the legions:

Hitler's Vikings: The History of the Scandinavian Waffen-SS: The Legions, the SS-Wiking and the SS-Nordland: https://amzn.to/3YdPqd9

SS Foreign Divisions & Volunteers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, 1941–1945: https://amzn.to/3XWHcou

Hitler's Jihadis: Muslim Volunteers of the Waffen-SS (Hitler's Legions): https://amzn.to/3YdvFCu

Hitler's Flemish Lions: The History of the SS-Freiwilligan Grenadier Division Langemarck (Flamische Nr. I) (Hitler's Legions Book 2): https://amzn.to/483Xosv

Belgian Waffen-SS Legions & Brigades, 1941–1944: Wallonie, Wallonien, Flandern & Langemarck: https://amzn.to/3ZWufgV

Norwegian Waffen-SS Legion, 1941–43: https://amzn.to/3Bym8gi

SS Hitler's Foreign Divisions: Foreign Volunteers in the Waffen SS 1940-1945: https://amzn.to/3Y1lRdg

11th Waffen-SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division “Nordland”: An Illustrated History: https://amzn.to/4dzvx4N

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The German army during WW2 is generally pictured with men like this, or this. White Europeans that either volunteered or were forced to fight a war based on bigotry and propaganda. Many, following those believes/ Yet, upon digging, photos such as this, or this. Can be found. Arabian and African members within the Werhmatch. This is the tale of the Free Arabian Army. The Arabs and Africans, of Hitlers Reich.

The war would be failure, but a section of men that were de-facto allied with the Germans at this point, and many would make their escape first to French Syria, then to Cape Sounion, Greece. Hellmuth Felmy, commander of Army Group Southern Greece, was left to the task of raising these men into a fighting force. Thus, the Arabians that had fled from the Middle East and French Africans who had been captured, would form and be dubbed as Sonderstab F, or 287, with a second unit Sonderstab F or 288. Both created in August of 1942.

Now, many would imagine that the race issue would be a major point of contention with the German high command, but, even with the extremely racial propaganda campaign, they were in need of all men that they could get, and the race issue was largely ignored, with them given a simple patch, to denote members of the legion. German officers assigned to the unit, would comment that they didn't view the men as competent in their fighting prowess however, regarding them as able to do little more then rearguard duties. The men themselves, had a multitude of reasons for joining, some wanted steady work and pay, others joined who they believed would be the winning side, joined the Germans as a way to fight against a common enemy, shared similar ideological believes, among many others.

While most of the legion would be used for anti-partisan activity, the third battalion would assist the German invasion into the caucuses, with the goal of establishing an Iraqi government in Exile as the Germans continued their advance across the range, but of course, that didn't occur due to heavy German setbacks against the Soviets. Instead, the third battalion would be sent to fight in Tunisia in early 1943 where they were used primarily as a recruitment tool for local Arabs, and manged to get enough recruits, that a rear battalion would be formed of these recruits. However, the whole unit would be captured, along with the vast majority of the Axis African army, in May of 43.

The same month, some of the original Legion third battalion, and men from French Africa, would be formed into Battalion 845, seeing action against partisans in the Peloponnese region of Greece. In October '44 it was withdrawn from Greece into Yugoslavia and was strengthened by additional Arab volunteers. This Battalion, would end the war near Zagreb as part of the 104th Jäger Division.

The 1st and 2nd battalions of the Arabian Legion would largely be used to replace combat losses, before being administered and combined to form the 92nd Grenadier Regiment in June of '44, fighting against Yugoslav partisans. They would suffer heavy losses while fighting near Belgrade in October, and be pulled from the front by January of 45. Disappearing in Austria, as the chaos of the German collapse covered their tracks.